Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson B 502 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rawlinson B 502 |
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|---|---|
| Oxford, Bodleian Library, Rawlinson MS B 502 | |
| Also known as | The Book of Glendalough, Saltair na Rann by Óengus Céile Dé (pt 2) |
| Type | codex, two miscellanies |
| Date | c. 1100 (pt 1); mid-12th century (pt 2) |
| Place of origin | a Leinster monastery |
| Language(s) | Middle Irish, Latin |
| Scribe(s) | two scribes (pt 1); one scribe (pt 2) |
| Material | vellum |
| Size | 175 folios on vellum and paper, including the binder's leaves |
| Format | double columns |
| Script | Irish minuscule |
| Additions | glosses; additions by Ware |
Rawlinson B 502 is a very old Irish book kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England. It's one of only three major Irish books that still exist from before the Normans came to Ireland. The other two are the Lebor na hUidre and the Book of Leinster.
Some experts call this book the Book of Glendalough. This name comes from old writings that mention a book with that title. However, people don't fully agree if Rawlinson B 502, especially its second part, is truly the famous Book of Glendalough.
A scholar named Brian Ó Cuív said it's one of the "most important and most beautiful" Irish books. Another expert, Pádraig Ó Riain, noted it's a "rich source of information" about the Glendalough area around the year 1131. He also said it shows the high level of learning at that monastery.
Contents
The Book's Journey and Parts
The book we see today is actually two separate old books. They were joined together before 1648. This happened because their owner, an Irish historian named Sir James Ware, wanted them combined. He had a great collection of Irish books.
Ware added some paper pages with notes about Irish history between the two old books. This might have been to make them still look like two different works. More paper pages with notes were added at the very end of the second book.
The First Part
The first part of Rawlinson B 502 is about 12 pages long. It was created in the late 1000s or early 1100s. Two skilled scribes, or writers, wrote it in a neat, small script. Later, other people added notes, called glosses, to the pages. One of these note-takers also added notes to the Lebor na hUidre. This suggests that this part of Rawlinson B 502 might have come from the Clonmacnoise monastery in County Offaly.
The Second Part
The larger part of Rawlinson B 502, covering about 70 pages, was written by one scribe. This happened in the mid-1100s. The last king mentioned in this part is Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, who ruled from 1106 to 1156.
Each page has two columns of text, written very neatly. The writing style is beautiful, with some decorations. The parchment (animal skin used for writing) was well prepared. Even though the book is old and has some wear, it's still amazing. The contents of this part suggest it came from a monastery in Leinster. Some believe it was made at Killeshin in County Laois.
How it Reached Oxford
After James Ware died, his book collection went to his son. His son then sold it to the Earl of Clarendon. Later, it was passed to James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. He sold some books, including Rawlinson B 502, to Dr Richard Rawlinson. When Dr. Rawlinson died in 1755, he left his collection to St John's College, Oxford. Finally, in 1756, the book found its home at the Bodleian Library.
In 1909, Kuno Meyer published a special copy of the vellum pages. This copy, called a collotype facsimile, made it easier for scholars to study the book. More recently, in 2000, the Early Manuscripts at Oxford University project started. They created digital copies of the book, including both the old vellum and the paper pages.
What's Inside the Book
This ancient book is filled with many interesting texts.
Contents of the First Part
The first part of the manuscript contains a copy of the Annals of Tigernach. This is a fragment of a larger "Chronicle of Ireland," which was a world history. It was written in both Latin and Irish, based on older historians. The text is missing its beginning and end. This means the 12 pages we have are likely only a small piece of the original book.
Contents of the Second Part
The second, larger part of the manuscript starts with a collection of Middle Irish religious poems. These are called Saltair na Rann ("The Psalter of the Verses"). After that, there's a version of the Irish Sex Aetates Mundi ("The Six Ages of the World"). It also includes the poem Amra Coluimb Chille ("Song for Columkille / Columba").
The manuscript also has many stories from Leinster about kings. Some of these stories are grouped together under the heading Scélshenchas Laigen. One famous story is Orgain Denna Ríg. Another important one is Tairired na n'Déssi, which is the best-preserved copy of "The Expulsion of the Déisi." There are also other Leinster texts written in verse, known as the Laídshenchas Laigen.
Other poems include wisdom texts like Immacallam in Dá Thuarad ("The Colloquy of the Two Sages"). The book is also one of only two pre-Norman sources for Irish genealogies (family histories). These genealogies, found at the end, mostly focus on Leinster families. Importantly, some parts of old Early Irish law are also kept here. One example is the text Cóic Conara Fugill ("The Five Paths of Judgment").
