The Rev. Canon Cosslett Quin, in Irish Cosslett Ó Cuinn (

Derriaghy Derriaghy, (; also known as Derryaghy), (), is a townland (of 538 acres) and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, south-west of Belfast city centre. The townland is situated in the historic barony of Belfast Upper and the civil par ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, 27 February 1907 - 6 December 1995) was a priest of the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

who translated the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

into

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. Quin was born to Charles Edward Quin,

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Derriaghy, and Edith Isobel Waddell. He studied at

Campbell College Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, and later at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity in

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in 1940. Quin was a poet, theologian, critic, biblical scholar, member of the

ecumenical movement Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

, and a scholar of the Irish language. During his studies, he developed a strong interest in

Ulster Irish Ulster Irish ( ga, Gaeilig Uladh, IPA=, IPA ga=ˈɡeːlʲɪc ˌʊlˠuː) is the variety of Irish spoken in the province of Ulster. It "occupies a central position in the Gaelic world made up of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man". Ulster Ir ...

, and often visited the Irish-speaking

Gola Island Gola ( or ''Oileán Ghabhla'') is a small island off the coast of Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland. The island was unpopulated as recently as 1996 but in recent years people have started to return. A ferry service operates during the holiday sea ...

and

Derrybeg Doirí Beaga (anglicised as Derrybeg, meaning 'small oak trees'), is a Gaeltacht village and townland in the parish of Gweedore (''Gaoth Dobhair'') in County Donegal, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in t ...

. He also published articles in '' Éigse: A Journal of Irish Studies'' on the dialects of Irish spoken on Rathlin Island and Kilkenny. Quin compiled the folklore of native Irish speakers from the islands of

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

and

Arranmore ''Árainn Mhór'' (English name: Arranmore) is an island off the west coast of County Donegal, Ireland. Arranmore is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, with a population of 469 in 2016, but has had a gradually falling native popula ...

off the coast of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

, including Róise Mhic Ghrianna. Quin spoke 12 languages. While working in Belfast and

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfort ...

in 1931, Quin was promoted to the post of

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

. In 1961, he was appointed professor of Biblical Greek at Trinity College, and began work on a new translation of the New Testament. He also translated the Book of Psalms, the Prayer Book of the Church of Ireland and the

Apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

into Irish, as well as theological works by Walter Eichrodt and ''Rome and Canterbury: A Biblical and Free Catholicism'' by

Emmanuel Amand de Mendieta Emmanuel Amand de Mendieta (1907–1976) was a Belgian Benedictine scholar who specialised in the works of St. Basil of Caesarea. Of Belgian aristocratic descent, he attained a brief prominence in the English-speaking world through his conversion t ...

. Although it was unusual in his lifetime for Protestants to hold leading positions in the Irish language movement, Quin was for a time President of

Oireachtas na Gaeilge Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, “The Irish (language) Gathering”) is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish lang ...

.Réamonn Ó Ciaráin et al. (1997), ''Aspects of a Shared Heritage'', Dublin & Armagh:

Gael Linn Gael Linn (, "Gael-with-us") is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on the promotion of the Irish language and the arts. The organisation's funding includes government and lottery sources. History Gael Linn was founded in Ma ...

He was made a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of St Patrick's Cathedral in 1966, before retiring from the ministry in 1971.

Publications (selected)

*1951 ''The

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

: a theological exposition''. London: Lutterworth *1954 ''At the Lord's Table: a theological and devotional commentary on the Holy Communion Service according to the Anglican Rite of 1662''. London: Lutterworth *1970: ''Tiomna Nua: ár dTiarna agus ár Slánaitheora Íosa Chríost'';an Canónach Oirmh. Cosslett Ó Cuinn, a d'aistrigh ón Revised Standard Version agus ón nGréigis. Baile Átha Cliath: Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise *1984: ''Leabhar urnaí malairt leagain 1984: orthaí le haghaidh Domhnaí, príomhlaethanta naofa agus séasúr; de réir nósanna Eaglais na hÉireann'' Baile Átha Cliath: Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise (selections from the Alternative Prayer Book)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OCuinn, Coslett Translators of the Bible into Irish 1907 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Irish translators Irish biblical scholars Anglican biblical scholars Irish-language writers 20th-century Irish Anglican priests