Deed 18
RIA 24 G 19 (1137) [a miscellany of documents], item (2)
MN 50
Hoibeard Buidhe Mac Dáibhí and his wife Fionnghuala lease a half-baile of the lands of Na Creaga (Co. Galway) to Risteard Biadhtach for a nominal fee, September 1582.
TRANSCRIPTION
In Dei nomen Amen
1. Ag so connradh Meic Dabi agus Fhínnghualann ínghean Chealligh re Risd[ea]rd Biatach a dtimcill dut
2. aighthe na gCreag .i. matham ar gac connradh da ndernudur icaidhthi na tíre re Risder[d]
3. riam roimhe so [inserted above: mur ata Risderd mac Emainn Duibh agus a cclann] acht an connradh do beraidh siad fein do agus ag so an connradh sin .[i.]
4. leth bhaile do dúithe na gCreac do Rísdeard Biadhtach ó Mac Daui re na híoc
5. agus tug Mac Daui gac [tíughdul overwriting tuarusdul?] da raibhe aige fein annsa bfhearann sin a dturusd[al]
6. do Risderd ar son a seirbhíssi agus a chomaínech. acht an oíredsa do fein aisde gach
7. a bliadna .i. péare lamhann fa Nodlaic agus ata dfhiachaibh orrtha fein beth ar son a céile
8. ann gac uile cháil agus eirighe a cheile dhiomchur agcodh siseal agus a gcodh sáird agus ag so
9. anaimsir ata ag Risdeard ar an bferann sin .i. .l. mbliadhna agus aniugh an tres lá do
10. mhí Sheb[iber expuncted tember above] agus ag só aois an tiagerna an bliadhain sin .i. da bliadhain agus 4 .xx. agus .u.c. agus mhile
11. Manus myleri yscyn[g above]in Misi hoibeard buidhe [Mac Dv ?]
12. R.B.
13. Manus johannis yscyngn Manus propria [?Jac. . .]
NORMALISED TEXT
Ag so connradh Meic Dháibhí agus Fhionnghualann inghean [Í] Cheallaigh re Risdeard Biadhtach a dtimchioll dúthaighe na gCreag .i. maitheamh gach connradh dá ndearnadur ícaighthe na tíre re Risdeard riamh roimhe so (mar atá Risdeard mac Éamainn Duibh agus a gclann) acht an connradh do-bhéara siad féin do.
Agus ag so an connradh sin .i. leathbhaile de dhúthaigh na gCreag do Risdeard Biadhtach ó Mhac Dáibhí re na híoc. Agus tug Mac Dáibhí gach tiodal dá raibhe aige féin annsa bhfearann sin i dtuarasdal do Risdeard ar son a sheirbhíse agus a chomaoineach, acht an oireadsa do féin aisde gacha bliadhna .i. péire lámhann fa Nodlaig. Agus atá d’fhiachaibh ortha féin beith ar son a chéile in gach uile cháil, agus eireadha a chéile dh’iomchar ag ós íseal agus ag ós aird.
Agus ag so an aimsear atá ag Risdeard ar an bhfearann sin .i. .l. mbliadhna. Agus aniugh an treas lá do mhí Sheptember. Agus ag so aois an Tighearna an bhliadhain sin .i. dá bhliadhain agus 4 fichead agus cúig céad agus míle
Manus Moilre Í Scingín Misi Hoibeard Buidhe [Mac Dáibhí ?]
R[ichard] B[iadhtach]
Manus Johannis Í Scingín Manus propria [?Jac. . .]
TRANSLATION
This is the agreement of Mac Dáibhí and Fionnghuala daughter of Ó Ceallaigh with Richard Biadhtach concerning the territory of Na Creaga i.e. renouncing every agreement which the [head-]tenants (that is Risteard mac Éamainn Duibh and sons) of the territory made with Risteard heretofore, save the agreement which those [sc. Mac Dáibhí and Fionnghuala] will give him.
And the agreement is as follows: half the baile of the territory of the Creaga to Risdeard Biadhtach from Mac Dáibhí together with its rent. And Mac Dáibhí gave his entire title to the land as a payment to Risdeard for his service and favour, reserving this much for himself every year, that is a pair of gloves at Christmas; and they are obliged to support each other in every respect and to bear each other’s burdens, privately and publicly. And this is the term that Risdeard has on that land: fifty years. And today is the third day of the month of September, and this is the age of our Lord that year: 1582.
NOTES
1. The lands associated with Hoibeard Buidhe Mac Dáibhí, Risteard Biadhtach and others are set out in A. Martin Freeman, The Compossicion Booke of Conought (Dublin 1936) 80-92. Notes by KN: Hoibeard Buidhe of Glinsk succeeded his uncle Tomás Óg to the leadership of the Mac Dáibhí sept of the Burkes at a date unknowm; he was still (presumably) tánaiste when mentioned along with 'MacDavy' in 1574 (S.P. 63/45/35, 1). Died 1 January 1598 (?1599 New Style) [Calendar of Inquisitions, 351-2]. His wife was Finola ny Kelly (widow, pardoned 1603, Calendar Pat. Rolls James I, p. 20). According to 'Linea Antiqua' (pp 218-19) and genealogy in BLib MS Add. 23,140, she was daughter of William O'Kelly of Mullaghmore and Áine, daughter of 1st earl of Thomond; for MS 'inghean Cheallaigh' we suggest reading 'inghean [Í] Cheallaigh', but it could be that 'Ceallach' refers to Ceallach Ó Ceallaigh of Aughrim.
The Compossicion of February 1585 (three years after this deed) refers to Risteard Biadhtach having '2 qrs of land [i.e. a leathbhaile] with their apportenances as a demaine next adioining to his house or towne of the Cregg' (Freeman, p. 91). KN: Risteard Biadhtach died 15 May 1619 (Inquisition p.m. 19/8/1619, NAI, R.C. 4/14).
2. na gCreag Creggs (par. Kilbegnet, bar. Ballymoe, Co. Galway)
3. Risderd mac Emainn Duibh agus a cclann A Mac Dáibhí clansman; see Nollaig Ó Muraíle, Leabhar Mór na nGinealach, 806-7.
4. leth bhaile Half a baile, or two quarters; according to the Compossicion, na Creaga consisted of 4 quarters (Freeman, 82, 88). There is an adjacent townland of Levally (An Leathbhaile), but it consisted of only 1½ quarters (Freeman, 83) and so cannot be intended here.
5. tu[a]rasdal This payment bears connotations of superiority of the payer (Mac Dáibhí) over the payee (Biadhtach).
7. The annual péire lámhann at Christmas time is the nominal rent.
8. agcodh siseal agus a gcodh sáird The reading of the document suggests a quasi-phonetic spelling of 'ag ós íseal agus ag ós aird', though one would expect simply 'ós íseal agus ós aird', meaning 'everywhere'.
11 and 13. The Í Sgingín were originally an ecclesiastical family from Ard Carna in Co. Roscommon, who functioned as seanchaidhe to the Í Dhomhnaill of Donegal in the 13th and 14th centuries (Ruairí Ó hUiginn, 'Lebor na hUidre: from Clonmacnoise to Kilbarron', in idem (ed.) Lebor na hUidre (Dublin 2015) 155-82). Here they are functioning as brehons to Mac Dáibhí; a 'Piers O Scynine' is mentioned in the Compossicion (Freeman, p. 80).