Notes to Poem X

i. MS Text:  The text of this poem begins on MS p. 212, immediately after the conclusion of the previous ballad, BDL IX. It occupies the whole of MS pp. 213 and 214. A lacuna has developed on the outer edge of the folio comprising pp. 212 and 213, and this has either removed or obscured certain words in qq. 2-3 and qq. 12-14. Staining and fading have affected the clarity of occasional letters in the margins of all three pages, but, in spite of these difficulties, most of the text can be retrieved easily. A later hand, evidently that of Donald Mackintosh, has inserted an ascription, “A hudair so Oissian”.

ii. General background:  Both this poem and the following item, BDL XI, take the form of a verbal conflict between Patrick, the representative of the Christian faith, and Oisean, the apologist for the earlier pagan lifestyle of the Fian, which Christianity and the Church have attempted to remove. While the frame of an Oisean/Patrick dialogue is common in heroic verse, BDL X and XI contain a marked element of hostile debate.  This contrasts with the more amicable atmosphere of the other type of verse, which is usually of a narrative kind. Nevertheless, good humour is often apparent (more noticeably in BDL XI), and it seems probable that the debate is not to be taken entirely seriously.

In BDL X, Oisean ridicules the clergy, who are portrayed as an inept crozier-carrying crew, the “heroes” of the new order, who would be disposed of easily by the real heroes of the Fian, if only they were alive. The chief crime of the clergy has been their take-over of the Hill of the Fian, which is identified with Ráith Cruachan (Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon). In BDL XI, the debate concerns the attainment of the Christian heaven by the Fian warriors, a possibility which Patrick will not countenance in any way. Oisean remains unrepentant to the last.

While BDL X and XI articulate a debate between Christian and pagan (or sacred and secular) values which, in its general application, transcends time and place, it is not unreasonable to suppose that these poems are founded on historical realities of particular relevance within an Irish context. The prominence of the Patrick in these and other poems (as well as in Acallam na Senórach of c. 1175) must owe much to the cult of the saint, fostered by the Armagh church in its desire to achieve a supremacy from the tenth century onwards (Hughes, Church in Early Irish Soc., 244-6). The abbots of Armagh, or the coarbs of Patrick as they were known, were accustomed to go on circuits of Ireland by the eleventh century, and imposed tributes as far south as Munster, in the manner of the high-king (ibid.). Following the reorganisation of the Irish church in the twelfth century, and in spite of initial opposition to it, Armagh was able to consolidate its position as a metropolitan see (Watt, Church in Medieval Ireland, p. 76). Given the expansionist policy of Armagh in these centuries, the sympathetic response to the Fian by Patrick in the Acallam may be an important conciliatory gesture to the guardians of secular tradition. In later centuries, however, the attitude of Armagh was not guaranteed to win the support of the secular learned orders, as it attempted to curb their social excesses. Before 1346, for example, the provincial synod issued a statute containing sanctions “against mimes, jugglers, poets, tympanists or harpers, and especially against kernes and importunate and wicked seekers, or rather extorters of gifts” (Simms, ‘Guesting and Feasting’, 76). Although the statute was renewed in later generations, individual clerics could choose to ignore it if they wished, and some were noted for their generosity to poets and poet-bands. Nevertheless, the statute presented a de iure expression of the church’s viewpoint, which could be ridiculed and satirised by the very poets at whom it was directed, particularly in those areas such as Roscommon where adherence to traditional values was still strong.

iii. Later versions:  BDL X does not occur in surviving Scottish sources later than BDL. On the Irish side, only a few quatrains of the BDL text (qq. 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 13, 14) are known, and these are found as the opening part of the medley, “Tuarasgabhail Chatha Gabhra”. The eighth quatrain of the “Tuarasgabhail” may preserve an echo of BDL, q. 5. The format of these quatrains in Irish tradition is well represented by TOS.

iv. Metre:  With the exception of qq. 12, 18, 19, and 22, the metre is Rannaigheacht Bheag. The quatrains excepted are in Rannaigheacht Mhór, and it would seem likely that they have strayed into the text from another poem on a similar theme. It is noteworthy that these quatrains, in spite of their different metre, employ the dominant formulae of BDL X. There is evidence that poems of debate between Patrick and Oisean were liable to be confused in later tradition, doubtless because of their stereotyped presentation.


v. Line annotation

2 fā <[dhaoirse]>: The lacuna in the MS folio renders the last word of the line illegible; only a trace of what may be initial ȝ is now clear, although there are still some ink marks. The suggested reading is based on TOS bheith ag Cléircibh fá dhaoirse.

