Deed 19
NLI MS 18,997
MN 30
An account of what was, in effect, protection money paid by the Clann Raghnaill of Muintear Eólais to the 9th Earl of Kildare, 1530.
C. W. Russell, ‘On an agreement in Irish, between Gerald, Ninth Earl of Kildare, and the Mac Rannalls; executed at Maynooth, November 5, 1530, and sealed with the Seal of the College of Maynooth’, PRIA 10 (1869) 480–89 & Plate XL (lithograph facsimile by Seosamh Ó Longáin). Irish text reprinted in Colm Ó Lochlainn, Tobar fíorghlan Gaedhilge: deismireachta na teangadh 1450–1853 (Baile Átha Cliath 1939) 3. Original photographed as Plate LXIV in Gilbert, Facsimiles of National Manuscripts of Ireland (1879). See Conleth Manning, ‘The grave-slab of Charles Reynolds in Rome’, JRSAI 140 (2010) 22–7.
TRANSCRIPTION
1. IS he so cunnradh agus deinntiur ata etir Geroid mac Gerailt iarla Cilli Dara agus Mag Radnaill .i. Fedlim mac Concobair meic Murchaid agus Maelruadnaid mac
2. Eoghain meic Uilliam agus Ír mac Briain meic Uaithne agus Semas mac Maelruadnaid meic Fergail do ced agus do toil a ceili agus maithe Cloinni Maileclainn go himlan
3. .i. scilling as an cartun ina fuil cin ag hUa Ruairc agus ac Mag Radnaill don iarla gaca bliadna agus a íc gaca Samna do cinn a cosanta iná coraid
4. ar gac aen da mbiaidh fa cumachtaib in iarla. Slana De agus minna na heclaise ar Mag Radnaill agus ar na dainibh maithi sin fa comall don
5. iarla Gellad agus firinne [above: in iarla] risin do comall doibsen. IS iat na fiadna do bi do lathair in cunnarta sin .i. in tiarla fein agus Uilliam Bailis
6. agus Semas Boais agus Uilliam Diuid agus Concobar mac Culruaidh Na daine maithe adubramar remainn do echtaigh in cunnrad sin agus Mailin Og mac
7. Mailin hi Mailconaire do scribh he ina fiadhnuise fein in cuicad la do mí Nouimber a Magh Nuadat IN tochtmad cinc Hannri fa ri
8. Sacsan in inbaidh sin anno domini .mo. ccccco. xxxo. Ni roibe séla ag Mag Radnaill agus do ordaigh se sela colaisde Muigh Nuadadh
9. ar in deinntiursa. Tri marc do pein ag in iarla ar in duine ar a mbiaid fiacha bacfus gell don maer .i. Concubar Mac Culruaid
10. a leth sin a[g below] Mag Radhnaill [agus below] a[g below] na dainib maithi do rinne in cunnradsa agus a leth eli ag in iarla
NORMALISED TEXT
Is hé so cunnradh agus deintiúr atá idir Gearóid Mac Gearailt, Iarla Cille Dara, agus Mág Raghnaill .i. Feidhlim mac Conchobhair mheic Mhurchaidh agus Maol Ruadhnaidh mac Eóghain mheic Uilliam, agus Íor mac Briain mheic Uaithne, agus Séamas mac Maol Ruadhnaidh mheic Fhearghail, do chead agus do thoil a chéile, agus maithe Cloinne Maoil Sheachlainn go hiomlán .i. scilling as an cartún, ina bhfuil cion ag hUa Ruairc agus ag Mág Raghnaill, don Iarla gacha bliadhna, agus a íoc gacha Samhna do chionn a gcosanta ina gcóraid ar gach aon dá mbiaidh fa chumhachtaibh an Iarla.
Slána Dé agus mionna na heaglaise ar Mhág Raghnaill agus ar na daoinibh maithi sin fá chomhall don Iarla. Gealladh agus fírinne an Iarla ris sin do chomhall dóibséin.
Is iad na fiadhna do bhí do láthair an chunnartha sin .i. in tIarla féin agus Uilliam Bhailis agus Séamas Boais agus Uilliam Diúid agus Conchobhar Mac Culruaidh; na daoine maithe adubhramar reamhainn do echtaigh an cunnradh-soin; agus Maoilín Óg mac Maoilín hÍ Mhaoil Chonaire, do scríobh hé ina bhfiadhnaise féin, an cúigeadh lá do mhí November i Magh Nuadhad. In t-ochtmhadh cing Hannrí fa Rí Sacsan an ionbhaidh-sin, anno domini .mo. ccccco. xxxo.
