The Cathach of St. Columba, known as the Cathach, is a late 6th century Insular psalter. It is the oldest surviving manuscript in Ireland, and the second oldest Latin psalter in the world.
Folio 48r, Cathach of St. Columba
The Cumdach of the Cathach
Folio 19r, note the abraded and stained edges caused by impact damage as the pages moved against the cumdach, which was not large enough to hold them flat in place.
The Shrine of the Cathach. Length: 8.5 in (220 mm), width: 7.25 in (184 mm), breath: 2.1 in (53 mm). National Museum of Ireland, NMI R2835
Insular script is a medieval script system originating from Ireland that spread to England and continental Europe under the influence of Irish Christianity. Irish missionaries took the script to continental Europe, where they founded monasteries such as Bobbio. The scripts were also used in monasteries like Fulda, which were influenced by English missionaries. They are associated with Insular art, of which most surviving examples are illuminated manuscripts. It greatly influenced modern Gaelic type and handwriting.
The beginning of the Gospel of Mark from the Book of Durrow
St Chad Gospels: Et factum est iter[um cum sabbatis ambula]ret Iesus per sata (Mark 2:23, p. 151)