Comracc Liadain i Cuirithir

Comracc Liadain i Cuirithir(Comracc Líadaine ocus Chuirithir) an 9^th century poem of love.

Comracc Liadain i Cuirithir is a classic love poem, but what makes this poem so special is that it is about the love of two poets, Cuirithir mac Doborchu and Liadian. The poem was written in the 9^th century but Cuirithir and Liadian lived in the 7^th century, according to this site. Also one thing about this poem is that the actually is unknown. This poem does more than tells of their love and their hardships it gives us insights into their time period and gave us insight on what these poets lives were like.

Liadian was a female poet, note that nowhere does it say bafili meaning there must have been another form of female poet, who lived in the 7^th century. If it isn’t strange enough to have a female poet at this time, she also was traveling around which is when she met Cuirithir. Soon after their first meeting they had relations without being married, which was against the religion at that time. After her first encounter with Cuirithir she became a nun. Though Cuirithir found her again she was already a nun. Several times throughout the text she was also called a scholar meaning she must have had some education.

Cuirithir was a male poet in Corkaguiney also living in the 7^th century.  Unlike his lover Cuirithir was not travelling. When Liadian became a nun and Cuirithir broke his chastity vows to the church he was forced to admit he did not love Liadian anymore, which in turn according to the story made Liadian die of a broken heart.

This story reveled just how religion and love affected each other. Also it gave great insight into the lives of female and male poets, traveling and city based. Poets’ lives could get a lot more complicated then what we previously thought, it’s not all about mythology and taken records like it seems. Love plays a role in this medieval poetry as well. 

Gillebríghde Albanach

Gillebríghde Albanach was born in Scotland during the early part of the 13th Century. However, he spent most of his life working in Ireland as a poet. Even more uniquely, even though he worked in Ireland, he still wrote his poetry in Scottish Gaelic. He was one of the few poets in Ireland who wrote in Scottish Gaelic, and certainly one of the very few whose works have survived. In addition to being a poet, he was a crusader, taking part in the Fifth Crusade. According to Scotland and the Crusades, he reached the city of Acre, Israel in 1218 or 1219 and remained on crusade for about 5 years. 

One of his surviving poems reflects on the contradictions of being a crusader while also being a poet, and also on the troubles of his friend. In A Mhuireadhaigh, meil do sgín, Albanach describes the troubles through his friend, Muireadhach Albanach (another famous poet who went on the crusade with Albanach). As poets, they are supposed to be peaceful people who don't use weapons, yet being a crusader requires the exact opposite. Muireadhach killed the steward of king Cathal, and the poem suggests that Muireachach came back to Ireland to reconcile with Cathal, as well as to criticize him staying behind as a monk while Muireachach went on the crusade. The poem subliminally highlights how Gillebrighde felt troubled with being a poet while also being a crusader, and trying to compromise between the two vastly contrasting lives.

Poet Classes

There were many different form of poets, each with a different amount of training, and a different jobs. The Ollamh were the highest position a poet could hold. These poets were normally given the best jobs and were typically very wealthy.Ollamh was “achieved after at least 12 years of study, during which the poet mastered more than 300 difficult metres and 250 primary stories and 100 secondary stories.” The Chief Ollamh of Ireland was a special position, having the same social status as the High King. According to Law, he was allowed to wear six colors in his dress (same as royalty). In addition, he had his own palace where he lived along with 30 other Ollamhs and their servants.

The next highest form of poet is the Fili. These poets were typically raised in a family of scholars. They also start studying different works from a very early age.

The Bard is the lowest legal form of poet. These are poets who are just starting out and beginning to learn the different styles of poetry, and the focus specifically the poetic eulogy, according to Britannica.     

The lowest form of poet is the Cáinte is an illegal satirist. Some of these illegal satirists started out as legal poets and then lost the right to use satire. One can use the right to use satire if they used it against a person of power or the church. According to this article   Cáinte threatened the validity of all legal poets because of their use of satire. 

Unlike many other professions of the time, poets, allowed women. The women poets could be called Banfili after some training. The Banfili are ranked higher then bards but under the male Fili. Though they did not have the work Ollamh received, they could receive commissions, according to this site.

Dallán Forgaill is one of the most significant poets from early Ireland. There are few Christians in the world today who haven’t heard a translation of his most famous poem, Rop tú mo baile. From a young age, he was known for his intensive studying. According to the Dictionary of the Irish Language, it is said that he studied so hard that he went blind, earning the nickname Dallán, meaning “little blind one”. Forgaill also became the Chief Ollamh (high poet) of Ireland, the highest position attainable for a poet. Achieving this rank put him on the same social level as the High King or Ireland. Forgaill was also known as the writer of many eulogies, specifically those for Colm Cille (one of the 12 Apostles of Ireland), St. Senan (another Apostle of Irleand), and St. Connall (Irish Bishop). He was killed in 598, when a band of pirates broke into the monastery of Inniskeel where he was staying and beheaded him. It is said that after the pirates threw his head into the sea, it was “recovered and miraculously reunited to his body.” In the Catholic Church, he became a saint during the 11^th Century.

Below, you will find a video containing his Rop tú mo baile sung to the Irish tune Slane. Many of you will recognize it as the same tune as Be Thou My Vision, which is an English translation of the very same poem. In the latter half of the song, she does sing a few verses in English as well.

