AN GAOḊAL.
251
O'Curry's Lectures.
ON THE
MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL OF ANCIENT IRISH HIS¬
TORY.
LECTURE VII.
[Delivered July 3, 1856.]
This last part of the Annals was evidently inten¬
ded to be a history; but it is clear that the first,
perhaps for the reason I have just stated, was not
intended to be anything more than a skeleton, to
be at some future time clothed with flesh and blood
from the large stock of materials which might still
remain, and which in fact has remained to the Suc¬
cessors of the Four Masters ; and the exact value
of these materials in reference to a complete histo¬
ry will be seen when, in a future lecture, we come
to deal with the historical tales and other detailed
compositions containing the minute occurrences of
life, and the lesser and more unimportant but still
most interesting facts of history in the early ages
of the country.
You have already heard in the quotations from
Dr. O'Conor, the opinions of the learned but scep¬
tical Pinkerton, on the antiquity of our monarchy
and the general authenticity of our history; let me
now read you the opinion of another Scotchman,
in no way inferior to him in general literary know¬
ledge, profound research, and accurate discrimina¬
tion. I mean Sir James Mackintosh, who, having
become acquainted with the character af these An¬
nals from Dr. O'Conor's very inaccurate Latin
translation of the early part of them down to 1170,
accords his favorable opinion of them in the follow¬
ing words :—
"The Chronicles of Ireland, written in the Irish
language from the second century to the landing
of Henry Plantagenet, have been recently publish¬
ed with the fullest evidence of their genuinencss.
The Irish nation, though they are robbed of their
legends by this authentic publication, are yet by
it enabled to boast that they possess genuine his¬
tory several centuries more ancient than any other
European nation possesses in its present spoken
language. They have exchanged their legendary
antiquity for historical fame. Indeed no other na¬
tion possesses any monument of literature in its
present spoken language, which goes back within
several centuries of these Chronicles." — History of
England, vol. i., chap. 2.
Moore, who was less profound as an historian,
and, consequently, more sceptical, remarks on this
passage. — "With the exception of the mistake in
to which Sir Jas. Mackintosh has here, rather un¬
accountably, been led, in supposing that, among
the written Irish Chronicles which have come
down to us, there are any so early as the second
century, the tribute paid by him to the authentici¬
ty and historical importance of these documents
appears to me in the highest degree deserved, and
comes with more authority from a writer, whose
command over the wide domain of history enabled
him fully to appreciate any genuine addition to it"
— History of Ireland, vol. i., p. 168.
The poet, however, lived to doubt his own com¬
petence to offer such a criticism on the chronicles
of his native country. The first volume of his his¬
tory was published in the year 1835, and in the
year 1889, during one of his last visits to the land
of his birth, he, in company with his old friend,
Dr. Petrie, favoured me with quite an unexpected
visit at the Royal Irish Academy, then in Grafton
Street. I was at that time employed on the ord¬
nance survey of Ireland; and, at the time of his vi¬
sit, happened to have before me, on my desk, the
Books of Ballymote and Lecain, the Leabhar
Breac, the Annals of the Four Masters, and many
other ancient books, for historical research and re¬
ference. I had never before seen Moore, and after
a brief introduction and explanation of the nature
of my occupation, by Dr. Petrie, and seeing the
formidable array of so many dark and time-worn
volumes by which I was surrounded, he looked a
little disconcerted, but after a while plucked up
courage to open the Book of Ballymote, and ask
what it was. Dr. Petrie and myself then entered
into a short explanation of the history and charac¬
ter of the books then present, as well as ancient
Gaedhlic documents in general. Moore listened
with great attention, alternately scanning the
books and myself; and then asked me, in a serious
tone, if I understood them, and how I learned to
do so. Having satisfied him on these points, he
turned to Dr. Petrie, and said: "Petrie, these
huge tomes could not have been written by fools
or for any foolish purpose. I never knew anything
about them before, and I had no right to have un¬
dertaken the History of Ireland." Three volumes
of his history had been before this time published,
and it is quite possible that it was the new light
which appeared to have broken in upon him on
this occason, that had him from putting his fourth
and last volume to press until after several years;
it is believed he was only compelled to do so at
last by his publisher in 1846.
I may be permitted here to observe that what
Sir James Mackintosh and other great writers
speak of so lightly, as the "legendary" history of
Ireland, is capable of authentic elucidation to an
extent far beyond what they believed or supposed
them to be, as would both please and satisfy that
distinguished writer and philosopher himself, as
well as all other candid investigators.
Of the Annals of the Four Masters, no perfect
copy of the autograph is now known to exist, tho'
the parts of them, so strangely scattered in differ¬
ent localities throughout Europe, would make one
perfect copy, and another nearly perfect.
To begin at home, the Royal Irish Academy
holds, among its other treasures of ancient Irish
literature, a perfect original — I might say, the ori¬
ginal — autograph copy of the Second Part of these
Annals, from the year 1170, imperfect, to the year
1616.
The library of Trinity College, Dublin, also con¬
tains a part of an autograph copy, beginning with
the year 1335, and ending with the year 1603.
Of the part preceding 1171, there are also two dif¬
ferent copies in existence, but unfortunately bey¬
ond the reach of collation or useful examination.
Of these, one — which, a few years ago, and for
some years proviously, belonged to the great libra¬
ry of the Duke of Buckingham at Stowe — has pass¬
ed by sale into the collection of Lord Ashburn¬
ham, where, with the other Irish manuscripts that
accompanied it, it is very safely preserved from ex¬
amination, lest an actual acquaintance with their
contents should, in the opinion of the very noble-
minded owner, decrease their value as mere mat¬
ters of curiosity at some future transfer or sale.
How unfortunate and fatal that this volume, as
