Book of Armagh
manuscript
The Book of Armagh or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) (Irish: Leabhar Ard Mhacha), also known as the Canon of Patrick and the Liber Ar(d)machanus, is a 9th-century Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Trinity College Dublin (MS 52). The document is valuable for containing early texts relating to St Patrick, the 7th century Irish bishop Tírechán, the Irish monk Muirchú.
The book contains some of the oldest surviving specimens of Old Irish and for being one of the earliest manuscripts produced by an insular church to contain a near complete copy of the New Testament.
History
The manuscript was once reputed to have belonged to St. Patrick and, at least in part, to be a product of his hand. Research has determined, however, that the earliest part of the manuscript was the work of a scribe named Ferdomnach of Armagh (died 845 or 846). Ferdomnach wrote the first part of the book in 807 or 808, for Patrick's heir (comarba) Torbach, abbot of Armagh. Two other scribes are known to have assisted him.
The people of medieval Ireland placed a great value on this manuscript.
“Book of Armagh” enters the record as manuscript. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Book, Armagh and manuscript can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Book of Armagh” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Book, Armagh and manuscript provides the most credible route into that argument.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q997846. VIAF identifies the subject as 184784888. The Library of Congress control number is n96034556. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Book of Armagh”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Book of Armagh primary sources, Book of Armagh archive and Book research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Book of Armagh” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.