Máel Muire Othain (died 887) was an Irish poet.

Life

Máel Muire Othain held the post of

Chief Ollam of Ireland Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

. He died in 887 A.D. His nickname ‘Othna’, referred to him being a member of the monastery of Othain at

Fahan Fahan (; ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located 5 km (3 miles) south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery. Hist ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. He was amongst the early poets and historians who produced various parts of

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

. Edward O'Reilly gives a full account of Máel Muru's works in his Irish Writers, LXXXII sq.; d. anno 884.

Death

His obit is given in the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

'' as follows:– "U887.5 Mael Muru, chief poet of Ireland, died. 1. The choice earth has not covered, To Temair's multitudes there shall not come, Ireland of the great territories(?) shall not contain A man like the pure and gentle Mael Muru. 2. There has never tasted death fearlessly, Nor reached the known dead, The cultivator's soil has never covered A more wonderful keeper of tradition." His obit is given in the ''

Chronicon Scotorum ''Chronicon Scotorum'', also known as ''Chronicum Scotorum'', is a medieval Irish chronicle. Overview According to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the ' Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric tim ...

'' as follows:– "Annal CS887 Kalends. Mael Muire, the learned poet of the Irish, rested." His obit is given in 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 ...

'' as follows:– "M884.12 Maelmura, the learned and truly intelligent poet, the erudite historian of the Scotic language, died. It is of him this testimony was given: 1. There trod not the charming earth, there never flourished at affluent Teamhair, The great and fertile Ireland never produced a man like the mild fine Maelmura. 2. There sipped not death without sorrow, there mixed not a nobler face with the dead, The habitable earth was not closed over a historian more illustrious."

References

External links

* http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/index.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Mael Muire Othain People from County Donegal Medieval Irish poets 9th-century Irish writers 887 deaths 9th-century Irish poets Year of birth unknown Irish male poets Irish-language writers