Book of Lismore

Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford, Ireland. Where, hidden behind a wall, the Book of Lismore was discovered in 1814.

Book of Lismore, is an Irish vellum manuscript, compiled in early 15th century, Lismore, Ireland. Its original name was Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh (The Book of Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach). It should not be confused with the similarly-named Book of the Dean of Lismore, a Scottish manuscript from the 16th century.

The manuscript was compiled from the early, and lost, Book of Monasterboice as well as other manuscripts. The Book of Lismore contains a variation of themes. Part of the book references the lives of Irish saints, notably, St Brigid, St Patrick, and St Columba. The Book of Lismore also contains Acallam na Senórach, a most important Middle Irish narrative dating to the 12th century, a text pertaining to the Fenian Cycle.

The book also contains Leabhar Ser Marco Polo, an Irish translation of The Book of Sir Marco Polo, or Il Milione.

Some of the pages and text of the book became mislaid to scholarly pursuit soon after its discovery in 1814, but it is believed that copies of these pages still survive in scholarly articles written in the 19th century.

Texts

Hagiographic texts

• Betha Shenáin meic Geirginn
• Short text on Saint Molaise, called "Molaisse und seine Schwester"

Prose narratives

• Acallam Bec ("Little Colloquy")
• Echtra Loegairi meic Crimthainn from the Book of Lismore, at Thesaurus Linguae Hibernicae
• Airne Fíngein. Available at Thesaurus Linguae Hibernicae
• Tromdám Guaire ("The company of Guaire")

Translations from European Latin texts;

• Leabhar Ser Marco Polo ("The Book of Sir Marco Polo"), a translation in Irish of the Latin version of Marco Polo's Il Milione
• Gabháltas Séarlais Mhóir ("The Conquest of Charlemagne")
• Stair na Lombardach ("The History of the Lombards")

Sources

• Stokes, Whitley (ed. and tr.). Lives of saints, from the Book of Lismore. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1890. Scans (PDF) available from the Internet Archive and a transcription of the edition from CELT.

Further reading

• Breatnach, Caoimhín. "Lismore, Book of." In Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia, ed. Seán Duffy. New York and London: Routledge, 2005. pp. 270-80.
• Macalister, R.A.S. The Book of Lismore. Facsimile with introduction. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Comission, 1950. Facsimile edition.
• Ó Cuív, Brian. "Observations on the Book of Lismore." Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 83C (1983). pp. 269-92.

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