Florence MacCarthy

Life
1563-1640; long kept in the Tower of London, he wrote a manuscript epitome of the of early history of Ireland, held in the British Library as Add. MS 4793, ff. 21, 22 and reprinted in Sir John Gilbert, ed., Facsimiles of National Manuscripts of Ireland (1874).

 

Works
[‘History of Ireland’ in], Sir John Gilbert, ed., Facsimiles of National Manuscripts of Ireland (1874), Pt. IV, Vol. 1 pp.120-23; see also Standish Hayes O’Grady, Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in the British Museum, I, 61-62.

 

Quotations
“Epitome of Irish History”: ‘Then had they those that were called curidha (heroes) as Curi, Conall, Cernach, Cuchulin, and others that for their agility, strength, and activity and valour were much celebrated: and about one hundred and fifty years later they had those bands or companies called fiena that for their activity and valour were elected and chosen out of all the provinces. Their chief charge was to watch all the havens, and keep the country from sudden invasion, being commanded by Cumhaill mac Trenmoir, a Leinsterman, and by Finn mac Cumhaill, his son, after he was killed at the battle of Cnuca by Conn Cedcathach, or Counn (of the hundred battles).’ (Rep. in Gilbert, ed., Facsimiles of National Manuscripts of Ireland, Pt. IV, Vol. I, pp.120-23; p.122; cited in Russell K. Alspach, Irish Poetry from the English Invasion to 1798, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania UP 1959, p.69 - from whence Works, supra..)

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