G 35

Tales; Poems on Ó Catháin and Ó Néill

18th cent. Paper. 15.11 × 10 cms. Pp. 52. Scribe: Searlus Ó Brínn (p. 45), in English Cha^s. Byrne (pp. 28, 48). The years of writing range from 1747 to 1750 (pp. 28, 29, 45, 48, 49). The scribe appears to have acted in a legal capacity by drawing up - in a good English hand - the articles of agreement for a lease between two people (see pp. 49-51). Biblical quotations, also in the scribe's English hand, appear on p. 1. There are two unidentified hands in the ms., in the first on p. 28 there is a draft of a promissory note (payee: Cha^s. Byrne), in the second miscellaneous figures (see pp. 47, 48, 52) and the date 1754 together with the name Rourk on page 28. It is possible that this Rourk was the owner of the ms. at that time.

The ms. is bound in half-leather (Bretherton ligavit 1850 inside front cover) and the words Irish History and Poems are gilt-lettered on the spine. It would appear that the binder inserted two blank leaves after the front cover but only one remains now. On the verso of the fly-leaf the following is written This ancient (with a line drawn through it) Mss. contains Short pieces of Irish history Irish poems and an Irish grammar together with the following pencilled numbers 1/11/6, 736, 507. Phillipps Ms. 9749 appears on the inside of the front cover. There are two paginations in the ms. (both modern), one on the top margin of the pages and the other on the lower margin (recto only) beginning with the fly-leaf. The former pagination has been adopted for the present catalogue.

Page

1 Irish Garmmar. Headed Ag so gramada na Gaodhluig. Beg. Gebe ar main Gaoidhluig do leaghadh tug[adh] diachal dona ríallacha beaga so óir ní fedair an Gaodluig do leagha gan a bhfios do bhe aige. Consists of extract from Short Louvain Grammar 1669. See p. 46 infra for an English adaptation of same. Biblical quotations and references in English are written by the scribe at the end of p. 1.

3 An Ceithearnach Caolriabhach. Beg. Lá naon da raibh o Domhnill .i. Aodha ruadh mac Neil Garabh mic Torghealuighe an Fhionna agus maithibh a thíre ┐ a thallmhuin mar aon rís aig caitheamh fleadha. Ends (imperfectly) top of p. 20 corresponding to ed. O'Grady, Silva Gadelica, p. 287 l. 18. It would appear that the scribe intended to complete the tale since the remainder of the page, which is blank, contains enough space to include the last portion of the tale. For an account of this tale and its ms. tradition see B.M. ii, p. 350 and T. F. O'Rahilly, Gadelica i, pp. 204-208.

21 Brughean Chéisi Chorathan. Beg. Sealig ┐ fiadhac ┐ fianchosgur do comoradh le Fionn mhac Comhail mhic Airt mheimhar (sic) fa chraochaibh caoimhaille an Choruinn. Ends middle p. 28 followed by the date 1750. For editions of this tale see Best, Bibliography of Irish Philology, 1913-41.

28 Promissory note: I promise to pay Cha^s. Byrne or Order the sum of (blank) p^ds. sterling at or upon ye (blank) Day of (blank) next for value rec^d. as wittness my hand this said (blank).

29 Beg. Oighríocht Fodhla o bhin go bin, 3qq.+ 1 st. In praise of Róise (inghean Hanrí) Ní Néill. See also poems, pp. 39, 40, infra.

29 Beg. A Dhisirt uí Thuaithcheill mo cruadh creachtsa, 212 ll. A lament for Eibhlín, wife of Domhnall Ó Catháín, who died in the year 1726 (p. 38 ll.5-6). Disirt uí Thuaithcheill is "now Desert Togill in Oirecht Uí Chatháin ... b. of Coleraine, Co. Derry" (Hogan, Onomasticon Goedilicum). Ends p. 39.

39 Beg. Ata fuaim ar nuilc gach sruth sa nairdsi o thuaidh, 4 stt. A lament on the death, in the year 1717 (ll. 13-14), of Aodh Dubh [? Ó Néill].

30 Beg. Ingean Enrí mhic Aoidh ui Néill, 3qq. + 1 st. In praise of Róise Ní Néill. See also poem p. 29 supra.

40 Beg. A leibhreog bheathalaidh anál ar Banna, 118 ll. In praise of Róise Ní Néill and her ancestry. See also poems pp. 29, 39 supra.

45 Beg. Míle bliadhan ┐ seacht ccéud, 2qq. On the death of a certain Cormac in the year 1712.

45 Scribal colophon: Ar nidh sgríobha re Searlus Ó Brínn an seachtbadh lá do mhaoi Abráinn agus anso mbliaghan míle ┐ seacht cceud da aoithid ┐ a naoí, d'aois Criost gú guireat Dia criach mhadh ar dheara a bhatha bíach mar sin.

46 Irish Grammar in English. Beg. Ag so gramada na Gaoilga an so sios. Ge be lear míann an Gaoilig tuga a aire dona rialacha beaga sios óir ní headir an Gaoidlig gan a bhfios do bheith eaga. Cf. p. 1 supra. This is followed by short paragraphs in English on aspiration, compound words, eclipses and vowel combinations. Each paragraph is followed by a short Irish-English list of words.

48 Unfinished maxims in English in the copperplate hand of Chas. Byrne (the scribe) followed by his signature and the date Anno Domini 1749. This 12 of Apll.

49 Articles of agreement for a lease by Chas. Keating of Ballyteig Co. [Wexford] to P.N. of Culeballenteggard of a house and holding with the grazing of eight collops for 21 yrs. See introductory remarks above.

52 English poem largely defaced by figures. First line is illegible. The second line: <...> my charmer's glittering eyes.