The ''Silva Gadelica'' are two volumes of medieval tales taken from
Irish folklore
Irish folklore ( ga, béaloideas) refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance, and so forth, ultimately, all of folk culture.
Irish folklore, when mentioned to many people, conjures up images of banshees, fairies, leprechauns and people gath ...
, translated into modern English by
Standish Hayes O'Grady
Standish Hayes O'Grady ( ga, Anéislis Aodh Ó Grádaigh; 19 May 1832 – 16 October 1915) was an Irish antiquarian. He was born at Erinagh House, Castleconnell, County Limerick, the son of Admiral Hayes O'Grady. He was a cousin of the writer Sta ...
and published in 1892.
The volumes contain many stories that together comprise the
Fenian Cycle
The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle ( ga, an Fhiannaíocht) is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the Ossian ...
.
Contents
The ''Silva Gadelica'' contains two volumes, the first containing the medieval script and the second the English translations.
The stories were translated from mostly vellum documents contained in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
When first published the ''Silva Gadelica'' included 31 tales and, in the second volume containing translations, over 600 pages of fine print.
The largest and most important translation in ''Silva Gadelica'' is of the ''
Acallam na Senórach
''Acallam na Senórach'' (Modern Irish: ''Agallamh na Seanórach'', whose title in English has been given variously as ''Colloquy of the Ancients'', ''Tales of the Elders of Ireland'', ''The Dialogue of the Ancients of Ireland'', etc.), is an imp ...
'' or ''"Colloquy of the Ancients"''.
Reception
The ''Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'' described the volumes as containing "many passages of great beauty."
Referencing the opening passage of the poem Caeilte's lay,
The journal writes that it "cannot recall any poem in the whole range of Irish literature more beautiful, or in which the subtle cadence of feeling peculiar to Irish expression is more perfect."
According to ''
The Quarterly Review
The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...
'', O'Grady wrote the ''Silva Gadelica'' over a period of over 40 years.
Further translations of Irish stories in the British museum were later completed by Robin Flower, effectively completing the project begun by the ''Silva Gadelica''.
See also
*
Fianna
''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; gd, Fèinne ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had n ...
*
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
*
Irish Fairy Tales
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
*
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of ...
External links
* Original text and translation found in the second volume a
archive.org
References
{{reflist
Fenian Cycle
Irish books
Cultural depictions of Saint Patrick
1892 books
Collections of fairy tales
Irish folklore