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verse beg. Atbér mór do mathib

  • Late Middle Irish
  • verse

Middle Irish poem on Cú Roí mac Dáire and his exploits, which are brought far afield, even extending into Greece, Asia, Africa and in general terms, ‘the south of the world’ (descert domain). He is depicted as a warrior fighting against dog-heads (Conchinn) and commanding a fleet and army, with Fomoiri and Amazons (Cígloiscthi) in his service, as well as a lord of opulent wealth. The poem concludes with the assertion that Gregory the Great is of Cú Roí’s lineage.

First words (verse)
  • Atbér mór do mathib
Manuscripts
Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Laud Misc. 610 ff. 1–58 and ff. 73–122 = Leabhar na Rátha [1453–1454]
f. 117ra–rb.3
beg. ‘Atber mor do mathib’
Precedes Aided Con Roí, Brinna Ferchertna and another poem relating to Cú Roí.
Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson B 512 II, ff. 53–75 [c. 1500]
rubric: ‘amail ro tairngir Fercertni fili Conrúi, dicens’
beg. ‘Geinfid brath ⁊rl’
Two stanzas corresponding to st. 14–15 of the present poem are found in the commentary, in the context of a note to Gregory’s feast-day (13 March). The way in which the verses are introduced, with their attribution to Ferchertne, suggest that they were taken from a poem like the present one. The stanza abbreviated to Geinfid brath seems unaccounted for, however, unless it stands in for Ticfa brāthair būada of st. 13.
Language
  • Late Middle Irish
  • Late Middle Irish? According to Thurneysen (1921), “Man kann es eine Art Erneuerung der alten Amra (ConRoi (Kap. 40) nennen in einem Versmaß, das im 11. Jahrhundert aufgekommen zu sein scheint. Und da es eine der Strofen aus Siaburcharpat ConCulainn, die die Einleitung zu Brinna Ferchertne aufgenommen hatte, (etwas umgestaltet) enthält, scheint es jünger als diese. Immerhin, da die Strofe metrisch mit dem übrigen Gedicht nicht ganz in Einklang steht, könnte sie vielleicht ein späterer Einschub sein.”(1)n. 1 Similarly, see his earlier statement that the poem “schon wegen seines Metrums nicht über das 11. Jahrhundert hinaufgehen kann ... [n. 4] Es stützt sich auf die älteren Texte der CuRoi-Sage, da es Str. 8 dieselben Verse von Siaborcharpat ConCulainn einfügt wie Aided I, Einl., Aided II” (Thurneysen 1913: 132).
Form
verse (primary)
Metre
  • cró cummaisc etir rindaird ocus lethrannaigecht (6²+5¹+6²+5¹)
Length
Number of stanzas: 15
Textual relationships
Thurneysen describes the poem as ”eine Art Erneuerung” of Amrae Chon Roí attributed to Ferchertne. St. 8, on Cú Roí’s cauldron, is metrically irregular, suggesting it may have been interpolated at a later stage. Thurneysen observes that it goes back to a stanza from Amrae Chon Roí, but that it is closest in wording, the last two lines in particular, to the version of that stanza that was borrowed into Lóeg mac Ríangabra’s poem in Síaburcharpat Con Culaind (st. 16).
Related: Amrae Chon RoíAmrae Chon RoíCoimétor liph cend an ríghCoimétor liph cend an rígh

Medieval Irish poem attributed in the final stanza to Aífe ingen Shogain, a síd-woman from Carn Treóin, and addressed by her to the Érainn, asking them to preserve the head of Cú Roí and recite his deeds.

Síaburcharpat Con CulaindSíaburcharpat Con Culaind

Classification

Subjects

Cú Roí
Cú Roí (mac Dáiri)
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
Warrior and king of Munster in tales of the Ulster Cycle.
See more Gregory the Great
Gregory the Great
(d. 604)
prefect and later, bishop of Rome known for instigating the mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons in Britain to the Christian faith. He is the author of a number of theological works, including the Dialogues, the Pastoral Rule, a commentary on the Book of Job, and many sermons and letters.
See more

Sources

Notes

1.
Similarly, see his earlier statement that the poem “schon wegen seines Metrums nicht über das 11. Jahrhundert hinaufgehen kann ... [n. 4] Es stützt sich auf die älteren Texte der CuRoi-Sage, da es Str. 8 dieselben Verse von Siaborcharpat ConCulainn einfügt wie Aided I, Einl., Aided II” (Thurneysen 1913: 132).

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] Meyer, Kuno [ed.], “Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften: III. Aus Laud 610. Gedicht auf Cúrói mac Dári”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 3 (1901): 37–39.
Celtic Digital Initiative – all Mitteilungen of ZCP 3: <link> Internet Archive: <link>
[ed.] [tr.] Stokes, Whitley, Félire Óengusso Céli Dé: The martyrology of Oengus the Culdee, Henry Bradshaw Society, 29, London: Harrison, 1905.  
Edition and translation of the Félire Óengusso, with introduction, notes, etc.
CELT – edition (prefaces, prologue, main text and epilogue): <link> Internet Archive: <link>, <link> Internet Archive – originally from Google Books: <link>, <link>
96–97 The passage from the commentary to FÓ.
Translation wanted

Secondary sources (select)

Haycock, Marged [ed. and tr.], Legendary poems from the Book of Taliesin, Aberystwyth: CMCS Publications, 2007.
471
Thurneysen, Rudolf, Die irische Helden- und Königsage bis zum siebzehnten Jahrhundert, Halle: Niemeyer, 1921.  

Contents: Part 1 (chapters 1-23): Allgemeines; Part 2 (chapters 1-85): Die Ulter Sage.

Internet Archive: <link>
444–445
Thurneysen, Rudolf [ed. and tr.], “Die Sage von CuRoi”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 9 (1913): 189–234.
CELT – edition of Aided Chon Roí I: <link> CELT – German translation of Aided Chon Roí I: <link> Internet Archive: <link>
232
web page identifiers
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
June 2021, last updated: June 2023
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