5 D’iarr: While the initial letter of the MS form <T>ayr is not entirely clear, it seems to be confirmed by Tayr (9). HP’s restoration Fuair (evidently from a supposed D’fhuair) is not supported by the MS orthography.

6 fā do: fada MS. If the restoration suggested in the next note is correct, the present interpretation of the MS form would make the line hypermetric. HP restores to fád, which would give correct line length.

<[go subhach]>: Due to the lacuna in the folio, these words disappear from the MS, and only a trace of initial g- remains. The suggested restoration is based on TOS go súgach, which has been modified to give better rhyme with <[mhullach]>, discussed in the next note.

8 <[mhullach]>: Due to the lacuna in the folio, this word disappears in the MS, apart from the initial letter w which is likely to represent mh-. The suggested restoration is based on TOS an t-seilg do bheith ar do mhullach.

11 ní bhíodh: ni wee MS. The MS form wee (and subsequently wei^t (23, 27, 36 etc.) suggests that in Sc. G. by this stage, the 3 sg. condit. of atá (do bhiadh) had fallen together with the 3 sg. impf. (do bhíodh). The long vowel represented in the MS forms already cited would seem to indicate that the impf. has become dominant, and it is the impf. which is restored in this text where appropriate, with the proviso that it to be regarded as doing duty for the condit.

17 The line lacks a syllable, with no obvious solution.

24 bratach < >: The last syllable(s) of the line cannot be retrieved. It would seem that the original line was hypermetric, since a disyllable is required for rhyme.

25 <[Da maireadh]>: The beginning of this line is obscured by fading, trimming and gum. The proposed restoration follows the opening formula of qq. 4-9.

27 The line is hypermetric as it stands, with no obvious solution, unless the vocative particle a is omitted, but this seems unlikely.

29 The line is hypermetric, but it can be restored by omitting the article before Duibh-Dhíthribh.

33 <     >: The MS form roydda would most naturally be transliterated as róda, but no such word seems to be known. HP suggests roghdha, but this is difficult to reconcile with the orthographic evidence, and it provides poor aicill with Cródha in the following line.

40 dā biadh: da bea MS. In the MS orthography, -ea- is frequently used for -ia- in normal orthography, and this emboldens one to suppose that the verb form represented here is the 3 sg. condit., rather than the 3 sg. past subj. of the substantive.

44 The line lacks a syllable, and HP emends to na ndorn.

<dut-[s]a>: The MS form duta is difficult to construe. HP assumes that an n has been omitted, and restores to dúnta, translating the line “it would be the signal for clenched fists”. The present restoration suggests that initial s- of the emphatic enclitic has been lost, and that the line should be translated “it would be a signal (or an omen) for fists for you”. Metrically, HP’s restoration may be preferable, although the use of dúnta seems superfluous. d’ eagla go m-bainfeadh dhuit a dhornn (TOS).

45 <[Dā maireadh]>: Because of the lacuna in the MS folio, only the last two letters of the original reading are now legible. These are -re, and judging by the main clause in the quatrain, as well as the opening formula of qq. 4-9, the proposed restoration seems feasible.

47 <      >: The lacuna in the MS folio (cf. 45 n) leaves only the letters -yrre. These could be construed in various ways; one possibility is that the MS originally intended to convey a chléirigh.

do <ord>: The MS reading di ȝorda seems to attest the reduplication of the 2 sg. poss. pron. in a manner reminiscent of the treatment of the preverb do commonly in BDL, as well as the growth of an unhistorical final syllable.

48 do bhoineadh: The MS form appears to be indistinguishable from the 3 sg. impf., although the required sense is condit. Cf. 11 n.

49 <[Dā maireadh]>: The lacuna in the MS folio removes all but final a of the original reading. The suggested restoration follows the same lines of argument as 45 n.

51 <[do bhíodh]>: The lacuna in the MS folio leaves only the letters -ei which are rather indistinct; the sense of the quatrain requires a positive rather than a negative statement, and the proposed restoration follows 39, and 55.

53 <       >: The lacuna in the MS folio has obscured the opening letters of this line, which are now scarcely legible. RCI (p. 86) reads Ir chlwga; cf. A fhir an chloig (TOS), which may have been the reading once intended by BDL.

54 dā <beith>: da bi^t MS. The 3 sg. past subj. of atá is restored somewhat tentatively here; cf. 40 n.

<Diorraing>: HP notes that the MS represents Diarmaid at this point, but emends to Diorraing evidently on the strength of TOS. Nevertheless, it is by no means certain that the MS does represent Diarmaid. This view derives from reading the MS form as dermit rather than dering. The problem is caused by the apparent similarity between -it and -g in the scribe’s hand (represented here as -g). A very similar -g appears in MS ċlog (55), and on balance one tends to favour g in this instance also.

