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| Book of Ballymote | |
|---|---|
| Royal Irish Academy, MS 23 P 12 | |
 | |
| Also known as | Leabhar Bhaile an Mhóta |
| Type | Miscellany |
| Date | 1390–1391 |
| Place of origin | Ballymote |
| Language(s) | Middle Irish, with someLatin |
| Scribe(s) | Solamh Ó Droma, Roibéard Mac Síthigh, Maghnus Ó Duibheannáin |
| Patron | Tomaltagh McDonagh |
| Material | Parchment |
| Size | 40 × 26 cm |
| Format | Folio |
| Condition | Imperfect |
| Script | Irish minuscule |
| Contents | Genealogy, history, hagiography, topography |
| Illumination(s) | Interlaceinitials, mainlyzoomorphic, tinted with coloured washes[1] |
TheBook of Ballymote (Irish:Leabhar Bhaile an Mhóta,RIA MS 23 P 12, 275 foll.) was written in 1390 or 1391 in or near the town ofBallymote, now inCounty Sligo, but then in thetuath ofCorann.
According toDavid Sellar who was theLord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland, theBook of Ballymote was written from between 1384 and 1405.[2] According toRobert Anthony Welch, it was compiled in the late 14th century.[3]
This book was compiled towards the end of the 14th century at the castle of Ballymote for Tonnaltagh McDonagh, who was then in occupation of the castle. The chief compiler was Manus O'Duignan, one of a family who wereollavs andscribes to the McDonagh and the McDermots. Other scribes of the book were Solomon O'Droma, a member of a famous County Fermanagh family, and a Robert McSheedy. The book is a compilation of older works, mostly loose manuscripts and valuable documents handed down from antiquity that came into possession of McDonagh.
The first page of the work contains a drawing of Noah's Ark as conceived by the scribe. The first written page is missing and the second opens with a description of the ages of the world.Patrick and his household; Cormac's instructions to a king; and a physical and geological survey of Ireland. Part of the work is devoted to the sagas ofFinn andBrian Boru, and theLebor na Cert (Book of Rights). It also contains treatises on the metre and the profession of a poet, and on theOgham writing and language. The book ends with several translations from Greek: the destruction of Troy and the wanderings of Ulysses, followed by a resume of Virgil's 'Aeneid', beginning with Nestor's speech to the Greeks.
The Book of Ballymote, like many of its kind, has made history by its wanderings. For over a hundred years it was a treasured possession of the McDonaghs of Corran. In 1522 it was purchased by the O'Donnells[4] with whom it remained until theFlight of the Earls in 1603. From 1620 until 1767 it was in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. It disappeared from the library and was later found in Burgundy, France. In 1785 it was returned to theRoyal Irish Academy where it remained as one of the Academy's most treasured possessions. The work was photographed by the Academy in 1887 and two hundred copies of it were made. One copy is in the diocesan archives and others in libraries.[citation needed]
The first page of the work contains a drawing ofNoah's Ark. The first written page is lost, and the second page describes the ages of the world.
The book ends with various Greek and Latin fragments on the fall ofTroy, including a fragment of theAeneid.
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