G 55

Eochair-Sgiath an Aifrinn; Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis; Life of St. Patrick; Verse

18th cent. Paper. 20 × 15.5 cms. Pp. [ii]+672. Scribe: Dábhith ua Mohir (initials and scribal signatures in Irish and Latin on pp. 3, 191, 197, 292, 299, 366, 559, 585, 586, 587, 590, 592, 593, 615, 670) the son of Uilliam ua Mohir (footnote p. 392). The ms. is composite, comprising three formerly separate mss. with separate scribal pagination. A later unidentified hand - which wrote An Taithir Eógan ua Caoímh on p. 591 and the contents of p. 672 (see infra) - continued the pagination of the second ms. (i.e. Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis, pp. 203-590) through the third ms. (i.e. Beatha Phádraig, pp. 593-672) overwriting the original numbering. It seems the parts were bound together by Edward O'Reilly (no. 102 in his ms. cat., now R.I.A. 23 H 1) who inserted a title-page watermarked 1822, in his own hand, to Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis (now p. 201). A modern pencilled pagination which is continuous throughout the volume has been adopted for the present catalogue. The dates of writing of the separate parts range from June 1727 (p. 593) to March 1731 (p. 3), the last text Beatha Phádraig (Life of St. Patrick) being the first written and vice versa. Two parts of the present ms. - and perhaps the third - were written for Lady Jean Harold of Pennywell near Limerick (pp. 197, 592, 593). In July, 1730, the scribe himself was living near Castletown in Co. Limerick (p. 559).

Most of the scribal colophons are in Latin. The scribe's knowledge of Latin is also shown by the modern Latin verse which is included in the ms. (pp. 203, 586, 587) some of which may possibly be his own composition. R.I.A. 23 I 13, also written by this scribe, shows a similar interest in Latin verse.

The second part of this ms. (Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis, pp. 203-590) appears to have been at one time in the possession of Peter O'Connell, the lexicographer, who supplied marginal comments, glosses, translations, references, etc., in Roman letters from pp. 237-515. His signature appears on pp. 395, 469, 479, 498, and on p. 459 he referes to O'Brian's Dictionary (i.e. O'Brien's Irish-Eng. Dict., Paris 1768). There are marginal glosses and references (excluding those of the scribe) in unidentified hands here and there throughout the ms. The poem on p. 671 is in a later unidentified hand.

On the recto of the first fly-leaf is the following: Lent me by Father Casey, and on the verso is Reagan for the hackney man owes 4.3 followed by a money account. The ms. is bound in full leather with blind tooling, the binder inserting two blank leaves after the front cover and two before the back cover. O'Reilly's book-plate (now partly torn away) is pasted on inside of front cover and under it is written Phillipps Ms. 10281. Cf. G 83 infra for copy (imperfect) of Eochair-Sgiath an Aifrinn and Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis written by the same scribe.

Page

1 Pattraicc agas Oisín. Beg. P. Sguir a sheanóir léig dod bhaoís, 9 stt.

2 Blank.

3 Title-page to Eochair-sgiath an Aithfrinn followed by scribal colophon: Agus ar na haithsgríobhadh liomsa amhail do chí tú reómhad nó ad dhiaidh; ┐ aoís an Tigearna ag críochnúgadh na hoibre so 173* ar an tochtmhadh lá do Mhárrta. misi Dábhith ua Mohir.

4 Blank.

5 [Aonghus Ó Dálaigh]. Aithchuinge chum Muire. Beg. Peacach bocht misi a Mhuire, 6 qq. See ed. J. O'Daly, Timothy O'Sullivan's Pious Miscellany, Dublin, 1858, and ed. with translation L. McKenna, The Irish Monthly, July, August, 1917.

6 Blank.

7 Séathrún Céitinn. Eochair-Sgiath an Aifrinn. An Réimh Thionnsgnadh, p. 7. Text, p. 29. Ends p. 191. Complete text. Scribal colophon follows (p. 191): ...Agus ar na aisgríobhadh liomsa san mbliadhuin d'aoís Chriost. 1731. ┐ ar an tochtmhadh lá do Mharrta do chríochnuíghas an sgríbhin so. Dábhith ua mohir.

192 Tadhg mac Dáire. Beg. Rógha gac beatha bheith bocht, 9 qq. See ed. L. McKenna, Dioghluim Dána, p. 153.

192. Beg. Truagh sin a leabhair bháin, 1 q. Cf. p. 587 infra.

193 Gofraidh Ó Dálaigh. Beg. Ciondus dhíolfad mo luach leighis, 13 qq. See ed. L. McKenna, Dioghluim Dána, p. 40.

195 Taidhg mac Dáire. Beg. Aistrigh chugum a chroch naomh, 28 qq. Ends p. 197, followed by scribal note: Scriptum 8° die Martii 173* in usum Dominae Janae Harold apud Fontem Denarii proxime Limericum. per me Davidem Mohir. A nainm an Athar ┐ an Mhic ┐ an Spioraid Naoímh, Amen.

