Deed 23

BLib Egerton Charter 98 (O’Grady, BMus. Cat. I, 155–6)

Hardiman, Ancient Irish Deeds XXIII

MN 34

A land agreement between Seaán Ó Maoilchonaire, a noted scholar, and his neighbour, Domhnall mac Donnchaidh [Mac Con Mara], dated 1548. Ó Maoil Chonaire is also the subject of Deeds 24 (1548) and 25 (1560).

TRANSCRIPTION

1. Ise ní fhoillsigheas in sgribheann so go bfuil Dommhnall mac Donnchaidh meic Domnuill o Bel in Cuillinn agus Seaan

2. O Maoil Conaire on Ardcoill ag denam connartha agus ceangail re ceile a timcel ceatrama mír Machaire in Cloiginn

3. et leathceathrama [mir above] Machaire Beil na Aba itir choill agus corcaigh agus cruatan .i. Domnall mac Donnchaidh meic Domnaill ag tabairt na

4. tri leathcheathraman [mir above] sin uaidh fein agus ona eigribh na diaigh do Seaan O Maoilconaire et da eigribh a ngill re seacht mbuaibh

5. fichit innlaogh agus mas idir Bealltaine agus feil San Seaain fuaisceoltur in fearann sin iad sin do beith na mbuaibh

6. seasca agus a mbeith innlaogh o feil San Seaain amach agus a barr saor slan ag Seaan in bliadhain fuaisceoltur e agus dfiachaibh

7. ar Domnall et ar eigribh in ferann do chonnmail saor do Seean et dá eigribh o cion tire, et gan ar neart in ferann sin

8. do fuascladh acht deigri dileas Domnaill meic Donnchaidh mar geall ar a airneis dilis fein Et Misi Murceartach mac Concubhair

9. Oig Meg Flannchadha do sgribh so do thoil in da rann a Ros Muinecair aois in Tigerna mile bliadhan agus cuig cead agus ocht

10. mbliadhna agus da fichit IS iat a fiaghoin laithreach so Donnchadh mac Seaain meic Mathgamna o Ros Muinecair Domnall .R.

11. mac Concubair Uaithne Seaan mac Donnchaidh meic Domnaill Flaithri mac Domnaill Meg Flannchadha Lochlann O Cermoda Lochlann Riabach mac isog

12. in naobadh la do mi Iun do sgribadh

13. Lamh Domnaill mic Donnchaidh

14. Flaitri Mac Clanchai

NORMALISED TEXT

Is é ní fhoillsigheas an scríbheann so go bhfuil Dommnall mac Donnchaidh mheic Dhomhnuill, ó Bhéal an Cuillinn, agus Seaán Ó Maoil Chonaire, ón Ardchoill, ag déanamh chonartha agus ceangail re chéile i dtimcheall cheathramha mír Machaire an Clhoiginn, lethcheathramha mir Machaire Bhéil na [h]Abha, idir choill agus corcaigh agus cruatan .i. Domhnall mac Donnchaidh mheic Dhomhnaill ag tabhairt na dtrí leathcheathramhan mír sin uaidh féin agus óna eighribh ’na dhiaigh do Sheaán Ó Maoil Chonaire et dá eighribh i ngioll re secht mbuaibh fichead innlaogha.

Agus más idir Bealtaine agus Féil’ San Seaáin fuaisceóltur an fearann sin, iad sin do beith ’na mbuaibh seasca, agus a mbeith innlaogha ó Fhéil’ San Seaáin amach; agus a bharr saor slán ag Seaán an bhliadhain fuaisceóltur é; agus d’fhiachaibh ar Dhomhnall et ar [a] eighribh an fearann do chonnmháil saor do Sheaán et dá eighribh ó chion tíre; et gan ar nert an fearann sin do fhuascladh acht d’eighri díleas Domhnaill mheic Dhonnchaidh mar gheall ar a airnéis dílis féin

Et misi Muircheartach mac Concubhair Óig Mhéig Fhlannchadha do scríobh so do thoil in dá rann i Ros Muineachair, aois an Tighearna míle bliadhan agus cúig céad agus ocht mbliadhna agus dá fhichid.

