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Good Introduction to an Abstruse Subject
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For the interested, there are a variety of source materials for the study of Old Irish. The problem with most of them is that they're hard to come by, unless you know where to look. The best sources are the Irish Texts Society based in London, the Royal Irish Academy (yes, that's correct) and the Center for Advanced Studies, both of which are in Dublin. Most of their publications are inexpensive and good, but it's hard to get their books here in the States.So you could invest in a trip to Dublin. Or you can start with this book. Please don't assume that this is an exhaustive grammar of Old Irish; it's not - it's a book for beginners. While the Professors Lehmann do not skimp on the basic information, the book moves along at a reasonable pace. The book is straightforward, and is aimed at two audiences. One of these audiences will be students of Historical Linguistics, who will find much of interest here, what with descriptions of consonantal shifts, where Old Irish fits into the Indo-European paradigm, and analyses of VSO versus SVO languages. The other audience would be students of ancient Irish literature, who will find enough to start them feeling their way through the early material, as the bulk of the book is a minute analysis of the grammar and vocabulary of one not extremely long Old Irish tale (Mac da Dho's Pig).The only problem with this book is that these two audiences are usually not interested in the same things, so be advised. If you fall into a potential third audience - seeking after information on ancient Irish society or folklore - you'll be better off reading somebody like John Matthews, as this book is first and foremost a piece of linguistic scholarship.
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