Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

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Orgain Néill Noígiallaig

Author: Unknown

File Description

Kuno Meyer

Electronic edition compiled by Beatrix Färber, Fangzhe Terek Qiu

Funded by University College, Cork, School of History

1. First draft.

Extent of text: 2568 words

Publication

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a Department of History project at University College, Cork
College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt

(2014)

Distributed by CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
Text ID Number: G302003

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Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.

Sources

    Manuscript Source
  1. London, British Library, Rawlinson B 502, 47a1–47a2.
  2. Dublin, Trinity College Library, H 2.16, Yellow Book of Lecan, p. 126b. For details see MS , T. K. Abbott and E. J. Gwynn (eds.), Catalogue of the Irish manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin (Dublin 1921). See also Robert Atkinson (ed.), The Yellow Book of Lecan: a collection of pieces (prose and verse) in the Irish language, in part compiled at the end of the fourteenth century (Collotype facsimile with introduction, analysis of contents, and index) (Dublin 1896).
  3. Book of Ballymote, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS 536, 449?485 (olim 23 P 12, Book of Ballymote) 134b. For details see Kathleen Mulchrone (ed.), Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy, fasc. 13. See also Robert Atkinson (ed.), The Book of Ballymote, a collection of pieces, prose and verse, in the Irish language in part compiled in the fifteenth century, published from the original manuscript, by the Royal Irish Academy with an Introduction, Analysis of contents and Index (Dublin 1887).
    Editions, translations and literature
  1. Kuno Meyer, Festschrift für Whitley Stokes zum siebzigsten Geburtstage am 28. Februar 1900 (...) (Leipzig: Harrassowitz 1900); poem edited from YBL. (Available online at CELT in file G100053).
  2. Kuno Meyer, reprint of above poem with English translation, Gaelic Journal 10 (1900) 578.
    The edition used in the digital edition
  1. Kuno Meyer, Stories and songs from Irish manuscripts, V: Orgain Néill Noígiallaig in Otia Merseiana. volume 2, London, Th. Wohlleben (1900–1901) page 84–92: 84–88

Encoding

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CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts

Editorial Declaration

Correction

Text has been checked and proof-read twice.

Normalization

The electronic text represents the edited text. Meyer's introduction is integrated. Names are capitalized in line with CELT practice. In Meyer's edition, the acute accent and macron are used to mark long vowels. Both are retained. Meyer's corrections are marked corr sic="" resp="KM". Text supplied by him is marked sup resp="KM"; editorial expansions are marked ex. Editorial footnotes are integrated into the electronic edition.

Quotation

Direct speech is marked q.

Hyphenation

Soft hyphens are silently removed. When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break, this break is marked after completion of the hyphenated word.

Segmentation

div0=the whole text; p=the editor's paragraph; page-breaks are marked pb n="".

Interpretation

Names are not tagged, nor are terms for cultural and social roles.

Canonical References

This text uses the P element to represent the paragraph.

Profile Description

Created: Date range: 800–1100 (poem 9th century; prose later).

Use of language

Language: [GA] The text is in Old Irish.
Language: [EN] The Introduction is in English.
Language: [LA] A few formulaic words are in Latin.

Revision History


Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition: G302003

Orgain Néill Noígiallaig: Author: Unknown

List of witnesses


p.84

How King Niall of the Nine Hostages was slain

The following version of the Orgain Néill Noígíallaig or The Slaying of Niall of the Nine Hostages is here published and translated for the first time from the Bodleian MS. Rawlinson B 502, 47a1–47a2. Other versions representing a slightly different redaction of the same tale are to be found in the Yellow Book of Lecan, p. 126b (L), and in the Book of Ballymote, p. 134b (B). I quote their variants wherever they throw light on our text.

According to the Annals, Niall, the eponymus of the Húi Néill, was King of Ireland from A.D. 379–405. It is probable that the account given in our tale of his expedition to Alba contains a reminiscence of Irish invasions of Great Britain at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century. O'Donovan, indeed ( AFM p. 127, note 2) has no hesitation in identifying Niall with the Irish leader against whose attacks Stilicho had to defend himself; and perhaps the statement of the Annals that Niall was slain ‘oc muir n-Icht’, ‘by the sea of Wight,’ i.e. the English Channel, is based upon fact. Similarly, the antiquary Cinaed úa Artacáin, who died in 975, says in his poem on the grave of Niall: Niall mac Echach assa lecht / luid fa shecht clar trethan tricc, / roreraig comarbus Cuind / co ngáet ós muing mara Icht. Niall, son of Eochu, whose is this grave, went seven times across the swift sea, / He ruled Conn's heritage until he was slain upon the crest of the sea of Wight.’’

