Amhlaeibh Mac Innaighneorach
Encyclopedia
Amhlaeibh Mac Innaighneorach, Chief
Harp
er of Ireland
, died 1168.
Mac Innaighneorach is one of the earliest recorded Irish professional musicians. The Annals of the Four Masters
call him the chief ollam
h of Ireland in harp-playing but provide no other details of his life.
The existence of his obituary
is thought to denote his profession's newly-acquired respectability, as there are very few direct references to professional musicians in Ireland prior to his lifetime. Nevertheless, musicians would never hold the same esteem as poet
s, lawyer
s and historian
s in Gaelic
culture.
Ollam
In Irish, Ollam or Ollamh , is a master in a particular trade or skill. In early Irish Literature, it generally refers to the highest rank of Fili; it could also modify other terms to refer to the highest member of any group: thus an ollam brithem would be the highest rank of judge and an ollam rí...
Harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
er of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, died 1168.
Mac Innaighneorach is one of the earliest recorded Irish professional musicians. The Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
call him the chief ollam
Ollam
In Irish, Ollam or Ollamh , is a master in a particular trade or skill. In early Irish Literature, it generally refers to the highest rank of Fili; it could also modify other terms to refer to the highest member of any group: thus an ollam brithem would be the highest rank of judge and an ollam rí...
h of Ireland in harp-playing but provide no other details of his life.
The existence of his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
is thought to denote his profession's newly-acquired respectability, as there are very few direct references to professional musicians in Ireland prior to his lifetime. Nevertheless, musicians would never hold the same esteem as poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s in Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
culture.
External links
- http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005B/index.html