''Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil'' ("The Victorious Career of Cellachán of Cashel")

Donnchadh Ó Corráin Donnchadh Ó Corráin (28 February 1942 – 25 October 2017) was an Republic of Ireland, Irish historian and professor emeritus of medieval history at University College Cork. He earned his BA in history and Irish from UCC, graduating in 1964. ...

writes that this title "was first given it by Eugene O'Curry in his transcript of the text. It has no title in the earliest copy, that in the Book of Lismore. A variety of titles occurs in the late manuscript tradition in which the tale is normally divided into two parts entitled respectively 'Cathughadh Ceallachain re Lochlannuibh' and 'Toruigheacht na tTaoiseach air Cheallachain' ( Ó Corráin, 'Caithréim' p.1 (fn 1)) is an Irish tract from the first part of the 12th century. It is most likely written some time between 1127 and 1134,According to Caoimhín Breatnach (p.222) it "appears to have been written between 1127 and 1134", while Letitia Campbell (p.288) states that it was commissioned between 1128 and 1131. commissioned by Cormac Mac Carthaigh,

king of Munster The kings of Munster () ruled the Kingdom of Munster in Ireland from its establishment during the Irish Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earli ...

and claimant to the title

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

. The tale is ostensibly a biography of Cormac's 10th century ancestor Cellachán Caisil, but in reality a propaganda tract. It is written as an Eóganacht riposte to the Dál Cais/ Uí Briain chronicle, ''

Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, begin ...

'', but reflects the current political situation where former rivals Dál Cais and Eóganachta are allied against Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, with an emphasis on collaboration between Cellachán Caisil and Cennétig mac Lorcáin against their common foe, the

Vikings Vikings were 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 settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

. Flanagan, p. 919 A copy of Caithréim Chellacháin Chaisil is contained in the Book of Lismore, as well as in several other manuscripts. Ó Corráin, pp.1–3 The most recent edition of Caithréim was made by the Norwegian scholar Alexander Bugge in 1905. This edition is based on the text contained in Book of Lismore and R.I.A. 23 H 18 (707), with critical variants from British Library Egerton 106 occasionally cited.

Notes and references

Notes

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * *

External links

Bugge's edition at Openlibrary.org

Cellachan

Callahan Genealogy and History website, including a copy and lengthy discussion of this book.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caithreim Chellachain Chaisil Historiography of Ireland Medieval texts in Irish Irish-language manuscripts MacCarthy dynasty Irish books