Dr. Rachel Moss

Associate Professor

Research interests

I am an art and architectural historian with a particular interest in medieval Ireland (c.400-c.1600). My research has developed from doctoral studies in Romanesque architecture and sculpture to focus on the later medieval period, in particular the social context of medieval art and architecture. I am also interested in the extended biographies of medieval objects and buildings - how the values and interpretation of medieval Irish material culture has evolved since the sixteenth century, and current discourse of preservation and display. I have participated in several funded research projects, with a particular focus on Insular manuscripts and Irish late medieval monastic architecture.

Selected recent publications include:

(with Heather Pulliam), Irish and Scottish Art, c. 900-1900: Survivals and Revivals, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press (2024)
'Cong Abbey: A Palimpsest in Stone', Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, Literature, History, 124C (2024)
'Idolatry, Ignominy, and Iconoclasm: Irish Public Monuments 1540-1700', in Ireland: The Matter of Monuments, Paula Murphy and Colleen M. Thomas eds, Liverpool, Liverpool University Press (2024),
(withColmán Ó Clabaigh), Modest and Civil People: Religion and Society in Medieval Galway, Dublin, Four Courts Press (2022)
The Book of Durrow, London, Thames and Hudson (2018)
(withFelicity O'Mahony and Jane Maxwell), An Insular Odyssey: Manuscript Culture in Early Christian Ireland and Beyond, Dublin, Four Courts Press (2017)
Art and Architecture of Ireland. Volume 1: The Medieval Period, London and New Haven, Yale University Press (2014)

Teaching

My teaching covers medieval art and architecture. I teach modules on Insular art, early medieval art in Europe and art and architecture in late medieval Ireland. Past and present post-graduate students have worked on topics including ‘Archaic’ Architectural Sculpture in 11th-13th Century Tuscany, late medieval Irish window tracery, Passion symbolism in Irish art, and the conservation and iconographic aspects of Irish high crosses. I welcome discussion with suitably qualified prospective students with relevant research interests.