Fresh efforts being made to bring historic document to Kilkenny

Carlow-Kilkenny TD John McGuinness has asked Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan to renew efforts to bring the historic Pangur Bán poem to Ireland, with the aim of putting it on display at Kilkenny Castle.

‘Pangur Bán’ is an Old Irish poem written by an Irish monk about his cat. 

It dates to the 9th Century and was composed at or near Reichenau Abbey, in what is now modern-day Germany.

The Reichenau Primer containing the poem is currently housed in St Paul’s Abbey Library in Lavanttal, Carinthia in Austria.

Kilkenny is well-known for its historical association with cats, so it is thought that hosting the primer in the city would be most fitting.

Adding to Kilkenny’s suitability is the new link connecting the document to the 2009 movie from Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon, The Secret of Kells .

The movie is heavily inspired by Irish mythology and one of the supporting characters is a white cat named Pangur Bán who arrives in the company of a monk.

“There is a connection with Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny City and what it did arising out of the works in that rare document,” McGuinness said.

“Perhaps the Minister of State would revisit the matter. It would not cost the State a fortune.

“Surely to God it is not beyond the OPW to engage with the Minister, Deputy Martin, or somebody else.”

Minister of State O’Donovan stated that he would ‘have no difficulty at all with that’.

“I commit that we will hold a discussion between the OPW, the National Library, National Archives and Kilkenny Castle to see if this can be advanced,” he added.

Deputy McGuinness told the Kilkenny People that the document was originally brought to his attention through research conducted by Ms Rosaleen Crotty.

The other contents of the Reichenau Primer are diverse, containing notes from a commentary of the Aeneid, hymns, a glossary of Greek words, biblical references, a tract on angels, and even some astronomy.