Fearfeasa Ó Maol Chonaire, sometimes Fearfeasa O'Mulconry and other variations, (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1630s) was an Irish chronicler who is primarily known as the co-compiler and

scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...

of the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

''.

Family background

Ó Maol Chonaire was a member of the

Ó Maolconaire Ó Maolchonaire, sometimes Ó Maoil Chonaire, sometimes Ó Mhaoil Chonaire, Ó Maolconaire, Uí Mhaoil Chonaire etc., was the surname of a family of professional poets and historians in medieval Ireland. Traditionally it would have been spelled wi ...

brehon Brehon (, ) is a term for a historical arbitration, mediative, and judicial role in Gaelic culture. Brehons were part of the system of Early Irish law, which was also simply called " Brehon law". Brehons were judges, close in importance to the ...

family of north

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

. A member of the Sliocht Pháidín, his genealogy was ''Fearfeasa mac Lochlainn mac Séan Ruadh (died 1589) mac Lochlainn mac Paidín Ó Maolconaire (died 1506)''. He was thus closely related to

Muirgheas mac Pháidín Ó Maolconaire Muirgheas mac Pháidín Ó Maolconaire, Gaelic- Irish scribe, died 1543. He was a native of Cluain Plocáin (now Ballymulconry), parish of Kiltrustan, County Roscommon. It lies close to an inlet of the river Shannon, north of Strokestown. Ó M ...

(died 1543) and his descendants, Fláithrí Ó Maol Chonaire (died 1629) and Muiris mac Torna Ó Maolconaire (died 1645). It has been suggested by Eoin Mac Cárthaigh that Fearfeasa's lands were in the townland of Creta, parish of Kiltrustan, beside that of his father, Lochlainn, who lived in Lisheen townland. Páidín Ruadh Ó Maol Chonaire, who retained two-thirds of his lands in Ballymulconry in the 1650s, may have been Fearfeasa's brother. Peter (fl. 1701), son of Fearfasa, was poet to the O'Róduighe, and lived in

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

The Four Masters

He was one of the authors of the ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' and, with the three other chief writers, was included by

John Colgan John Colgan, OFM ( Irish ''Seán Mac Colgan''; c. 1592 – 15 January 1658), was an Irish Franciscan friar noted as a hagiographer and historian. Life Colgan was born c. 1592 at Priestown near Carndonagh, a member of the Mac Colgan sept of ...

in the designation ''Annales Quatuor Magistrorum'' (Preface to ''Acta Sanctorum Hiberniæ'', p. 7), which has become the popular name of the book. As a young man, he participated in the compilation of the

, working with

Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Mícheál Ó Cléirigh (), sometimes known as Michael O'Clery, was an Irish chronicler, scribe and antiquary and chief author of the ''Annals of the Four Masters'', assisted by Cú Choigcríche ÓCléirigh, Fearfeasa ÓMaol Chonaire, and Pe ...

Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh (fl. 1624–1664) was an Irish historian and genealogist, known in English as Peregrine O'Clery. Life and work Ó Cléirigh was a son of Diarmaid Ó Cléirigh, and thus a third-cousin once removed to Brother Mích ...

Peregrine Ó Duibhgeannain Peregrine(s), or (Latin) ''Peregrinus'' may refer to: The arts * ''Passing of Peregrinus'', a 2nd-century satire by Lucian * "The Peregrin", a story in ''The Psychotechnic League'' series * "Peregrine", a song by Donovan on the 1968 album ''The H ...

and other assistants. He is identified by Bernadette Cunningham as the

of hand E in the

autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...

of the

. He participated in the compilation of the years up to 1333 with

Ó Duibhgeannáin The Ó Duibhgeannáin () clan were a family of professional historians in medieval and early modern Ireland. They originated in the kingdom of Annaly (formerly called Tethbae) on the east bank of the Shannon (mostly situated in what is now Co ...

, the

Ó Cléirigh O'Cleary or O'Clery () is the surname of a Gaelic Irish family. It is one of the oldest recorded surnames in Europe It is related to Cleary (surname) and often Anglicized as Clark. Naming conventions The name has been Anglicised variously as ...

's writing the rest of the book to 1616.

Opposition to Tuileagna Ó Maol Chonaire

Fearfeasa strenuously opposed

Tuileagna Ó Maol Chonaire Tuileagna Ó Maol Chonaire (''fl.'' 1637) was an Irish historian. Background Tuileagna was a member of the Ó Maolconaire Brehon family, but it has proved difficult for researchers to uncover more detail about him. His antagonist, Fearfeasa ...

, whose criticisms of the work of the Four Masters prevented its publication in the 1640s.

Poet

Fearfeasa was the author of many poems, one of which was ''Mochean do chuairt a Chalbhaigh'', addressed to An Calbhah Ruadh Ó Domhnaill.

Family tree:An Sliocht Pháidín

Paidín mac Lochlainn meic Maelsechlainn Ó Maolconaire, d. 1506 (a quo Sliocht Pháidín) , , _________________________________________________ , , , , Lochlainn

, d. 1543. , , , , _____________ Séan Ruadh, d. 1589. , , , , , , Eóluis Fíthil and Onóra___________ Lochlainn , , , , , , , , , , ______________________________________ Torna Moileachlain Firbisigh Fláithri,

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ) is an Episcopal polity, archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Cathol ...

, 1560-1629 , , , , Fearfeasa, fl. 1620s-1640s. Páidín Ruadh?, fl. 1654-58

References

Notes

Sources

* ''The Annals of the Four Masters: Irish history, kingship and society in the early seventeenth century,'' p. 85, 142–3, 260, 261, 264, 267, 270, 272, 273, 275, Bernadette Cunningham, Four Courts Press, 2010. . *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:O Maol Chonaire, Fearfeasa Writers from County Roscommon 17th-century Irish-language poets Irish chroniclers Irish translators 17th-century Irish historians