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Gaelg - Manx

Manx is the least known of all of the Goidelic Languages, native only to the Isle of Man. Like the others, the English Conquests wiped it out when the British took over the Isle of Man. Also, like Scottish Gaelic, it was brought over as Old Irish from settlers and eventually distinguished itself. However, due to the small size and population of the Isle of Man, the Manx language suffered a larger blow than the others. In 1974, it became extinct as a first language. However, revival efforts soon followed with about 100 speakers, including small number of children who are considered to be “new native speakers”. According to the Census, in 2001, 1,689 people claimed some knowledge of the language, a meager 2.2% of the population of the Isle of Man. Better statistics will soon be available with the 2011 Census. As English became more prominent, Parents began to see it useless to tech there children Manx, because English was much more useful. In recent years, traditional Manx names are becoming more popular for children.

Gàidhlig - Scottish Gaelic

Scottish Gaelic is the second Goidelic language in number of speakers. Approximately 58,000 people have some knowledge of the language. Scottish Gaelic is undergoing it’s own revival effort, though it lost about 7,300 speakers from 1991 to 2001. The success of recent efforts will soon be evaluated when the 2011 UK Census figures are released. It is currently an official language in Scotland.

Gaelic was introduced by settlers from Ireland somewhere around the 4th century (in the form of Old Irish). The language was quickly adopted, and eventually, Scottish Gaelic began distinguish itself -along with the other Goidelic Languages - during the 12th Century. It was immensely popular, replacing the languages of Cumbric and Pictish. In some areas, it even replaced Old English. The Highland clan culture’s primary language was Scottish Gaelic.

   

 
It met the same fate as Irish when the English Conquests took over Scotland (notably at the Battle of Culloden). The British placed the same kinds of restrictions on the language, and English quickly dominated most regions. Additionally, the first well known translation of the Bible came in 1767, which is relatively late. Consequently - like many other languages - it failed to make the smooth transition to a modern literary language without a early translation of the Bible. However, Scottish Gaelic still has some purely native speakers in the Scottish Highlands, where it is the primary language in a few areas.

Gaeilge - The Irish Language

Gaeilge is the most popular of the three Goidelic languages,and is the language that most people simply refer to as “Irish”. Approximately 2 million people can speak Irish to some degree, though only a small population on Ireland speaks it as a primary language. This is despite the fact that Irish has been the dominant language on the Island throughout most of its history. English, the current primary language, first became a factor only a mere 200 years ago.

Gaeltacht Regions

The Irish Language saw a rapid decline during the 18th century, as English began to replace it in a phenomenon known as “language shift”. It was brought upon by the British occupation placing restrictions on the language. Also, as a consequence of an Gorta Mór (the Irish Potato Famine), many native Irishmen emigrated from Ireland attempting to escape poverty. After loosing a large portion of the native speakers, English took over easily. English remains the most common language in Ireland, with only a few isolated regions known as Gaeltachtaí. It is estimated that there are currently between 40,000 and 80,000 fully native speakers.

The Irish language is currently experiencing a revival.This is not the first time; during the “Gaelic Revival” during the late 19th century, there was a large attempt to bring back the language, as well other aspects traditional Irish Culture. Many urban areas currently educate students in Irish, causing the percentages of speakers to actually rise in some areas. In 2005, Irish became an official language of the European Union.

"teangacha Gaelacha" or "cànanan/teangan Goidealach" or "çhengaghyn Gaelgagh" or "Goidelic Languages"

The Goidelic languages were dominant in Ireland during the medieval period. Goidelic is a family of languages that descended from Insular Celtic, an Indo-European language. The Goidelic family is commonly referred to as “Gaelic”. However, there are three modern Goidelic languages: Irish (Gaeilge), Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), and Manx (Gaelg). Technically, there is no single language that is known as “Gaelic”. The three Goidelic Languages are all very similar, with Irish being the most common today. The easiest way to distinguish the three languages is simply their geographic location. Irish was obviously common in Ireland, Scottish Gaelic in Scottish Highlands, and Manx in the Isle of Man. The three languages vary slightly in their pronunciation and spelling, specifically in consonants, but are all extremely similar. 

Below, you will find the Lord's Prayer, written (top to bottom respectively) in Manx, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish. The order of the title is as follows: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, English.

The Cycles of Irish Mythology

Irish Myth revolves around its four mythological cycles, Mythological, Ulster, Fenian, and Historical. The Mythological cycle consists of the Lore of Places and the Book of invasions. This cycle has the mythological history of the Irish people all the way back to Noah. The Book of invasions tells of many invasions of the Irish people on the fairy people. The Ulster cycle deals with a few Irish heroes and the mythological king, Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster. The Fenian cycle also focuses on many Irish heroes, but instead of being stories from Ulster they are primarily about the province of Leinster and Munster. The Historical cycle consists of court bards writing about the kings they serve. Mixing fiction and truth grand poems were made about that the kings of Ireland. These many cycles form a pseudo history of Ireland, combining actually history with false accounts of mythological beings and invasions. Though many of the poems involve fairies and other beings that do not exist, many people believe that these accounts did happen just with other humans. 

One interesting thing about the texts, of these cycles, do not have known authors.  However, the general consentience is that the Ollamh, or Chief poets, were the authors. These highly trained poets were given the task of recording the “history” of the land and those in it. Naturally these poets were influenced by the religion of the time. Not many poems were written solely about the religious beliefs of the time; they were just incorporated into these tales of the Irish “history”.