This section has been compiled to give an overview of the manuscripts wherein much of the popular mythology is preserved. We hope that the information here will prove useful in giving a broader understanding of the authors, the date and the background to some of the manuscripts most relevant to our focus with An Chartlann. If you happen to come across any factual errors, please let us know so that they can be corrected.
The following is a list of the manuscripts in this section:
Lebor na hUídre - The Book of the Dun CowLebor na hUidre is the oldest surviving manuscript written entirely in Irish and was compiled before 1106 at the famous Clonmacnoise monastery on the River Shannon by, among others, the scribe Maél Muire mac Céilachair. The Book of the Dun Cow is regarded as the best source for Irish myths and legends containing many texts from the Mythological cycle and in particular the Ulster cycle including Fled Bricrenn (Bricriu's Feast), Mesca Ulaid (The Intoxication of the Ulstermen), Tain Bó Flidais (The Cattle Raid of Flidais), Táin BóDartada (The Cattle Raid of Dartada), Imram Maeíle Dúin (The Voyage of Mael Dúin) Togáil Bruidne Da Dearga, (The destruction of Da Dearga’s Hostel) a version of the Táin Bó Cuailgne, and an account of the Tarb Fes ritual. In a separate text, the name of "Book of the Dun Cow" is explained.
During the 7th century there was a great Bardic assembly held during the reign of King Guaire the Hospitable where, after the death of the chief poet of Ireland, Dallán Forgall, Seanchán Torpéist is appointed as the new head Ollamh. He requests that the Táin is recited to him at the assembly however none of the poets present are able to recite the tale and this leads to a monk of Seancháns, St Ciarán of Colnmacnoise travelling to the grave of the deceased Ulster warrior, and solar deity, Fergus Mac Roich who upon being resurrected from the grave by St Ciarán recites the tale in its entirety. St Ciarán is said to have copied the tale down from Fergus on the hide of a dark cow and hence the manuscripts name. Although this tale seems fanciful, modern thought has concluded that it suggests metaphorically that up until the 7th century, these tales of Ulster were largely confined to the aristocracy of the Ulaid region and that during the 7th century they began to circulate around the country leading to a fascination with the style which only retreated years later as they were eclipsed in popularity by the Fenian Cycle.
In 1380 the owner Domhnall MacMuirchertaig mac Domhnall employed a scribe, Sigrid Ua Curnín, to make alterations to the text and after this it passed through many hands unrecorded. Over the centuries the book was eventually lost only to reappear in a book shop in 1886. Unfortunately, nearly half of the pages have been lost leaving only a total of 66 remaining. It is now housed at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.
TopThe Leabor Gabála Érenn or Book of Invasions is a collection of tales written down by various different pseudo-historians down through the centuries. It is contained mainly within four manuscripts, The Book of Leinster, The Book of Ballymote, The book of Fermoy, and the Great Book of Lecan. The text begins with the biblical flood, and the date for its occurrence is given as 2900bc. The authors do not seem to have an extensive knowledge of the bible themselves, but instead rely on various biblical historians and commentators from continental Europe for their accounts. There are many Christian tales within the text, along with accounts of the supposed origins of the Irish race and language, one explanation being that the Irish are a lost tribe of Israel, but what most people will be familiar with regarding the Leabhar Gabála are the accounts of the six mythical invasions of Ireland.
The first of these invasions is concerning the Cessarians, who were lead by the supposed granddaughter of Noah, Cessair. Cesaair is said to have come to populate Ireland with fifty women and three men, the men being her husband Fionntan, her father Bith, and a man by the name of Ladru, meaning robber [O‘hÓgáin]. Upon reaching Ireland the fifty women were divided up between the three men, but after some time both Bith and Ladru died. This left Fionntan to tend to all the women’s needs and feeling inadequate before the task, flees in the form of a Salmon. Cessair dies of grief from her husbands desertion, and the fifty women soon die after her, leaving Fionntan alone on the Island where as an eternal shape-shifter, he observes the history of the country in different animal forms for hundreds of years, up until the coming of Christianity.
The second wave of invaders are the Partolonians. This seems to be a constructed fiction by medieval scribes as the letter P is non-existent in early Irish and the word Partolán seems to be an Irish version of the Latin name Bartholomaeus. Partolán and his followers supposedly settled on the only treeless plain in the entire country, "Sean-Mhag nEalta", which is roughly coextensive with the area that is now Dublin City. 520 years after Partoláns death, all of his followers are said to of been wiped out by plague apart from the long living shape shifter Tuan mac Cairill, who was probably constructed by medievalists as a continuation of the Cessairian figure Fionntan.
