30/03/2026
The Manuscript of the Week is RIA MS 23 F 16, the Book of O’Gara. This important collection of poetry, compiled in the 1650s in continental Europe, preserves earlier material from sources that have since been lost. It also poignantly contains many marginal notes that give insight into the feelings of the scribe, Augustinian priest, Fearghal Dubh Ó Gadhra (O’Gara), including the one at the bottom of p.117 shared here:
12 Febh A Líle san tír iachtuir. 1656. sguirim agus me dubhach brónach go maidin, agus ar feadh mo bheatha, acht amhain go mbearuinn áon amharc ar Éirinn.
12 February in Lille in the Low Country. 1656. I stop, melancholy and sad until morning and for the rest of my life unless I get one glimpse of Ireland.
Read more about the manuscript and view the digital images, provided by Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies - DIAS Irish Script on Screen and copyright Royal Irish Academy (RIA) Library: https://www.isos.dias.ie/RIA/RIA_MS_23_F_16.html
The MS of the Week is on display in the Reading Room of the Library this week from 10.00-16.30, Monday - Thursday. No appointment or reader’s ticket is required to view the MS of the Week. Please note the Library will be closed from 3-6 April inclusive for the Easter period.
