The Martyrology of Donegal and Cath Mhaighe Mochroimhe

Abstract

On 1 November, the seventeenth-century Martyrology of Donegal commemorates Lonán of Treóit (Trevet, Co. Meath), who is also commemorated on this date in medieval martyrologies. Unlike these earlier sources, however, the Martyrology of Donegal includes a short episode about Art mac Cuinn and the naming of Treóit. This article examines the idea that this part of the entry is derived from the Early Modern version of the Battle of Mag Mucraime, Cath Mhaighe Mochroimhe, extant in a significant number of manuscripts. It also makes some preliminary suggestions regarding the relationship of the various manuscripts of Cath Mhaighe Mochroimhe with regard to this episode, including manuscript groupings.