For a more detailed list of what's inside, you can look at the table below:
| folios | pages (facsimile) | texts |
|---|---|---|
| f. 1r-12v | Annals of Tigernach (Irish World Chronicle) | |
| f. 13-8 | Paper leaves containing historical notes by Ware | |
| f. 19r-40 | Saltair na Rann ("The Psalter of Verses") | |
| f. 40v-44v | Sex Aetates Mundi (The Six Stages of the World) | |
| f. 45r | Poem ascribed to Mac Cosse, beginning Ro fessa hi curp domuin dúir | |
| f. 46r | Poem Fichi rig cia rim as ferr, text on kings who ruled Jerusalem, beginning with King Saul and ending with the destruction of Jerusalem by Nabcodon | |
| f. 46r | Religious poem A Dé dúlig adateoch / Cethrur do-raega ní dalb | |
| f. 46v | Religious poem Ro chuala crecha is tir thair | |
| f. 46v | Text beginning Ad fet Augustus míl do bith i fudumnaib in mara 7 in talman Indecdai, note on monster in India. | |
| f. 46 | Poem beginning Cenn ard Ádaim étrocht rád; annal for 1454 | |
| f. 47r | p. 81a-b | Orcuin Néill Noígíallaig (The Death of Níall Noígíallaig) |
| f. 47r-v | p. 81b-82a | Gein Branduib meic Echach 7 Aedáin meic Gabráin (The Birth of Brandub son of Eochu and of Aedán son of Gabrán) |
| f. 47v | p. 82a-b | Aided Maelodráin (The Death of Maelodrán) |
| f. 47v | heading announcing Laidsenchas Lagen (fos. 47v-50v) | |
| f. 47v | Poem Is mo chen a Labraid lain, dialogue between Scoriath, Labraid Loingsech and Moriath | |
| f. 47v | Poem Cethri m. Airtt Mis Telmann | |
| f. 47v | Poem Ochtur Criathar cid dia ta | |
| f. 47v | p. 82b-83a | Orgguin trí mac Diarmata meic Cerbaill. Cf. p. 134b. |
| f. 48r | Poem Coic rig trichat do Laignib, on kings of Leinster who ruled early Ireland | |
| f. 48r | Poem Secht rig do Laignib na lerg, further kings of Leinster | |
| f. 48r | Poem Dia ngaba apgitir Lagen, on Leinster warriors | |
| f. 48r | Poem Fedeilmid athair Echach, on battle fought by the Fothairt against the men of Munster | |
| f. 48r | Poem Fothairt for clannaib Concorb, on expulsion of the Fothairt from Tara | |
| f. 48v | Poem Clanna Bresail Bricc builid, on Leinster dynasties | |
| f. 48v | Poem Coic rig trichat triallsat roe, on Christian kings of Leinster | |
| f. 49r | Poem attributed to Dubthach hua Lugair, Crimthann clothri coicid hErenn | |
| f. 49v | Poem Ro batar laeich do Laigneib, on the birth of Brandub mac Echach, king of Leinster, and Áedán mac Gabráin, king of Dál Riada | |
| f. 50r | p. 87a-88a | Poem Cathair cenn coicid Banba, the metrical Esnada Tige Buchet ("The Songs of Buchet's House"). Cf. f. 73. |
| f. 50v | p. 88a | Poem Do chomramaib Laigen (or Eol dam i ndairib drechta), ascribed to Flann mac Máel Máedóc; on battles fought by Leinster heroes. |
| f. 50v | Poem A choicid choem Chairpri chruaid | |
| chasm | leaf or leaves missing | |
| f. 51r | Genealogies of Irish saints | |
| f. 52v | Alphabetically arranged list of saints bearing the same name | |
| f. 54r | Poem ascribed to Dallán Forgaill, Amrae Coluimb Chille ("A Poem for Colum Cille") | |
| f. 59v | Prayer "Adomnan mac Ronain ro cháchain in nothainseo", beginning Colum Cilli co Dia dommerail i tias nimustias. | |
| f. 59v | Poem attributed to Columba, Dia ard árlethar | |
| f. 59v | Mac Lesc mac Ladain Aithech, about Mac Lesc mac Ladain and Finn, both of whom utter a number of verses | |
| f. 60r | Poem "Cainnech do rigni in northainse" | |
| f. 60r-62v | p. 107b-112b | Immacallam in Dá Thuarad ("The Colloquy of the Two Sages") |
| f. 62v | Gúbretha Caratniad ("The False Judgments of Caratnia") | |
| f. 63v | Cóic Conara Fugill ("The Five Paths of Judgment"), legal text | |
| f. 64r | Genealogies of the Laigin | |
| f. 65v | Story of Labraid Loingsech and other pre-Christian kings of Leinster, including poems: Dind Rig attributed to Ferchertne; Lug sceith; Cethri meic la Setna Sithbacc, attributed to Senchán; etc. | |
| f. 65v | Laigin genealogies, descendants of Cú Corb | |
| f. 66v | Laigin genealogies (Dál Niad Cuirp). Includes verse. | |
| f. 67r | Miniugud senchasa mac nairegda Cathair, Laigin genealogies | |
| f. 68v | Laigin genealogies (Dál Niad Cuirp). | |
| chasm | lacuna | |
| f. 69r | Laigin genealogies (continued) | |
| f. 69r | Laigin genealogies and section on Fothairt | |
