Title page with decorative woodcut. “Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary whereof the Irish part hath been compiled not only from various Irish vocabularies, particularly that of Mr. Edward Lhuyd, but also from a great variety of the best Irish manuscripts now extant; particularly those that have been composed from the 9th and 10 centuries, down to the 16th; besides those of the lives of St. Patrick and St. Brigit, written in the 6th and 7th centuries.”
The book spine, with shortened title, Irish Dictionary, and gilt decor “featuring the rose, thistle, and daffodil, representing England, Scotland, and Wales.” 6a The lack of a shamrock in this motif is curious, given the book’s obvious Irishness, but it may simply communicate the Lowther family’s Britishness as Earls of Lonsdale.
Damage to front cover along the bottom edge of the spine.
The page, Remarks on the Letter A, &c, showcases the use of medial s, to be found throughout the text. O’Brien’s description of the letters of the Irish alphabet, their pronunciations and usage are similar for each letter.
Example of a floriated initial, beginning a new section of text.
Example of decorative woodcut. The text is largely undecorated, but a few artistic details such as this add character and delight.
A small section of the dictionary, which provides not only translated definitions of words, but advice on their proper use. "Mòr, great in quantity or bulk. when spoken of animate things, it is put after the substantive. ex. fear mòr, a great or lusty man. Capal mòr, a big horse. &c. but when spoken of inanimate things, it is put before the substantive, as in these compound words. ex. mòr-dhàlacht, arrogance. mòr-grhàin, abomination. wel., maur."
Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary, 1768
Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary, 1768, remains an important resource for the study of Irish history and Gaeilge as a language. Written by Bishop John O’Brien, this book builds upon the work of Welsh philologist, Edward Lhuyd, who included detailed glossaries for the Celtic languages of the British Isles and Ireland in his work, Archaeologia Britannica, published in 1707 for Oxford University. 1 Tracing the language and its development through antiquity, O’Brien’s lexicography was the most thorough and academically detailed Gaeilge dictionary of the time, and remained as such until the mid-19th century with the development of Celtic Studies. 2 The preface to the dictionary is lengthy, and acts in part as a record of the literary community of 18th century Ireland and the extant written records in their midst. Within the dictionary itself, place names and names of families are included, showing the relationship between language, land and people. In compiling sources for study, O’Brien sought the expertise of other Irish scholars in locating manuscripts. 3 Some of these manuscripts have interesting histories of their own, becoming lost and sometimes being recovered. 4 5 Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary is a substantial scholarly work which helped to preserve and elevate Gaeilge and its rich history.
UCLA Special Collections, Call No. PB1291 .O12f
This copy of Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary may be found at the UCLA Young Research Library, in Special Collections. According to the catalog record, this copy was previously owned by the Lowther Family, the Earls of Lonsdale, Great Britain. The book’s binding reflects that this copy was from a personal library. 6 Expertly bound in leather, the formal title has been shortened to "Irish Dictionary,” and the author's name is not listed. The leather is cracking at the gutters, most noticeably at the base of the front cover. The cover, however, has done its job: the binding has been well protected and the text block remains tight. The pages inside are still rather white and crisp, and have a ribbed tooth to their surface.
Publication
This book displays several features commonly found in letterpress printed books from the 18th century: use of the medial s, floriated initials introducing each section, and woodcut images set throughout the text. The book was printed in 1768 by Nicolas-Francis Valleyre, a printer-bookseller in Paris, France, who printed a variety of works, including catalogs for booksellers. 7 “Valleyre Juene” was the son of printer-bookseller Gabriel Valleyre, known for printing calendars, for which he developed a proto-stereotyping process. 8 The printing of Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary was personally financed by the Italian Cardinal, Joseph Maria Castelli, Superintendent of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide; Bishop O’Brien had written requesting funds from the Propaganda on the basis that the book would be used by priests to both serve and expand Irish parishes in the language of the people. 9
Language Politics
Language politics in Ireland are a complex matter, intertwined with the history of English colonization of the island. The English monarchy made several decrees banning the use of Gaeilge. Some major events leading up to the Penal Era:
- Statute of Kilkenny, 1366 10
- The Statute of Ireland: An Act for the English Order, Habit and Language, 1537 11
- The Williamite-Jacobite War, 1688-1691 12
- The Irish Penal Laws of 1695: These laws were enacted to fix Protestant interests in Ireland following the Williamite-Jacobite War. Among the many statutes, Catholics were banned from using Gaeilge and teaching, and the activities of Catholic churches were greatly inhibited. 13
Bishop John O’Brien
Born in 1701, O’Brien did as many Irish clergy had, and received his seminary education in mainland Europe, at the Irish College in Toulouse, ordained 1727. 14 He also studied canon law at the Sorbonne, later becoming the Bishop of Cloyne and Ross in his home county of Cork, 1748. 15 As Bishop, O’Brien worked to reform the parish, which he felt was suffering due to the parishioners “enslavement to Protestants.” 16 He took note of the fact that Irish priests were returning from seminary abroad without enough understanding of Gaeilge to serve parishioners in their language. 17 O’Brien began writing his dictionary, finished in 1762, with this in mind. O’Brien died in Lyons, France in 1769, not long after his dictionary was finally published, leaving behind a partial writing, the Dublin Annals of Inisfallen, another piece of historical writing related to Irish literature 18Use of the Dictionary
Considering the political contexts of the era and the identity of its author, Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary is a fairly radical book, though its affect seems to have been limited to academia. It has been engaged with by scholars since its publication. One of its first reviews came in 1769, from Le Journal Des Sçavans, a French academic journal. 19 According to the Royal Irish Academy, several extant copies of the book have hand-written notations from their owners: Poet, Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin’s (1783-1836), inscribed their copy with notes about colloquial uses of Gaeilge, which were largely lacking from O’Brien’s academic text. 20 Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary was also used by famed writer, Johann Goethe, to translate pieces of James Mac Pherson’s Ossian from Scots-Gaelic (Gàidhlig) into his native German. 21 A second edition of the dictionary, modernizing the text style and language, was published in 1832, edited by Robert Daly and Michael McGinty. 22 Oxford University and the New York Public Library contributed to the Internet Archive and scanned their copies of Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary, which may be viewed online for at no cost. 23 Some 250 odd years after its publication, Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary continues to inspire.References
UCLA Library Catalog: The UCLA Library catalog provides a detailed metadata record for this Special Collections holding.
