Muircheartach mac Cu Ceartach Mac Liag
Encyclopedia
Muircheartach mac Con Ceartaich Mac Liag, aka Muircheartach Beag, Irish poet, died 1015.
MacLiag was Chief Ollam of Ireland
. He was a native of South Connacht and died in 1015. He was the chief poet and secretary of King Brian Boru
. He is supposedly the source of the history of Brian Boru
called Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib (English: The War of the Irish with the Foreigners).
His obit is given in the Annals of the Four Masters
as follows- “M1015.7 Macliag, i.e. Muircheartach, son of Cuceartach, chief poet of Ireland at that time, died. The following was Macliag's first quatrain:
1. Muircheartach Beag, son of Maelcertach, who has been herding the cows,
It is more worthy that he retaliates not,—give him a handful of findraip (corn).
His last quatrain was this:
1. O Bell, which art at the head of my pillow, to visit thee no friends come;
Though thou makest thy ‘ding dang,’ it is by thee the salt is measured.”. (This is a very early example of the phrase “ding dong” to describe the sound a bell makes. The Oxford English Dictionary
only manages to trace the phrase back to the 15th century. They are currently investigating this quote from the annals with a view to amending their entry)
His obit is given in the Annals of Ulster
as follows- “U1016.3 Mac Liag, chief ollav of Ireland, died.”
His obit is given in the Annals of Loch Cé as follows- “LC1016.1 Mac Liag, chief poet of Erinn, mortuus est.”
His obit is given in the Chronicon Scotorum
as follows- “Annal CS1016 Kalends. Mac Liac i.e. Muirchertach, chief ollamh of Ireland, an excellent man, dies in Inis Gaill Duibh on the Sinna. Mac Liac's first verse:
1. Little Muircertach, son of Maelcertach,
Who is wont to be herding the cows—
He is the innocent who attempts not to wound;
Give him a handful of finnraip.(corn)”
MacLiag was Chief Ollam of Ireland
Chief Ollam of Ireland
The Ollamh Érenn or Chief Ollam of Ireland was a professional title of Gaelic Ireland.-Background:An ollam was a poet or bard of literature and history. Each chief or tuath had its own ollam...
. He was a native of South Connacht and died in 1015. He was the chief poet and secretary of King Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
. He is supposedly the source of the history of Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
called Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib (English: The War of the Irish with the Foreigners).
His obit is given in the Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
as follows- “M1015.7 Macliag, i.e. Muircheartach, son of Cuceartach, chief poet of Ireland at that time, died. The following was Macliag's first quatrain:
1. Muircheartach Beag, son of Maelcertach, who has been herding the cows,
It is more worthy that he retaliates not,—give him a handful of findraip (corn).
His last quatrain was this:
1. O Bell, which art at the head of my pillow, to visit thee no friends come;
Though thou makest thy ‘ding dang,’ it is by thee the salt is measured.”. (This is a very early example of the phrase “ding dong” to describe the sound a bell makes. The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
only manages to trace the phrase back to the 15th century. They are currently investigating this quote from the annals with a view to amending their entry)
His obit is given in the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
as follows- “U1016.3 Mac Liag, chief ollav of Ireland, died.”
His obit is given in the Annals of Loch Cé as follows- “LC1016.1 Mac Liag, chief poet of Erinn, mortuus est.”
His obit is given in the Chronicon Scotorum
Chronicon Scotorum
Chronicon Scotorum is a medieval Irish chronicle.According to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the 'Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric times to 1150 but with some gaps, closely related to the 'Annals of Tigernach'...
as follows- “Annal CS1016 Kalends. Mac Liac i.e. Muirchertach, chief ollamh of Ireland, an excellent man, dies in Inis Gaill Duibh on the Sinna. Mac Liac's first verse:
1. Little Muircertach, son of Maelcertach,
Who is wont to be herding the cows—
He is the innocent who attempts not to wound;
Give him a handful of finnraip.(corn)”
External links
- http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005B/index.html