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Poems by Flann Mainistrech on the Dynasties of Ailech, Mide and Brega Author(S): Flann Mainistrech and John Macneil Source: Archivium Hibernicum, Vol

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Poems by Flann Mainistrech on the Dynasties of Ailech, Mide and Brega Author(S): Flann Mainistrech and John Macneil Source: Archivium Hibernicum, Vol Poems by Flann Mainistrech on the Dynasties of Ailech, Mide and Brega Author(s): Flann Mainistrech and John MacNeil Source: Archivium Hibernicum, Vol. 2 (1913), pp. 37-99 Published by: Catholic Historical Society of Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25529575 . Accessed: 12/06/2014 13:47 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Catholic Historical Society of Ireland is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Archivium Hibernicum. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.2.32.96 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:47:18 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions POEMS BY FLANN MAINISTRECH ON THE DYNASTIES OF AILECH, MIDE AND BREGA a on Book of Leinster contains series of poems the ~" of the Ui in the THE history Neill, occupying, facsimile," pages 181-185 and ten lines of page 186. The series I is divided by the scribe into seven separate poems, which I. to are as have numbered VII. The opening lines follows:? L Cia triallaid nech aisnis senchais Ailig eltaig. IL Cind cethri ndtni iar Frigrind forraig gleogal. III. Ascnam ni seol sadal iarsain slicht cen breobaiL IV. Ani do ronsat do chalmu clanna Eogain. a a V. A ngluind n-echta n-orgni batar infir. -VI. Mide magen clainne Cuind forod clainne Neill nertluind. na mor VII. SU Aeda Sldne sleg dia sdsar rig rageL of thus: The scribe gives the authorship I., VI., and VII. " " " I., Fland M[anistrech] cc." ; VIV Fland cc." ; VIL, Fland of case Manistrech cc." The ascription authorship in the of I. is intended to cover the series I. to V. In the probably " stanza states to be concluding of V., the author himself Fland Flann Lector ferlegind 6Manistir" the from Monasterboice, who died in 1056. seven The poems have this in common, that they deal with the history of the chief dynasties of the Ui Neill, descen dants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. To these dynasties, of Ailech, Mide, and Brega,1 the petty kingdoms ruled by kings 1 The kingdom of Ailech, or of the Fochla, comprised all the states of the Northern Ui Neill. In the 5th century, it was about coextensive with Co. Donegal ; in the 9th, it comprised also the counties of London derry and Tyrone. The barony of Carbury, Co. Sligo, was also in theory = under the king of Ailech. Mide Westmeath, Co. Longford, and most = of King's County. Its kings were also called kings of Uisnech. Brega Meath and the adjoining seaboard from Dublin to Ardee. Each of these kingdoms included a number of petty kingdoms. vox. it. 37 d This content downloaded from 185.2.32.96 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:47:18 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 38 POEMS BY FLANN MAINISTRECH of the race of Niall were all, at least in theory, subordinate. In the political doctrine of the Book of Rights, the superior are of Ailech and of The dynasties only two, Temair, annals, however, between the early part of the seventh and the close of the eleventh century, recognise over-kings di Brega who are of quite distinct from the over-kings Mide. They give " " to as were the title of king of Temair such kings only monarchs of Ireland, until the middle of the eleventh century? when the kings of Mide begin to be called kings of Temair It will be seen from the note on stanza 35, poem VII., that of in line of by that time the over-kingship Brega, inherent the Aed Slane, had come to an end. While it lasted, the kings of Mide could not well have assumed a title from Temair, the traditional seat of authority in Brega, without giving grave cause of to offence powerful neighbours. A rearrangement of the seven poems will be found desirable. a Poems I., II., IV. and V. form in fact single poem in four of sections, its subject being the dynasty Ailech. Section I. or contains the dinnsenchus place-name-legend of Ailech ; and a excuse for the poet begins by making graceful trespassing a on ground already occupied by brother poet, Eochaid. He no to dinnsenchus on alludes, doubt, the other poem Ailech, to LL. 164A, and the poet Eochaid Ua Flainn. Flann's poem (I.) on the legend of Ailech has already been printed and translated by Edward