Data.bnf.fr: The Data.bnf.fr is a database reflecting the holdings of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Galica digital library. The entry for Nicolas-Francis Valleyre offers a sense of the variety of his print catalog and community relationships, as well as a few other examples of his work. “Ordre d'administration pour le soulagement des pauvres de la paroisse de Saint-Sulpice”, printed in 1777, shows consistency of Valleyre’s print style over time.
The Dictionary of Irish Biography: The Dictionary of Irish Biography is a database of biographical information organized by the Royal Irish Academy and published by Cambridge University Press.
Diocese Records: The tutelage of Catholic dioceses in Ireland has changed through time. John O’Brien was the Bishop of Cloyne and Ross. Ross is now associated with Cork, while Cloyne stands on its own. Cork and Ross share information about former clergy, while Cloyne provides an interesting summary of its diocese through the centuries.
The Roman Catholic Communities of Cloyne Diocese, Co. Cork, 1700 -1830: An thoughtfully researched Masters Thesis by Martin Millerick, defended at The National University of Ireland, Maynooth. This paper the history and politics of the parish in which John O’Brien dedicated much of his life, including the conditions of working as an authority of Catholic faith under the Penal laws, and Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla’s use as a record of Irish genealogy and land ownership.
Bishop John O’Brien and his 250 year-old Irish Dictionary: An entertaining piece by Dr. Charles Dillon, editor of the Royal Irish Academy’s Foclóir Stairiúil na Gaeilge, for the Royal Academy of Ireland. This article summarizes some of the relationships O’Brien had with other Irish scholars, as well as the engagement the Irish literary community had with his dictionary, including images of handwritten annotations to the dictionary.
An Bunachar Náisiúnta Beathaisnéisí Gaeilge/The National Irish Biography Database : The National Irish Biography Database’s entry for John O’Brien (Seán Ó Briain) is a Gaeilge resource. It provides different information than the Royal Irish Academy’s Dictionary of Irish Biography, including more details about the route through which O’Brien’s dictionary was published, and greater details of his other writings.
The politics of language in Ireland, 1366-1922 - A Sourcebook: Tony Crowley’s sourcebook is an excellent resource for the laws which shaped the political history of language in Ireland.
Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary: A digital copy of the very book itself! UCLA’s Library catalog record for the dictionary links to Google Books as a digital reference, but the author of this spotlight finds the Internet Archive’s features to be more user-friendly.
