The death of Finn mac Cumaill

Finn mac Cumaill (Fionn Mac Cumhaill) has always been a popular figure in Gaelic tradition, coming to full prominence during the Early Modern period, as Fenian stories (tales of Finn and his fían, or fianna, known as fianaigecht in Old Irish and fiannaíocht in Modern Irish) become ever more popular in manuscript form. Despite the popularity that both Finn and the Finn Cycle have enjoyed in Gaelic literature, mentions of Finn's death are scant and tales recounting the event are even rarer. In the extant medieval Irish literature, the pinnacle of the corpus, Acallam na Senórach, not only holds the events in relative obscurity but its presentation of the circumstances of Finn's death may even be said to be conflicting. In looking at other tales in the fíanaigecht corpus, while we find a number of references to the fact than Finn dies, only a few depict his demise, namely Aided Finn and Tesmolta Cormaic ocus Aided Finn. To this short list of narratives detailing Finn's death and the events preceding it, we can add the tale designated 'The Chase of Síd na mBan Finn and the Death of Finn' (henceforth 'The Chase') preserved in a single manuscript, London, British Library, MS Egerton 1782. Although the tale breaks off with Finn still alive, albeit weary and bloodied and standing alone encircled by his adversaries, his death is a logical next element in the narrative, not least because there is repeated mention of a prophecy of his demise throughout the tale. This tale, which spans eight manuscript pages, seems to be the longest engagement with the idea of Finn's death in the medieval and Early Modern Irish corpora, yet has been the subject of very little scholarly investigation to date. This regrettable lacuna in scholarship on Fenian literature is the starting point for this thesis, which presents a three-pronged investigation of 'The Chase'. Following a fuller introduction to the topic in Chapter 1, the history of the manuscript is examined afresh in Chapter 2 as new evidence, particularly from the works of the scribe Muiris Ó Gormáin, has shed new light on the manuscript's history and on the tale of 'The Chase'. This is then employed to examine the section of the manuscript in which 'The Chase' is to be found, a section consisting of four tales thought to be from the now lost manuscript, Cín Dromma Snechtai, and four fíanaigecht tales. It is investigated if the unit may be considered a deliberate anthology and whether thematic and/or other concerns motivated the unit's compilation. Next, the study turns to the tale of 'The Chase' itself, examining its place within a continuum of traditions found in Old, Middle and Early Modern Irish treatments of Finn's death. Based on my own linguistic work on 'The Chase', a semi-diplomatic edition of which is included as an appendix to this thesis, it is demonstrated in Chapter 3 that the author of 'The Chase' seems to have been aware of several accounts of Finn's death, either those which are now extant or sources akin to them, and sought to bring together many of the elements present in other accounts of Finn's death in a single tale, perhaps in what was intended to be a comprehensive death tale for Finn. The various elements of the tale which resonate with the event of or events leading up to Finn's death, however, have not merely been cobbled together. Rather it is illustrated that the composition skilfully treats of the themes of death, prophecy and youth versus age, making regular allusion to the audience's presumed knowledge of other tales of the Fenian corpus, while adhering to the norms of earlier written fíanaigecht literature, a trait not always found in Early Modern tales of the Finn Cycle. The last study which forms part of this thesis, Chapter 4, arose from the recognition that although 'The Chase' appears to be the longest extant engagement with Finn's death, there exists no study that details what material on Finn's death has circulated in the modern period. This section provides a comprehensive overview of modern engagements with Finn's death in post-1650 manuscripts and folklore collections. All the modern accounts that I have found to date in which Finn's death is recounted or in which it is presumed that Finn is dead, which are usually mentions of Finn's grave, are therefore identified, presented, and where applicable, translated. While it becomes clear that no other engagement with Finn's demise across the eleven centuries during which his death excited the Gaelic imagination is as long or as complex as 'The Chase', common or notable motifs in the modern accounts are identified, and similarities between the different treatments of Finn's death in the modern narratives are discussed. It is shown that a small number of the motifs and events treated in the medieval accounts of Finn’s death and in 'The Chase' are also treated in the modern tales of his demise, thus indicating some thematic continuity between medieval and modern approaches to relating how Finn died. With this in mind, some further relationships between the modern accounts of Finn's death and other medieval and modern Fenian literature are explored

