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verse beg. Secht meic áille Óengusa

  • Early Irish
  • verse

An Early Irish poem (9 qq) attributed to Colum Cille on the seven sons of a certain Óengus: Mo Thrianóc, Itharnaisc, Eóganán, Torannán, Troscán, Mo Chullian and Agatán. According to the poem, they crossed the sea, presumably from Scotland, and founded a number of monasteries in Ireland, in what became Uí Néill territory in Meath and Leinster. By God’s grace, four of these sons are said have to died together on the same day (8 June).

First words (verse)
  • Secht meic áille Óengusa
Author
Ascribed to: Colum Cille
Colum Cille
(fl. 6th century)
founder and abbot of Iona, Kells (Cenandas) and Derry (Daire).
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Manuscripts
Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1339 (H 2. 18) = Book of Leinster [s. xii2]
p. 350f
rubric: ‘Inde dixit Colum Cille’
beg. ‘Secht meic aille Oengusa, etc.’
First line only.
Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1339 (H 2. 18) = Book of Leinster [s. xii2]
p. 354d–e
rubric: ‘Colum Cille cecinit’
beg. ‘Secht meic áille Oengusa’
9 qq.
Language
  • Early Irish
Form
verse (primary)
Metre
  • aí fhreisligi (7³+7²+7³+7²)
Length
Number of stanzas: 9
Textual relationships
Ó Cróinín points out that a couple of pages before the full occurrence of the present poem, it is cited in a genealogical prose section (p. 350f ff.) on the seven sons of Óengus. A version of this, which “has no independent value”, is found in the Leabhar Breac (p. 18c). The passage in LL credits St Berchán’s genealogy as a source (ut antea in genealogia Berchain). Ó Cróinín argues in this connection, that the saints Dícholla and Toranach who feature in Berchán’s Irish life may be identical with the Mo Chullin and Torannán of the LL texts.
Related: Genealogies of Irish saintsGenealogies of Irish saints

Classification

Subjects

Uí Néill
Uí Néill
No short description available
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Leinster
Leinster/Cúige Laighean
No short description available
See more MideMide
Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.
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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.] Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí, “The oldest Irish names for the days of the week?”, Ériu 32 (1981): 95–114.
112–114 (text, translation and notes); 104–105 (discussion)
[dipl. ed.] OʼSullivan, Anne [ed.], The Book of Leinster, formerly Lebar na Núachongbála, vol. 6, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1983. xv + pp. 1327-1708.
CELT – pp. 1327–1595 (excl. pp. 1596–1708): <link>
1593–1594 Diplomatic edition.

Secondary sources (select)

Grosjean, Paul, “Notes d’hagiographie celtique, no. 42: Déchiffrement d’un groupe de Notulae du Livre d’Armagh sur saint Patrice (numéros 28-41)”, Analecta Bollandiana 76 (1958): 387–410.
402–403 On the placenames in the text.
web page identifiers
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
March 2022, last updated: June 2023
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