G 56

Forus Feasa ar Éirinn

18th cent. Paper. 31 × 19.5 cms. Pp. [vi] + xxiv + 290. The scribe is Seán Ó Tuama the poet (b. circa 1706 d. 1775), who, after the death of Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill, was regarded as the head of the Limerick and North Cork poets (see Flower, B.M. ii, p. 186). The scribal colophon (p. 144) shows that he transcribed this ms. in the year 1759. The poem on the recto of the third fly-leaf is in an unidentified hand. The fly-leaves in the front and at the back - some of which are fragments - contain various scribblings, account and names. Some of these names may represent owners of the ms.; they are Mich^l Cody of Ballyhinan January the 10th 1813, Samuel Daniel and James Moloney, Manon<ioben>sis above which name is written the following: Hic liber est meus testis est Deus si quis me quout infra nomen. The following names appear on the second last fly-leaf: Daniel Higgins, Cornelius McInerheny, Tomas Mac Cuibhionn do thoimnios laibh and Bryan Brady, Coachmaker of County of Clare as well as the phrase By one of his Majesties justices. The scribal pagination has been adopted in the present catalogue.

The ms. is bound in half-leather, the binder inserting one blank leaf after the front cover and one before the back cover. The title Forus Feasa or O Flaherty's Ogygia is in gilt on panel on spine. Bretherton ligavit 1850 is pasted on inside of front cover. Phillipps Ms. 10283.

Page

[i-iv] Names and scribblings, for which see introductory remarks.

[v] Anon. Beg. A iarmhur na nGaodhalibh (sic) do ghrain cheap | tá ciapadh le cianta fa chiach cios, 10 ll. On the foreign aid that was coming to Ireland.

[vi] Blank.

i Séathrún Céitinn. Forus Feasa ar Éirinn. An Eipistil chum an leaghthóra, p. i. Liber Primus, p. 1. Liber Secundus, p. 145. Genealogies, p. 254. Index of Kings, p. 275 (cf. G 17 supra, p. 1; not in G 54 supra). Synchronisms, p. 281. Ends p. 284. English sub-titles are generously supplied by the scribe on the margins throughout the text; occasional notes in Irish are given also.

144 Scribal colophon: Ag sin críoch an cheidleabhair don Fhorus Feasa. Iar sgríobha le Seán Ó Tuama an deachmhadh la don mhíosa Abraoin An^o Domini 1759 aitchim guídhe an léughthóra.

253 The Counties of Ireland. Headed Ag so an líon Conntaedhe ata an Eirinn ┐ a siad Gaill do roinn Eire amhlaidh, mar shaoilim. This passage is inserted before the commencement of the genealogies (p. 254).