In early medieval Ireland, a priest and two monks struggle to preserve their humanity – and their sanity – in utter isolation
Photograph: MNStudio/Getty Images/iStockphotoPhotograph: MNStudio/Getty Images/iStockphotoll nations beguile themselves with stories, and Ireland has long been susceptible to the warm tingle of mythology. Some cherished beliefs, though, are not only comforting but at least partly true. For instance, during the collapse of the Roman empire, Irish scholars really did salvage much of Europe’s literary heritage.
From the outset, it grounds itself in an early medieval Ireland that was much more plural and fluid than is often supposed. Artt, a learned priest recently returned from afar, arrives at the monastery of Cluain Mhic Nóise. Bringing with him new and uncompromising notions, he finds himself an honoured if not entirely welcome guest, refusing the abbot’s wine and disparaging his lax observance of fast days.
In fulfilment of his vision, Artt settles upon an unlikely pair of missionaries. Cormac is well past his prime, a grizzled brawler who found Christ only after a plague claimed his family and a rival clan his patch of land. Trian, meanwhile, is a mere youth, “ungainly and odd” by his own rueful admission. Neither is much of a true believer, but both are sufficiently awed to accept their new calling without a murmur.
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