Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in King's Inns
MS 40
Trí Biorghaoithe an Bháis
18th cent. Paper. 19.5 × 14.5 cms. Ff. 148 (numbered 1-147 with 2 pp. blank after f. 110 r; words 'hic nulla desunt' in centre of each), with fly-leaves at front and back. Scribes: (1) ff. 1-30 v m, Seamus Ó Heinnéirghe (ff. 27 v m, 30 v i); (2) ff. 30 v m-147 vm, possibly An tAthair Diarmuid Macc Namara, mentioned at end (see below); a third hand appears in a Latin quotation on f. 94 r ; dates 1707 (f. 27 v 777) and 1709 (f. 56 v m) occur. The scribes may be identical with the following two priests named in a presentment of the grand jury of Mayo at the assizes held on 4 April 1715 : 'Darby MacNamara Registered priest of Adrogule Parish Dead. James Henry officiates in his place registered in Ardough parish' (W. P. Burke, The Irish priests in the penal times (Waterford 1914) 431). Margins ruled in red on ff. 1-64 v ; running titles on ff. 1-31 r only. Some leaves appear to have been torn out at beginning. Strips of paper interleaved between some leaves in binding (one used as mounting for first leaf). Manuscript well thumbed, with staining on some leaves. Bound in boards and leather; labelled '40' on front cover. 'KEATING ON DEATH' on spine. Printed label inside front cover : 'Extract from the will of Most Rev. Oliver Kelly, A.B. of Tuam, 1834. I bequeth all my books, whether now in possession or already in the Library of St. Jerlath's, to the said Seminary, with an obligation that all those Priests who shall be hereafter Professors in that Seminary, and all those who shall have received their education (if promoted to the Order of Priesthood,) do each at their convenience, offer one Mass, to be celebrated by them for the repose of my Soul. R.I.P.' (Whole surrounded by black border, with words 'I bequeth . . . Soul' printed in the shape of a cross.) Some writing in pencil on recto of first leaf ; verso bears stamp of King's Inns library, dated 7 November 1934. Some pencil-marks also on last leaf.
f.
1 r. TRÍ BIORGHAOITHE AN BHÁIS. . . . Beg. Statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori.... Do hoirdoigeadh dona daoinibh aon uair amháin bás dfhaghail. Book I ends (f. 27 v i) with colophon : 'Finis libri primi ; do Thri Biorghaoíthi an Bháis an cuigeadh lá do Iuil M.dcc.vii. Seamus Ó Heinnéirghe ro sgríobh'. Book II begins on f. 28 r and book III on f. 50 v m. Colophons: 'Do sguiriosa .i. Seamus O Heinneirghe do sgriobadh an leabhairsi ag an dechmadh líne don deachmadh goin thúas' [i.e. f. 30 v m] (f. 30 v i) ; 'Finis libri secundi anno domini 1709' (f. 56 v m). Text ends (f. 147 v m) with ⁊ da thuilleadh linn do greamughadh, ⁊ do bheith ionar seilbh go siorraidhe Amen. Foll. in a different hand by 'Fuair an Tathair Diarmuid Macc Namara bás an cuigudh la deug do januarii mile ⁊ seacht ccéud ⁊ ceitre blíaidhna déug. (1714)'.