The ''Book of Fenagh'' ( ga, Leabar Fidhnacha) is a

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

of prose and poetry written in

Classical Irish Classical Gaelic or Classical Irish () was a shared literary form of Gaelic that was in use by poets in Scotland and Ireland from the 13th century to the 18th century. Although the first written signs of Scottish Gaelic having diverged from Iri ...

by Muirgheas mac Pháidín Ó Maolconaire in the monastery at Fenagh,

West Breifne The Kingdom of West Breifne (Irish ''Breifne Ua Ruairc'') or Breifne O'Rourke was a historic kingdom of Ireland that existed from 1256 to 1605, located in the area that is now County Leitrim. It took its present boundaries in 1583 when West Breifn ...

(modern-day

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

). It was commissioned by Tadhg Ó Rodaighe, the

coarb A coarb, from the Old Irish ''comarbae'' (Modern Irish ''comharba'', Latin: ''hērēs''), meaning "heir" or "successor", was a distinctive office of the medieval church among the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. In this period coarb appears intercha ...

of the monastery, and is believed to derive from the "old Book of Caillín" ( ga, Leabar Chaillín), a lost work about

Caillín Saint Caillin (fl. c.570) was an Irish medieval saint and monastic founder. His Feast day is celebrated on 13 November. The patron saint of Fenagh, County Leitrim, Caillin was born in the 6th century and founded a monastic settlement at Fenagh ...

, founder of the monastery. Ó Maolconaire began work about 1516.

Provenance

The O'Roddy coarbs and descendants retained the book down to Brian O'Roddy,

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Kilronan (

Ballyfarnon Ballyfarnon (historically ''Bellafernan'', from ) is a village in northern County Roscommon, Ireland. Built on the River Feorish at the foot of Arigna Mountain, it lies between Loughs Skean and Meelagh with Lough Arrow, Lough Allen, Lough Bo ...

) in the mid-19th century, upon whose death it was retained by his successors as parish priest. It later passed to George Michael Conroy,

Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, for safe-keeping, before his successor

Bartholomew Woodlock Dr Bartholomew Woodlock (30 March 1819 – 13 December 1902) was a Roman Catholic bishop, philosopher and educator. He established the Catholic University School, Dublin, and founded the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Ireland. He was the 2nd R ...

sold it in 1888 to the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

(RIA) for £10. This was on the advice of Denis Murphy, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, that the RIA were best able to preserve it. Its catalogue number is RIA MS 23 P 26: Cat. No. 479.

John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to: *John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert *John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator *John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...

made a facsimile transcript in 1828, and a manuscript English translation in 1830. The first published edition was in 1875, edited by

William Maunsell Hennessy William Maunsell Hennessy (1829–1889) was an Irish official and scholar. Life Hennessy was born at Castle Gregory, County Kerry. After school education he emigrated to the United States, where he lived for some years. He returned to Ireland and ...

and translated by Denis H. Kelly from O'Donovan's facsimile. The

Irish Manuscripts Commission The Irish Manuscripts Commission was established in 1928 by the newly founded Irish Free State with the intention of furthering the study of Ireland's manuscript collections and archives. Its foundation was primarily motivated by the loss of many h ...

published a supplementary volume in 1939 with material missing from previous versions.

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 was used as a source for the

Annals of Connacht The ''Annals of Connacht'' (), covering the years 1224 to 1544, are drawn from a manuscript compiled in the 15th and 16th centuries by at least three scribes, all believed to be members of the Clan Ó Duibhgeannáin. The early sections, commenci ...

and the

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

.RIA 2016

Cumdach

A metal

cumdach A (, in Irish "cover"Joynt (1917), p. 186) or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented metal reliquary box or case used to hold Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book they contain, often by several c ...

(a book-shaped shrine) known as the "Shrine of Caillín" was built before 1536 to hold and protect the manuscript.Scott (2017), p. 20 Caillín is described by Lucas as "something of a specialist in the production of battle talismans"Lucas (1986), p. 19 and according to legend, in his lifetime commissioned a number of battle standards, including this shrine. The shrine was badly damaged in a 2009 fire at

St Mel's Cathedral The Cathedral Church of St Mel is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, located in the town of Longford in Ireland. Built between 1840 and 1856, with the belfry and portico as later additions, it has been ...

, Longford, where it had been kept since 1980. It was acquired by the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

the following year, while the manuscript is in the collection of the

.Scott (2017), pp. 18, 20 There is some doubt as to if the shrine was actually intended as a cumdach, given that it is smaller than the manuscript.

References

Sources

* * Lucas, Anthony. "The Social Role of Relics and Reliquaries in Ancient Ireland". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 116, 1986. *
Another digitisation
from

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...

) * * Scott, Brendan. "The Making of the Book of Fenagh". ''History Ireland'', volume 25, no. 3, 2017.

External links

Book of Fenagh / Leabar Chaillín / Leabar Fidhnacha

; links to digital images of the manuscript
The Book of Fenagh in Irish and English
{{authoritycontrol Irish-language literature Irish manuscripts 1516 books Royal Irish Academy Library History of County Leitrim Religion in County Leitrim Conmaicne Maigh Rein

Provenance

Contents

Cumdach

References

Sources

Further reading

External links