Lebor Bretnach facts for kids
Lebor Bretnach, also known as the Irish Nennius, is a very old history book from the 11th century. It was written in Gaelic, which is a group of languages including Irish and Scottish Gaelic. This book is mostly a translation of another important history book called the Historia Brittonum.
For a long time, people thought an Irish poet named Gilla Cóemáin wrote Lebor Bretnach. However, some experts now think it might have actually come from Scotland.
Old Copies of the Book
Lebor Bretnach exists today because people copied it by hand a long, long time ago. These handwritten copies are called manuscripts. There are five main manuscripts of this book:
- U is a small piece of the book from the 12th century. It's part of a famous collection called the Lebor na hUidre, kept in Dublin.
- B is from the 14th century and is known as the Book of Ballymote. You can find it in Dublin too.
- H was probably written in the 14th or early 15th century. It's kept at Trinity College, Dublin.
- M is called the Book of Uí Maine. It was written before the year 1423 and is also in Dublin.
- L is known as the Book of Lecan. It was written around 1417 and is split between two places in Dublin.
Who Wrote It and When?
For many years, people believed that the poet Gilla Cóemáin translated Lebor Bretnach. His name is even mentioned in two of the old copies (H and M).
However, some historians now have doubts. A historian named Thomas Owen Clancy thinks that the book might have just been dedicated to Gilla Cóemáin, not actually written by him.
Traditionally, people thought the book was from Ireland. But Clancy has suggested it might have been written in Scotland, perhaps in a place called Abernethy. He thinks it was made for Irish readers who were becoming interested in Scottish stories and history, especially because the Kingdom of Alba (an early Scottish kingdom) was becoming very powerful.
Even with these questions about who wrote it and where, most experts agree on one thing: Lebor Bretnach was written in the middle or late part of the 11th century.
See also
- Nennius — a Welsh monk from the 9th century
- Frankish Table of Nations — an old Latin source for family trees