The Bórama: the poetry and the hagiography in the Book of Leinster

This thesis is the first attempt at analysing the Bórama with a detailed analysis of the poetry read alongside the prose, as well as a detailed discussion on the hagiographical material found at the core of the text. Chapter 1 examines the text, with particular attention on issues of composition, chronological order or disorder and other temporal anomalies, as well as the connection with other texts, especially those situated within the Book of Leinster (LL) manuscript. This is to address the issue of what the purpose of the text is, to support the argument that this is a compiled text, possibly by a single author or compiler, drawing on an extensive knowledge of literary works. It examines what the central focus of the text is and also illustrates Moling as the central character of the text, and crucial to the text in whole. In addition it will discuss the issue of classification, something that scholars have contended with for many years. The poetry of the Bórama serves as the focal point of Chapter 2. There I demonstrate the various metres represented in the poetry, and cover a broad discussion on the issues the poems raise in the debate on the Bórama. It illustrates that the poems are an integral part of the text, and that without them the understanding of the text has been severely affected. The following chapter, Chapter 3, is devoted to the numerous saints who occur in the poetry of the Bórama. In the poems, interspersed throughout the text of the Bórama, there is a great number of saints mentioned at various instances with varying purposes. The purpose of their inclusion as well as in which situation they are represented in the text is discussed extensively. Their locality and affiliations will, as far as possible, be explored in terms of their connection to Leinster or Moling. Chapter 4 will be dedicated to the discussion of Moling, the central character of the text. It will explore how he is represented in the text of the Bórama, as compared to other texts where he is also a key figure. It will be shown that the Bórama, in LL, is a central text to his hagiographical corpus. Material concerned with Moling will also be looked at in terms of what they contribute to his legend. It will draw together the traits Moling exhibits in the extant sources and how his literary persona develops. The chapter will then conclude with the suggestion that LL was invaluable to the development of the legend of Moling. In the final final section of the thesis I will draw together the main issues of each chapter in order to provide a conclusion and iron out any remaining issues. I will also highlight the numerous issues this thesis has raised during the course of the research undertaken and which would serve as future projects centred on the text

A Giant Problem in Book Five of \u3cem\u3eThe Faerie Queene\u3c/em\u3e

In Book Five of The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser has no qualms about killing giants, who appear at multiple points in the text. Spenser has his narrator explicitly call three foes giants: the Egalitarian “Gyant,” (V.ii.30.1), Geryoneo (V.xi.9.5), and Grantorto (V.xii.15.2). Other giants weave through the text, and all perish--though their deaths signal more than simple defeat in combat. Previous scholarly examinations have linked giants to classical and biblical usurpers of both God and the State. Yet giants are also, as I show, uniquely connected to Ireland. Because of this connection, I argue that the giants of Book Five are representatives of Irish land and lore. Thus, their continual defeat throughout Book Five, building up to the protagonist Artegall’s final battle with Grantorto, encompasses not just military loss and death but also the destruction of a historic national identity and the subjugation of distinctly Irish land--though that subjugation is not fully achieved in the end. To make this argument, I provide an overview of how giants are associated with classical, biblical, and political usurpers. Then, I solidify the connections between giants and the mythic ancestral Irish as well as between giants and Irish land. Finally, I return to Book Five, examining in particular Artegall’s fight with Grantorto, to illuminate the colonial undertones present whenever anyone in this poem fights a giant

National Chamber Choir of Ireland

Many stories have been born from the mists of Irish mythology. None, however, can match the epic tale of St. Patrick’s encounter with Caílte and Oisín, the last of Finn mac Cumaill’s legendary band of warriors. This grand saga, the Acallam na Senórach: “An Irish Colloquy”, intertwines the ancient lore and the new religion, creating a new and lasting vision for Ireland. The tale has been adapted into an hour-long English-language music and vocal piece by composer Tarik O’Regan. Performing this regional premiere will be the incomparable National Chamber Choir of Ireland, the flagship choral ensemble of the Emerald Isle. Under the artistic directorship of multiple award-winning choral conductor Paul Hillier, the choir is internationally renowned for its unique approach, lush vocal prowess and a dedication to promoting new works.https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/peak-performances-2011-2012/1005/thumbnail.jp

Honey and Poison: Reframing the Pagan Past at Ǫgvaldsnes and Elsewhere

The Ǫgvaldsnes episode from Oddr munkr’s Óláfs saga Tryggavasonar and Acallam na Senórach, two roughly contemporary and somewhat similar texts, show how different strategies have been employed to reframe the pagan past and neutralise the poison of this material that worried early doctors of the church such as St Basil. The two texts propose different answers to Alcuin’s oft-cited question about the relationship between Christianity and pagan traditions. Both solutions entail depriving the former divinities of their numinous powers, but each strategy also comes at a price. The Old Norse text opts for demonisation and exclusion while the Irish text strives for domestication and subordination. It is not claimed that these two texts are representative of the ways in which the Old Norse and Irish traditions at large handled this question. Rather, the choices of these strategies are probably dictated by the particular historical circumstances of each author, their respective aims, and the literary circuit to which they belonged. Some parallels with the two main texts and alternative ways of reframing the pagan past are also briefly discussed

Harmon, Maurice. The Dialogue of the Ancients of Ireland

Harmon, Maurice. The Dialogue of the Ancients of Ireland. (Translated with introduction and notes). Dublin: Carysfort Press,2009. 188 pp

Reflections of Celtic Influence in Hildinavisen

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An Introduction to Early Irish Literature

Dès 1948, M. Dillon, celtisant de renom, publie un ouvrage fondamental : Early Irish Literature (5e éd., 1972). Il est suivi en 1966 d’un ouvrage d’E. Knott et G. Murphy : Early Irish Literature (int. J. Carney) et en 1990, d’une synthèse importante par K. McCone : Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish Literature. J. E. Caerwyn Williams et P. Ford nous donnent dans The Irish Literary Tradition (1992), une étude thématique de ce sujet. Aujourd’hui, M. Ní Bhrolcháin, pendant vingt-cin..