G 47

Leabhar Breatnach and Miscellaneous Verse

19th cent. Paper. Leaves of various dimensions mainly 23.5 × 18.5 cms. Pp. 60. This ms. is composite, being a miscellaneous collection of poems (some of them written on separate sheets) bound in with a transcript of the Leabhar Breatnach. There are ten different hands in the collection and with the exception of one - that of Pól O Briain on p. 33 - they are unidentified. Pól O Briain would appear to be the Rev. Paul O'Brien who was the first Professor of Irish at Maynooth (1802-1820). The scribe of pp. 23-26, 53-55 - who writes in a very good hand on paper watermarked 1805 - is also the scribe of B.M. Eg. 113 ff. 94b=103, not identified by Flower in his catalogue (B.M. ii, p. 608, art. 8-22). It is possible that the fragments by this scribe contained in these two mss. were part of a single collection at one time. It would seem that one of the exemplars used by him was a ms. written by Maurice Newby now T.C.D. H. 6.15 (no. 1419). On p. 23 of the present ms. the scribe inserts the initials M.N., the date die martis 14a Junij. 1715 and a scribal note as they appear in H. 6. 15, p. 29.

This transcript of the Leabhar Breatnach was commenced on April 15th 1807 (p. 1) and finished on April 24th 1807 (p. 13). The two Ossianic lays in Scottish Gaelic contained in this collection (pp. 39, 47) are written on paper watermarked 1800. Other dates in watermarks are 1801 (p. 29) and 1813 (p. 57). Scribal pagination occurs on pp. 1-16, 23-25, 27-31. A modern pencilled pagination has been adopted in the present catalogue.

The ms. is bound in boards, the binder inserting one blank leaf after the front cover and another before the back cover. In the binding p. 41 was wrongly placed - it should come after p. 50. The name Surgeon Collis is written on p. 36. The ms. was in the possession of Edward O'Reilly (no. 79 in his collection) before it found its way into the Phillipps collection (no. 10272).

Page

1 Leabhor Breatnach ann so sios. Beg. Britania insola filio isicon dicta est .i. o britan mac isicon ro hainmniged inis bretan. The Irish version of the Historia Britonum ascribed to Nennius extracted from the Book of Lecan, fol. 139a (and not from the Book of Ballymote as stated by Edw. O'Reilly in his ms. catalogue R.I.A. 23Hr, p. 142). Ends p. 13 corresponding to Lec., f. 141vb. See ed A. G. van Hamel, Lebor Bretnach ... edited from all the manuscripts, Irish mss. Commission, 1932.

14-21 Blank.

22 Headed Eisábhra mharbhnaídheach air an Athair Marcuis Barráid. Beg. Ansacht éis=gse eagna 's dáin, 22 ll + 1 ceangal. Elegy on Father Marcus Barrett, the initial letters of lines forming an anagram of the name. Another copy in B.M., Eg. 113, f. 112.

23 Sean Ó Maolchonaire. Acephalous, beg. here (obhran an dána) Ni ffúair clíar iarrata a neoluis ghlic, 4 ll. followed by a scribal note bi M(aurice) N(ewby) and date (see introductory remarks above). Newby's transcript of the poem (H. 6. 15., p. 21) beg. "Fuair Breifne a díol do hsaoghlond." In praise of Brian na Múrtha Ó Ruairc. Printed Hardiman, Ir. Minstr. ii, 286.

23 Beg. Tangadar na tarrngaire | do chansadar na fáidhe, 4 stt. A Jeremiad. Cf. T.C.D. H. 6. 15, p. 29.

23 Headed Ag so an aoír do rinn Tadhg dall ó hUigin do na daoínibh do muinntear Eadhra far' beanadar a theanga as. Beg. Sluagh seisir thainic do m'thigh, 12 qq. See ed. E. Knott, I.T.S., vols. xxii-xxiii, 1922, 1926, also ed. from O'Curry Ms., Maynooth 23G13, by Paul Walsh: Gleanings from Ir. Mss. (p. 120-22), 1933.

24 Mac Coisi. Beg. Brónach ollomh déis a Rí, 23½ qq. A lament for Fergal Ó Ruairc. Cf. T.C.D., H. 5. 15, p. 5 and R.I.A. CivI (d), 208 v, l. 7.

