Book of Ballymote
Encyclopedia
It was produced by the scribes Solam Ó Droma, Robertus Mac Sithigh and Magnus Ó Duibhgennain, on commission by Tonnaltagh McDonagh, in the possession of whose clan the manuscript remained until 1522, when it was purchased by Aed Óg O'Donnell, prince of Tír Conaill, for 140 milch cows. In 1620 it was given to Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Dublin, but was subsequently stolen from the library, and only returned to the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
upon its foundation in 1785 by Chevalier O'Gorman
Chevalier O'Gorman
Tomás, Chevalier O'Gorman, Irish soldier and genealogist, 1732-1809.Born in Castletown, County Clare, the son of Patrick O'Gorman. His first language was Irish. He was educated as a Medical Doctor at the Irish College, Paris...
who allegedly purchased it from a millwright's widow in Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
for 20 pounds.
The first page of the work contains a drawing of Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
. The first written page is lost, and the second page describes the ages of the world. After this follows
- a description of the history of the History of the Jews (2r)
- a life of Saint PatrickSaint PatrickSaint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
(6r) - a copy of the Lebor Gabála ÉrennLebor Gabála ÉrennLebor Gabála Érenn is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages...
(8r) - Tecosca CormaicTecosca CormaicTecosca Cormaic "The Instructions of Cormac" is a ninth-century Old Irish gnomic text which is cast as a dialogue between the legendary High-King of Ireland, Cormac mac Airt, and his son Coirpre Lifechair.-Manuscripts:...
"The Instructions of King Cormac" and other stories concerning king Cormac mac AirtCormac mac AirtCormac mac Airt , also known as Cormac ua Cuinn or Cormac Ulfada , was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland... - Triads of IrelandTriads of IrelandThe title Trecheng Breth Féne "A Triad of Judgments of the Irish", more widely known as "The Triads of Ireland", refers to a miscellaneous collection of about 214 Old Irish triads on a variety of topics, such as nature, geography, law, custom and behaviour...
- stories of Fionn Mac Cumhail and Brian Borumh
- various genealogies of clans and kings
- Christian kings of Ulster (34v)
- Christian kings of Leinster (35v)
- Christian kings of Connaught (37v)
- of the Munster families (97r)
- Dál gCaisDál gCaisThe Dál gCais were a dynastic group of related septs located in north Munster who rose to political prominence in the 10th century AD in Ireland. They claimed descent from Cormac Cas, or Cas mac Conall Echlúath, hence the term "Dál", meaning "portion" or "share" of Cas...
(102v)
- rules of the different measures of Irish versification (157r)
- the only known copy of the Auraicept na n-ÉcesAuraicept na n-ÉcesAuraicept na n-Éces is claimed as a 7th century work of Irish grammarians, written by a scholar named Longarad....
, or "scholars' primer"(169r) - the Lebor na gCeartLebor na gCeartLebor na gCeart, the "Book of Rights", details the rents and taxes paid by the King of Cashel to various others in Ireland. The Great Book of Lecan and the Book of Ballymote contain copies.- References :...
(Book of Rights) (181r)
The book ends with various Greek and Latin fragments on the fall of Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
, including a fragment of the Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
.
Editions
- Robert Atkinson. NY: AMS Press. ISBN 0-404-17535-X
- O'Donovan, The Book of Rights, ed. and trans. 1847.
- The Book of Ballymote: Photographic facsimile with introduction by R. Atkinson, (Dublin 1887).
External links
- The Book of Ballymote (excerpt of McDonagh 1998)
- Genealogies from the Book of Ballymote
- Leabhar Bhaile an Mhóta (ria.ie)
- Leabhar Bhaile an Mhóta
- Irish Script on Screen has a facsimile