198 Cómhairle Mhuiris mhic Dháibhídh Dhuibh don Ógán. Beg. Taire dhuit ogáin fhinn, 22 qq.

200 Conall et Cómhdhán **t. Beg. Conall. Abair riom a Chómhdháin cháin, 9 qq., followed by 4 lines of prose beg. Aroile lá, do chuaidh Comhdhán ar cuaird after which comes 1 q. beg. Feargach sina dhéiseach dhian.

201 (in O'Reilly's hand) Title-page to Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis.

202 Blank.

203 Headed by invocation in Latin beg. Qui crucis ascendit lignum, 3 elegiac couplets. Séathrún Céitinn. Trí Bior-Ghaoithe an Bháis. An chéad leabhair, p. 203. An ttara leabhar, p. 292. An treas leabhar, p. 360. Ends p. 585 followed by scribal note: Scriptum autem per me Dav. Mohir anno salutis 1730. 20 die Julii. finit.

586 Scribal entry: vigesimo die July 1730. oret pius Lector pro anima Davidis Mohir studiosi. qui hunc Libellum vulgari ideomate ita descripsit ac finivit. ad suum suorumque usum. die et anno quibus supra.

586 Beg. Ní fhuil lúith am chois, is olc atá mo chiall, 2 stt.

586 Beg. Optima quaeque dies miseris mortalibus aevi, 3 ll. Quotation from Vergil, Georgics iii, 66-8.

586 Beg. In cineres redigar corrodent viscera vermes, 1 couplet, followed by scribal signature.

587 Carmen. Beg. Me grave pondus habet, me grandia pondera reddunt, 8 elegiac couplets on the mutability of human life.

587 Epitaphium. Beg. A chorr chloch do tóirneag as liagoibh leacht, 1 st. For Onóra, inghíon Domhnaill ui Bhriain, sa mac (l.4). Cf. variant in R.I.A. 23 B 25, p. 84 m, where author is given as Aodh Buidhe mac Cruitín.

587 Beg. As truag sin a lebhair bhreág bháin, 1 q. Cf. p. 192 supra.

588 Dán ar pháis Chríost. Beg. A chodlann cuímhne do chríoch, 15 qq. For printed versions of this poem see Clár Litridheacht na Nua-Ghaedhilge, i, ii.

589 Dochtúir Keating cct. Beg. Mo bheannocht leat a sgriobhinn, 6 qq. For printed versions of this poem see Clár Litridheacht na Nua-Ghaedhilge, i.

591 Blank except for the name An Taithir Eógan Ua Caoímh, which is written at the top. The unidentified scribe presumably intended to include here another poem by Eoghan Ó Caoimh.

592 Blank except for the following scribal note: To ye Right verteos & worthy Lady Jean Harold att Penny = Well near Lymerick This Booke.

593 This is <madm Harold's Booke att Penny Well> 1727 June followed by 1 q. beg. Da modh da méin dá maisi (= 8th quat. of Keating's poem beg. "Cia an saoi le sinntear an chruit") after which comes the title-page to Beatha Phádraig.

594 Dochtúir Céatin. Beg. Mo bheannocht leat a sgriobhín, 6 qq. Cf. p. 589 supra.

594 Beg. Mo chnú is mo chistise an siollaire greanmhúr grinn, 1 st. This stanza is the `ceangal' to Keating's poem beg. "Cia an saoi le sinntear an chruit" and not a "stanza on a hound" as stated in B.M. ii, p. 611.

594 Beg. Mo chóm as lag ó theasda dearbh díograis, 1 st. This stanza is the `ceangal' of E. O'Caoimh's poem on the death of his son, for which see p. 589 supra.

595 Beatha Phádraig. Headed Beatha an Easboige ghlórmhair .i. Páttraicc apstal et príomhfháidh na hÉireann ann so. The modern Irish version of the Life of Patrick by Jocelyn of Furness, in 22 chapters. See B.M. i, p. 34 (description of Eg. 112, art. 1) for the chapter headings. See also B.M. ii, pp. 456, 458. Ends p. 670 followed by scribal colophon: ... ar na sgriobhadh lé Dábhith ua Mohir. ┐ iarraim guidhe an leaghthóra Chríostamhail mhait. ar na chríochnúghadh an xxx la do Jun. 1928, D.M.

670 Beg. Beannocht uaim don cheannuíghe | agá mbí a phaidrín um nóna, 1 st. followed by Deo Soli Laus.

671 (in a later unidentified hand). Beg. Tíacht abháill o narthen de dóuna dham, 6 stt. A love-poem in eccentric spelling.

672 (in another unidentified hand). Headed Trí Biogaoithe an bháis followed by prayer in rhythmic prose beg. Glore is glore is gloire o naomhtha, 6 ll., followed by one stanza beg. Íosa mhilis bheannaithe ós agad tá ár bhfoirthint. The opening line of the poem on p. 671 supra is written on the inner margin and also at the bottom of the page (reversed).