Footnotes
1Jones, Thomas. 1959. “LHUYD, EDWARD (1660 - 1709), botanist, geologist, antiquary, and philologist”: Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig/Dictionary of Welsh Biography↩
1a Additional Resource: Archaeologia Britannica
1b Additional Resource: Celtic Languages (Wikipedia)
2Dillon, Charles. October 10, 2018. “Bishop John O’Brien and his 250 Year Old Irish Dictionary””: The Royal Irish Academy↩
3Mícheál Ó Longáin, noted scholar and scribe, provided O’Brien with transcriptions of manuscripts pertaining to the history of the O’Brien clan and their lands. Ní Úrdail, Meidhbhín July, 2015. “The Ó Longáin Scribal Family” : Irisleabhar Mhá Nuad↩
4The genealogy Pierce Ferriter's Duanaire, which became lost, was referenced by O’Brien as a source. O’Donovan, John. 1861. “The Lost and Missing Irish Manuscripts”: Ulster Archaeological Society↩
5The Leabhar Breac had been missing for some 130 years, until O’Brien’s search for resources uncovered a portion of the manuscript. Blake, Martin J. 1909. “Two Irish Brehon Scripts: With Notes on the MacEgan Family”: Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society↩
6UCLA Library. n.d. “Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary”: UCLA Library Catalog↩
7Bibliothèque Nationale de France. n.d. “Nicolas-François Valleyre (1736-179.?)”: Data.bnf.fr↩
8Bolas, Thomas. 1969. “Cantor Lecture Series: Stereotyping.”: Journal for the Society of Arts, Vol. 38, No. 1969↩
9The financing for publication came from Cardinal Castelli personally, though O’Brien had reached out to the Propaganda directly. The Catholic Church’s relationship with the English monarchy was tenuous at best, so it may be that the Catholic Church did not officially assist with publication, due to the penal laws. Breathnach, Diarmuid and Mary Murphy. N.d. “O'Brien, John ( 1701 - 1769 )”: An Bunachar Náisiúnta Beathaisnéisí Gaeilge/The National Irish Biography Database↩
9a Additional Resource: Congregation of the Propaganda Fide (Wikipedia)
10The English Crown bans the use of Gaeilge by “English citizens” living in Ireland. I.III of the statute states that “... Irish living among the English…” shall be under the same order to speak English or else lose their land or be “committed to the next gaol [jail]” until there is found “sufficient surety to adopt and use the English language.” Crowley, Tony, ed. 2000. “The Politics of Language in Ireland, 1366-1922: A Sourcebook”: “The Statute of Kilkenny,” pp. 14-17.↩
11King Henry VIII decrees “...The English tongue, habit and order, may from henceforth be continually (and without ceasing or returning at any time to Irish habit, or language) be used by all men that will acknowledge themselves according to their duties of allegiance, to be his Highness’s true and faithful subjects...” ibid, “The Statute of Ireland: An Act for the English Order, Habit and Language,” pp. 21-23.↩
12Wars are much more complicated than can be reasonably summarized in a few sentences, but for the purpose of contextualizing the Irish Penal Laws of 1695, the following shall suffice: Catholic King of England and Ireland, James II, was ousted by his Protestant son-in-law, William of Orange, and a war was fought between the Jacobites (supporters of James II) and the Williamites (supporters of William of Orange). William of Orange was victorious and not feeling terribly kind towards the Catholics and Presbytarians who supported James II. Foster, R.F. 1989. “Shipwreck and Deliverance: The Foundation of the Ascendancy”: Modern Ireland, 1600-1972↩
13McGrath, Charles Ivar. May 1996. “Securing the Protestant Interest: The Origins and Purpose of The Penal Laws of 1695”: Irish Historical Studies, Cambridge University↩
13a Additional Resource: University of Minnesota, Law Library. “Irish Penal Law - Index of Statutes in Chronological Order”
14Diocese of Cork and Ross, Ireland. n.d. “Most Rev. Sean (John) O Briain (O’Brien)”: Diocese of Cork and Ross, Ireland↩
14a Additional Resource: Centre Culturel Irlandais. “History: Collège des Irlandais”
15Millerick, Martin. 2015. “The Roman Catholic Communities of Cloyne Diocese, Co. Cork, 1700 -1830)”: Masters Thesis. National University of Ireland, Maynooth. p. 64↩
16ibid. p. 12↩
17ibid. p. 85↩
18Morley, Vincent. n.d. “O’Brien, John (Ó Briain, Seán)”: The Dictionary of Irish Biography↩
19Lambert, Michael, Publisher. 1769. “Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary”: Le Journal Des Sçavans, Volume 3; Volume 38, 1769↩
20Dillon, Charles. October 10, 2018. “Bishop John O’Brien and his 250 Year Old Irish Dictionary”: The Royal Irish Academy↩
21Ó Dochartaigh’s details Johann Goethe’s translation of Mac Pherson’s Ossian using both O’Brien and Lhuyd’s works as sources. Ó Dochartaigh, Caitríona. 2004. “Goethe's Translation from the Gaelic Ossian”: The Reception of Ossian in Europe, Chapter 8.↩
21a Additional Resource: “'We Know all these poems': The Irish Response to Ossian” Mac Craith, Mícheál. 2004. O’Brien wrote a series of essays on Ossian (“Memoire au sujet des Poemes de M. Macpherson” for Le Journal Des Sçavans), under the pen name “M. de C,” in which he points to the similarities Ossian shares with several Irish poems, calling into question the authenticity of Mac Pherson’s work. ibid, Chapter 4.
22Daly, Robert and Michael McGinty. Editors. 1832. “Focaloir gaoidhilge-sags-bhearla; or, An Irish-English dictionary;”: Second edition.↩
23O’Brien, John. 1768. Focalóir Gaoidhilge-Sax-Bhéarla or an Irish-English Dictionary. “Oxford University” and “New York Public Library”: The Internet Archive↩
This spotlight exhibit was created for Dr. Johanna Drucker's History of the Book and Literacy Technologies seminar, Department of Information and Library Sciences, Winter 2020 quarter, UCLA. Researched and written by A. Slater.
For documentation on this project, personnel, technical information, see Documentation. For contact email: drucker AT gseis.ucla.edu.