rish Academy (Dublin,
1880), and again for the Bradshaw Society (London, 1905).

It may perhaps be as well to enumerate here the later Irish
martyrologies. (1) The _Martyrology of Tallaght_ (Tamlacht), founded on
an 8th-century calendar, but containing additions down to 900 (ed. D.H.
Kelly, Dublin, 1857). (2) The metrical _Martyrology of O'Gorman_, c.
1166-1174, edited by Stokes for the Bradshaw Society (London, 1895). (3)
The _Martyrology of Donegal_, an important compilation in prose made by
Michael O'Clery in 1630, edited by J.H. Todd (Dublin, 1864). A
composition which is wrongly assigned to Oengus the Culdee is the
_Saltair na Rann_ or Psalter in Quatrains, contained in an Oxford MS.
(Rawlinson B 502) and published without a translation by Stokes (Oxford,
1883). The work proper consists of 150 poems corresponding to the number
of Psalms in the psalter, but 12 poems have been added, and in all it
contains 2098 quatrains, chiefly in _deibide_ metre of seven syllables.
The poems are mainly based on biblical (Old Testament) history, but they
preserve a large measure of medieval sacred lore and cosmogony. The
psalter received additions as late as 998, and the Oxford MS. belongs to
the 12th century. We should perhaps also mention here the famous _Amra_
or Eulogy of St Columba, commonly attributed to Dallan Forgaill, a
contemporary of the saint, but Stokes takes the view that it was written
in the 9th century, and is intentionally obscure. The oldest but not the
best copy of the _Amra_ is preserved in the Trinity College, Dublin, MS.
of the _Liber Hymnorum_, but it also occurs in LU. and elsewhere. It
invariably appears heavily gloss-laden, and the glosses and commentary
added thereto are out of all proportion to the text. This piece, which
is not extant in its integrity, was probably intended as artificial
alliterative prose, but, as we have it, it is a medley of isolated
phrases and irrelevant comment.

Old collectors.

Book of the Dun Cow.

Book of Leinster.

Yellow Book of Lecan.

Book of Ballymote.

Speckled Book.

During the 9th and 10th centuries Ireland was harassed by the Vikings,
and a host of scholars seem to have fled to the continent, carrying with
them their precious books, many of which are preserved in Italy,
Switzerland, Germany and elsewhere. Hence very few early Irish MSS. are
preserved in Ireland itself. When the fury of the storm was past, Irish
scholars showed increased inter