Just 300 out of thousands of medieval Irish-language manuscripts still exist

Lavishly illustrated German manuscript containing the Arthurian romance of Wigalois. Picture: Leiden, University Library

Thousands of medieval Irish-language manuscripts have been lost to the sands of time.

At a time when pop culture is laden with stories of Vikings, monarchs past and other tales set in the Middle Ages, it has emerged that we are missing thousands of stories that could have provided us with rich source material and insights into our past.