The third such invasion was by the Nemedians lead by Nemed. The Nemedians are said to have arrived in Ireland 30 years after the Partolonians were wiped out by plague. They had four battles with the Fomor, three of which they won, but after the death of Nemed, they fell under heavy tribute to the Fomor, and eventually were forced to revolt, attacking the Fomorian stronghold of Tory Island. At first, they managed to take the tower on the Island, but Fomorian reinforcements came, the sea flooded, and the Nemedians were defeated, with the remaining Nemedians fleeing Ireland.
The fourth invasion was by a race known as the Firbolg, and are incidentally the first invading people not generally named after their leader. The name seems to imply "those who swell with battle fury" [O’hÓgáin]. It is claimed that they came to Ireland fleeing oppression in Greece, where they were forced to carry bags full of rocks. This lead to the popular idea that the name "Fir-Bolg" meant "Men of the Bag". Upon arriving in Ireland they are said to of been the first to divide the country into the five provinces, each province being divided among their five leaders, establishing Uisneach as the very centre of Ireland. They are said to have held Ireland for thirty seven years, until the coming of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, who defeated the Firbolg at the first battle of Maigh Tuireadh.
The fifth invasion of Ireland was by the Tuath Dé Danann, also known as the Tuatha Dé, who along with the Fomori are the two principal races of otherworld deities in Irish tradition and can be said to be the first cohesive pantheon of the early Irish. The Tuatha Dé Danann as deities could, by one particular function, belong to the realm of the Sky, being associated with the Sun and its nourishing light, while the Fomori act out their role as the unseen gods of the underworld, responsible for such relevant actions as the rewards of agriculture. The Tuatha De Dannan were lead to Ireland by their King Nuadhu and are said to have come in a druidic clouds of mist causing an eclipse of the sun which lasted for three days after their arrival.
We are told they brought with them the sword of Nuadhu, the spear of Lugh, the cauldron of the Daghdha, and the Lia Fail which, standing at the hill of Tara, is believed to scream out when touched by the rightful High King. Some of the more significant figures of the Tuatha Dé Danann who appear prominently in the Leabhar Gabála would be the likes of Nuadhu, who lost his arm in the first battle of Magh Tuireadh and was forced to give up his place as King. As the king represented was divine figure whose physical stature was a representation of the goodness of his rule, the ancient law states "no King with any kind of blemish could rule in ancient Ireland". He was replaced by the half Fomorian, half Tuatha Dé Danann figure Bres, but Nuadhu was later reinstated, with the reign of Bres proving unjust and oppressive, after a silver arm was constructed for him by Dian Cecht the physician of the Tuath Dé Dannan.
After the death of Nuadhu the kingship was granted to a highly significant figure of the Tuatha Dé Danann, namely, Lugh Lamfáda or Lugh 'of the Long hand'. Lugh, who like Bres is of Fomorian patrilinear descent, seems to be a God of artistic talent and solar imagery abound in relation to him. Lugh showed up after the first battle of Maigh Tuireadh and gained entry into Tara on the grounds that he was the only one at Tara who possessed every skill, gaining him the title of Samildánach (the all talented).
There is also the Daghdha, meaning good god. Daghdha is possibly originally the principal deity of ancient Celtic Ireland. One of his pseudonyms Eochaidh Ollathair meaning 'Horseman, Father of All' leaves us in no doubt as to his role as a father god, and another pseudonym 'Ruadh Ró Fheasa' , which translates to "fiery lustrous one" [Ó'hÓgáin], affirms that he is indeed a solar god. The Mythology tells us that his home was Brugh na Bóinne, which was obviously built for the purpose of sun worship by the indigenous pre Celtic culture. This, of course, makes perfect sense, that the principal Celtic Sun God of Ireland would adopt Brugh na Bóinne, the most striking tomb in Ireland, as his home upon the influx of the new Celtic pantheon.
One of the most prominent female figures of the Tuatha Dé Dannan is the mother goddess Morrigu or Mór-Ríoghain, who's presence looms large in the Mythological and Ulster Cycles. It was originally thought that her name translated to great Queen, however this is an incorrect translation. It is accepted now that a more apt translation would be something along the lines of 'Phantom Queen'. She is named in some sources as Anu, a variant on the Mother Goddess from whom the Tuatha Dé Dannan take their name and is also known to be the wife of the Daghdha. She is also notable for having such warlike manifestations as Badhbh, Macha, and Nemhain, leading to her popular depiction as a War Goddess, flying over the battling armies in the guise of a crow or raven, drinking the blood of the slain, but it seems this was just one of her many functions as a Land Goddess.
