Brian Ó Cuív
Brian Ó Cuív was an Irish scholar who specialised in Celtic history and philology.
Life
Ó Cuív was professor of Celtic Studies at University College Dublin and later at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. His later years were devoted to the compilation of a catalogue of the Irish manuscripts in the University of Oxford. The completed catalogue was published after his death.He married Emer de Valera — a daughter of Éamon de Valera. They had nine children. Emer died in 2012. Their son — Éamon Ó Cuív — is a former Irish politician.
Surname
Ó Cuív's surname was changed from Ó Caoimh by his father, Shán Ó Cuív, a Cork journalist, who in the early 20th century changed the spelling of his surname to conform with a simplified spelling system of his own invention, which he called An Leitriú Shimplí. The letter 'v' is extremely rare in Irish outside modern loanwords.Works
His works include:- The Irish of West Muskerry, Co. Cork: A Phonetic Study
- Irish Dialects and Irish Speaking Districts: Three Lectures
- Parliament Na mBan, editor
- Seven Centuries of Irish Learning: 1000–1700
- A View of the Irish Language
- The Linguistic Training of the Mediaeval Irish Poet
- The Impact of the Scandinavian Invasions on the Celtic-speaking Peoples c. 800–1100 A.D.
- Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford and Oxford College Libraries 2 vols. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, School of Celtic Studies