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Two Legal Deeds

O'Conor Papers, Clonalis House

6.X.HL.001

Bibliography:

Martin J. Blake, 'Two Irish Brehon Scripts: with notes on the MacEgan Family', Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 6 (1909-1910) 1-9

Gareth W. and Janet E. Donleavy, The O'Conor papers: a descriptive catalogue and surname register of the materials at Clonalis House (Wisconsin 1997) 3

Description:

Two legal documents generated by the family of Mac Aodhagáin, evidently in the late 16th century. Formerly in possession of Michael Joseph Browne, Moyne House, Co. Galway. Presented to O'Conor Don in 1895 by Browne's grandnephew, Martin J. Blake.

Deed 1

Deed 1 Vellum. 104–107 mm × 139–144 mm. Writing on both sides. Formerly folded once. Much stained: particularly illegible in lower left-hand corner, and almost entirely on verso. 18 lines. Transcript by James Hardiman published with translation in Blake, 'Two Irish Brehon Scripts'. Transcript below by Pádraig Ó Macháin incorporates readings from Hardiman and from Gearóid Mac Niocaill ('Cáipéisí Dlí i nGaeilge 1493-1621' PhD UCD, 1962); translation by Mac Niocaill (ibid.) reproduced by kind permission of Laoise Bean Mhic Niocaill.

Analysis of writing on verso using a hyperspectral scanner (thanks to Paddy Shiel and Dr John Keating, Department of Computer Science, NUI Maynooth) revealed a fragment of text: '.uii. bliadna agus cetre fith[chid]', which would suggest that the text on the recto dates to 1587.

Text

Iesus
Ase ábhur Na sgribhionne seo .i. ceithre ba ionnlaog do bhí
aic siudhbain ingean meic gilla chumhain air chartdun
luach na muic ó slicht an aba meic eimaoinn agus do
bí saerughudh in feraoinn go síoraidh air thsliocht
an aba agus air a gclaoinn ina diaidh agus tuc siudhban [? a]
thenat fein do uilleag og mac reimainn meic uilleag ann sa
chartdun sin agus da eighre ina diaidh no go fuasgl
aidh [a above] slicht e agus tuc uilleag og ceithre ba ionnlaogh
do siudhbain da chuit diolis fein air in ferann agus ní fuil a
chartdun luach na muice ach tri ba don geall sin agus
tha in bo eile ann sa ferann is gaeire do mur atha chioll
cathil agus do fág si le udhachta go fuair si fein in geall sin
[. . .agus is iad] so na fiadhain do bí do laithir na thiuma
[. . .] agus uilliam og mac maoíl aire
[. . .] og mac remainn meic fiacha agus donnchadh mac
[. . .] misi a uilliam mac aodhagain qui sgribh
[. . . . do thoil] in da rann. in thochtma la .x. do [. . .]
[. . . ]

Translation

Jesus. The subject of this writing is four in-calf cows that Siubhán daughter of Giolla Cumhain claimed from the cartron of Luach na Muice from the posterity of the abbot son of Éamonn; and the posterity of the abbot and their sons after were liable for the redemption of the land in perpetuity; and Siubhán gave her own place on that cartron to Uilleag Óg son of Réamonn son of Uilleag and to his heir after him until his posterity should redeem it. And Uilleag Óg gave four in-calf cows to Siubhán against his own personal share of the land. And there are only three cows of that surety incident on the cartron of Luach na Muice, and the remaining cow is due from the land nearest it, i.e. Cill Chathail; and she deposed in her will that she had received back that security [. . .] these are the witnesses present at [the making of ] that testament [. . .] son of Muiris, and Uilliam Óg son of Maoilir [and . . .] Óg son of Réamonn son of Fiacha and Donnchadh son of [. . .] I am Uilliam Mac Aodhagáin who wrote [this] by order of both parties the eighteenth day of [. . .].

Deed 2

Deed 2 Vellum. 73–76 mm × 143–148 mm. Writing on recto only. Formerly folded twice vertically and twice horizontally. Much stained. 13 lines. Transcript by James Hardiman published with translation in Blake, 'Two Irish Brehon Scripts'. Transcript below by Pádraig Ó Macháin incorporates readings from Hardiman and from Gearóid Mac Niocaill ('Cáipéisí Dlí i nGaeilge 1493-1621' PhD UCD, 1962); translation by Mac Niocaill (ibid.) reproduced by kind permission of Laoise Bean Mhic Niocaill.

Text

Emanuel
Ag so in med fiach agus oile .x. do díol dabi [. . .] tar a ceann fen agus tar ceann
a clainne a cinta agus an earcaibh [. . . ] do agra [. . .] do agra air a ndualgus
na codach eile da cloinn mac in iarla .i. ocht pinginne agus marg do diol re
re[mann] og mac tadg meic adagain agus .ii.x. [. . .]onn 7 m[ar?]g do flann agus tadg mac aodagain
agus .x. nuinge do .ii.x. do fhlann [ agus] do tadg in .ii.x. seain caich do cur de agus se
buinn .x. do tuc dabi ar fin [dona brethemh] na amaille re bía gurab ceithre bunn
agus tri marg sin flann mac [adagain] do scriobh sin agus ata se dfiadhnaise ar na
fiachaibh do diol agus a bf[iadnais]e finean meic in file do scriobus e
Tuilleadh eile .i.tri buinn .x. do [. . .] do ceteirn tighi in iarla do cinn gill mec remoinn
do tabairt cuigidh a ngeall re geall reumoinn meic dabi do bi a ngiull ag mac rem
oinn uadha re cin tseain caich agus dabi umal a coir dho agus ceithre buinn do fiachaibh notaireachta
do uilliam mac adhagain ar tosach agus ceithre bui aris

Translation

Emanuel. This is the amount of claims and oile dhéag that Dábhí [. . .] paid on his own behalf and on behalf of his sons for the crimes and wergilds [. . .] sued for [. . .] he was sued for what was due from the rest of the sons of the Earl, i.e. eight pence and a mark were paid to Réamonn Óg son of Tadhg Mac Aodhagáin and an oile dhéag of a groat and a mark to Flann and Tadhg Mac Aodhagáin and ten uinge as oile dhéag to Flann and Tadhg to discharge Seaán Caoch of his oile dhéag, and sixteen groats that Dábhí gave for wine for the arbitrators along with food, which amounts to four groats and three marks. Flann Mac Aodhagáin wrote the above, and is witness to the discharging of those debts; and in the presence of Finnian Mac an Fhile I wrote it.

Further: thirteen groats were given to the Earl's house-kern in addition to the pledge of Réamonn being given him as security for [reparation for] Seaán Caoch's crime; and Dábhí was submissive to him in [his] right; and four groats were given to Uilliam Mac Aodhagáin as notary's fees at first, and [another] four groats later.