Stones of Aran (70 page)
Authors: Tim Robinson
1
J. O’Donovan,
Ordnance
Survey
Letters.
2
Colgan,
Acta
Sanctorum,
quoted in Hardiman’s notes to R. O’Flaherty,
op.
cit.
1
(Churchill) Information from Tim Collins.
2
Stokes,
The
Life …
of
George
Petrie.
3
(“Whoever
las
it …”) Breandán Ó hEithir, “Ciall Cheannaithe,” in
The
Irish
Times
(1977).
4
Paul Kerrigan, “The Defence of Ireland 1793–1815,” in
An
Cosantóir
(February 1982).
1
B. Ó hEithir, “Má Bhíonn Tu in Árainn Bí in Eochaill,” in
The
Irish
Times
(15 July 1977).
1
(1581 inquisition) Ó Cillín,
op.
cit.
2
G. H. Kinahan, “Notes on some of the ancient villages in the Aran Islands, County Galway,” in
Proc.
RIA,
10 (1867).
3
John Goulden’s preliminary reports to the Royal Irish Academy, quoted in John Waddell, “J. R.W. Goulden’s excavations on Inishmore, Aran, 1953–1955,” in
JGAHS,
Vol. 41 (1987–88).
4
Waddell (1987–88).
1
T.S. Ó Máille, “Five Co. Galway Placenames,” in
JGAHS,
Vol. XXVIII.
2
J. Colgan,
Acta
Sanctorum.
3
An t-Ath. Martán Ó Domhnaill,
Oileáin
Árann
(Dublin, 1930).
4
J.R.W. Goulden, “Kilnamanagh: The Lost Church of Aran,” in
JGAHS,
Vol. XXVI (1955).
5
Ó Cillín,
op.
cit.
6
(Fursey) Richard Sharpe,
Medieval
Irish
Saints’
Lives
(Oxford, 1991).
7
(Brendan) Miles Dillon and Nora Chadwick,
The
Celtic
Realms
(London, 1973). For Maol Dúin, see also “Eoghanacht” in this volume.
8
I have slightly amended O’Donovan’s translation, in his
Ordnance
Survey
Letters
,
of the “Life of St. Kevin” from the
Codex
Kilkenniensis.
9
J.M. Synge’s 1898 notebook.
10
O’Donovan,
op.
cit.
11
A. O’Kelleher and G. Shoepperle (eds.),
Beth
a
Colaim
Chille,
Life
of
Columcille),
compiled
by
Manus
O’Donnell
(Chicago, 1918). The phrase naming the abbot is unclear and varies between mss; O’Donovan makes him out to be called Santal. The name Talgaeth is given in James F. Kenney,
The
Sources
for
the
Early
History
of
Ireland
(Dublin, 1979), Section 219, “Minor sources relating to Columba.”
1
I have based the opening of this version on a translation of the middle Irish original into modern Irish in
Seanchas
na
Féinne,
Niall Ó Domhnaill (Dublin, 1943). The lullaby is a twelfth-century work; it is given in Gerard Murphy’s
Early
Irish
Lyrics
(Oxford,
1956) and I have used his prose translation as a crib. Gráinne calls Diarmaid “
cró
gaile
íarthair
Gréc
” (battle-fence of western Greece), but given the hero’s psychology my “playboy of the western world” makes more sense today.
2
J.R.W. Goulden, “Kilnamanagh: The Lost Church of Aran,” in
JGAHS,
Vol. XXVI (1955); includes a reproduction of the O.S. plan and elevation of Clochán an Phúca.
3
G.H. Kinahan, “Notes on some of the ancient villages in the Aran Islands, County Galway,” in
Proc.
RIA,
10 (1867).
4
William O’Brien, “Altar Tomb and the Prehistory of Mizen,” in
Mizen
Journal,
No. 1 (1993).
5
(inhabited megalithic tombs) T.J. Westropp, “Prehistoric Remains along the Borders of the Burren,” in
JRSAI,
Series 5, Vol. XV (1905).
6
(goose-pen) Information from Patrick Nolan, Gleninsheen, Ballyvaughan.
1
Information from Conor MacDermot, Geological Survey, Dublin. For the terms Asbian and Brigantian, see T.N. George et al., “A Correlation of Dinantian Rocks in the British Isles,” in
Geol.
Soc.
Lond.,
Special Report No. 7 (1976).
2
(solution of limestone) Frank Mitchell,
Shell
Guide
to
Reading
the
Irish
Landscape
(Dublin, 1986).
3
Llubica Jelicic and Michael O’Connell, “History of vegetation and land use from 3200 B.P. to the present day in the north-west Burren, a karstic region of western Ireland,”
Vegetation
History
and Ar
chaeobotany
(Springer-Verlag, 1992).
4
David Langridge, “Limestone Pavement Patterns on the Island of Inishmore, Co. Galway,” in
Irish
Geography,
Vol. 6 (3) (1971).
1
(Tobar Ghrióir) Story from Mícheál King, Fearann an Choirce.
2
S.F. (Samuel Ferguson), “Clonmacnoise, Clare, and Arran,” Parts 1 and 2, in
Dublin
University
Magazine,
XLI (1853).
3
(British Association)
A
Short
Description
of
the
Western
Islands
of
Aran,
no author named (W.R. Wilde), quoted in Haddon and Browne (1892).
4
Congested Districts Board Report on the Aran Islands (1893), reprinted in Island Life Series I,
A
World
of
Stone:
The
Aran
Islands
(Curriculum Development Unit, Dublin, 1977).
5
Canon John O’Hanlon,
Lives
of
the
Irish
Saints
(1875–97), quoted in Daphne Pochin Mould,
The
Aran
Islands
(Newton Abbot, 1972).
