made by William O'Donnell and published in 1603 was first undertaken in
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who sent over to Dublin the first fount of
Irish type. Bishop Bedell, one of the very few Protestant clergymen who
undertook to learn Irish, translated the remainder of the Scriptures
with the help of a couple of natives, but the whole Bible was not
translated and published until 1686. This version naturally never became
popular, but it is a valuable source of information with regard to
Modern Irish. It is perhaps of interest to note that the earliest
specimen of printing in Irish is a ballad on Doomsday (Dublin, 1571). A
version of the English Prayer Book was published in 1716.

The scholars of the various Irish colleges on the continent were
particularly active in the production of manuals of devotion mainly
translated from Latin. We can mention only a few of the more important.
_Sgathan an chrabhaidh_ (The Mirror of the Pious), published in 1626 by
Florence Conry; _Sgathan sacramente na h-Aithrighe_ (Mirror of the
Sacrament of Penance), by Hugh MacCathmhaoil, published at Louvain,
1618; _The Book of Christian Doctrine_, by Theobald Stapleton (Brussels,
1639); _Parrthas an Anma, or The Paradise of the Soul_, by Anthony
Gernon (Louvain, 1645); a book on _Miracles_, by Richard MacGilla Cody
(1667); _Lochran na gcreidmheach, or Lucerna Fidelium_, by Francis
O'Mulloy (Louvain, 1676); O'Donlevy's _Catechism_ (1742). O'Gallagher,
bishop of Raphoe, published a collection of sermons which went through
twenty editions and are still known at the present day. He is one of the
earliest writers in whom the characteristics of the speech of the north
are noticeable. The only Catholic version of any considerable portion of
the Scriptures up till quite recently was the translation of the
Pentateuch by Archbishop MacHale, who also turned six books of the
_Iliad_ into Irish. It is only within recent years that attention has
been paid to the collection of folk-songs and tales in Irish, although
as long ago as 1825 Crofton Croker published three volumes of folk-lore
in the south of Ireland which attracted the attention of Sir Walter
Scott. Nor do the classic stories of Carleton fall within our province.
We may mention among others Patrick O'Leary's _Sgeuluidheacht Chuige
Mumhan_ (Dublin, 1895); Hyde's _Beside the Fire_ (London, 1890) and _An
Sgeuluidhe Gaedhealach_, reprinted from vol. x. of the _Annales de
Bretagne_ (London, 1901); Daniel