Ultan’s hymn
verse beg. Brigit bé bithmaith

  • Old Irish
  • verse
  • Early Irish poetry, Irish religious texts
First words (verse)
  • Brigit bé bithmaith
“Brigit, eternally good lady”
Context(s)The (textual) context(s) to which the present text belongs or in which it is cited in part or in whole.
  • independentThe text comes down in a relatively independent form as opposed to being embedded within a larger textual framework.
  • Liber hymnorum
Author
Ascribed to: Colum Cille
Colum Cille
(fl. 6th century)
founder and abbot of Iona, Kells (Cenandas) and Derry (Daire).

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Broccán clóen
Broccán clóen
(d. 650)
No short description available

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three of Brigit's householdthree of Brigit's household
Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

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Brénainn of Clonfert
Brénainn of Clonfert
(d. 577)
Brénainn (Brenden; Brendan) mac Findloga, early Connacht saint, patron of Clonfert, and legendary voyager

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Ultán of Ardbraccan
Ultán of Ardbraccan
(d. 657)
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
Irish poet and saint, abbot at Ard Breccáin (Ardbraccan) in Co. Meath.

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The preface in the Liber hymnorum offers five possibilities. See Preface to Brigit bé bithmaith.
Manuscripts
Language
  • Old Irish
  • 7th century?
Form
verse (primary)

Classification

Early Irish poetryEarly Irish poetry
...

Irish religious textsIrish religious texts
...

Sources

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.] [tr.] Stokes, Whitley, and John Strachan [eds.], Thesaurus palaeohibernicus: a collection of Old-Irish glosses, scholia, prose, and verse, 3 vols, vol. 2: Non-Biblical glosses and scholia; Old-Irish prose; names of persons and places; inscriptions; verse; indexes, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1903.  
comments: Reprinted by DIAS in 1987, together with Stokes' supplementary volume.
Internet Archive: <link> Internet Archive – originally from Google Books: <link> Wikisource: <link>
325–326 direct link
[ed.] Bernard, J. H., and Robert Atkinson [eds.], The Irish Liber hymnorum, 2 vols, vol. 1: Text and introduction, Henry Bradshaw Society, 13, London: Henry Bradshaw Society, 1898.  
comments: Volume 1: Text and introduction
Volume 2: Translation
Internet Archive: <link> Internet Archive – originally from Google Books: <link> Internet Archive – originally from Google Books: <link> – originally from Google Books: <link>
110–111 direct link
[tr.] Bernard, J. H., and Robert Atkinson, The Irish Liber hymnorum, 2 vols, vol. 2: Translation and notes, Henry Bradshaw Society, 14, London: Henry Bradshaw Society, 1898.  
comments: Volume 1: Text and introduction
Volume 2: Translation
Internet Archive – originally from Google Books: <link> Internet Archive: <link> Internet Archive – originally from Google Books (missing: pp. 18-19, 86-87): <link>
38–39 (translation), 188–189 (notes)
[tr.] [ed.] Ní Dhonnchadha, Máirín [ed.], “Mary, Eve and the Church (c. 600-1800)”, in: Angela Bourke, Siobhán Kilfeather, and Maria Luddy [et al.] (eds), The Field Day anthology of Irish writing, vol. IV: Irish women's writing and traditions, Cork: Cork University Press, 2002. 45–165.
62–63 Translation, with the Old Irish text from the Thesaurus palaeohibernicus.

Secondary sources (select)

Pokorny, Julius, “Zu Ultans Hymnus”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 9 (1913): 337–338.
Internet Archive: <link>
Contributors
C. A., Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
September 2012, last updated: January 2024