Above : Satchel of “Book Of Armagh”

Above: Irish Book

Dialects of Celtic.-There are two main branches of the Ancient Celtic Language: The Goidelic, or Gaelic, or Irish; and the British; corresponding with the two main divisions of the Celtic people of the British Islands. Each of these has branched into three dialects. Those of Gaelic arc: The Irish proper; the Gaelic of Scotland, differing only slightly from the Irish; and the Manx. The dialects of British are: Welsh, Cornish, and Breton or Armoric. Of the whole six dialects, five are still spoken; the Cornish became extinct in the last century; and Manx is nearly extinct.

Above: Ecclesiastical Writings

Copies of the Gospels or of other portions of Scripture that were either written or owned by eminent saints of the early Irish Church were treasured with great veneration by succeeding generations and it became a common practice to enclose them, for better preservation, in ornamental boxes or shrines which, are generally of exquisite workmanship in gold, silver, or other metals, precious stones, and enamel. Books of this kind are the oldest we possess.