Ní roibhe séala ag Mág Raghnaill, agus do ordaigh sé séala Coláiste Muighe Nuadhad ar an deintiúrsa. Trí mharc do féin ag an iarla ar an duine, ar a mbiaidh fiacha, bhacfas geall don maor .i. Conchubhar Mac Culruaidh.
A leath sin ag Mág Raghnaill agus ag na daoinibh maithe do rinne an cunnradhsa, agus a leath eile ag an Iarla.
TRANSLATION
This is the agreement and indenture between Gearóid son of Gearóid, Earl of Kildare, and Mág Raghnaill, i.e. Feidhlim son of Conchubhar son of Murchadh; and Maolruanaidh son of Eóghan son of Uilliam; and Íor son of Brian son of Uaithne; and Séamas son of Maolruanaidh son of Fearghal, by their mutual consent and will, and [that of] all the [other] nobles of Clann Mhaoileachlainn. That is: a shilling per carton where Mág Raghnaill and Ó Ruairc levy payment is to be paid to the Earl every year, and it is to be paid every Samhain on account of their being protected together against everyone who is under the Earl’s power.
The sureties of God and the relics of the Church bind Mág Raghnaill and those nobles to ensure its fulfilment for the Earl, and the Earl’s promise and honour are pledged to fulfil it for them.
The witnesses present at that agreement were the Earl himself and William Walsh, and James Boyce and William Tuite and Conchubhar Mac Culruaidh; the nobles we mentioned earlier whom that contract stipulated, and Maoilín Óg son of Maoilín Ó Maoil Chonaire who wrote it in their own presence on the 5th day of the month of November in Magh Nuadhad. Henry VIII was king of England at this time in the year of the Lord 1530.
Mág Raghnaill did not have a seal and he caused the seal of the College of Maynooth [to be put] on this indenture.
The Earl to impose a penalty of three marks on the person, being in debt, who will prevent the steward – that is Conchubhar Mac Culruaidh – from taking a pledge [against the debt].
One part of that [document] to be Mág Raghnaill’s and the nobles’ who made this agreement, and one part to be the Earl’s.
NOTES
2. Clann Maileclainn appear as a sept of Clann Raghnaill in 15th cent (1419 onwards in AFM). See Compossicion booke of Conought, 141 and 144, where their territory is located in Muintear Eólais Uachtarach. The four personages mentioned here (lines 1-2), Feidhlim, Maol Ruanaidh, Íor and Séamus, were all of the Clann Maoileachlainn: genealogies in TCD MS H.4.31, RIA C.iv.1 and NLI G.O. MS 155 (Roger O'Ferrall's 'Linea Antiqua'). (KN)
Í(o)r, wrongly represented as Iomhar in AFM, genealogies etc.
3. cartún In Longford and Westmeath, the equivalent of a quarter of a ploughland. (KN)
3. Ua Ruairc Overlord of Mág Raghnaill.
3. gacha bliadhna . . . gacha Samhna genitive of time (Grammar of Old Irish §250.4), Bardic syntactical tracts, 158).
3. iná coraid = ina gcóraid ('together') < córait ‘pair of oxen’
4-5. Clann Raghnaill have sworn by God and by the relics of the Church. Whereas the Clann Raghnaill were required to swear, peers were not, their word - gellad agus firinne an iarla - being sufficient (KN); cf. D16.16.
5-6. Uilliam Bailis, Semas Boais identified by Russell (p. 485) as William Walsh (Kildare’s standard bearer) and James Boyce (governor of the castle of Maynooth). Uilliam Diuid (Tuite) and Concobar Mac Culruaidh have not been identified.
6 & 9. Mac Culruaidh probably a shortening of surname Mac Giolla Ruaidh (Gilroy, McIlroy etc.); cf. D20.41.
6-7 Mailin Og mac Mailin hi Mailconaire Identified by Walsh (Irish men of learning, 37) as son of Maoilín (mac Torna) died 1519.
8. colaisde Muigh Nuadadh Collegiate Church of the Blessed Virgin founded by Kildare 1518. A seal was required to validate the indenture.
10. A reference to the indenture, consisting of a duplicate made on the same sheet, and then separated by creating a jagged edge, in order that both parties could retain a verifiable copy.