Christopher Guy Yocum

ORCID: 0000-0002-7241-3264

While working on the latest release of IrishGen, I had the chance to revisit a decision made earlier in the project’s history. In this case, it involved the Genelach Clainde Cernaig from the Book of Leinster. In fact the entry is so small, I will copy and paste it here so I can discuss it in full. You can also see the file on IrisGen in the file clainde_cernaig.trig (click here).

Cummascach m Cernaig m Mael Chiarain m Eochach m Cernaig m Echdach m Cummascaig m Ailella.

Da mc Ailella m Cummascaig m Cernaig m Shubne m Ecnig m Colgan m Suibne m Rónain.

Et Fer Dá Chrích m Suibne m Crundmael m Ronain m Baetain m Muridaig.

The first sentence is an unremarkable String Genealogy. The problem lies in the first word of the second sentence: Da. This could be one of two things: the name of an individual or the numeral: two. Eystein Thanisch helpfully points this out in a comment in the file. Additionally, he indicates Laud Misc 610 which also contains a version of this string genealogy, which is also short and can be copied and pasted here from the file:

Cummascach m. Cernaig m. Máilchíaráin m. Eochach m. Cernaig m. Echach m. Cumascaig m. Ailella (ocus Lorcán m. Ailella dá mac Ailella) m. Cumascaig m. Cernaig m. Suibne m. Éicnig m. Colcan m. Suibne m. Rónaín (ocus Fer dá crích) m. Suibne m. Cruindmáil m. Rónáin m. Baetáin.

Again this is a rather unremarkable String Genealogy. You can see the IrishGen file here. Although, you can see how this was interpreted by the compilers of Laud Misc 610. Many of the same indivuduals are used but the entire line is smoothed out into one single line of descent with individuals added at certain points. A second look at the Laudo Misc 610 line will also show that the compiliers of Laud Misc 610 believe that Allela has two sons: “Ailella (ocus Lorcán m. Ailella dá mac Ailella)” in this case Lorcán and Cumascaig. Returning to the Book of Leinster version, you will notice that Lorcán is not mentioned.

At this point, you might think that evidence from Laud Misc 610 would lend weight to the position that Aillil had two sons. Sadly, the Book of Leinster is from the 12th century while Laud Misc 610 is from the 15th century. There is plenty of time for someone to change the genealogy in transmission or change it deliberately for their own reasons. Genealogies were political documents and were changed, revised, and updated with new information all the time.

When faced with an interpretation like this, it can be helpful to look at the manuscript directly. Thankfully both manuscripts have been digitized and are available online. You can see Laud Misc 610 version of the geneaology here in the upper right hand corner and eleven lines down. You can see the Book of Leinster version here with the entry in about the middle of the page in column b.

Looking at the manuscript, you will notice that some of the initial letters are filled in with red pigment. This often indicates the beginning of a sentence or line. While this often gives clues as to the interpretation of a line, in this case, it cannot tell us much as all the beginning letters of lines are filled in and not just names.

Another way to look at it is to look further along to “Et Fer Dá Chrích m Suibne…”. Does the conjunction “et” indicate that Fer Dá Chrích has a brother or does it mean that there is another line in the genealogy? Looking at the manuscript context, “et” does not seem marked out specally or in any way indicated as special in some way. It seems for now that “et” is just “and this line as well”.

For now, unless someone comes up with a better arrangement of facts (a new argument that has better explanitory force) or new, over-looked facts that would resolve this, Da will remain a son of Aillil inside IrishGen.