G 81

Irish version of Mac Curtin's `Vindication of the Antiquity of Ireland'

18th cent. Paper. 19.3 × 15 cms. [vi] + 154 + [iv] pp. Scribe: S. do Roiste, 1785 (and not E. O'Reilly as stated in the National Library Report of the Council of Trustees, 1938-9). There is a separate scribal pagination for each of the two parts of the text, a modern pencilled pagination has, however, been applied to the entire text and it has been used for page references in the present catalogue. The first and last pages of each part of the text are discoloured showing they were outer unprotected pages for some time prior to binding. It was probably at the time of binding that these parts were wrongly inserted, the second part preceding the first.

Bound in calf simply tooled with marbled end-papers; `Irish Antiq. by McCurtin M.S.' in gilt on spine; printed excerpt from Rodd sale-catalogue (`1029 McCurtin's Antiquities of Ireland, in the Irish language and character, 1785, 4to, calf, £1 11s. 6d.') labelled and `Phillipps MS 11593' written on verso of front cover. This and the following five manuscripts were among those purchased by Phillipps in 1844 from Thomas Rodd, bookseller.

Page

2 Seannract na hÉirionn. `Irish Antiquities by McCurtain 2 parts'. (P. 73) (for misplacement of the two parts of text see introductory remarks above) Title-page: `Seann Ract na hEirion/mar taranguig as an úghdar/ris a raidhtear/Aodha Mac Critín/air na chuir a cclodh re/S. do Roiste ansa mbliadhain/daois xpt. m. d. cc. l.xxv'. (P. 74) `An Chéad leabhar'. Pp. 75-6 blank. (P. 77) Text. Headed `Seann racht na hEirion mar taranguig as Aode Mac Cuirtin e'. Beg. Aon neach do bhearfuig air cúntas do habhairt air a a [sic] nasúin ní fulair dho aire chinte do habhairt gan nidh ar bith díthchreadamhach do leigin tuitim uaig. Ends (p. 153) Críoch risa ccead leabhar. p. 154 blank. (P. 3 [Part II]). Title-page (same as on p. 73 above). (P. 4) `An dara leabhar'. (P. 5) Text. Headed `Seannracht na hEirionn mar taranguig as Aodh Mac Cruitínn é'. Beg. Iar son gor chonnbhais an leighthoir ansa leabhar déaghnach don obair seo ag eisdeacht re cuid do tearasgmail na Feinne. Ends (p. 69) do ghaibh galar a bháis e ┐ déag se agus dfan croinn na hEirionn ann asan a leith. Críoch rís an dara leabhar. Pp. 70-72 blank.

The text is an abbreviated Irish version of `A Brief Discourse in Vindication of the Antiquity of Ireland' in Two Parts by Hugh MacCurtin (Dublin, 1717).

The Irish text contains (pp. 119-52) a version of the tale Bás an Mhacaoimh Mhoir (the hero of the tale, Iollann Iolchrothach, is here called `Caillean Aolchrothach' [p. 133]) headed `Dimtheachtaibh na Feine an aimsir Rígh Cormac'. Beg. An aimsir na feinne do bhioch oireachtas mor ag rígh Eirionn uair sa mbliann cum riaghalacha do cheapa ... Agus las naon da raibh an comcruinghiudh sin aco ar fata Chinn Chorraigh do bhí an rígh iona measg. Ends (p. 152) gur tuit an macaobh mór mac Rígh na Hásbainne le buillidhe borbneartmhara Osgair mhic Oisin agas do dligheadh da mnaoi é chaoimhne. Followed (p. 153) by `Ag sin tuairisg an macaomh mór agus na feinne agus tugach a leaghthóir a breitamhnus mar as toil leat oir ní feideir an sgeal so do chonntrail ionnus go raibh moran neithe chomh ionganta ris do thuit amach re cuibhne cuid da bhfuil beo tá moran neithe eile re hinnsint ar an bhfeinn na fuil slighe anso do.'