In the table below, each typeface is described according to a number of categories.
In any case, these Pseudo-Gaelic letterforms are not suitable for Irish Gaelic, and at the very least one must hope that designers will choose to provide Gaelic alternates in their typefaces, in addition to the accented letters required for the Celtic languages.Ĭonsidering the reverence given by many designers to the insular manuscript hand and the artistic traditions it belonged to, ensuring that their typefaces can be used to write Celtic languages should be one of their prime considerations. Personally I think they have simply had their tastes dulled by overexposure to the successful and ubiquitous American Uncial. Designers may "modernize" their designs to contain Carolingian g instead of the s-shaped g, and t with its ascender piercing the crossbar, on the grounds that these are somehow "easier" for the modern reader. However, because the tradition of Gaelic typography has been interrupted, many new designers are unfamiliar with the true insular letterforms which are essential, in Ireland at least, for a typeface to be considered authentic. Since 1988, at least 50 more typefaces have been designed. If this is the case, those 24 years represent the longest hiatus known in Gaelic type design since 1800. At present it appears that no typeface development occurred between 19.
Research on the origin dates and designers of the Gaelic typewriter faces has yet to be completed.īetween 15, some 57 Gaelic or Celtic typefaces were produced, as shown in the list below. Surprisingly, however, neither discussed in detail the typewriter faces which existed for Irish, though Lynam does mention them in passing. I have also included Anglo-Saxon typefaces, intimitely related to Irish typefaces, as well as a large number of "Celtic Uncial" typefaces - few of which, at present, support Celtic languages.īoth Lynam and McGuinne were interested in metal types, and so neither discussed modern digital typefaces. I also present a table of all the Gaelic typefaces known to me, presenting information on date, designer, etc. In this contribution I endeavour to classify Irish typefaces according to principles of their design.
Because a great many more than 11 typefaces are discussed in those chapters, I became interested in preparing a list which would provide information on each individual typeface. McGuinne identifies 11 major designs, which he names after their foundries or patrons, as indicated in the chapter headings of his book. Both described the most important typefaces produced during the heyday of printing in the Gaelic script. Lynam (1924) and Dermot McGuinne (1992) have published the two most definitive works on Irish typefaces to date. Gaelic Typefaces: History and Classification Michael Everson Version 1.5, Įdward W.
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