The death of Boand and the recensions of Dindṡenchas Érenn

Abstract

Abstract:The death of Boand is found in both prose and verse in the Dindṡenchas. Three poems, labelled Boand I, II and III by E.J. Gwynn, have survived in various sources. In the first section of this paper, I provide an analysis of the relationship of these poems to one another. This section also includes an edition and translation of a short poem, here called ‘Boand A’, from Oxford Bodl. MS Laud 610, which has a close connection to Boand I. In the second section, I discuss changes which occur between variants of the prose article on Boand. The outcome of the present enquiry demonstrates how studying individual Dindṡenchas articles broadens our knowledge of the dynamics and growth of the entire corpus. The results of this investigation also have an impact on our understanding of the recensions of the Dindṡenchas.