Is iad a fhiadhoin láithrech so Donnchadh mac Seaáin mheic Mhathgamna ó Ros mBeannachair, Domhnall Ruadh mac Conchubhair Uaithne, Seaán mac Donnchaidh mheic Domhnaill, Flaithrí mac Domhnaill Mhéig Fhlannchadha, Lochlann Ó Cearmoda, Lochlann Riabhach Mac Ciosóg. An naomhadh lá do mhí Iún do scríobhadh.

Lámh Dhomhnaill mheic Donnchaidh

Flaithrí mac Clanchadha

TRANSLATION

This writing makes known that Domhnall son of Donnchadh son of Domhnall from Béal an Chuillinn and Seaán Ó Maoil Chonaire from An Ardchoill, are making a contract and agreement with each other concerning the quarter part of Machaire an Chloiginn and the half-quarter part of Machaire Béil na Ab[h]a, comprising wood and bog and hard ground. As follows: Domhnall son of Donnnchadh son of Domhnall is granting those three half-quarters from himself and his heirs after him to Seaán Ó Maoil Chonaire and to his heirs in pledge for 27 in-calf cows, and if the land be redeemed between Bealtaine and the feast of St John, they are to be dry-cows; and in-calf from after the Feast of St John. And the year it is redeemed John is to have its crop free [and] entire; and Domhnall and [his] heirs are obliged to keep the land free from tax for Seaán; and [no-one] except the legitimate heir of Domhnall son of Donnchaidh may redeem that land as a pledge with his own legitimate resources.

And I am Muircheatach son of Conchubhar Óg Mág Flannchadha who wrote this with the consent of the two parties in Ros Muineachair [in] the year of the Lord fifteen hundred and forty-eight. The witnesses to this [who are] present [are] Donnchadh son of Seaán son of Mathghamhain from Ros Muineachair, Domhnall Ruadh son of Conchubhar Uaitne, Seaán son of Donnchadh son of Domhnall, Flaithrí son of Domhnall Mág Fhlannchadha, Lochlann Ó Cearmada, Lochlann Riabhach Mac Ciosóg.

On the ninth day of June it was written.

The hand of Domhnall son of Donnchadh

Flaithrí Mag Fhlannchadha

NOTES

1. Bel in Cuillinn [both Hardiman and MN read Bel in Chuille] = Ballycullin tld., par Cill Fhionnachta / Kilfinaghta, bar. Bunratty Lower, Co. Clare. See Deed 25. Ballycullen Castle was a Macnamara Castle.

2. Ardcoill Ardkyle tld., par Feenagh, bar. Bunratty Lower, Co. Clare

2. Machaire in Cloiginn unidentified

3. Machaire Beil na Aba unidentified

3. choill agus corcaigh agus cruatan Cf. ‘itir coruid agus caill agus cruatann ’ D11.3.

5. feil San Seaain 24 June

6. a mbeith innlaogh o feil San Seaain amach A penalty for late payment.

7. cion tíre ‘general tribute’ MN; see note on cion in Ó Rathile, Measgra Dánta II, 243: cites cion tíre from Begly & MacCurtin, Foclóir Béarla Gaoidheilge (1732) ‘taxes’, ‘publick revenues’; cion baile cited in the agreement between O’Donnell and O’Conor Sligo (Irish Historical Studies III).

7. ar nert . . . do Not attested elsewhere as an expression. (DIL: gaibid nert for ‘overpowers’)

8. dileas [nom sg] . . .dilis [dat sg fem]; a airneis dilis fein cf. ‘agus a fuascladh da airneis fein’ D7.9

9. Ros Muinechair Ros mBeannchair / Rossmanagher, par. Feenagh, bar. Bunratty Lower, Co. Clare D12.6.

11. Lochlann Riabach mac isog The Clare Cusacks were a Gaelic family, probably an offshoot of the Call Chon Mara (KN).