Donnchadh Mór Ó Dálaigh was a celebrated Irish poet, and master of the Irish classical style called Dán Díreach, who died in

1244 Year 1244 ( MCCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * March 16 – Siege of Montségur: French forces capture and destroy Château de Mont ...

. Mor is the Irish word for ''"great"''.

Family background

Donnchadh Mór was a member of the famed Ó Dálaigh family of poets. Donnchadh Mór was the second of six brothers, one of whom was

Muireadhach Albanach Muiredach (Old Irish), Muireadhach or Muireach, anglicized variously to Murdoch, Murtagh, Murray, Murdac, Mordacq and other forms, is a Goidelic name (meaning "chieftain") popular in Scotland and Ireland in the Middle Ages: * Muiredach Bolgrach ...

, also a poet. Authorities

O'Reilly O'Reilly ( ga, Ó Raghallaigh) is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaelic origin, who were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin Bréifne kindred a ...

and O'Curry considered that he was Abbot of Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon, Ireland where he is believed to have been buried.

Reputation

The annals of Clonmacnois describe him as "Chief in Ireland for poetry". He was styled the 'Irish

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

' due to the quality of his verse. In recording his death, in 1244, 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 Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...

describes him as "a poet who never was and never will be surpassed".

Finvarra

Donnchadh Mór settled at Finnyvara (or Finavara) in the Burren region of

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

, Ireland. Today a hexagonal bick-built columnar monument stands outside Finavara on the coast by Pouldoody Bay as a monument to him, opposite the supposed ruined poetry school of the Ó Dálaigh's. The Ó Dálaighs occupied a rock seat nearby termed the 'Brehon's Chair' used for open air courts in ancient times and they may be buried in the mound below the monument. O'Donovan in a note to the

states that ''according to tradition preserved in the north of the County Clare he was the head of the O'Dalys of Finnyvara in the north of Burrin where they still point out the site of his house and his monument.'' The Ó Dálaigh's of Finnyvara were hereditary poets to the Ó Lochlainn's of Burren.

Poems

Donnchadh Mór is known to have written about 30 poems. Donnchadh Mór's poems were listed in ''The History of the O'Dalys'' by Edmund Emmet O'Daly, published in 1937 by the Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor Company of New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Selected poems

* * * * * * * * * * * + * + * + * + * + * + * , attributed to Flann Mainistreach + + ''A Bardic Miscellany: Five Hundred Bardic poems from manuscripts in Irish and British libraries'', edited by Damian McManus and Eoghan Ó Raghallaigh, Trinity Irish Studies, Dublin, 2010.

Family Tree I

In the introduction to ''The Tribes of Ireland'' by Aonghus Ruadh na nAor Ó Dálaigh, the editors give the following family tree. Adhamh, a quo Corca Adhamh of County Westmeath , , Corc , , Fachtna , , Dalach, a quo Ua Dálaigh , , Gilla Coimhdheadh , , Tadhg ua Dálaigh , , Muireadhach Ua Dálaigh , , Dalach Ua Dálaigh , , Cú Connacht Ua Dálaigh, died 1139. , , Tadhg Doichleach Ua Dálaigh, died 1181. , , Aonghus Ó Dálaigh, ''the common ancestor of all the O'Dalys extant'' , , ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ , , , , , , , , , , , , Cearbhall Fionn Donnchadh Mór Cormac na Casbhairne Muireadhach Albanach Gilla na Naemh Tadhg , , (issue) , , , , , , , Ua Dálaigh Fionn Ua Dálaigh Ua Dálaigh of Duhallow of Finvarra of Breifne Co. Cork. Co. Clare and Dunsandle Co. Galway

Family Tree II

Donnchadh Mór mac Aonghus meic Tadhg Doichleach Ó Dálaigh of Finvarra, died 1244. , , Aonghus , , Donnchadh Ruadh , , Aonghus Ruadh Ó Dálaigh, died 1350. , , ___________________________________ , , , , Tadhg, d. 1367. Lochlainn, died 1367. , , , , Fearghal Ó Dálaigh, chief poet Donn of Corcomroe, fl. 1420. , , Doighre , , Donn , , Mael Sechlainn , , John , , Tadhg , , Diarmuid , , Aedh of Finnvarra.

External links

* http://www.ucc.ie/celt/itbardic.html#dmod

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O Dalaigh, Donnchadh Mor Medieval Irish poets People from County Meath 12th-century births 1244 deaths 13th-century deaths 13th-century Irish writers Irish religious writers 13th-century Irish poets Irish male poets Irish-language writers