Irish Artistic Copyright Law: A Menagerie of Holy Cows and Turtle Doves?

This article identifies the worlds first copyright case as also being the first case of infringement of an artistic work. It shows how the case of the saint St Colmcille or St Columba has been misunderstood and misconstrued up to the present day. Irish artistic copyright law is outlined and juxtaposed with that of the UK. Progressive and restrictive aspects of the laws development in both countries are outlined and similarities and divergences noted. The article seeks to establish whether either jurisdiction has anything to gain from knowledge of the others laws and concludes that, regardless of positive and negative features of the compared legal systems, the sale of artistic works is unlikely to be affected by this mutual revelation, come what may. However, the differences which emerge from the sources and understanding of the law make the academic journey, if not the destination, very worthwhile.