O’Davoren Book (or Egerton 88)
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:58 pm
Descendants of the O’Davorens* (also spelled Davoran and Daveron) may be interested to know that the most important book associated with the O’Davoren Law School of Cahermacnaghten is on loan from the British Library to Galway City Museum until January 2020**. I gather that this book is usually referred to as Egerton 88.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Davoren
** https://www.galwaycitymuseum.ie/new-pho ... 2-2-2-2-2/
I went there to see it. The book is under glass and only a couple of pages are on view, showing the perfectly beautiful script, which is much smaller in reality than it appears in the images online. I suppose the parchment was too precious to be used wastefully.
It is part of an exhibition entitled “Keepers of the Gael: Culture and Society in Gaelic Ireland 1200-1600 AD” and there is an accompanying booklet by Liz Fitzpatrick which gives short outline on the Physician, the Poet, the Lawyer, the Musician etc. of the medieval period. In the section on The Lawyer, there’s a short piece on Donall O’Davoren under the sub-heading: ‘The book of Donal O’Davoren’:
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Davoren
** https://www.galwaycitymuseum.ie/new-pho ... 2-2-2-2-2/
I went there to see it. The book is under glass and only a couple of pages are on view, showing the perfectly beautiful script, which is much smaller in reality than it appears in the images online. I suppose the parchment was too precious to be used wastefully.
It is part of an exhibition entitled “Keepers of the Gael: Culture and Society in Gaelic Ireland 1200-1600 AD” and there is an accompanying booklet by Liz Fitzpatrick which gives short outline on the Physician, the Poet, the Lawyer, the Musician etc. of the medieval period. In the section on The Lawyer, there’s a short piece on Donall O’Davoren under the sub-heading: ‘The book of Donal O’Davoren’:
SheilaDonall was an ollamh of the O’Davoren learned family of brehon lawyers in the Burren, Co. Clare. When compiling his book, which included a legal glossary and other material, between 1564 and 1570, he and his scribes visited the MacEgan law school at Park, Co. Galway, the O’Doran law school at Ballyorley, Co. Wexford and the O’Mulconry school of seanchas (history) at Ardkyle, Co. Clare. Completing the work in 1570, he wrote, ‘I am well pleased with that quantity of the old book which I have today finished off’.