26 Sean ua Cléire. Beg. Cia so bhearras an Bhreifne, 5 qq. Cf. T.C.D., H. 6. 15, p. 9.

26 [Fintan mac Bóchna]. Beg. Ga líon triucha a nEirinn áin, 14 qq. On the subdivisions of Ireland. For references to other copies and printed version see B.M., ii, pp. 114-15.

27 Headed Young Ferrall Mác an Bhaird cecinit tempore Elizabeth. P. 179. Beg. Mor coir chaich ar chrich Laighion, 46 qq. On the fame of Leinster. See ed. Mac Airt, Leabhar Branach, p. 90.

30 Headed Neill O Rooney ** tempore Elizabeth. Beg. Mithid cuairt a cceann Fhiacha, 28 qq. The poet announces his intention of visiting Fiacha mac Aodha Ó Broin. See ed. Mac Airt, Leabhar Branach, p. 83.

33 Pól Ó Briain. Chum an Uasail Taidhg Ui Flanagain slainte acas beatha shuathain. Beg. Is fior go bhfuil an tírse Chuinn, 10 stt. Tadhg Ó Flanagáin is possibly Theophilus O Flanagan.

34 Blank except for the words túr didne dhamh a Christ.

35 Beg. (written vertically) ô sé is dail do gach duine dar genamh o Adhamh nuas, 1 st. A paryer against damnation.

36 Blank except for the name Surgeon Collis.

37 Blank.

38 (reversed). Headed A Topographical Index of all the Towns, Monasteries and Episcopal Sees in Ireland, extracted from Colgan's Thaumaturgus, in English and Latin, followed by one entry Ard-an-orchor. The lower half of the page is torn off.

39 Ossianic. Acephalous. Beg. here go mbithead marbh air aon bhall, 92 ll. Continued pp. 43, 45, 47. This is a variant (also in Scottish Gaelic) of the lay "Conn mac an Deirg" which is printed in J.F. Campbell, Leabhar na Feinne, p. 17 (and which Campbell reprinted from John Gillies Collection, Perth, 1786).

40 [Flann Fína]. Beg. Ro dheat an Inis Finn Fail, 15 qq. Continued pp. 44, 46. On the qualities of the various parts of Ireland. For information on the different versions and printed editions see B.M. ii, pp. 283, 537.

41 See p. 47 infra.

42 Headed De Majestate et Gloriâ Dei. Beg. Do conairc me an Tigherna na shuidhe a ccathair rígha go hárd. Ends (imperfectly) at end of the page. Translations of fragments from the prophecies of Isaias.

47 Ossianic. Dán na hinghine. Beg. Padruic: Oisein uasal, a mhic Finn, | `stu ad shuidhe air an tulaich eibhin, 79 ;;. Continued pp. 49 (col. 1), 41, 51. This is a variant (also in Scottish Gaelic) of the "Lay of the Maiden" which is printed in J.F. Campbell, Leabhar na Feinne, p. 133 (and which Campbell reprinted from John Gillies Collection, Perth 1786, p. 35). Campbell's version begins at l.13 of this version (i.e. p. 49 [col. 1] l.2). A lacuna (owing to loss of leaf ?) in the poem here occurs after p. 41 corresponding to stt. 14-18 of the printed poem.

48 Headed Air ainm naemhtha Dé. Beg. A dubhairt Día ré Maísi: As Mé An Tí As Mé. Continued pp. 49 (col. 2), 50. Translations of passages from the Old Testament on the Holy Name and Glory of God.

52 Blank.

53 Headed Mac Líag ro chan, is e 'n-a shenóir an insi an goill duibh íar mbás Bhríain Boroimhe. Beg. Fada bheith gan aoíbhneas, 5 qq. Printed Hardiman, Ir. Minstr., ii, p. 208.

53 [Mac Liag]. Marbhna Bhríain Boroimhe. Beg. Aniar thainic tuitim Bhríain, 27* qq. (111 ll.). See B.M. ii, p. 337.

56 Blank except for pencil scribblings.

57 Unfinished anonymous letter in English containing specimen of Irish phraseology from the writer's Collectanea and dictated to him by the late Denis Taaffe.

58-60 Blank.