Annals of the Four Masters

Annals of the Four Masters

The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland ( _ga. Annala Rioghachta Éireann) or the Annals of the Four Masters ("Annala na gCeithre Mháistrí") are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the deluge, dated as 2,242 years after creation [ [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005A/text001.html The Age of the World, to this Year of the Deluge, 2242] , in "Corpus of Electronic Texts" translation.] to AD 1616. [ [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005F/text024.html The Age of Christ, one thousand six hundred sixteen] , in "Corpus of Electronic Texts" translation.]

The annals are mainly a compilation of earlier annals, although there is some original work. They were compiled between 1632 and 1636 in the Franciscan monastery in Donegal Town. The entries for the 12th century and before are sourced from medieval monastic annals. The later entries come from the records of the Irish aristocracy (such as the Annals of Ulster), and the seventeenth century entries are based on personal recollection and observation.

The chief author of the annals was Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, and he was assisted by, among others, Peregrine O'Clery, Fergus O'Mulconry and Peregrine O'Duignan. Even though only one of the authors was an actual Franciscan, Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, they became known as 'The Four Friars' or in the original Irish, 'Na Ceithre Máistrí'. The Anglicised version of this was 'The Four Masters', a name which then became attached to the annals themselves. The patron of the project was Fearghal Ó Gadhra, a lord in County Sligo.

The annals are written in Irish. There are several manuscript copies in existence, which are kept in Trinity College Dublin, the Royal Irish Academy, and University College Dublin.

The first substantial English translation (starting at 1171 A.D.) was published by Owen Connellan in 1846. The Connellan translation included the annals from the 11th to the 17th centuries complete, and was the only version to have a four-colour frontispiece and include a large folding map showing the location of families in Ireland. It lay nearly forgotten for over 150 years, but was finally salvaged and republished in the early 21st century. The Connellan translation was followed several years later by a full translation by the historian John O'Donovan.

The Annals are one of the principal Irish language sources for Irish history up to 1616. While many of the early chapters are essentially a list of names and dates, the later chapters, dealing with events of which the authors had first-hand accounts, are much more detailed.

The reliability and usefulness of the Annals as a historical source has sometimes been questioned on the grounds that they were limited to accounts of the births, deaths and activities of the Gaelic Irish nobility and often ignore wider social trends or events.

On the other hand, the Annals, as one of the few prose sources in Irish from this period, also provide a valuable insight into events such as the Desmond Rebellions and the Nine Years War (Ireland) from a native Irish perspective.

ee also

* Irish annals
* The Chronicle of IrelandThey also can be found in the National library of Ireland, in Kildare street, Dublin 2

References

External links

* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06163b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Annals of the Four Masters]
* [http://celt.ucc.ie/publishd.html List of Published Texts at CELT] — University College Cork's "Corpus of Electronic Texts" project has the full text of the annals online, both in the original Irish and in O'Donovan's translation.
* [http://www.isos.dias.ie/ Irish Script On Screen] — The ISOS project at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies has high-resolution digital images of the Royal Irish Academy's copy of the Annals.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Annals of the Four Masters —     Annals of the Four Masters     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Annals of the Four Masters     The most extensive of all the compilations of the ancient annals of Ireland. They commence, nominally at least, at A.M. 2242 and are continued down to A.D …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Annals of the Four Masters — Annalen der vier Meister. Die Annalen der vier Meister (irisch: Annála Ríoghdhachta Éireann, englisch: Annals of the Four Masters, lateinisch: Quatuor Magistrorum Annales Hibernici) ist die umfangreichste mittelalterliche Chronik Irlands. Sie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Four Masters, Annals of the — • The most extensive of all the compilations of the ancient annals of Ireland Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Annals — (Latin Annales , from annus , a year) are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year.HistoryAncient RomeThe chief sources of information in regard to the annals of ancient Rome are two passages in… …   Wikipedia

  • Annals of Ulster — The Annals of Ulster ( ga. Annála Uladh) are a chronicle of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 and AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his… …   Wikipedia

  • The School of Armagh —     The School of Armagh     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The School of Armagh     The School of Armagh seems to have been the oldest, and down to the time of the Anglo Norman invasion continued to be one of the most celebrated, of the ancient… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Diocese of Achonry —     The Diocese of Achonry     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Diocese of Achonry     (Gaelic, Achadh Chonnaire, Connary s Field).     In Ireland, suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tuam. The village of Achonry occupies a very picturesque situation in …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Twelve Apostles of Erin —     The Twelve Apostles of Erin     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Twelve Apostles of Erin     By this designation are meant twelve holy Irishmen of the sixth century who went to study at the School of Clonard in Meath. About the year 520 St.… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Bishop of the Isles — The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland s thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an… …   Wikipedia

  • Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Ireland — The Court of King s Bench (or Court of Queen s Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King s Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”