AN GAOḊAL.
967
the chief historians of Tir Fiachra, or North-west¬
ern Connacht, died,
[This author, we are well aware, was succeeded
by a line of historians and chroniclers of his own
family, ending with the learned Dubhaltach Mac
Firbis, in the year 1668.]
A.D. 1372. Died Shane O'Dugan, a distinguish¬
ed poet and historian of Connacht, whose poems
on the Cycles, Calender, Epact, Dominical Letter
Golden Number, etc., are so well known.
A.D. 1376. Conor O'Beaghan and Ceallac Mac
Curtin, the two chief historians of Thomond, died.
John O'Ruanaidh, chief poet to Magenis, died.
Melaghlin O'Murvny, chief poet and historian to
O'Kane, died. Donogh Mac Firbis, a good histo¬
rian of Connacht, died.
A.D. 1390. Duibhgenn O'Duigenan, chief histo¬
rian of East Connacht, died.
A.D. 1398. David O'Duigenan, chief historian
to the Mac Dermots, etc., a man of all science and
knowledge, and a wealthy Brugaidh, or farmer,
died.
A.D. 1400. Gregory, the son of Tanaidhe O'Mul¬
conry, chief chronicler to the Siol Muiredhaidh,
or O'Conors of Connacht, and a master in various
kinds of knowledge, was accidentally killed by
William Mac David, who was condemned to pay
a fine of 126 cows for the act.
A.D. 1405. [We have already noticed the death
of Augustin M'Grady, the continuator of Tigher¬
nach at this date.]
Giolla na Neamh O'Huidhrin, a native of Lein¬
ster, who died AD, 1420, was the author of sever¬
al valuable poems and tracts. The most remarka¬
ble of them is his well know Irish topographical
poem.
Among his other compositions are, first, a tract
and poem on the names, reigns, and deaths of the
Assyrian emperors, from Ninus to Sardanapalus,
synchronizing them with the monarchs of Erinn,
from its earliest period of colonization down to the
death of the monarch Mueneaman, in the year of
the world 3872. Second, a tract on the names and
length of the reigns of the kings of the Medes,
from Arbactus to Astyages, and of the correspond¬
ing monarhs of Erinn, from the above mentioned
Muineaman to Nuada Finnfail, in the year of the
world 4238. Third, a tract or poem on the length
of the reigns of the Chaldean kings, from Nebuch¬
adnezzar to Raltazar, and the corresponding mon¬
archs of Erinn, from the above mentioned Nuada
to Lughaidh Iarrdonn, in the year of the world
4320, etc. And thus he goes on with the Persian,
Greek, and Roman emperors in succession, and
the succession of the contemporary monarchs of
Erinn, down to Theodosius and Laoghaire Mac
Neill, who was monarch of Erinn when St. Pat¬
rick came in A.D. 432.
The Annals of Senait Mac Manus, commonly
called the Annals Of Ulster, form the next great
body of national records which we have to consid¬
er; and from the preceding list of writers, subse¬
quent to the time of Tighernach, it will be appar¬
ent, abundant material must have been accumula¬
ted in this long interval, which lay ready to the
hand of the compiler.
Of these annals there are five copies known to
exist at present — one in the Bodleian Library, at
Oxford, written on vellum, an classed as Rawlin¬
son, 489; a second (only a small fragment), in the
British Museum, classed Clarendon, 36; a third
(also but a small fragment), in the same museum,
written on paper, and classed Ayscough, 49. 4795,
a fourth, in the Library of Trinity College, Dub¬
lin, written on vellum, and classed H 1. 8; and
a fifth copy, on paper, in the Library of Trinity
College (E. 8. 20), which, however, extends only
to A.D. 665.
The reason that these annals are called the An¬
nals of Senait Mac Maghnusa is, because they
were originally composed by Cathal Mac Guire,
whose Clann or Chieftain title was Mac Maghnu¬
sa, and whose residence and property lay chiefly
in the Island of Senait, in Loch Erne, between
the modern Counties of Donegal and Fermanagh,
and it was in this island that the annals were writ¬
ten. They have received the arbitrary name of the
Annals of Ulster, merely because they were com¬
posed in Ulster, and relate more to the affairs of
Ulster than to those of the other provinces.
The death of the original compiler is recorded
by his continuator in these annals, at the year
1498, in a passage of which the following is a strict
translation. —
"Anno Domini 1498. A great mournful news
throughout Ireland this year: Mac Manus Ma¬
guire died this year, i.e., Cathal og, son of Cathal,
son of Giolla-Patrick, son of Matthew, etc. He
was a Biathach (or Hospitaller), at Seanabh, a
canon chorister at Armagh, and dean in the bish¬
opric of Clogher; dean of Loch Erne, and the re¬
presentative of a bishop for fifteen years before
his death. He was a precious stone, a bright gem,
a luminous star, a casket of wisdom, a fruitful
branch of the canons, and a fountain of charity,
meekness, and mildness, a dove in purity of heart,
and a turtledove in chastity — the person to whom
the learned, and the poor, and the destitute of Ire¬
land were most thankful — one who was full of
grace and of wisdom in every science to the time
of his death, in law, divinity, physic, and philoso¬
phy, and in all the Gaedhlic sciences, and one who
made, gathered, and collected this book from ma¬
ny other books. He died of the Golar Breac (the
small pox) on the tenth of the calends of the month
of April, being Friday, in the sixtieth year of his
age. And let every person who shall read and pro¬
fit by this book, pray for a blessing on that soul
of Mac Manus."
Harris, his edition of Ware's Irish Writers, p.
90, has the following notice of this remarkable
man. —
"Charles [the Gaedhlic name Cathal is often so
translated in English] Maguire, a native of the co.
Fermanagh, Canon of the Church of Armagh (and
dean of Clogher), was an eminent divine, philoso¬
pher and historian, and writ Annales Hibernicӕ
to his time. They are called Annales Senatenses,
from a place called Senat- Mac Magnus, in the co.
of Fermanagh, where the author writ them, and
oftener Annales Ultonienses, the annals of Ulster,
because they are chiefly taken up in relating the
affairs of that province. They begin anno 444, and
are carried down by the author to his death, in
1498, but they were afterwards continued by Rod¬
eric Cassidy to the year 1541. Our author also writ
a book, entitled, Aengusius Auctus, the Martyro¬
logy of Aengus enlarged, wherein from Marian
Gorman and other writers, he adds such saints as
are not to be met with in the composition of Aen¬
gus. He died on the 23rd of March, 1498. in the
sixtieth year of his age."
Seanadh, or Senait, where these annals were
compiled, and from which, as we have said. they
