Commentarius Rinuccinianus

Stage I

A six-volume Latin edition, by Stanislaus Kavanagh for the Irish Manuscripts Commission, appeared between 1932 and 1949 but was accessible only to those with specialist language skills.

• A full English translation has now been completed.
• New indexes have been compiled.

Stage II

• Translation edited.
• Translation independently assessed.
• The text will be posted on the website from January 2010 after the completion of the independent assessment. The website can be accessed at: www.ulster.ac.uk/commentarius and includes the Latin text of the Commentarius, and other key sources for the period:

Kavanagh, Stanislaus (ed.), Commentarius Rinuccianus, de sedis apostolicae legatione ad foederatos Hiberniae catholicos per annos 1645-9 (6 vols., Dublin, 1932-49). NB: This includes Nicholas White’s synopsis.

Gilbert, J.T., (ed.), An Aphorismical Discovery of Treasonable Faction, or A contemporary history of affairs in Ireland from A.D. 1641 to 1652..., 3 vols., (Dublin 1879).

Gilbert, J.T., (ed.), History of the Irish confederation and the war in Ireland. With correspondence and documents of the Confederation and of the administrators of the English government in Ireland. Contemporary personal statements, memoirs, etc..., 7 vols., (Dublin, 188291).

Aiazzi, G., Nunziatura in Irlanda di Monsignor Gio. Baptista Rinucccini Arcivescovo di Fermo negli anni 1645 à 1649 (Firenze, 1844).

Hutton, A., Embassy in Ireland, (Dublin, 1873). (English translation of Aiazzi).

The site also hosts monthly updates and a weblog for comments.

Stage III

The hard-copy edition of the Commentarius will be published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission (2012).

Project research revealed that Robert O’Connell, one of the authors of the Commentarius, also wrote The Historia, an unpublished 800-page history of the Irish Capuchins. This will appear as a parallel text in Stage III.