AN GAOḊAL.
71
O'Curry's Lectures.
ON THE
MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL OF ANCIENT IRISH HIS¬
TORY.
LECTURE V.
[Delivered June 19, 1856.]
(Continued.)
As for the annals there is nothing to show, what¬
ever in them to indicate that they are annals of
Boyle, except the words "Annales Monasterri in
Buellio in Hibernia", which are written on the
original vellum fly-leaf at the beginning of the
book in a fine old English hand, apparently of
the early part of the last century,
In a note by Doctor O'Conor on the death of
Saint Maedhog of Ferns, at the year 600 of his
published copy of these annals, he says it is evi¬
ent that Ussher must have had another copy of
them in his possession, because he places the death
of Saint Maedhog at the year 632 on their author¬
ity. Now it is singular enough that here the doc¬
tor is wrong and Ussher right, for the year of our
Lord 605 appears distinctly in the original text in
correspondence with the year of the world 5805.
The doctor gives this annal 605, which is in Latin
correctly, but, in accordance with his adopted sys¬
tem, places it under the year 573. The records
run thus: "In hoc anno Beatus Gregorious quievit.
Scilicet in DCV to anno Dominice Incarnationis,
ut Beda dicit in Historia sua. Beatus vero Greg¬
orious XVI. annis, et mensibus VI. et Diebus X.
rexit Ecclesiam, Anni ab inito mundi VDCCCV”.
[i.e. "In this year the blessed Gregory rested.
That is to say, in the 605th year of the Incarnation
of our Lord, as Bede says in his History. Truly
the blessed Gregory ruled the Church 16 years, 6
months, and 10 days — Five thousand eight hund¬
red and five years from the beginning of the
world".]
As I had occasion to fix the date of a particular
occurence in Irish history according to these ann¬
als, and as no other date appears in them from 605
down to the record of that event, I wrote out the
number of blank kalends, with a few of their lead¬
ing records down to the occurrence in which I was
interested. Among the items that I took down
was the death of Saint Maedhog of Ferns, and by
counting the number of kalends between that ev¬
ent and the above date of 605, I find it to be 27; so
both numbers when added make 632, the precise
year at which Ussher places it on the authority of
these annals. This then, as far as Dr. O'Conor's
observation goes, is the book that Ussher quotes
from.
It is only at the year 1234 that the regular in¬
sertion of the day of the week on which the kalends
of January fell, and the year of our Lord in full,
begin to be inserted in the text, and these Doctor
O'Conor gives, down to 1238; after which he pass¬
es without observation to the year 1240, and con¬
cludes with 1245.
The learned doctor has fallen into a confusion of
dates here, as the event which he places at the
year 1251, and the three years that follow it in O'¬
Conor, precede it in the original in regular order.
The year 1251 is the last that can at present be
read in these annals, but there are six distinct but
illegible years after that, bringing down the rec¬
ords to the year 1257.
There is but one occurrence recorded under the
year 1251, and as it may be found, in connection
with a few other facts, to throw some probable
light on the original locality and history of the
work, it may be well to give it in full. The record
is in Latin, and runs as follows:
"KL. ENAIR FOR DOMNACH, M.CC.L'.I'.
"Clarus, Archidaconns Elphinensis vir prudens
et discretus qui carnem suam jejuniis et oration¬
ibus macerabat, qui pauperes orfanos defendebat,
qui patientӕ coronam observabat, etc., etc.
[THE CALENDS OF JANUARY ON SUNDAY, M.CC.L'.I'.
Clarus, Archdeacon of Elphin, a man prudent
and discreet who kept his flesh attenuated by pray¬
er and fasting, who defended the poor orphans,
who waited for the crown of patience, who suffer¬
ed persecution from many for the sake of justice;
the venerable founder of the places of the Confra¬
ternity of the Holy Trinity throughout all Ireland,
especially the founder of the Monastery of the
Holy Trinity of Loch Ce, where he selected his
place of sepulture; there he rested in Christ, on
the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday, in the year
of our Lord 1251. May the Almighty God in Hea¬
ven be propitious to his soul, whom he served in
the world, in whose honour he built the Church of
Renduin and the Monastery of the Holy Trinity
at Loch Uachtair (Upper Lake), also of the Holy
Trinity at Cellrais, for whose soul let whoever
read this book say a Pater Noster.]
It is quite apparent from this honorable and
feeling tribute paid to Clarus Mac Mailan, as he is
called in the Annals of the Four Masters, A. D.
1235, — but who was a member of the learned fam¬
ily of O'Mulconry, — that the annalist, whoever he
may have been, had a high veneration, if not a
personal friendship, for him; and it is equally
clear, or at least it is much more than probable,
that an annalist of the Abbey of Boyle, with which
he had no known connexion whatever, would not
speak so warmly and affectionately of one who
perhaps was the light of a rival establishment.
It is certain that he was a dignitary of the ancient
church of Elfin, which was founded by Saint Pat¬
rick, and the oldest foundation in that district,
situated on the southeren borders of Mac Dermot's
country, though not in it; that, among several
others, he founded the Monastery of the Holy
Trinity on an Island in Loch Ce, and that he was
buried in that manastery. It is evident that the
annals in which these events and personal memor¬
ials are so affectionately and religiously recorded,
must have belonged to the immediate locality. It
is also clear that they are not the annals of the Is¬
land of Saints in Loch Ribh [Ree], because the
annals of that island, as recorded by the Four
Masters, came down but to the year 1227, and be¬
cause that island did not belong to Mac Dermot's
country. It is equally ciear, if we are not to credit
the venerable Charles O'Conor, of Belanagar, that
they cannot be the Annals of Connacht, compiled
in the Cistercian Abbey of Boyle, since that chro¬
nicle commenced with the year 1224, and ended
with the year 1546,
We have no acoount of any annals of the Island
of Saints in Loch Gamhna, and even if we had, we
could not, without positive evidence, believe that
these could be they, Loch Gamhba being in the
County of Longford, a different district and pro¬
vince.
