Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin (died 1372) was an Irish Gaelic

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Background

Ó Dubhagáinn was among the first notable members of the bardic family Baile Uí Dhubhagáin (Ballyduggan), near Loughrea,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. He was accorded the rank ollamh seanchai (professional historian) to the Uí Maine recorded Irish clan history up until the Norman invasion of Ireland.

His work

Ó Dubhagáin's most important work is '' Triallam timcheall na Fodla'', a compilation of verse, giving the names of the various tribes, dynasties and territories of the Irish, and the various chiefs before the coming of the Normans. He devotes 152 lines to Meath, 354 to

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, 328 to

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 ...

, and only 56 to

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

, possibly unfinished at his death. ''Triallam'' is notable, in that he writes as though the Norman invasion never occurred, and as if many of the families listed still occupied their original territories. This, however, may reflect his interest as an

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

preserving ancient lore. His contemporary, Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín (died 1420), completed it. In ''Cambrensis Eversus'', John Lynch says that he could not find "any better source than this remarkable poem" concerning the chief Irish families before the coming of the English. Ó Dubhagáin was the author of several other extant poems, all more or less in the nature of a

memoria Memoria was the term for aspects involving memory in Western classical rhetoric. The word is Latin, and can be translated as "memory". It was one of five canons in classical rhetoric (the others being inventio, dispositio, elocutio, and pronun ...

technica, valuable chiefly for their facts about the kings of Ireland and of the provinces. They include: * ''Righnaid Laigean Clan Cathaoir'', on the families descended from King Cathair Mór of

. * ''Cashil cathain clana Mogh'', a catalogue of the kings of

Cashel Cashel (an Anglicised form of the Irish language word ''Caiseal'', meaning "stone fort") may refer to: Places in Ireland *Cashel, County Tipperary **The Rock of Cashel, an ancient, hilltop fortress complex for which Cashel is named ** Archbishop ...

from c.300 to 1367. At least three other poems by him are extant, amounting to several hundreds of verses. He also composed several rules for determining

moveable feast A moveable feast is an observance in a Christian liturgical calendar which occurs on different dates in different years. It is the complement of a fixed feast, an annual celebration that is held on the same calendar date every year, such as Chri ...

s. He was the teacher of Adhamh Ó Cianáin, who composed Leabhar Adhamh Ó Cianáin, in or about the 1340s. Ó Cianáin stated that he wrote it by and for himself, and out of a book of his teacher.

Death and place of burial

Ó Dubhagáin made a pilgrimage to St. Columba’s tomb and lived the rest of his life at a monastery on Loughrea, although other sources state he died at the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of Boyle in

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 ...

.
Bio at Ricorso.

Others of the Name

The surname is generally now rendered Dugan. Notables of the name include: * Patrick Duggan (10 November 1813 – 15 August 1896) Roman Catholic Bishop of

Clonfert Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert (Roman Catholic), Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedr ...

. * Tomás Bacach Ó Dúgáin, (fl. 1848–1858), scribe. * Maolsheachlainn Ó Dúgáin, (fl. mid-19th century), scribe. *

Liam Ó Dúgáin Liam Ó Dúgáin was an Irish people, Irish scribe who flourished in the mid-19th century. A native of Claregalway, Ó Dúgáin was a relation of Tomás Bacach Ó Dúgáin and Maolsheachlainn Ó Dúgáin, all of the same parish. His scribal wor ...

, (fl. mid-19th century), scribe. * Winston Dugan, 1st Baron Dugan of Victoria (1876–1951), son of a Dugan of

. * Seánie Duggan (born 1922), retired Irish sportsman. * Jeremiah Duggan (1980–2003), British student who died in disputed circumstances linked to the LaRouche movement.

References

* ''A Chronological Account of Nearly Four Hundred Irish Writers'', Edward O'Reilly, Dublin, 1820 (reprinted 1970). * ''The topographical poems of John O’Duhbhangain and Giolla na Naomh O’Huidrin'', ed. with trans, notes, and introductory dissertations by John O'Donovan, Irish arch. and Celtic Society,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, 1862. * ''The Surnames of Ireland'', Edward MacLysaght, 1978. * ''The Great Book of Irish Genealogies'', Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh: Edited, with translation and indices by Nollaig Ó Muraíle Five volumes. Dublin, DeBurca, 2004–2005. . * ''O Dubhagain, Seoan Mor'', Aidan Breen, in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography from the Earliest Times to the Year 2002'', p. 431, 2010.

External links

* http://www.libraryireland.com/biography/JohnMorODugan.php {{DEFAULTSORT:O Dubhagain, Sean Mor 1372 deaths 14th-century Irish historians Writers from County Galway 14th-century Irish poets Year of birth unknown Irish male poets Irish-language writers People from Loughrea