Book of Fenagh

The Book of Fenagh (Irish: Leabar Fidhnacha) is a manuscript of prose and poetry written in Classical Irish by Muirgheas mac Pháidín Ó Maolconaire in the monastery at Fenagh, West Breifne (modern-day County Leitrim).[1] It was commissioned by Tadhg Ó Rodaighe, the coarb of the monastery, and is believed to derive from the "old Book of Caillín" (Irish: Leabar Chaillín), a lost work about Caillín, founder of the monastery.[1] Ó Maolconaire began work about 1516.[1]

19th century reproduction of the Book of Fenagh. The original is held by the Royal Irish Academy

Contents
Contents of the Book of Fenagh[2]
PartFormSubject
1AProseIntroduction and Genealogy of St. Caillín
1BPoetry14 poems about Caillín, Magh Rein (south County Leitrim), and the Bell of Fenagh (Clog Na Riogh, "the bell of the kings", now in St Mel's Cathedral[3]).
1CProseIntroductions to Poems
2AProseCaillín and Tadhg O'Roddy
2BProseÓ Maolconaire discusses the Old Book of Caillín
3PoetryThe O'Donnells and other families
4ProseGenealogies of Conmaicne, O'Crechan (probably of Conmhaícne Dúna Móir[4]), and the Abbot of Fenagh
5PoetrySix poems: five on the O'Neills and other families, and one on Caillín

Marginal notes in Irish adorning the book are commentaries by the noted Irish antiquarian Tadhg O'Rodaighe (floruit 1700) from Crossfield in Fenagh.

The Book of Fenagh was used as a source for the Annals of Connacht and the Annals of the Four Masters.[5]

Provenance

The O'Roddy coarbs and descendants retained the book down to Brian O'Roddy, parish priest of Kilronan (Ballyfarnon) in the mid-19th century, upon whose death it was retained by his successors as parish priest.[6] It later passed to George Michael Conroy, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, for safe-keeping, before his successor Bartholomew Woodlock sold it in 1888 to the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) for £10.[7] This was on the advice of Denis Murphy, a Jesuit, that the RIA were best able to preserve it.[7][2] Its catalogue number is RIA MS 23 P 26: Cat. No. 479.[1]

Editions

John O'Donovan made a facsimile transcript in 1828, and a manuscript English translation in 1830.[5] The first published edition was in 1875, edited by William Maunsell Hennessy and translated by Denis H. Kelly from O'Donovan's facsimile.[5] The Irish Manuscripts Commission published a supplementary volume in 1939 with material missing from previous versions.

References

Sources
  • Ó Maolconaire, Muirgheas mac Pháidín (1875). Hennessy, W. M. (ed.). "The Book of Fenagh in Irish and English". Translated by Kelly, D. H. Dublin: Alexander Thom. Retrieved 19 May 2017. (Another digitisation from National Library of Scotland)
  • "Book of Fenagh 500th anniversary". Royal Irish Academy. 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  • Macalister, R. A. S., ed. (1939). The Book of Fenagh: supplementary volume. Irish Manuscripts Commission. Retrieved 19 May 2017.

Citations
  1. "Book of Fenagh". Royal Irish Academy.
  2. "Book of Fenagh history". fenagh.com. Fenagh Visitors Centre. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  3. "The Bell of Fenagh". Fenagh Visitors Centre. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  4. Hennessy 1875, p.383 fn.13
  5. RIA 2016
  6. Hennessy 1875, p.ix
  7. Cunningham, Bernadette (15 June 2016). "Celebrating 500 years of the Book of Fenagh". Royal Irish Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2017.

Further reading
  • O Rodaighe, Tadhg (1700). "Tadhg O Rodaighe to [Edward Lhwyd]" (PDF). Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, a document bound into MS 1318 (donated from Edward Lhuyd collection): Rev. J. H. Todd, D. D., ‘Autograph Letter of Thady O’Roddy’, The Miscellany of the Irish Archaeological Society 1 (1846), 112–125. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-06. Retrieved 31 August 2016. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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