AN GAOḊAL.
359
O'Curry's Lectures.
ON THE
MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL OF ANCIENT IRISH HIS¬
TORY.
LECTURE VIII.
[Delivered July 7, 1856.]
The other Irish works compiled or transcribed
by Brother Michael O'Clery, and the existence o
which we are aware, are the following, now in the
Burgundian Library at Brussels. —
1 A volume of Lives of Irish Saints, compiled
nd written by him in the year 1628.
2. Another large volume of the lives of the Irish
Saints, compiled and written in the year 1629.
3. A volume of Poems on the O'Donnells of
Donegal [These three books I have never seen] *
4. A volume containing ancient and rare Irish
Historical Poems, together with the important
Tract known as the Wars with the Danes. This
volume borrowed (with the liberal sanction of the
Belgian government), a years ago, by the Rev
Dr. Todd, S. F. T. C. D., for whom I made a per¬
fect copy of it.
5. The Skeleton Martyrology of Donegall [which
I have seen].
6. The Perfect Martyrology of Donegal, full of
important notes and additions. This volume was
also borrowed by Dr Todd, and of this too I made
for him a perfect copy.
7. A large volume containing, firstly, a collect¬
tion of very curious and important ancient forms
of prayer, and several religious poems. It con¬
tains also a good copy of the Felire, or Festology
of Aengus Ceile De (or Culdee), as well as copies
of the Martyrologies of Tamhlacht (Tallaght) and
of Marianus Gorman. With the exception of the
Festology or Martyrology of Aengus, no part of
the contents of this important book was to be
found in Ireland, until this also was obtained for
a short time from the Belgian Government by the
same distinguished gentleman, and I have made
a copy of it for him.
And here, while on the one hand I feel bound
to express the strong and grateful sense every I¬
rish archaeologist and historian must feel of the
enlightened liberality thus exhibited by the Bel¬
gian Government (affording so very marked a con¬
trast to the English public authorities in such ca¬
ses, as well as to that of English private owners of
manuscript works of this kind), let me not omit
to remark upon the example which Dr. Todd's
conduct suggests to all Irishmen, and particular¬
ly to those who are Catholics. For in this ins¬
tance, as indeed in others too in which Dr. Todd
was concerned, you have an example of a Protes¬
tant gentleman, a clergyman of the Protestant
Church, and a Fellow of the Protestant Universi¬
ty of Dublin, casting away from him all the un¬
worthy prejudices of creed, caste, and position,
with which, unfortunately, too many of his class
are filled to overflowing, and, like a true scholar
and a man of enlarged mind and understanding,
endeavoring to recover for his native country as
much of her long-lost and widely dispersed an¬
cient literary remains as he can; and this too, I
may add, at an expense of time and money which
few, if any, in these very utilitarian times, are
found disposed to incur.
To my excellent friend, Mr Laurence Waldron,
M. P., of Ballybrack, County Dublin, is due the
first discovery of the important colletion of Irish
MSS. at Brussels, about the year 1844. He was
the first that examined (at my request) the Bur¬
gundian Library, and he brought me home trace-
ings and descriptions of great accuracy and deep
interest. These tracings I placed in the hands of
Dr. Todd, with a request that he would take an
opportunity to make a more minute examination
of the MSS. Mr. Samuel Bindon, however, hav¬
ing heard of their existence, and having occasion
to spend some time in Brussels in the year 1846,
made an examination of them, and afterwards com¬
piled a short catalogue of them, which he publish¬
ed on his return home, and which was read by
the Rev. Dr. Todd before a meeting of the Royal
Irish Academy on the 10th of May, 1847.
Dr. Todd himself, and the Rev. Dr. Graves, F.
T. C. D., both visited Brussels shortly afterwards
and each of them brought home yet more ample
and accurate reports of those newly-discovered
literary treasures. Still, however, no competent
person has had time enough to make a detailed a¬
nalysis of the collection. May I hope that it is
reserved for the Catholic University to accomp¬
lish an object so desirable and so peculiarly con¬
genial to a young institution which aims to be a
truly national one?
To return from this digression. Besides the a¬
bove important compilations of the learned and
truly patiotic friar Michael O'Clery, he compiled
in the Irish college in Louvain, and published i
that city in the year 1643, a glossary of ancient
and almost obsolete Irish words of great interest
and value, not only at that period, but even still.
As no description of mine could be as accurate
or satisfactory as that of the author himself, I
shall as before, give you a literal translation of
the title page, and the valuable prefatory address
to the Bishop of Elphin, who belonged himself,
it appears to the same Franciscan Order. The
work is entitled, —
* Since the delivery of this lecture, Brehon
Law Commissioners borrowed these th books.
in the summer of 1856; and I have rea and had
several extracts made from them.