Book of Leinster, p. 154a


p.85

None of the three versions of our tale retains this old tradition; they are based on a number of different traditions in which later conditions are reflected. It is true, the mention of Roman hostages may perhaps be traced to an original account in which Niall's conflicts with the Romans in Britain were described, but in Britain itself our versions substitute the Saxons for the Romans. Similarly, the curious reference to the Picts — ‘among the bards of the Pictfolk,’ paragraph 1.9. — may contain a reminiscence of the time when the Irish were the allies of the Picts in their raids against Romans and Britons. But all three versions contain startling anachronisms. Thus, the Rawlinson version makes the exiled Echu proceed to Erc, son of Munremor, in Scotland. This was the ancestor of the Dalriadic kings of Scotland, who according to the Annals died in A. D. 474. In the Book of Ballymote his son Loarn, the Loernus of Adamnan, the eponymus of the Lornes, takes his place, while in the Yellow Book the anachronism is still greater, for it substitutes Gabran, the son of Domongart, who died in A. D. 560.

With regard to Niall's epithet ‘of the Nine Hostages,’ it is interesting to observe that the account given in the body of the tale does not tally with that of the verse quoted, which latter is no doubt the older and in all probability the true one.

Though the Rawlinson version is hardly earlier than the eleventh century, the poem on Niall's death with which it ends may be safely ascribed to the beginning of the ninth, as I have shown in the Festschrift für Whitley Stokes, p. 2, where the whole poem is edited from the fuller copy in the Yellow Book.


p.85

Orcguin Néill Noígíallaig maic Echach Muigmedóin do láim Echach maic Énnai Censelaig, día focheird saigit fair a dúnud Saxan etir barddu Cruthentúaithe hic Carn Fiell.

p.86

Fecht n-aill doluid Echu mac Énna ó thig Néill fodes día thír. Addella leis techt1 do thig filed Néill do chuingid biid. Ba sé-sede Laidcenn mac Baircheda2 prímfili Néill. Adcuitecht in gilla im óegedacht lasin filid.Doluid andess afrithissi intí sin Eochu, co roort dúnud3 ind filed & co romarb a óenmac .i. Leat mac Laidcind. Blíadan lán dond filid íarum oc sinnad4 & oc ainmed Lagen & 'coa n-urgairiu co ná roásair fé h-arbur lethu5 duille co cenn mbliadna.Documlai íarum Níall co Laigniu ar slúagud & asbert ná ragad úaidib hi céin bad béo nó co tubarta6 dó Echuid i ngill7 & hi ngíallacht.8 Ocus ba sed són ba hécen. Co tucad sé co hÁth Fadat hi Fothartaib Fea for brú Sláine,9conda-farcbad 10 ar chind Néill & slabrad 'moa brágit & eithre na slabraidi 11 tría choirthi toll. Atnagat12 nói do chauradaib ina dochum dia marbad. ‘Fé ón immorro!’, ar Eochu. ‘Is olcc amein!’. La sodain focheird chor de co róemid in tslabrad i n-dé. Ethaid13 in luirg n-íairn ro bæ triasin slabraid & gaibthi 'na n-agid. 'Mussimber14 tra forthu in luirg, co torchratar a nónbur. Soidit15 ind fir ríam asin16 taulaig. Imsóat17 Lagin ina ndíaid. Focherdat a n-ár, co torchratar.Luid Níall íar sin atherruch fodes co roacht Innsi Fáil. ‘Do-bérthar slán di18 Laignib’, ar Laidcenn, ‘& tóet Eochu co mofaiccedar19 dún 'moann20 abaind se, co tomlachtar21 bó22 nammá’. ‘A dénam’, ar Eochu. Gataiteir23 a airm ó Eochaid. Feccaid in fili for mífocclad Lagen & Eochada, co rosdílegad24 ríam. In tan bæ coa mífocclad, doléicce in gilla aurchor don liic caurad ro bæ inna chris dó, co tarla hi laind a étain, co mbæ in chloch hi cobraid a chlocind, conidromarb de intí Laidcenn.25 Is dé rochet in rann:26
    1. Lia láma láich rofes
      fochres isin sailchedna27
      Eochu mac Énna rolá
      for Laidcenn mac Bairceda.

