author
Michael Barrett
1848–1924
A Benedictine monk, poet, and church historian, he wrote warmly and accessibly about Scotland’s religious past. Publishing at times under the name Joseph Carmichael, he brought scholarship and devotion together in books meant for general readers.
2 Audiobooks
Up in Ardmuirland
by Michael Barrett
A Calendar of Scottish Saints
by Michael Barrett
About the author
Born in 1848, Michael Ernest Barrett was a Scottish Catholic clergyman and writer who later became a Benedictine monk. Sources identify him as a convert to the Catholic Church in 1870; he entered the Benedictine order in the late 1870s, was ordained in 1883, and was associated with St Benedict’s Abbey, Fort Augustus, where he served as prior.
Barrett wrote both under his own name and under the pseudonym Joseph Carmichael. He is described as a poet and Catholic priest, and he also contributed articles to the Catholic Encyclopedia. His books focused especially on Scottish church history and religious heritage, including works such as The Scottish Monasteries of Old, Sidelights on Scottish History, and Footprints of the Ancient Scottish Church.
He died in 1924. What stands out in the surviving record is the range of his work: part priest, part historian, and part literary figure, with a gift for presenting ecclesiastical history in a readable, inviting way.