The Book of Fermoy (, aka RIA MS 23 E 29 or the Book of Roche, ''leabhar de Róiste'') is a medieval Irish text dated to the 14th to 16th century AD. The majority of the book consists of a compendium of poems, historical tracts and genealogies related to the medieval Roche family compiled in the 1450s and 1460s.
History
The book was written in the
Irish language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
in the fifteenth century by several scribes. The 238 pages contain numerous tales, histories, and biographies.
James Henthorn Todd
James Henthorn Todd (23 April 1805 – 28 June 1869) was a biblical scholar, educator, and Irish historian. He is noted for his efforts to place religious disagreements on a rational historical footing, for his advocacy of a liberal form of Prot ...
acquired the work in 1858 - he suggested the title "Book of Roche" would be equally applicable to the work on account of the large quantity of content relating to the history of the Roche Family of Fermoy; one "David
órson of Maurice son of John Roche" is mentioned in the text as a patron of one set of scribes.
Contents
:Summary based on Todd (1868).
Folio numbering follows
Eugene O'Curry
Eugene O'Curry (, 20 November 179430 July 1862) was an Irish philologist and antiquary.
Life
He was born at Doonaha, near Carrigaholt, County Clare, the son of Eoghan Ó ComhraÃ, a farmer, and his wife Cáit. Eoghan had spent some time as a ...
's added pagination as in Todd. (a/b refer to each side of the page)
References
Sources
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* O'Neill, Timothy. ''The Irish Hand: Scribes and Their Manuscripts From the Earliest Times''. Cork: Cork University Press, 2014.
External links
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{{Ancient Irish manuscripts
15th-century books
Early Irish literature
History of County Cork
Irish-language literature
Irish-language manuscripts