Texts
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib
Incoming data
Long Middle Irish narrative work on the achievements of Brían Bóruma, especially those against the vikings.
Manuscript witnesses
Text
Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, MS 2569-2572
A copy of the former in the handwriting of Ó Cléirigh (Mícheál). Complete.
Text
Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1319/pp. 351-397
Incomplete copy of a later recension.
MS
Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1339
incipit: BUÍ dochraiti mór for feraib Herend co forlethan ó Lochlannaib [...] The last page (310b) has darkened.
p. 309a–
Text
Leabhar Chon Chonnacht Uí Dhálaigh
A manuscript version of the text, now lost, credited by Mícheál Ó Cléirigh as having been the exemplar for his first copy (below)
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.] Todd, James Henthorn [ed. and tr.], Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: The war of the Gaedhil with the Gaill, or The invasions of Ireland by the Danes and other Norsemen, Rerum Britannicarum Medii Aevi Scriptores, 48, London: Stationery Office, 1867.
Internet Archive: <link>
1–217 (text and translation); 221–235 (Appendix A: LL fragment)
[ed.] Best, Richard Irvine, and M. A. OʼBrien, The Book of Leinster, formerly Lebar na Núachongbála, vol. 5, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1967. xv + pp. 1119-1325.
CELT – pp. 1119-1192 and 1202-1325: <link>
1319–1325 (lines 39322–39550) Diplomatic edition of L
Secondary sources (select)
Downham, Clare, “The ‘annalistic section’ of Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib”, Peritia 24–25 (2013–2014): 141–172.
abstract:
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ‘The war of the Irish and the Foreigners’, one of the best known medieval Irish historical sagas, celebrates the deeds of the Irish king Brian Boru, culminating in his victory and death at the battle of Clontarf in ad 1014. The text did much to establish Brian’s reputation and the fame of the battle of Clontarf in Irish historiography. While most of the saga records Brian’s achievements, the early parts treat of events prior to his reign. This paper is an analysis of the function and chronology of these early sections. The conclusion is that the term ‘annalistic section’, often applied to them, is misleading. Such a term conceals the artistry and purpose of the author and conveys a mistaken view of their historicity.
Ní Mhaonaigh, Máire, “A neglected account of the battle of Clontarf”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 59 (2012): 143–167.
Jaski, Bart, “Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib”, in: R. G. Dunphy [ed.], The encyclopedia of the medieval chronicle, 2 vols, Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2010. Vol. 1: 479.
Ní Mhaonaigh, Máire, “Some Middle Irish declensional patterns in Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 49–50 (1997): 615–628.
Ní Mhaonaigh, Máire, “Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib and the annals: a comparison”, Ériu 47 (1996): 101–126.
