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

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

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

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

who translated the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

into Irish. Quin was born to Charles Edward Quin, rector 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 ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, and later at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, where he received his

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

in 1940. Quin was a poet, theologian, critic, biblical scholar, member of the ecumenical movement, and a scholar of the Irish language. During his studies, he developed a strong interest in

Ulster Irish Ulster Irish ( or , ) is the variety of Irish language, Irish spoken in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. It "occupies a central position in the Goidelic languages, Gaelic world made up of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man". Uls ...

, and often visited the Irish-speaking Gola Island and Derrybeg. He also published articles in '' Éigse: A Journal of Irish Studies'' on the dialects of Irish spoken on

Rathlin Island Rathlin Island (, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 ...

and in

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

. Quin compiled the folklore of native Irish speakers from the islands of

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

and

Arranmore ''Árainn Mhór'' (English language, English name: Arranmore) is an island off the west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. Arranmore is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, wit ...

off the coast of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, 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 ringfor ...

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 denominations, such as the Cathol ...

. 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 biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

into Irish, as well as theological works by Walter Eichrodt and ''Rome and Canterbury: A Biblical and Free Catholicism'' by Emmanuel Amand de Mendieta. 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.Réamonn Ó Ciaráin et al. (1997), ''Aspects of a Shared Heritage'', Dublin & Armagh:

Gael Linn Gael Linn () 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 May 1953, followin ...

He was made a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

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

Publications (selected)

*1951 ''The

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

: 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 Christian clergy from County Antrim Writers from County Antrim People educated at Campbell College Alumni of Trinity College Dublin People from Derriaghy