Notes to Poem XVIII
i. MS Text: This poem occupies the lower half of p. 179 of the MS, and the upper half of p. 180. The text is clearly legible throughout. Although there are minor scribal alterations, there is no evidence that another version of the poem was available.
ii. General background: The nature of this poem is discussed briefly in the Introduction to this volume.
iii. Later versions: Although the ascription of the poem would suggest that it may have been composed in Ireland, it appears to survive only in later Scottish tradition, where it is preserved by Kennedy. K (1) includes versions of the first six quatrains of the BDL text, followed by eleven further quatrains not found in BDL. K (2) is essentially similar, but furnishes variants of the personal names attested in K (1).
iv. Metre: Rannaigheacht Mhór
v. Line annotation
Ascription: The úghdar of this poem is given in the MS as Oflyn̄e, clearly Ó Floinn, but without any indication of a personal name. This makes it impossible to identify him, but his surname alone would indicate a connection with Ireland. MacLysaght (Irish Families, pp. 148-9) points out that the name was likely to have arisen independently in several parts of that country, but that it is found ‘chiefly in two main areas – Cork and Waterford in the south, and on the borders of Connacht and Ulster in the adjacent counties of Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan’. The latter connection is worth bearing in mind in view of the apparent relationship between other BDL texts and the Roscommon area.
1 chunnaic: The MS form chon’ich is hardly likely to represent choinnich in spite of the final -ch of the MS; cf. coilēan, XVI, 8 n. Similarly MS cho’nich (2). HP emends the present reading to do chunnaic, but this may not be necessary to preserve line length, although it is possible in the light of 29.
mé: maa MS; similarly ma (2, 29). See III, 8 n.
3 The line lacks a syllable as it stands, but may be corrected by reading agus for is. The same solution is required in 6.
8 Even if the ampersand is read as agus, the line lacks a syllable, and there is no obvious solution.
Fead: ‘Whistle’. This name would appear to be of the same order as those in 9 n, 12 n, and 14 n.
9 The names in this line probably have a humorous intent; thus Glas, ‘the Grey One’, and Géar, ‘the Sharp [? Tongued] One’. The MS form gow could also be transliterated as Guth, ‘Voice’, but the present restoration Gubh[a] reflects the possibility that all three characters are the sons of Aencherd Berra, mentioned in the Acallam (Stokes (ed.), Irische Texte, IV, l. 6578).
11 Criomhthann: The MS form crewin is represented as cewin, using the standard Irish contraction for r + vowel (or vice versa).
12 Socach mac <Fuinn>: It seems likely that the last element of this name is to be transcribed as fyinni, although there is the possibility of fymni. The former, if transliterated as suggested, gives aicill with Guill in the preceding line, and makes some sense; the name of the character would mean ‘Snouty son of Tune’.
14 Donn Cualann: This name would appear to echo that of Donn Cúailnge, the famous bull of Táin Bó Cúailnge. It means ‘the Brown One of Cualu’, Cualu being a district in Co. Wicklow (Hogan, Onomasticon).
Léim <air Glinn>: leyɱ er gleinni MS. If correctly transliterated, this name would appear to mean something like ‘Torrent on a Glen’. For léim in the sense of ‘gushing forth’ of water, see RIA Dict. s.v. léimm (f).
17 Bainne: The scribe made two attempts at writing this name; the second appears in the margin to the left of the first. The name would again seem to be humorous, meaning quite probably ‘Milk’ (RIA Dict., s.v. bannae (c)).
18 <Mac> an Smáil: mcynsmáayñll MS. mc is the regular abbreviation for mac in the MS, and is thus expanded in the proposed restoration. HP, however, restores as Muc an Smáil; this would certainly be in keeping with the tenor of other names in the poem (cf. 14 n), and a character called Muc Smaili occurs in the Acallam (Stokes (ed.), Irische Texte, IV, 1. 1969). Cf. also the story of Guaire and the pigs of Glenn in Smáil.
19 The line is hypermetric as it stands, and may be corrected by reading is for agus.
20 Transl.: ‘the three Mutes and the three Shadows’.
21 The line lacks a syllable as it stands. The original line may have been: Na trí Baotháin ó Ghlinn Sróill, ‘The three Simpletons from Gleann Sróill’.
22 <Ruidhil>: This restoration of MS rwell is offered very tentatively; the first syllable (if, as the metre suggests, the word is disyllabic) could contain a long vowel; thus possibly Rúidhil. No meaning can yet be offered with confidence. But cf. 24 n.
23 vii mic: vii mek MS. The line lacks a syllable as it stands, and it may be corrected by reading seachtar mac at this point.
24 trí Ghlaisne: The personal name here could be related to glaisean or glaisín, ‘woad; a plant yielding a blue dye’ (RIA Dict. s.v. glasen). Thus, perhaps, ‘the three Woads’. If this is feasible, it might be possible to interpret Ruidhil (22 n) in a similar way, deriving from a modern form of ruidél, ‘name of plant with red flowers; “the herb Robert”’, to which the hue of warriors was sometimes compared (RIA Dict. s.v.).
Ghleasraighe: This is evidently a variant of Glasraighe, a place-name found commonly in Ireland (Hogan, Onomasticon, s.v. glasraige).
nan saor: ny’ seir MS. The presence of the definite article seems to be responsible for the additional syllable in the line, but its removal causes difficulties of interpretation.
25 <Beath[aigh]>: beath MS. The name would appear to mean no more than ‘Beasts’ or ‘Animal-like Ones’ (RIA Dict. s.v. 2 bethach). Note that the line lacks a syllable as it stands. The original may have been: Na trí Beathaigh ó Chnoc Dúird. Cf. 21 n.
26 <do>: The MS form be may have come about by erroneous anticipation of the initial of bhídís; do is certainly required by the verb form.
27 Mhóir: vor MS. To provide aicill with buaidh in the following line, we should perhaps read mhuair at this point.
32 do bhronnfadh: The MS form fronfre appears to attest an intrusive r and the confusion of impf. indic. and condit. tenses.