Ireland joined the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union, in 1973, but Irish participation in the development of European identities dates back more than a thousand years. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West, Europeans built on its foundations to develop their own culture and identity. The Irish played an important role in this great enterprise. This richly illustrated exhibition tells the story of the part played by Irish scholars and missionaries in the early history of the European idea. Myshall born St Columbanus was the first of the Irish missionaries and scholars to make a home on the Continent and in around the year 600, became the first to write ‘of all of Europe’ (totius Europae). He and his followers contributed to the shaping of a European heritage that endures today. The exhibition features reproductions of important illuminated manuscripts held in historic archives across Europe, including the significant collections at Bobbio and St Gallen – two of the monastic communities founded by early Irish missionaries. The exhibition is researched, written and curated by Dr Damian Bracken, University College Cork, and Dr Angela Byrne for the Department of Foreign Affairs. The exhibition is a partnership between Carlow County Museum, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin.

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