Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in Royal Irish Academy
1237
D i 1
Miscellaneous
This is a large volume, bound in calf, tooled (cover measuring ca. 21 × 14); inscribed on spine: "Irish MSS. Facsimiles. No. 65, Press I" (A former no. xx appears beneath the present no.) Stowe and Ashburnham Collections. Main ms. was originally blank, and was used as a portfolio to house sections of original mss. lithographed by Astle as specimens of handwriting for his Origin and Progress of Writing (1784). The borrowed sections of mss., apparently eighteen in number (to judge by Astle's Plate xxii), were retained by Astle and never returned to their parent mss. ! Later further sections of manuscript were added, and finally the blank pages were used by Dr. Charles O'Conor for a first draft of a projected edition of the works of St. Columbanus (see below).
For convenience of reference the various sections of ms. are described below under the article nos. used by O'Conor in describing this ms., Bibl. MSS. Stowensis, Press no. I, 65, and in the ms. itself. O'Conor catalogues only the nós. I-VIII (his VII is our VIII ), although IX (a) at least apparently formed part of the ms. when he drew up his catalogue. The nos. X-XXI and the entries in the main book are almost entirely O'Conor's own work, and were added after the Stowe catalogue had been printed. It is important to notice that the two vellum folios (I Additional infra) now loose in the ms. and preceding I, were not in the ms. in O'Conor's time, nor were they there when Purton catalogued the contents (see Acad. Obs. 163). They have probably got transferred here from another R.I.A. ms. Purton's No. I is now missing from the volume (it consisted of a vellum leaf bearing a Latin copy of the Gospels and a second vellum fragment of an Ossianic tale, and was possibly once part of IX (a) which had got misplaced). The present cataloguer believes that this must be the material catalogued separately as 1215 supra. Purton's No. II is our I (he ignores our (and O'Conor's) II altogether); his (and O'Conor's) V (one folio vellum, 5 leaves paper) is now missing, possibly transferred back to its parent ms., E iv. 1 (no. 751 supra); Purton's (and O'Conor's) VII is our VIII; his VIII a our IX (c); his VIII b apparently the medical seetion of our IX(a) or has got transferred; his VIII c is our IX (b). It is to be regretted that these transfers (if they are transfers and not losses) were made silently. They should not have been made without being noted in D. i. 1. The present cataloguer has now noted in pencil on the blank pp. of D. i. 1 the location of all sections whieh lie loose between the pages, and are therefore easily liable to bé displaced.
I (Additional).
15th (?) cent. Vellum. 14¾ × 10. Ff 2, unnumbered, these folios forming the inner diploma of a stave. In good condition, but a large semicircular piece missing, apparently gnawed away, from both leaves; inner margin. Written in double column; ornamental capitals of zoomorphic interlaced design. A scribal probatio pennae on fo. [1], inf. marg., indicates that scribe's name is Concabar. A later marginal note (ibid.) gives the name "Mac Aedagáin." Some partially illegible verses stand on fo. [1] v., inf. marg. There are interlinear marginalia in a later hand.
fo.
[ 1 ] a. Genealogies of the Laigin, including Dal Nia Corb. Beg. acephalous, Macc Liag a quo .h. Birrine .h. Rotaigi .h. Feithamla (= 535, 86 v. b).
[ 1 ] b. Calma an cinead cland Chathair, 38 qq.
[ 1 ] v.a. Copy of the Will of Cathair Mór. Beg. Ité andso timna Chathair fora chlaind. Cf. 535, 87 a 1.
[ 2 ] v. a. Genealogies of the descendants of Cathair Mór, viz., Uí Bairrchi, with Mac Gormain, chief of Uí Bairrchi, Uí Threasaig, Uí Domnaill, Uí Mailuma, Uí Chearnaig. Text ends imperfect with the words Tadg mac Aengusa a quo Uí Thaidg a Taeb Choini 7 Uí Mainchine (= 535, 88 d 17).
I.
15th (?) cent. Vellum. 10¼ × 7¾. Ff. 2, which are the inner diploma of a stave. Written in double column in a large loosely-formed hand, some rubrication; lining by dry-point. No date or indication of provenance. Some later, partly illegible marginalia occur.
The fragment contains a section of the Cath Cathardha. Beg. here acephalous ina leithcircul n-atharda o iath 7 o muir dibh (= ed. Stokes, 1. 2756), in middle of section called "Martra Muindtiri Ubulteus" (see fo. [2] v. a). Breaks off in middle of next section ("Aidhedh Curio") with the words Tanic Curio co n-uathadh a thsheanmuindtir leis do re (= ed., 1. 2877).
II.
Transcripts (4 pp., paper) by Vallancey (acc. to O'Conor) of facsimiles nos. 1-5 of Plate 22 of Astle's book on the Origin and Progress of Writing (1784). The first of these is an extract from I, supra.
III, IV.
Scraps of tracing paper, bearing some lines of manuscript writing copied for the purpose of reproduction in Astle's book.
V.
Now missing from its place here. Was, acc. to O'Conor and to Purton (Acad. Obs. 163), a section of a vellum ms., containing a Grammatical Tract on Verbs, beg. Denamh deineamh (a specimen of which was lithographed for Astle's book, Plate 22, no. 4), together with five leaves of same Grammatical Tract giving paradigms of faicsin, teacht abairt, teagmail cluinsin. See Description of this ms.
VI.
