G 331

Foras Feasa ar Éirinn

18th-19th cent. Paper. 30 × 18 cms. 248 pp. (scribal numberation. 29-30, [43]- 134, 137-234 [235-6 a later insertion], 237-59 [42 pp. missing; pp. 29-30 bound in error between 44 and 45], now continued in pencil to 290). Scribes: two hands intermixed in main (18th cent.) part of manuscript, the second, identified as that of Eamonn Ó hÉireamhóin on p. 169, supplying most of the text; later additions (pp. 235-6, 263-90) by Domhnall Ó Brian of `An Mollach Ard a poraoisde Chluana Créau ... a cContao Luimneacc' (p. 265), 1806-10.

Names and jottings in the manuscript include: `William', p. 61 (inverted); `Daniel O'Briens Book', p. 145 (also pp. 281, 285); `John Foly Fitzgibbon', p. 149; `Patrick Fitzgibbon of Millford his Book', p. 156 (also p. 184); `Gerald Fitzgibbon of Milford duna July the the [sic] 1851', p. 180; subtraction of dates `1788/829 = 959', p. 198; `We jointly and severally promise to pay Daniel O'Brien', p. 268; `cathrina O Brien of Highmount', p. 283 (also p. 285). Scribbles and figures on pp. 43, 51, 88, 110, 121, 133, 177, 184, 264.

Bound in three-quarter leather with `MS of Keating's History of Ireland' gilt- lettered on spine and twelve binder's blank leaves after front cover and the same before back cover. Only the upper half of the last leaf now remains. A slip of paper loosely inserted into the manuscript contins the following: `According to entries in the end of this [blank] / This MS belonged to John O Brien Highmount in the parish Cloncrew barony of Uppr. Connolloe Co. Limerick in the year 1806. In a list of tenants of Highmount are [sic] given in a page towards the end of MS Daniel O Brien had 8 acres of land. The body of the MS was written by an unknown scribe and much older than 1806. It bears resemblance to the Keating MS which O'Rahilly wrote for Sheehy of Drumcollogher in 1727.

`This MS is one of the many that was preserved about Drumcollogher where the language was cultivated down to the famine. I got this ms in Drumcollogher where it was preserved by Mr. Denis Monnigan who was an i[n]dependent citizen who kept a small collection of books. / John Begley P.P. 1917. John Begley P.P. Drumcollogher from 2 July 1917 to 28 March 1927'.

For the record of accession see G 322 above.

Page

43 [Foras Feasa ar Éirinn.] Acephalous. Due to misplacement of leaves beg. here p. 29 (second leaf; see introductory remarks ) Righ nimhe rígh na bhfear bhfann (4th last line of verse beg. Tuatha Dé Danann na séd suim) = ed. Comyn, Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, ITS iv (1902), 212. Book I ends p. 154. Book II follows on p. 155 (includes scribal colophon `Agus gur do lamhaibh Eamuinn Uí Eiremhóin an sc(...)ptar deanach so síos' on p. 169 outermargin [vertical]) and ends on p. 265. `Finis Liber Secondi / Ag so leabhar Domhnall Ui Bhrian ag an Mollach Ard a poraoisde Chluna Créau a mbarantacht Uachtarach Conallach a cContao Luimneacc et aois Chriost mílle ocht gcéad et deithc mbliadhna an 4mhuadh la do August' (see introductory remarks). P. 267 Genealogies. Heading, `Do ghabhlughadh Chlainne Milidh annso sios', followed by introduction `Adeirid cuid dona seanchaibh ... as a hionnad fein don chraoibh' and colophon (p. 268): `Ag so leabhar Dhomhnall Ui Bhrian agus aois an Tigharna an tan do sgriobhag an seanchas go mille ocht ccead et se bliaghna ansa mi November'. Followed (p. 269) by `Craobhsgaoileadh sleachta Eibhir Fhioinn [sic] anso sios' and the genealogies. Ends (p. 285) Táine ó Fata Chonnain mac Mic Conn mic Maicnidh. `Do gheibhidh an sgriobhnóir reomhuin seanchas Gallaibh .i. Baraicc Gearalticc agus Builtearaicc. / Deire nó forcheann le Domhnall Ó Briann. / Biodh a fios agad a leighthoir chardeabaill go ndearna an uile dhiothchioll ar deire an leabhar so do sgriomh [bh written above] soghleighte et fos gan puinn dearmad gach ann ndearna gach leighthoir do leighfios é do tuigfios a cheartughadh as cuibhe do a deanamh. Et iarimsi bhur nguidhesi ar son mo shaothar más olc nu más maith do meassar libh é agus iaruimsi le toil Dé buantseasamh grasda san tsaoghal so dibhse et domhsa et gloire shiorruighe san tsaoghal eile Amen. / Aois an Tighearna an tán so mille ocht gcead agus se bliadhna an 9mhadh la donn mhí November 1806. Daniel O Brien's Book and no others.' Followed by quatrain beg. Is truadh sin a leabhar bhán.

266 (a) `A list of the number of acres which is liable to county charges on Mr. Walker's part of highmount as followeth.' Amongst eight names listed is that of the scribe. (b) Names and money accounts (written in a different hand) relating to `Church Cess' and `Bog Money'.

286 `Cathann Ó Duinninn cct.' Eistig le coimhneas bhur ccaith. 53½ qq. + 6½ qq. (due to fragmentary nature of last leaf).