Origins of Ancient Irish Manuscripts & Texts

Irish Verse 

Written by Ben Kesp

Ireland is a country steeped in myth and legends, and too often, the lines between the realms of the spiritual and the world of the living converge.  Irish Mythology is complex with a vast amount of literature that it is unusual in comparison to other myths as it has no creation myth - things just were and Ireland always existed, shaped over time by different invaders. There was a period during the 6^th to 8^th centuries when Ireland entered a golden age, placing it as a centre of learning within Europe, a beacon of light when the rest of mainland Europe was in the period of the Dark Ages.  It was during this time when the famed Irish monks produced some incredible works of insular Celtic art.  Many annals produced by the Irish monastic monks are the original sources for the books and manuscripts of myth that were later translated and compiled into the texts we have today. 

Old Irish literature is written in Irish, Latin, Ulster Scots and English.  Ireland has contributed its share to world literature, and the early Irish monks of the Christian period produced incredible manuscripts, not only of spiritual writings, but also of poetry and mythological tales in both Latin and Irish.  The English language was introduced to Ireland in the 12^th Century following the Norman invasion with many of the earlier texts translated to English.  English became the dominant Irish literary language during the 12^th Century; however, many works were produced in Irish.  Much of Irish mythology may have got lost in translation however these old texts tell us the mythical sagas that span the great cycles of Irish mythology and of the historical events in Ireland.  

Text Samples:  

• Chronicles of Ireland: recorded the events of Ireland from 432 to 991 A.D.  Many annals were produced, including the Ulster Annals, Annals of Clonmacnoise, and Annals of Inishfallen.
• The Annals of the Four Masters: covers the period 2,242 B.C. to 1616 A.D.  It was compiled between 1632 and 1636 A.D. from earlier annals that were first translated to English in 1171 A.D.
• Lebor Gabála Érenn: (or The Book of Invasions) dates to the 11^th Century.
• Book of Fermoy: contains a fragment of Lebor Gabála, a collection of poems and material relating to the Roche family, poems of Gearóid Iarla, lives of saints, historical tracts, genealogies, mythological tales and fragments of medical treatises.  Dates to the 15^th Century.
• Lebor na hUidre: (Or The Book of the Dun Cow) dates to the 11^th Century and is an Irish Vellum manuscript.  It is the oldest manuscript in Irish and is held by the Royal Irish Academy.   
• Sanas Cormaic: a 9^th Century Irish glossary containing etymologies and explanations of over 1,400 Irish words.  It is an encyclopaedic dictionary containing simple synonymous explanations in Irish or Latin of Irish words. It is held to be the first linguistic dictionary in any of the non-classical languages of Europe. 
• Yellow Book of Lecan: a medieval Irish manuscript dated to the 15^th Century. 
• Foras Feasa ar Éirinn:  written in 1634 by Geoffrey Keating, a 17^th Century Irish Priest, who went to study at the Irish College in Bordeaux, France, in November 1603.  After obtaining the degree of Doctor of Divinity, he returned to Ireland.  His greatest work, Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland), traces the history of Ireland from the creation of the world to the invasion of the Normans in the 12^th Century. 
• The Great Book of Lecan:  a medieval Irish manuscript written between 1397 and 1418. 
• Book of Leinster: a medieval Irish manuscript written in 1160 and now kept at Trinity College, Dublin. 

In addition there are many Irish sagas/narratives, surviving from various old texts and some have been revised many times from the original manuscripts. Some examples are: 

• Cath Maige Tuired (2 Sagas in the Mythological Cycle – The Tuatha Dé Danann Battles).
• Acallamh na Sénorach (Text from the Fenian Cycle). 
• Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley – Queen Maeve – Ulster Cycle).
• Togail Bruidne Dá Derga (Ulster Cycle – recounting the life of High King Conaire Mór).
• Tochmarc Emire (Ulster Cycle – Cú Chulainn’s efforts to marry Emer).
• Fled Bricrenn (Text from the Ulster Cycle).
• Serglige Con Culainn (Ulster Cycle – a curse that fell on hero Cú Chulainn). 

Of course, it is important to mention some of the greatest insular works of art the monks produced, such as the Book of Durrow, a 7^th Century illuminated manuscript gospel book.  It is the oldest surviving complete insular gospel book containing the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Today, it is stored at Trinity College Library, Dublin. The Book of Kells, produced in the 8^th Century, is an illuminated gospel book containing the four gospels of the New Testament. The ornamentations, calligraphy and illustrations surpass any other insular gospel books in its design and extravagance. Today, it is displayed at Trinity College Library, Dublin. 

Take some time to explore these great old texts and of the vibrant characters - legendary and historical which remain with us today, or if you are in Dublin, visit Trinity College and explore the Book of Kells for yourself!

Image: Wikipedia