The sixth ,and final wave of invasions as written in the Leabhar Gabála by the pseudo historians, was by the Milesians, led by Mil, whose full name Mil Espaine translates as 'Soldier of Spain'. There is a long and fanciful story surrounding Mil and his followers before their actual coming to Ireland involving Mil and the Irish race's ancestry going back through many biblical figures all the way to Japheth the son of Noah's whose home was in Scythia near the Black Sea.. Mil himself however never actually made it to Ireland, dying in Spain, but some of his followers first came to Ireland to survey the country on his orders.
Mil's uncle Ith, who upon offering advice to the Tuatha Dé Danann on how to divide treasure, was killed by them. The remaining followers then brought Ith’s body back to Spain where upon hearing the news, the rest of the Milesians devised an army to invade Ireland. When landing in Ireland at Inbhear Scéine (most likely Kenmare Bay in County Kerry) the poet Amhairghin was the first to set foot on the soil where he recited his famous incantation, now known popularly as The Song Of Amhairghin. From there the army made their way to Tara, along the way meeting three Goddesses, Banba, Fódla, and Éire, each of which requested that the country be named after them. Upon reaching Tara they then met with three kings of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, Mac Ceacht, Mac Gréine, and Mac Cuill who are believed to be the husbands of the previous three Goddesses.
The Tuatha Dé Dannan then devise a plan to trick the Mileseans and offer them control of the country if they will go out on their boats the length of nine waves for three days. When the Milesians did this, the Tuath Dé Dannan then work up great spells of storms which batter and disperse the boats causing one of Mil's sons Donn, a god of the dead, to fall into the sea and drown. The rest of the army then regroup and sail around the country clockwise where they land at the Boyne estuary where afterwards they defeat the Tuatha De Danann nearby at the Battle of Tailtiu (modern Telltown, Co. Meath). After this decisive battle, the entire country came into their possession and the Tuatha Dé Danann retreat to the mounds of Ireland, dwelling thereafter in the Otherworld.The Lebhar Gabála was believed to be (although fanciful) a literal account of Irish history up until as late as the 19th century as many scholars have tried to tie it in with Irish history, however, it's historical features are now widely accepted to be a medieval fabrication on the part of the scribes whose prime concern was to explain the origins of the Irish race.
TopThe book of Leinster has been a subject of some considerable confusion over the years. When it was first brought to Trinity college in 1786 it was catalogued mistakenly under the name 'The book of Glendalough', however, it now goes by two correct names, Lebor Laighnech, and Lebor Na Nuachongbála. Based on the latter name which is the older of the two, it is believed to have been compiled at Noughaval, near Stradbally in County Waterford. It is certainly not to be confused with the Book of Glendalough, which is an older manuscript now housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. There is also said to have been an even Older Book of Leinster which was the original, but this was lost down through the centuries. The Book of Leinster is the greatest source for myth and legend we have alongside the Book of the Dun Cow containing a copious amount of Ulster tales, despite being compiled around the time the Ulster tales were actually waning in terms of popular fashion.
Its contains many Dindshenchas, a lore of place's, that have been enlarged and reworked over the centuries and the Lebor Gabála along with a version of The Tain Bó Cuailgne , Longas Mac nUislenn (The Exile of the Sons of Uisnech), Scéla Mucce Meic Da Thó (The story of Mac Da Tho's Pig), and the Bórama. It also contains many romances, Leinster genealogies, and lists of kings, including a poem attributed to King Cormac Mac Airt included some 200 years after his supposed death. Also worthy of note are the many examples of Fenian cycle ballads the likes of which are almost entirely absent from The Book of the Dun Cow. The surviving manuscript is divided between Trinity College and the Franciscan Library Dublin. TopThis manuscript was compiled at Lecán (Lacken) near Innischrone, Co. Sligo around the year 1390. The principal compiler was Gioll-Iosa Mór mac Firbisigh, of the Mac Firbis family, who at the time of compilation, maintained a school under the protection of the O'Dubhda (O' Dowd’s). The Yellow book of Lecan is one of the three great sources for early Irish literature that we posses to date. The manuscript having a yellow hue on the outer vellum, was given its name to distinguish it from the Great Book of Lecan, which was written a few years later also by the Mac Firbis family at the same location. Linguistically, the material in the collection can be dated to centuries earlier than that of its composition, Aided Óenfhir Aife, for example, dates back to at least the 9th century.