6
Mary Banim,
op.
cit.,
reprinted in
An
Aran
Reader.
7
(grants, land reclamation) John C. Messenger,
Inis
Beag
(New York, 1969).
8
Peadar Ua Concheanáinn,
Innismeadhoin:
Seanchas
agus
Sgéalta
(Dublin, 1931).
9
Tomás Ó Direáin, “An t-Árannach,”
Nuabhéarsaíocht
1939–1949,
ed. Seán Ó Tuama (Dublin, 1950; republished 1974).
10
T.G.F. Curtis, H.N. McGough, E.D. Wymer, “The Discovery … of Arable Weeds … in the Aran Islands,” in
Ir.
Nat.
J
., Vol. 22, No. 12 (1988).
11
W.Y. Evans Wentz,
The
Fairy
Faith
in
Celtic
Countries
(Oxford, 1911; reprinted Gerrard’s Cross, 1988).
1
Austin Bourke, “Phytophthora and Famine,” in
Technology
Ireland,
Vol. 22, No. 4 (July/August 1990).
2
Transcription of a tape recording,
Píosa
seanchais
bailithe
ó
Sheán
Ó
Giolláin,
Scoil Éigse Eoghanachta 1975–76; my translation.
1
(
blackin’
)
Information from Bertie Joyce, Cill Mhuirbhigh.
2
James Duran, “The Irish Language in Aran,” later published in
The
Book
of Aran,
ed. John Waddell, J.W. O’Connell, and Anne Korff (Kinvara, 1994).
3
(Bríd Gillan) Michael Finlan, “Witness to a century of Irish history returns to her roots,” in
The
Irish
Times
(12 September 1994).
4
From the tape recording of Seán Ó Giolláin, Scoil Éigse
Eoghanachta
(1975–76); my translation.
5
Tom O’Flaherty, “My First Suit,”
Aranmen
All
(Dublin, 1934); slightly shortened and rearranged.
6
I am grateful to Professor John Waddell for showing me George Warren’s journal, which is now in the possession of Patrick Gageby, Dublin.
7
Further details of O’Callaghan’s life are given in
Beathaisnéis
a
Ceathair.
8
A.C. Haddon and C.R. Browne, “The Ethnography of the Aran Islands,” in
Proc.
RIA
(1892).
9
Siamsa
an
Gheimhridh,
Dómhnall O’Fotharta (Dublin, 1892).
10
Tom O’Flaherty,
Aranmen
All.
11
(Gaelic League)
Fáinne
an
Lae
(20 August 1898).
12
The following account is based on Powell,
Oileáin
Árann,
and Patrick F. Sheeran,
The
Novels
of Liam
O’Flaherty
(Dublin, 1976).
13
Liam O’Flaherty,
Skerrett
(London, 1932).
14
I am obliged to Roddy McCaffrey of Robinson Keefe Devane, Dublin, for this description of the Residence.
ON THE BOUNDARY
1
An tAthair Mártan Ó Domhnaill,
Oileáin
Árann
(Dublin, 1930). His biography is given in
Beathaisnéis
a
Trí.
2
I owe the idea that Creig an Córach may represent the boundary between the territories of Dún Dúchathair and Dún Aonghasa to Claire Cotter of the Discovery Programme (for which see “Dún Aonghasa Revisited” in this volume).
1
Máirtín Ó Direáin, “Cuireadh do Mhuire,”
Dánta
Aniar
(Dublin, 1943); my translation.
2
(jerseys) J.M. Synge,
The
Aran
Islands.
3
This history of the Aran knitting is based on M.M.E. Robinson, “The Four Dropped Stitches,” unpublished essay (1982), and
Deirdre
McQuillan,
The
Aran
Sweater
(Belfast, 1993).
4
P.A. Ó Síocháin,
Aran,
Islands
of Legend
(Dublin, 1962).
1
Tom O’Flaherty,
op.
cit.
2
Liam O’Flaherty,
Shame
the
Devil
(London, 1934; Dublin, 1981).
3
Tom O’Flaherty,
op.
cit.
4
Éamon Ó Ciosán,
An
t-
É
ireannach,
1934
–
1937,
P
á
ipéar
Sóisialach
Gaeltachta
(Dublin, 1993).
5
(Liam’s first story) Quoted in Benedict Kiely, “Liam O’Flaherty at Eighty,” in
The
Irish
Times
(27
August 1976); see also Liam
O’Flaherty
,
Shame
the
Devil.
6
(shell)
Shame
the
Devil.
7
Liam O’Flaherty,
Two
Years
(London, 1930).
8
(Rotunda occupation) Breandán Ó hEithir, “Biseach na hAoine,” in
The
Irish
Times
(18 November 1983).
9
Liam O’Flaherty,
Thy
Neighbour’s
Wife
(London, 1923; Dublin, 1972).
10
Liam O’Flaherty,
The
Black
Soul
(London, 1924; Dublin, 1981).
11
Liam O’Flaherty,
Spring
Sowing
(London, 1924; Dublin, 1976).
12
Liam O’Flaherty,
The
Informer
(London, 1924);
A
Tourist’s
Guide
to
Ireland
(London, 1929);
Famine
(London, 1937; Dublin, 1977);
The
Ecstasy
of
Angus
(London, 1931);
Skerrett
(London, 1932; Dublin, 1979).
13
Liam O’Flaherty,
Dúil
(Dublin, 1953).
14
The
Irish
Times
(17 June 1980), and personal information from O’Flaherty’s niece, Mrs. Alice Powell, Eochaill.
15
(“storm-swept rock”) quoted in B. Kiely, in
The
Irish
Times
(27
August
1976).