medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>From: Phyllis Jestice <[log in to unmask]>
Ciaran of Clonmacnoise (d. c. 545) The son of a Connacht (Ireland)
carpenter,
Ciara/n is said to have brought a valuable posession and companion to
Clonmacnois: his dun-colored cow. When she died, her remains were said to
have been used to make the Book of the Dun Cow (Labor na hUidre--aka LU) a
large manuscript containing some of the more important stories and other
lore. It is considered the oldest manuscript to be written entirely in
Irish; it almost certainly came from Clonmacnois, but dates to several
centuries (at least) after Ciaran's death. The manuscript contains an early
(though incomplete) version of the Ta/in Bo/ Cuailgne, an important epic.
The story of the Ta/in was said to have been lost and was recovered through
poetic invocation of the dead upon which it was recorded for posterity. In
most versions, a poet invoked the spirit of the hero, Fergus mac Roich, who
retold the story. But in one version, Ciara/n did the invoking and
recording.
Francine Nicholson
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