228
AN GAODHAL.
treats of the first inhabitants of Erinn, of their
successive conquest from the Flood, through the
different races, of their battles, of the kings reign¬
ing amongst them, of the wars and battles arising
between those, and the other notable accidents and
events of the island, from the year 278 after the
Flood, up to the year of Christ 1171.
"Also, when in the same college, to which sub¬
sequently, at one time, he added two other works
from the more ancient and approved chronicles
and annals of the country, and particularly from
those of Cluane, Insula, and Senat, he collected
the sacred and profane Annals of Ireland, a work
thoroughly noble, useful, and honorable to the coun¬
try, and far surpassing in importance its own prop¬
er extent, by the fruitful variety of ancient affairs
and the minute relation of them. For, he places
before his eyes, not only the state of society and
the various changes during upwards of three thou¬
sand years, for which that most ancient kingdom
stood, by recording the exploits, the dissensions,
conflicts, battles, and the year of the death of each
of the kings, princes, and heroes; but also, (what
is more pleasing and desirable for pious minds)
the condition of Catholicity and ecclesiastical aff¬
airs, from the first introduction of the faith, twelve
hundred years before, up to modern times, most
flourishing at many periods, disturbed at others,
and subsequently mournful, whilst hardly any year
occurs in the meantime in which he does not record
the death of one or many saints, bishops, abbots,
and other men, illustrious through piety and learn¬
ing; and also the building of churches, and their
burnings, pillage, and devastation, in great part
committed by the pagans, and afterwards by the
heretical soldiers. His collegues were pious men.
As in the three before mentioned, so also in this
fourth work, which far surpasses the others, three
are eminently to be praised, namely, Ferfesius O'¬
Maelchonaire, Peregrine (Cucogry) O'Clery, Pere¬
grine (Cucogry) O'Dubbghennain, men of consum¬
mate learning in the antiquities of the country and
of approved faith. And to these subsequently was
added the co-operation of other distinguished anti¬
quarians. Mauritius O'Maelchonaire who, for one
month, as Conary Clery during many months, la¬
boured in its promotion. But, since those annals
which we in this volume, and in others following,
so frequently quote, have been collected and com¬
piled by the assistance and separate study of many
authors, neither the desire of brevity would always
permit us to cite them individually by expressing
the name, nor would justice allow us to attribute
the labour of many to one; hence it sometimes
seemed proper that those were called the Annals
of Donegal, for they were commenced and comple¬
ted in our convent of Donegal. But, afterwards,
on account of many reasons, chiefly from the com¬
pilers themselves, who were four eminent masters
in antiquarian lore, we have been led to call them
the Annals of The Four Masters. Yet it is also
said even now that more than four assisted in their
preparation; however, as their meeting was irre¬
gular, and but two of them, during a short time,
laboured in the unimportant and latter part of the
work, but the other four were engaged in the entire
production, at least, up to the year 1267 (from
which the first, and most important and necessary
part for us is closed), hence we quote it under their
name; since, hardly ever, or very rarely, anything
which happened after that year comes to be rela¬
ted by us."
We know not if t was while engaged in collect¬
ing the materials for publication the Lives of the
Saints that Father O'Clery conceived the idea of
collecting, digesting, and compiling the Annals of
the kingdom of Erinn; and what fruitless essays
for a patron he may have made among the broken-
spirited representatives of the old native chiefs, we
are not in a condition to say; but that he succeed¬
ed in obtaing distinguished patronage from Fear¬
ghal (Farral) O'Gara, hereditary Lord of Magh Ui
Gadhra (Magh O'Gara), and Cuil O-bh-Finn (Cuil
O'Finn, or "Coolavin") (better known as the Prince
of Coolovin, in the county Sligo), is testified in
Father O'Clery's simple and beautiful dedication of
the work to that nobleman, of which address the
following is a literal translation. —
"I beseech God to bestow every happiness that
may conduce to the welfare of his body and soul
upon Fearghal O'Gadhra, Lord of Magh Ui-Gadh¬
ra, and Cuil-O-bh-Finn, one of the two knights of
Parliament who were elected (and sent) from the
County of Sligeach [Sligo] ta Ath-cliath [Dublin],
this year of the age of Christ 1634.
"It is a thing general and plain throughout the
whole world, in every place where nobility or hon¬
our has prevailed, in each successive period, that
nothing is more glorious, more respectable, or more
honorable (for many reasons), than to bring to
light the knowledge of the antiquity of ancient au¬
thors, and a knowledge of the chieftains and nobles
that existed in former times, in order that each suc¬
cessive generation might know how their ancestors
spent their time and their lives, how long they
lived in succession in the lordship of their coun¬
tries, in dignity or in honour, and what sort of
death they met.
"I, Michael O'Clerigh, a poor friar of the Order
of St. Francis (after having been for ten years
transcribing every old material which I found con¬
cerning the saints of Ireland, observing obedience
to each provincial that was in Ireland successively)
have come before you, O noble Fearghal O'Gara.
I have calculated on your honour that it seemed to
you a cause of pity and regret, grief and sorrow
(for lhe glory of God and the honour of Ireland),
how much the race of Gaedhil the son of Niul have
passed under a cloud and darkness, without a
knowledge or record of the death or obit of saint
or virgin, archbishop, bishop, abbot, or other no¬
ble dignitary of the Church, of king or of prince,
of lord or of chieftain, [or] of the synchronism or
the connection of one with the other. I explained
to you that I thought I could get the assistence of
chroniclers for whom I had most esteem, in writing
a book of Annals in which these matters might be
put on record ; and that, should the writing of them
be negleeted at present, they would not again be
found to be put on record or commemorated, even
to the end of the world. There were collected by
me all the best and most copious books of annals
that I could find throughout all Ireland (though it
was difficult for me to collect them to one place), to
write this book in your name, and to your honour,
for it was you that gave the reward of their labour
to the chroniclers, by whom it was written; and
it was the friars of the convent of Donegal that
supplied them with food and attendance, in like
manner. For every good that will result from this
book, in giving light to all in general, it is to you
that thanks should be given, and there should ex¬
ist no wonder or surprise, jealousy or envy, at [any]
good that you do ; for you are of the race of Eiber
Mac Mileadh [Heber the son of Milesius], from
whom descended thirty of the kings f oIrel and