55 <réabthach>: The MS form rabba might at first sight suggest a restored form such as raba[ch] (cf. Sc.G. robach, “dirty, unkempt”, applied to clothes, weather, person etc.), but the restoration requires to make aicill with éadan. Cf. RIA Dict. s.v. rébach, used as subst. m., “a rag, torn cloth”, as in Keating ‘na réabach, “in tatters’. ‘na raepthach (TOS).

56 fā éadan:  Note that prior to writing Edin, the scribe has written an h, which he has then cancelled.

57-58 The reconstruction offered for these lines is tentative in the extreme. Transl.: “You have not gazed - great is your half-sightedness - at Mac Ronáin’s Gath Gaoithe”. This involves taking a in the MS a cheyt as a degraded form of the 2 sg. poss. pron., and MS gayt geit is considered to be the name of a weapon (? or perhaps a banner) rather than the name of a person, although this is possible (thus HP). The general sense of the quatrain would seem to be (on this interpretation) that Patrick has no need to be so proud of his bell. For the evidence that this was a person, see Stokes (ed.), Irische Texte, IV, 1. 6579.

59 go <h-anfhois>: gi hannis MS. The restoration is tentative; cf. RIA Dict. s.v. anfois, “unsteady, restless”, perhaps an attrib. gen. sg. of anfoss, “restlessness, wandering”. HP restores as ‘ga shanas, in the sense of “sounding”, with some hesitation. Transl. the line: “let your bell not bob about”.

62 <[sunndach]>: Wear and trimming have removed part of the lower right-hand margin of the page, and only the letters s<o>w of this word are legible. The restoration is partly dependent upon the insertion of Crunnchair in 64 n.

Note that the line is hypermetric; hypermetric lines occur commonly in the remaining quatrains of the poem (63, 64, 65, 66, 69, 77, 83, 84, and 92). Lines lacking a syllable also occur (67, 73, 75, and 9l). As there is no obvious solution in most cases, they appear to have been composed in that form.

64 <[Crunnchair]>: Because of the defect noted in 62 n, only initial c- of the present word survives in the MS. The restoration assumes that the intended character is Caoilte mac Cronnchair (DF, III, 318, s.v. Caoilte).

70 <[Aodh]>: Only a trace of what appears to have been E is now legible. The restoration is based on this, and on the required rhyme with caomh (72).

71 mhór: vor MS. HP restores to mhuar (< muar, a variant of mór, RIA Dict s.v.), thereby providing aicill with the next line.

82 nach bitheadh: Note the disyllabic form of the 3 sg. impf. of atá, clearly attested in MS naċ beehow. Metre requires monosyllabic bíodh.

83 dhār: gar MS. Cf. VI, 67 n.

84 do bu: HP omits do to restore line length.

a <gcléire>: HP restores to na cléire, evidently on the assumption that the reference is to the clergy now occupying the tulach. But the MS form a gla<rr > seems to attest eclipsis, after the 3 pl. poss. pron. It is possible that there is a pun on the meaning of cliar, which, besides “clergy, the clerical order”, can denote “company, band, train, troop (especially of a poet’s following)” (RIA Dict. s.v.). The implication would be that the Fian had their own cliar - perhaps their poet-band!

85 nā ól: na hoyl MS. Initial h in this instance may have no phonetic value.

88 do bhronnfainn: The MS form di fronfwn clearly attests the 1 sg. condit., where the impf. is required. This underlines the confusion of condit. and impf. in BDL. Cf. 11 n, 48 n.

go <líon>: It seems probable that the two minims visible at the end of the second element in the MS should be interpreted as n, thereby giving ley<n> which requires to be transliterated as líon to provide rhyme with 86. The sense “multitude, great number” (RIA Dict. s.v. 1 lín II (a)) would not be inappropriate, but the prep. go is unusual with bronnaim, which would normally have ar.

92 a bhfaca mé: HP emends to a bhfacas, thereby restoring line length.

94 nocha <        >: notcha droy<in>vn MS. It is difficult to restore the second element of the MS reading. In the MS -y- is followed by three minims, with a dot placed slightly to the right of the first. These may be construed as in as suggested, or possibly as m. If the latter, we might think in terms of dreamhan, “furious, frantic, precipitate” (RIA Dict. s.v. dremun), but this does not provide good aicill with portas in the preceding line, and it appears remarkably conciliatory after the contentiousness of the previous quatrains!