Bibliography

OʼConnor, Ralph, “Searching for the moral in Bruiden Meic Da Réo”, Ériu 56 (2006): 117–143.

  • journal article
Citation details
Contributors
Article
“Searching for the moral in Bruiden Meic Da Réo
Periodical
Ériu 56 (2006)
Breatnach, Liam, Rolf Baumgarten, and Damian McManus (eds), Ériu 56 (2006), Royal Irish Academy.
Volume
56
Pages
117–143
Description
Abstract (cited)

The Middle Irish saga Bruiden Meic Da Réo tells how the vassal peoples of Ireland massacred the noble families of Ireland, and how the surviving nobles regained power through the mediation of Morann the judge. In this article I offer a literary analysis of the tale, paying particular attention to its treatment of kingship ideology and the message its author intended to convey to his audience. Comparisons with related texts, in particular the recension known as Scél ar Chairbre Cinn Cait, suggest that the author of Bruiden Meic Da Réo was not interested in pointing out a simple moral, but was concerned to explore the tensions and contradictions inherent within the ideology of kingship. In this respect Bruiden Meic Da Réo resonates with other sagas from the Middle Irish period in which a similar narrative template was used to prise open the fault-lines in this ideology.

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Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
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February 2011, last updated: April 2023