216
AN GAOḊAL.
We are indebted to Mr. Henry Durnin, Tan¬
gipahoa La. for the following poem.
NOLLAḊ ḂRIAIN Ui ṠEARCUIḊ,
RÁṪ ḂODAIḊ.
le AOḊ MAcDOṀNAILL, 1844.
A Ṡearcuiḋ ċaoiṁ, a ṡearc mo ċroiḋe,
'Sa ṡearc na naoi i n-éinḟeaċt;
A ṡearc gaċ saoi d'a ḃ-fuil 'sa g-críċ,
A ḟile ċaoin, ċéilliḋe:
A ṡearc gaċ draoi is ollaiṁ ċríona,
A ḃeangáin ṁín, ḃeusaiġ;
Searc na n-daoine air feaḋ na criċe,
An bile fíor saor-ċlann.
Is a g-Conda Lúḋ a ṡeastar ċilú
Le sgeallán cuṁra, sgeuṁaċ,
Is sgínn a nuas le meas is buaiḋ,
Go ceart ó 'n uaisle Gaoḋlaċ:
An staruiḋe suairc, croiḋe gan cruas
Go mbuḋ fada buan a ḃeiḋ sé
A n-gean gan fuaṫ, aig an t-sluaġ
A míniuġaḋ duar Gaeḋilge.
'Se siud go fíor an balsam íce,
A ḋeoċ go líonṁar réimeaṁuil,
De 'n tobraid síṫ 'sa sruṫ mar ḋílte
A tonnaḋ síos go taosgaċ;
Traṫ ḟliuċ sé a ċroiḋe 'n bunnán buiḋe
Le uisge fíor na h-éigse:
Ní 'l duan nó laoiḋ, ceoil nó oiḋe
Nár ṡeinn sé síos le pléisiús.
'Se Brian na céille, searc na h-éigse
fuair gean ó 'n réiṁ ḋaonna,
A ḃ-fuil tuilte treuna fríd a reubaḋ
D' fuil na séiṁ' Nhíliḋ:
Ta ḋreaċ sa ṁéin ag teaċt le ċéile,
A sileaḋ ḃéil mar íce,
'Sgo mba fada saoġal don ainir ḃeusaċ
Do fuair mar ċéile na saoi sin.
Is iomḋa bánd uaḋ Cionn-árd
Go Cionn-tsail is éigse,
Ollaṁ, dáin, file 's fáiḋ
De 'n aicme áluinn Ġaoḋail-Ġlais :
Laoċ gan táir a ḋeunaḋ ár,
Ag cosg na d-táin le éigse,
'S 's fíor le ráḋ gur sgaiṫ de 'n ḃlaṫ
An sgeallán ḃreaġa réiṁ-ḟras.
Aċt nuair naċ féidir liomsa an sgeula,
Ċlunim féin do ṁíniuġaḋ,
No ċeartuġaḋ a g-céim le mo ṁeur
No pionna geur líoṁṫa:
Sguirfiḋ mé de ċumaḋ ḃeurfaiḋ,
Go e-tiocfaiḋ Féil Ḃríġide,
Go mbeiḋ na sléiḃte glas ó 'n ḃ-féir,
Is toinneaḋ gréine air ṁínleaċ.
THE IRISH MANUSCRIPTS IN THE
"ASHBURNHAM" COLLECTION.
The Council of Gaelic Union deems it its duty
bringing public attention to the following facts
concerning this famous collection of manuscripts;
especially in order that the object of the memorial
to which they request signatures may be clearly
understood, and its prayer strenuously supported
by every friend of literature and of Ireland.
These manuscripts were collected and preserved
from the destruction which attended so many
others, by the care of members of the once-royal
house of O'Connor of Connaught, to which house
most of them had originally appertained, and whose
representative Dr. Charles O'Connor of Balanagare,
the ancestor of our President, and the friend of
Dr. Samuel Johnson, was the chief collector of
this fine library of Irish MS., and of books and
writings relating to Irish history, especially to the
family of O'Connor. This great Irish scholar and
antiquary was direct in descent from Tirlogh
O Connor, who died in 1345, and whose father
Hugh was “Lord of Connaught”, The latter was
from a brother of Rury O Connor, the last, king
of Ireland. Dr. Charles O'Connor called the
"Venerable" died in 1791.
His grandson was the Rev. Charles O'Connor
D.D. This gentleman spent a considerable part
of his life at Stow, the seat of the Marquis of
Buckingham, who had purchased these manuscripts
chiefly collected by the elder Dr. O'Connor, and
who employed this Dr. O'Connor as librarian.
He was not such a good Irish scholar as his grand¬
father, but, nevertheless, he too did much for
Irish literature. Besides arranging this great
collection, he wrote a catalogue and compendium
of many of these manuscripts, entitled Rerum
Hibernicarum, Scriptores Veteres, and which was
published at the expense of the Marquis of Buck¬
ingham, in four large volumes, in Irish and
Latin. These four volumes have been long out of
print.
The Stowe Collection of the Marquis (afterwards
Duke) of Buckingham was sold to the late Earl of
Ashburnham, who added it to his other great col¬
ections. He refused. to permit learned men to
examine any of these books, in order, perhaps, by
mystery to enhance their value, as many of these
manuscripts were unique. Dr O’Donovan Profess¬
sor O'Curry, and other Irish scholars have lamen¬
ted being thus hindered from consulting the verit¬
able originals of several of the works, of which
only copies were available to them when preparing
