In dialogue with the Agallamh : essays in honour of Seán Ó Coileáin

Agallamh na senorach 'The colloquy of the ancients' is the core of the cycle of stories centered on the legendary character Finn mac Cumaill, his fian 'warrior band,' his son Oisin, and his grandson Oscar. It is concerned with the encounters between St. Patrick and the last surviving Fenian warriors, most notably Cailte and Oisin. The Agallamh survives in numerous different versions dating from the late medieval/early modern Irish period to folklore versions collected in the modern era. The contributions in this volume range across all the extant versions. Initially delivered as conference papers to honor Prof. Sean O Coileain, these studies comprise the first ever book-length treatment of the subject. Cover 1 Frontispiece 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Table of contents 6 Prologue 8 List of abbreviations 10 Tabula gratulatoria 12 Seán Ó Coileáin: ‘primollam maith’ 16 Seán Ó Coileáin: scholar 19 1. Place and placename in fianaigheacht 21 2. The Roscommon locus of Acallam na senórachand some thoughts as to tempus and persona 36 3. The European context of Acallam na senórach 75 4. Acallam na senórach: a conversation between worlds 91 5. Some strands and strains in Acallam na senórach 105 6. The narrative voice in Acallam na senórach 124 7. Gods and heroes: approaching the Acallam asethnography 140 8. Aonghus Ó Callanáin, Leabhar Leasa Móir agus anAgallamh bheag 159 9. Revisiting the Reeves Agallamh 179 10. An tAgallamh Nua: athleagan déanach d’Agallamh naSeanórach 200 11. The setting of Géisid cúan 233 Bibliography 246 Contributors 264 Index 266 The Agallamh survives in numerous different versions dating from the late medieval/early modern Irish period to folklore versions collected in the modern era. The contributions in this volume range across all the extant versions. Initially delivered as conference papers to honour Professor Seán Ó Coileáin, these studies comprise the first ever book-length treatment of the subject