| f. 69v | Genealogies, De peritia 7 genelogia Loichsi, on Lugaid Loígsech and genealogies of Loíchse | |
| f. 70v | Genealogies, Duil laechsluinte Lagen | |
| f. 70v | Osraige(Ossory) genealogies | |
| f. 71v | Heading Scelshenchas Laigen, announcing items folios 71v-73v | |
| f. 71v-72r | p. 130b-131b | Orgain Denna Ríg (The Destruction of Dind Ríg) |
| f. 72r | p. 131b-133b | Tairired na n-Déssi (The Expulsion of the Déisi) |
| f. 73r-73v | p. 133b-134a | prose Esnada Tige Buchet (The Songs of Buchet's House). Cf. f. 50. |
| f. 73v | p. 134a | Comram na Clóenferta (The Triumph of the Sloping Mound) |
| f. 73v-74v | p. 134b | Orgguin trí mac Diarmata meic Cerbaill (The Deaths of the Three Sons of Diarmait mac Cerbaill). Cf. p. 82b-83a. |
| chasm | ||
| f. 74r | Text on pre-Christian kings of Ireland, beginning Do rochair tra Sirna Sirsaeglach mac Dein m. Demail la Rothechtaid Rotha mac Moen | |
| f. 74v | List of kings of Ireland, from the age of Míl up to Brian Bóraime | |
| f. 75r | Miniugud na Croeb Coibnesta, on descendants of Éremón up to the time of Eochaid Mugmedón's sons | |
| p. 138a | Echtra mac Echdach Mugmedóin (The Adventures of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedón) | |
| Leinster and other genealogies | ||
| f. 90–103 | paper leaves (17th century) |
Is it the Book of Glendalough?
The question of whether the second part of Rawlinson B 502 is the famous Book of Glendalough has caused some debate.
The Name Saltair na Rann
Sir James Ware, the owner who bound the books together, called the second part Saltair na Rann. This is because the religious poem of that name starts on the first page of this section. Other writers of that time, like John Colgan and Geoffrey Keating, also seemed to use this name for the whole book. Keating even mentioned it in his book Foras Feasa ar Éirinn. However, a poem Keating quoted isn't found in Rawlinson B 502 today. This might be because some pages are now missing.
It's not clear if calling it Saltair na Rann was a very old tradition. Some experts think it was a new, simpler name Ware started using in the 1630s.
The Name Lebar Glinne Dá Locha
Many people have argued that Rawlinson B 502 (the second part) is the same as the Lebar Glinne Dá Locha, or Book of Glendalough. (It's important to note that the name "Book of Glendalough" was once mistakenly used for the Book of Leinster too!)
Here's why some think it's the Book of Glendalough:
- Old writings from the National Library of Ireland mention the Book of Glendalough as their source for parts of Sex Aetates Mundi.
- A poem called Cia lín don rígraid ráin ruaid in another old book also says it came from the Book of Glendalough.
- A note in the 14th-century Great Book of Lecan says it followed the Book of Glendalough for some family histories.
- Geoffrey Keating listed the Book of Glendalough among other surviving Irish books in his time.
Scholars like Eugene O'Curry and James Carney believed this connection. Pádraig Ó Riain has strongly supported this idea. He found that texts copied from the "Book of Glendalough" were very similar to those in Rawlinson B 502.
However, Caoimhín Breatnach disagrees. He looked closely at how texts relate to each other. He believes that Lebar Glinne Dá Locha and Rawlinson B 502 are two different books.
One key piece of evidence is the poem Cia lín don rígraid ráin ruaid. It appears in Rawlinson B 502 and two other manuscripts. The other two manuscripts clearly state their copy came from the Book of Glendalough. But the Rawlinson B 502 version has different surrounding text and notes. Breatnach thinks these differences mean they probably came from a common source that was known as the Book of Glendalough.
Breatnach also points out that Geoffrey Keating, in his list of books, mentioned Saltair na Rann and the Book of Glendalough as separate items. Ó Riain argues that Keating might not have seen all these books himself. So, he might not have known that the book he used (Rawlinson B 502) was once called the Book of Glendalough.
Where to Find Digital Copies
You can explore a digital version of this important manuscript online.
- [1] This version is in Irish and is published by UCC CELT (Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition).