p.87

Doluid Níall íar n-indriud Lagen dia chrích28 & rodlomad Eochu a Hérind hi céin nobeth Níall i flaithius. Luid Níall 29 conidroacht ríam co tech Heircc maic Echach Muinremuir.30Luid dano Níall do saigid31 ríge co Letha32 & co hEtail conid aire asrubrad Nóigíallach de .i. cóic géill Hérenn & gíall Alban & gíall Saxan & gíall Bretan & gíall Franc. Inde dicitur:
    1. Mac Echach, ard n-orddan
      Níall nár, núall as gargam,
      gabais ríge rémenn
      Hérenn ocus Alban.
    2. Ethais gíall cach cóicid
      fó thír nÉrenn ardda.
      tuc fri réir cen terbba
      cethri géill a hAlba.
    3. Conid dé bæ dó-som
      hi toraib fían frithach
      fri ríad na ríg rathach
      Níall Nóigiallach nithach.
Ó ráncatar tra Sléibi Elpa, aba mór ar a cind .i. Liguir Slébi hElpa. Atróiset Luiguir co ndesetar impi. A mbátar ann co faccatar óenócclach cuccu. Bratt corccra cóicdíabuil33 imme. sleig cóicrinna ina lámaib. Cúarscíath bilech co mbúaile óir fair. Colgc ndét for a chris. A folt hi sním dar a aiss. ‘Fochen don læch nádgénamar!’34 ‘Is ed doroachtmar’, ol sé. ‘Cid 'moa tóracht?’, ar Níall. ‘Dot acallaim35 ó Rómánchaib’, ar sé. ‘Ocus al-lá sa hi cinn cóicthigeis doticfat a ngéill. Messe lat hi frithgille co tísat’.Atberat araile is co tech Eircc36 maic Echach Muinremuir37 ríg Alban ro dálait38 a ngéill & is ann ro marbad som etar barddu Cruithentúaithe39 ic forcmaise a deilbe dóib. comtis ingena Franc no thothlaiged a deilb di forcmaisiu.40Dothæt didu Hercc a dochum n-airechta.41 ‘Rag-sa lat’, ar Eochu, ‘do deicsin mo bráthar inna rígsuidiu ar bélaib fer ndomuin’. Ó ráncatar, ‘Is é suut’, ar Ercc.42 Ro bæ [gap: illegible/extent: two letters]43 glenn eturru. Nostrochlann44 saigit asind fidbaicc45 cen fis do Ercc, co torchair do oenaurchur. La sodain doslécat Frainc46 fóna Góedelu

p.88

co ragbatar47 fir Alban leó ar connalbus.48 {MS folio 47rb} Co tudchatar co Hérind & coland a ríg leó. Et ro mebdatar secht catha ríana gnúis íarna écaib.Torna écess do Chíarrugu Lúachra, is hé ro alt49 Níall. Ó ro chúala immorra tasc a daltai do marbad, is ann atbert a chomalta .i. Tuirn mac Tornæ:
    1. In tan no théigmis do dáil
      la mac nEchach Muigmedáin,
      buididir bad sobairge
      folt bid for cind maic Cairne.
(.i. Cairenn Casdub ingen Sacheill Bailb di Saxanaib a máthair-seom Néill.) Asbert a muimme:
    1. A deóit gela, a beóil deirg,
      nád con-tursaig fó chomfeirg,
      a delb amail théthein tra
      tairced Hérind óclachda.
    2. Dath a grúaidi in cach mí
      díamtar cóire cosmailsi,
      sían, crú læig (líth cen on),
      foirccle caille cétamun.
    3. Amail éisce, amail gréin,
      amail tenndáil taitnem Néill,
      amail draic di thuind cen táir
      Níall mac Echach Muigmedáin.
    4. Is ceól sírectach in se
      gol cach cind la Cíarraige,
      cummaid chumaid forn 'nar taig
      do díth Néill húi Muiredaig.
    5. Ba mór subai, ba mór sáim
      bith hi cóemthecht do daltáin,
      ic mac Echach nirb ardis
      do dáil in tan no théigmis.
Atberat som immorro50 is ed ruc Torna cumaid51 Néill.52 La Laigniu immorro53 dorochair in fer sa.54Inde dicitur:
    1. Níall mac Echach, ardd do báig,55
      Héiriu ocus Albu fó thráig,
      triasngæt saiget Saxan snéid
      ó Eochaid mac Énnai áin.
Aided Néill maic Echach & Laidcind maic Baircheda do láim Echach maic Énnæ Censelaig in sin.