''The Prophecy of Berchán'' is a relatively long historical poem written in the Middle Irish language. The text is preserved in 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 learned society and one its leading cultural ...

as MS 679 (23/G/4), with a few early modern copies. It is a prophecy made in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

Composition

The text consists of 205 ' stanzas, two of which are corrupt (128, 168). It is divided into two parts. The reputed author of part one (stanzas 1-96) is an Irish abbot named Berchán, from whom the poem's name originates. Part one consists of a history of Berchán's own monastery, a recount of

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

attacks, and descriptions of the reigns of nineteen Irish kings. Part two (stanzas 97–206) is presented as an anonymous prophecy given around the death of

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 b ...

in the 5th century, prophesying the life of

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is tod ...

and King

Áedán mac Gabráin Áedán mac Gabráin (pronounced in Old Irish; ga, Aodhán mac Gabhráin, lang), also written as Aedan, was a king of Dál Riata from 574 until c. 609 AD. The kingdom of Dál Riata was situated in modern Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and pa ...

, and 24 Scottish kings, from

Cináed mac Ailpín Kenneth MacAlpin ( mga, Cináed mac Ailpin, label=Medieval Gaelic, gd, Coinneach mac Ailpein, label=Modern Scottish Gaelic; 810 – 13 February 858) or Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841–850), King of the Picts (843–858), and the Kin ...

(d. 858) to

Domnall Bán Donald III (Medieval Gaelic: Domnall mac Donnchada; Modern Gaelic: ''Dòmhnall mac Dhonnchaidh''), and nicknamed "Donald the Fair" or "Donald the White" (Medieval Gaelic:"Domnall Bán", anglicised as Donald Bane/Bain or Donalbane/Donalbain) (c. ...

(d. 1097). The poem is very indirect in its identification of Scottish kings, and uses many obscure poetic images and similes. Unlike the Irish kings in part one, there are no accompanying glosses naming the kings. However, the Scottish kings spoken of can be identified, and the evidence made useful. The poem is one of the most important sources for Scottish history in the period it covers.

Bibliography

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500–1286'', 2 vols, Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1922; Vol. I, pp. xxxiv–xxxv

Composition

Bibliography

Further reading