Coslett Quin, Clergyman, Scholar and Linguist, Is Born in Derriaghy, Co. Antrim

  • February 28, 1907

The Rev. Canon Cosslett Quin, in Irish Cosslett Ó Cuinn (Derriaghy, County Antrim, 27 February 1907 – 6 December 1995) was a priest of the Church of Ireland who translated the New Testament into Irish.

Quin was born to Charles Edward Quin, rector of Derriaghy, and Edith Isobel Waddell. He studied at Campbell College, Belfast, and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity in Theology 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, 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 and Kilkenny. Quin compiled the folklore of native Irish speakers from the islands of Tory and Arranmore off the coast of County Donegal, including Róise Mhic Ghrianna. Quin spoke 12 languages.