Gwynn in the Metrical Dinnsenchus, and as its contents are not historical matter, I am relieved to text. from any need deal with its Section II. begins with a reference to the closing part of section I., and the first word of II., Cind, alliterates with the last word of the stanza which precedes it, cia. Such alliteration of last and first words, from stanza to is a normal feature metre stanza, of the employed. Section II. is a versified regnal list of the kings of Ailech. It with with ends the word cia, which I. begins. Section III., as be does not to the series. will seen, belong The opening of IV. does not furnish the expected alliteration with the closing word of II., cia, unless we go so far as to trace the alliterative This content downloaded from 185.2.32.96 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:47:18 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions POEMS BY FLANN MAINISTRECH 39 link in chalmu ; but possibly the line now second originally came first?Cia 'me rddid, &c. The closing stanzas found in IV. are shown in the notes to have been added after Flann's time. The subject of IV. is the victories of Cenel nEogain, of the sept the kings of Ailech. Section V. recites the personal not own exploits of these kings. It ends, with its opening word, but with the opening word of I. Sections L, IL, IV. and V. are all in the same metre, snedbairdne, one of the most intricate and interesting of Irish metrical forms, described in " Meyer's Primer of Irish Metric," No. 34, p. 19 ; the varia tions also are there described, which distinguished by the names ollbairdne Ruaminn and are dechnad cummaisc, freely introduced. In the last stanza of V., Flann declares his no to at authorship. There is previous ascription him the head section the of any except first. Beyond doubt, then, these four are one sections parts of continuous poem. Section III. is not part of this poem. Its stanzas 1 to 17 are a or in quite distinct metre, rindaird leth-dechnach (No. 7, 18 to p. 14, in Meyer's Primer). Stanzas 23 vary the form a to each line of the by adding syllable quatrain, thus passing metre into the heptasyllabic called rannaigecht recomarcach. an The poem has abrupt and unfinished ending. Its contents as as combine, far it goes, the subjects dealt with in IV. and V., one and passages have been transferred from poem to the other the of with no,greater changes than change metre required. occur to me. Two alternative views of III. It may be a an used fragment of older poem by Flann in the composition of IV. and V., and may have been found, after Flann's death, MS. of in the along with his I.-V., perhaps relative position now which it occupies in LL. But I rather incline to the is work. view that III. also Flann's This implies that Flann a first wrote poem, complete in itself, which is now contained in I. and II. ; that he then began another poem, III., on the and achievements of the kings,?battles personal feats together ; stanza that after finishing 17, he became dissatisfied with the and a new in which the metrical form, adopted form, longer This content downloaded from 185.2.32.96 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:47:18 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 49 30EMS BY JKLANNMAINISTRECH after stanza line gave greater freedom; and that he broke off treat matter of two 23, deciding to the III. under separate heads and in continuation of I. and II. ; in short, that III. is an abandoned experiment by Flann. Sections VI. and VII. are two distinct poems. The metre of both is debide. They are versified regnal lists, VI. of the dynasty of Mide, VII. of the dynasty of Brega. In VI., to stanzas 49 and 50 have been added after Flann's death, shows bring in the reign of Murchad. Stanza 51 plainly that of the poem originally ended in the reign Conchobor, who outlived Flann. The longer poem I.-V. (omitting III. and other additions dates between and note on already noted) 1047 1056 (see V. 66) ;VI. between 1030 and 1056 ;VII. before 1056. The to language.of the poems, having regard their date, may be but it suffice for me to found worthy of special study, must point out that Flann> freely chooses between earlier' and later word-forms to suit his metre, and that, like most writers who use be to this freedom, he may expected employ occasional use pseudo-archaisms. His of the metre snedbairdne will be seen to a of furnish whole crop exemplifications of the metrica " " law of quantitative assonance announced in " by -Meyer Parts 1 and 2.
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