The manuscript is one of the greats of the medieval period and contains the complete versions of Tochmarc Étaíne (The wooing of Etain), Aided Óenfhir Aífe (The Tragic Death of Aoife's Only Son), Scéla Cano meic Gartnáin (The story of Cano mac Gartnaín), Togail Bruidne Da Dearga (The destruction of Da Dearga's Hostel), a version of Orgain Denna Rig (The destruction of Dinn rig), Imram Maíle Dúin (The Voyage of Máel Dúin), Aided Cúldubh (Death of Cúldub) and a version of Tain Bó Cuailnge. Both of the manuscripts compiled at Lecan are of the utmost value, containing several romance tales that are not present in the older texts. The Yellow book of Lecan is comprised of a total of 344 columns, the first 280 were written before the year 1391, and the rest, by 1400. It is now housed at Trinity College Dublin.
TopLeabhar Bhaile an Mhóta was compiled in Ballymote, Co. Sligo by Solomon O'Droma, Manus O' Duirgeann, and one Robert McSheedy, commissioned by Tonaltagh MacDomhnall of the MacDomhnall tribe around 1390. The majority of the contents are either historical or Christian stories, however it does include a copy of the Lebor Gabála, tales of Fionn mac Cumhail, Leabhar na Geart (The Book of Rights), and other very important items such as treatises on the Ogham alphabet, Bardic tracts on metrics and grammar, and much regarding Brehon Law where it gives a detailed account of the pay and rank of various professions in early Irish society. There are also stories on the birth of Cormac, the Irish version of the Aeneid and stories revolving around the hag or cailleach and the symbolism of the rites of sacral kingship. After a century of being in the possession of the compilers, the book was sold by the inheriting MacDomhnall tribe to the O'Domhnaill’s for a price of 140 milch cows. The Book of Ballymote gives the date 27BC for the death of Conchobar mac Nessa, the King of Ulster. The Irish Poet Mac Ria writes of the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Book of Ballymote
The book was donated to the Trinity College Library in 1620, was stolen, later recovered, and then granted to the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin in 1785, where it remains today.
TopSanas Cormac was complied before 908, by Cormac mac Cuilennáin, King bishop of Cashel, and survives in two versions; one in the Book of Leinster and the other in the Book of Hy Many. The documents contain many old etymologies of rare words and references, along with names of many Gods and Goddesses from Irish legends. Cormac himself is said to have been somewhat uncritical, or at least less biased, than most Christian scribes when compiling the literature and, although he often mentions divine beings as kings or heroes, his work has been constantly cited for information on the oldest of Irish traditions. He also compiled a much sourced account regarding the ritual associated with the Imbas forasnai, and information on the four agricultural festivals of the Celtic year, namely Samhain, Oimelc, Bealtaine and Lughnasadh. Cormacs Glossary contains Aided Lomna (Death of Lomna) and a part of the 'Children of Tuireann'. The Glossary is said to be a small part of a much larger collection of works known as Sailtair Chaisil, which was compiled by Cormaic throughout his lifetime but now tragically lost. Both Whitley Stokes and Kuno Myer have translated and edited the glossary.
TopDindseanchas, meaning 'Place-Lore', is a collection of Irish local legends written down in both prose and verse explaining the mythology and the legends behind placenames and the mythical associations of various rivers, fords, lakes, hills, and other topographical features. There are many stories included of mythical and heroic figures who appear in lengthier versions elsewhere. The principle collection of Dindseanchas is to be found within the Book of Leinster, although other pieces of the collection are contained elsewhere in many other codices as this area of writing has been expanded and developed continually down throughout the centuries.
TopLeabhar Mór Mhic Fhir Bhísigh Leacain was compiled in 1418 by Adam O Cuirnín by request of Goill-Iosa Mór Mac Firbisigh. It is known as the great book of Lecan which serves to distinguish it from the earlier Yellow book of Lecan which was compiled by the same family at the same location a few years earlier. The book contains 600 pages with genealogical material, a Book of Rights, Leabhar Gabála and many Dindseanchas all transcribed from the Book of Leinster. The castle of Lecan, where the book was compiled, lies in modern day Lacken two miles north of Innishcrone in Co. Sligo.
TopLebor Uí Maine is a smaller than typical manuscript which was compiled in the late 14th century by six scribes. It has long been in the possession of the O'Ceallaigh tribe and was named after a chieftain of theirs, "Maine Mór", who’s name is given to the sept of the Uí Maine that occupied much of what is now Galway and Roscommon. The manuscript includes poems, genealogies of the O Ceallaigh, Dindseanchas, and sections of the Lebor Gabála. It was donated to the Royal Irish Academy in 1883 where it remains to this day.
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