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Annals of the Four Masters

 
Annals of the Four Masters

 
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The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters (Annala na gCeithre Mháistrí) are a chronicle
Chronicle

Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronology order. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the chronicler....
 of medieval
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 history.






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Annals of the Four Masters Signature
Annals of the Four Masters Ad432 Entry
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters (Annala na gCeithre Mháistrí) are a chronicle
Chronicle

Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronology order. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the chronicler....
 of medieval
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 history. The entries span from the deluge, dated as 2,242 years after creation
Anno Mundi

File:Rotunda Yard Thessaloniki 05 Jew Tomb remains.JPG abbreviated as 'AM' or 'A.M.', refers to a Calendar era counting from the Bible Creation according to Genesis of the world....
 to AD 1616.

Text

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
Franciscan

The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St....
 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
Annals of Ulster

The Annals of Ulster are a chronicle of Middle Ages Ireland. The entries span the years between Anno Domini 431 and AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhr? ? Luin?n, under his patron Cathal ?g Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the province of Ulster....
), and the seventeenth century entries are based on personal recollection and observation.

The chief author of the annals was Mícheál Ó Cléirigh
Mícheál Ó Cléirigh

M?che?l ? Cl?irigh was an Ireland chronicler, and chief author of the Annals of the Four Masters, assisted by Peregrine O'Clery, Fergus O'Mulconry, and Peregrine O'Duignan....
, and he was assisted by, among others, Peregrine O'Clery, Fergus O'Mulconry and Peregrine O'Duignan
Peregrine O'Duignan

Peregrine O'Duignan, was an Irish clergyman and historian, fl. 1627-1636.Born C? Coigriche mac Tuathal ? Duibhgeannain, presumably about or after 1590, his name was Latinized to Pereginus when he took holy orders in the Franciscan Order based at Leuven....
. Even though only one of the authors was an actual Franciscan
Franciscan

The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St....
, Mícheál Ó Cléirigh, they became known as 'The Four Friars' or in the original Irish
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
, '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
County Sligo

County Sligo is a county in the provinces of Ireland of Connacht in the west of Republic of Ireland....
.

The annals are written in Irish
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
. There are several manuscript copies in existence, which are kept in Trinity College Dublin, the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences....
, and University College Dublin.

Translation

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, 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
John O'Donovan (scholar)

John O'Donovan , from Atateemore, in the parish of Kilcolumb, County Kilkenny, and educated at Hunt's Academy, Waterford, is recognised as one of Ireland's greatest Irish language scholars and first historic topographer....
. The translation was funded by a government grant of £1,000 that was obtained by the famous mathematician William Rowan Hamilton
William Rowan Hamilton

Sir William Rowan Hamilton was an Ireland physicist, astronomer, and mathematician, who made important contributions to classical mechanics, optics, and algebra....
 while he was president of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences....
.

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.

Importance

The reliability and usefulness of the Annals as a historical source has sometimes been questioned by presentists
Presentism (literary and historical analysis)

Presentism is a mode of historical analysis in which present-day ideas and perspectives are anachronism introduced into depictions or interpretations of the past....
 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. The reality of life in the Gaelic world was that it was a patrilineal and hierarchical society, and naturally the Annals reflect this.

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
Desmond Rebellions

The Desmond Rebellions occurred in between 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in Munster in southern Ireland.. They were rebellions of the Earl of Desmond dynasty—the Fitzgerald family or Geraldines and their allies against the efforts of the Elizabethan Era English government to extend their control over the province of Munster....
 and the Nine Years War (Ireland) from a Gaelic Irish perspective.

Editions and translations

  • O’Donovan, John (ed. and tr.). Annála Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the earliest period to the year 1616. Edited from MSS in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy and of Trinity College Dublin with a translation and copious notes. 7 vols. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin, 1848-51. . Available from CELT:
    • Vol. 1 (2242 BC-AD 902): and
    • Vol. 2 (AD 903-1171): and
    • Vol. 3 (AD 1172-1372): and
    • Vol. 4 (AD 1373-1500): and
    • Vol. 5 (AD 1501-1588): and
    • Vol. 6 (AD 1589-1616): and


External links

  • — 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.
  • — The ISOS project at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
    Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

    The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Dublin, Ireland was established in 1940 by the Taoiseach of the time, ?amon de Valera under the . The Institute consists of 3 schools....
     has high-resolution digital images of the Royal Irish Academy's copy of the Annals.


See also

  • Irish annals
    Irish annals

    A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century. Manuscript copies of extant annals include the following:...
  • The Chronicle of Ireland
They also can be found in the National library of Ireland, in Kildare street, Dublin 2