'Brian Mag Mathghamhna (+1689): anailís ar a chiorcal liteartha idir an ré Chlasaiceach agus iar-Chlasaiceach i Muineacháin agus níos faide i gcéin’

Brian McMahon of Farney, County Monaghan, south Ulster, was an important patron of Gaelic poets. Brian died in 1689 while attending the Dublin ‘Patriot Parliament’. The prominence of this, otherwise largely overlooked, figure is brought to light in this ground-breaking piece. Of the many poems written for Brian, his elegy is highly significant. Although the poem fails the acid text for ‘strict Classical poetry’ (dán díreach) - in terms of metrics - it does, nevertheless, contain many Classical motifs. The poem is edited, translated and discussed in the wider context of the literary circle who met at Brian’s court.
The career of one of the last remaining Irish Classical poets, Diarmaid Mac an Bhaird, is also minutely scrutinized in light of (i) his literary links with Monaghan, Leitrim, Fermanagh, Down, Antrim and South Uist and (ii) his role in passing on Classical lore, from texts dating over a millennium to a post-Classical band of devotees at this interesting interface between Classical and post-Classical eras.