Fragmentary Annals of Ireland
Encyclopedia
The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland are a Middle Irish
combination of chronicle from various Irish annals
and narrative history. They were compiled in the kingdom of Osraige
, probably in the lifetime of Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (died 1039), king of Osraige and of king of Leinster.
The Fragmentary Annals were copied in 1643 for the Rev. John Lynch by Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh
from a lost 15th-century vellum manuscript, which belonged to Giolla na Naomh Mac Aodhagáin
(Nehemias MacEgan). Mac Aodhagáin, who died around 1443, was a professor of Irish Brehon Law in Ormond. The sole surviving manuscript of the Fragmentary Annals, which is currently held by the Royal Library of Belgium
in Brussels
, is not in Mac Fhirbhisigh's hand, but in that of an anonymous scribe, who made a fair copy of Mac Fhirbhisigh's text, adding some marginal comments of his own and an index. The manuscript (MS. 7, c. n. 17) is incomplete and includes five fragments of annals beginning in 573 and ending in 914. What has survived joins the synopsis of the hypothetical Chronicle of Ireland
.
Little is known of the lost exemplar from which Mac Fhirbhisigh worked. He appears to have modernized the orthography of the original text as he copied it. There are lacunae in places where the exemplar could no longer be read due to its poor condition. Mac Fhirbhisigh's copyist added dates, which he took from the Annals of the Four Masters
without troubling to confirm their accuracy or correct them where they were clearly in error.
The first fragment relates mainly to the Northern Uí Néill
and may have been compiled in Ulster, but the remaining fragments were evidently compiled in Osraige (Ossory), a kingdom which corresponded approximately to the later Earldom of Ormond. The original compiler evidently drew upon a variety of sources, some of which (e.g. annals) were probably more accurate and trustworthy than others (e.g. long bardic works). The fragments combine cold annalistic records with romantic tales and extravagant flights of fancy in a manner that is unique among the Irish annals.
Two modern editions of the Fragmentary Annals have been published:
Middle Irish language
Middle Irish is the name given by historical philologists to the Goidelic language spoken in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man from the 10th to 12th centuries; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old English and early Middle English...
combination of chronicle from various Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
and narrative history. They were compiled in the kingdom of Osraige
Kingdom of Osraige
The Kingdom of Osraighe , anglicized as Ossory, was an ancient kingdom of Ireland. It formed the easternmost part of the kingdom and province of Munster until the middle of the 9th century, after which it attached itself to Leinster...
, probably in the lifetime of Donnchad mac Gilla Pátraic (died 1039), king of Osraige and of king of Leinster.
The Fragmentary Annals were copied in 1643 for the Rev. John Lynch by Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh
Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh
Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh, also known as Dubhaltach Óg mac Giolla Íosa Mór mac Dubhaltach Mór Mac Fhirbhisigh, Duald Mac Firbis, Dudly Ferbisie, and Dualdus Firbissius was an Irish scribe, translator, historian and genealogist...
from a lost 15th-century vellum manuscript, which belonged to Giolla na Naomh Mac Aodhagáin
Giolla na Naomh Mac Aodhagáin
Giolla na Naomh Mac Aodhagáin, Irish scribe and historian, died c. 1443.A member of the Mac Aodhagáin family of bards, Giolla na Naomh was a professor of Irish in Ormond; he may have acted in a legal capacity for the Earl of Ormond....
(Nehemias MacEgan). Mac Aodhagáin, who died around 1443, was a professor of Irish Brehon Law in Ormond. The sole surviving manuscript of the Fragmentary Annals, which is currently held by the Royal Library of Belgium
Royal Library of Belgium
The Royal Library of Belgium is one of the most important cultural institutions in Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Dukes of Burgundy...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, is not in Mac Fhirbhisigh's hand, but in that of an anonymous scribe, who made a fair copy of Mac Fhirbhisigh's text, adding some marginal comments of his own and an index. The manuscript (MS. 7, c. n. 17) is incomplete and includes five fragments of annals beginning in 573 and ending in 914. What has survived joins the synopsis of the hypothetical Chronicle of Ireland
Chronicle of Ireland
The Chronicle of Ireland is the modern name for a hypothesized collection of ecclesiastical annals recording events in Ireland from 432 to 911 AD....
.
Little is known of the lost exemplar from which Mac Fhirbhisigh worked. He appears to have modernized the orthography of the original text as he copied it. There are lacunae in places where the exemplar could no longer be read due to its poor condition. Mac Fhirbhisigh's copyist added dates, which he took from the Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
without troubling to confirm their accuracy or correct them where they were clearly in error.
The first fragment relates mainly to the Northern Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
and may have been compiled in Ulster, but the remaining fragments were evidently compiled in Osraige (Ossory), a kingdom which corresponded approximately to the later Earldom of Ormond. The original compiler evidently drew upon a variety of sources, some of which (e.g. annals) were probably more accurate and trustworthy than others (e.g. long bardic works). The fragments combine cold annalistic records with romantic tales and extravagant flights of fancy in a manner that is unique among the Irish annals.
Two modern editions of the Fragmentary Annals have been published:
- John O'Donovan (editor & translator) Annals of Ireland: three fragments. (Dublin 1860)
- Joan N. Radner (editor & translator) Fragmentary annals of Ireland (Dublin 1978)
External links
- The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland (Radner's edition) (translation) at University College Cork's CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts.
- The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland (O'Donovan's edition)