17th (?) cent. Paper. 5½ × 6½. Pp. 12, foliated 1-6 in pencil. Ms. discoloured and damaged at outer margins. Contains a section of a tract on the succession of Irish Kings from A.M. 3282-A.M. 3729. (Considerable detail is given - e.g., under A.M. 3598 is an account of the founding of Emain Mhacha, another copy of which is printed by O'Curry, MSS. Materials, p. 526, from LL). Beg. acephalous, Anno Mundi 3282. Dogabh Art Imleach mac Eilm. Ends imperfect (fo. 6 a) le hIarannghleó mac Meilge Mholbhthaigh.
VII.
17th cent. Vellum. 14¼ × 23¼. One folio, damaged. Contains genealogy of some descendants of Toirdhealbhach Mór Ó Conchobhair. Ó Dubhagáin's poem of 1668, beg. here Clann Toirdhealbhaigh na ttreas tte, is quoted in reference to Sliocht Maoileachloin Í Chonehabhair.
VIII.
18th cent. Vellum. 9¼ × 14¾. Ff. 2. Scribe: Michael (mac Cathaoir) Ó Bruin, who wrote the text in Dublin in 1729. On ff. [1] v., [2] are set out pedigrees in Irish (with ornamental painted borders) of the following families: - Kavanagh, Byrn, Toole, Conor Faley, Dimpsey, Dun, Coleman, Enessy.
IX.
(A) Twelve sections of smaller single-column vellum mss. of varying dimensions (writing extends in generál ca. 7 × 4½), very damaged (some being completely black) and thonged together, having been used for binding purposes. Among these fragments (one of which has loosened from the binding) is a considerable portion of an unidentified medical manuscript. There are interlaced capitals and some rubrication on these leaves. Another section preserves a fragment of an unidentified Fenian romance, in which "fían Éireann," Oscor, and Aongus mac in Dagda play a part. Still another fragment, so firmly thonged in that the reverse of folio cannot be seen without undoing the thongs, is a poem beg. Eisdsi riumsi, a Mhuire mór. A specimen of Latin blackletter is also among these fragments.
(B) A loose vellum fragment (8 × 7½), being the inferior half of a larger folio, written in double column. Scribal (?) signature "Mise Maolmuire" occurs on verso, with a reference to "Leabhar Conchabhair." Contents consist of biblical verse, including the closing quatrains of a poem, the initial line of which appears to have begun with the words Mac itge and fragment of a poem beg. Clanda Israhel uili. See Ériu iv, p. 173.
(C) A loose vellum folio (11½ × 8½), written in double column. Contains a fragment of a Grammatical Tract dealing with Syntax. Cf. 750 B, supra. Beg. acephalous, dona feruibhsi .c. a sinedh. Ends imperfect, as gil 's as geala. Formerlv formed pp. 30, 31 of C. 1. 3.
X.
Extracts (25 written pp., paper, numbered 70-82, 87-90, 97, 98, 27, 28, 99-102) from the Annals of the Four Masters, a.d. 1125-1174, with Latin version. In the hand of Dr. Charles O'Conor.
XI.
Notes in English (13 written pp., paper) on Irish Prosodv.
XII.
List In English (19 written pp., paper) of "Documents preserved in the Collection of Owen O'Conor Esq. of Belanagare."
XIII.
(A) A loose stave (16 pp., paper) of historical notes in English on Clonmacnoise, headed: "Appendix No. 6 ex codice ms. Chartaceo inter Clarendonianos Musei Britannici Tom. 51 in Catalogo Ayscough 4796, pag. 39."
(B) Two loose leaves, paper, of notes on Clonmacnoise headed: "No. 7. Chronicle of the Abbots of Cloonmacnois."
(C) An 18th cent. copy (5½ leaves, paper, wrongly bound, originally blank on verso) of "Abstract of Hugh Maguire's title to his estates in the County of Fermanagh." On verso are added supplementary notes in another hand (O'Conor's?). The name "Michael Bray, Lincolns Inn, Febr. 6th, 1786," appears at end in the same hand.
(D) Two written pp., paper, in an unknown hand. Pedigree of Hugh Maguire. of Tempo, preceded by a laudatory poem in English beg. Mild potent man and wonder of the age ("projected by Doyle" is added at end). Further Maguire pedigrees follow.
XIV.
Five written pp., paper. "An alphabetical catalogue of all mss. relating to Irish affairs in the Lambeth Library." See XVII, infra.
XV.
List of mss. in the Tower relating to Ireland, and other notes.
XVI.
Pedigree of O'Rourke, transcribed by "Sami. Ayseough," Nov. 2, 1781, from original in the British Museum. Some notes on O'Rourke precede.
XVII.
Apparently a continuation of XIV, supra. Nine written pp., paper.
XVIII.
Material intended for insertion here has been omitted.
XIX, XX.
Extracts from Ayscough's Catalogue, 4784, nos. 3-13 (25 pp., paper).
XXI.
Extracts from Codex Clarend, xliv, in Ayscough's Catalogue, 4791.
[XXII.]
The rest of the ms. (main book) is occupied by O'Conor's notes preparatory to a new edition projected by him of the Epistles and Rule of St. Columbanus, ed. previously by Goldast, Paraeneticorum veterum I (1604).
[XXIII.]
At the end of ms. is a loose leaf (paper, numbered 132) containing a fragment of a text in Irish enumerating the Irish chiefs who attended some unnamed convention.
Parent MS of Part 1 Adv. MS 72.1.46