Tecosca ríg - ‘instructions for kings’

Tecosca rig, or instructions for Kings, is a medieval Gaelic genre of literature through which kings and nobles were given guidance in how to behave and rule wisely. An extension of the broader European writings recognised as ‘mirror for princes’, it is widely believed that these texts weren’t just symbolic but may have been recited during inauguration ceremonies. This talk, given by Ralph O’Connor from the University of Aberdeen, will look at some of the earliest pieces of Tecosca rig in existence and explore why they were important, how they were used and what they can tell us today.

Biography

Ralph O’Connor is a professor of Literature and Culture of Britain, Ireland & Iceland at the University of Aberdeen. His research focuses on four linked areas: mediaeval Celtic literature, mediaeval Icelandic and Scandinavian literature, modern history of science, and literary history c. 1750-1920. He is currently completing his seventh and eighth books: a monograph on perceptions of historicity and fictionality in the writing and rewriting of Icelandic sagas, 1200-1900 (funded by a two-year Leverhulme Research Fellowship), and a new edition of Hugh Miller’s much-loved masterpiece of Victorian science and landscape writing, The Old Red Sandstone (co-edited with Dr. Michael A. Taylor).

‍