Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach, Roma, (1676)

by Patricia Moloney, Cataloguer, Ó Súilleabháin Collection

Author

The Donal Ó Súilleabháin Collection includes a copy of Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach, Roma, (1676).  According to Parthalán Mac Aodhagáin OFM, Fr. Francis O’Molloy, O.F.M. was born in the barony of Ballycowan, Co. Offaly in the diocese of Meath:  ‘Tír na Maolmhuaidheach’ (Molloy country) On 2 August 1632 he entered Irish Franciscan college in Rome, St. Isidore’s. By 1642, Fr. Francis O’Molloy was a lecturer in philosophy in Klosterneuberg, near Vienna and in 1645 he was appointed Professor of Theology in Gratz.

In 1652 he returned in St. Isidore’s College to lecture in philosophy. In 1645 his first book of theology was published: Disputatio theologica de Incarnatione Verbi ad mentem Joannis Duns Scoti.  He followed this with Iubalatio Genethliaca in honorem Prosperi Balthasaris Philippi Hispaniarum Principis,  in 1658 (poetry) and Theologia Sacra in 1666.

Publisher

On the 10th November 1670, the Irish clergy made a request to the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide in Rome, for a catechism to be made available in the Irish language. The Sacra Congregatio ordered that one be prepared without delay. It was the first book in the Irish language issued from the press of the Sacra Congregatio when it was published in 1676 and the first time that the rare typeface ‘Rome irish’ was used.  (See:  Alphabet Irlandais)

Sources for Lucerna Fidelium

• Antóin Gearnon OFM (c.1610–c.1680), Parrthas an Anma (Louvain, 1645)
• Jacques Bossuet (1627–1704),  Exposition de la Doctrine Catholique sur les matières de controverse (Paris, 1671)
• Porter, Proinsiais  (Porter, Francis Walter) OFM (c.1622–1702), Securis evangelica ad haeresis radices posita (Roma, 1674)
• François Véron ( c. 1575–1649), Méthodes de traiter des controverses de religion par la seule Escriture saincte ( Paris, 1638).

Readership

It has been suggested that in addition to the missions in Ireland and Scotland, O’Molloy may have been bearing in mind the Irish soldiers in European armies (‘the Wild Geese’) as a readership, when he wrote the Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach. The book ends with a poem in Irish: Soruid a dhithreabhach Ruama go clar Coinn, dedicated to Irish scholars. The following year O’Molloy published his Grammatica Latino–Hibernica (1677), the first grammar of modern Irish to appear in print.

More information on  Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach is available in the Clóliosta at reference number 44,  and in the catalogue record here.

References

Mac Aodhagáin, P., ‘Notes on Propaganda Fide printing-press and correspondence concerning Francis Molloy OFM’, Collectanea Hibernica 2 (1959), 115–24, at 117–18, nos. 4, 5.

McGuinne, Dermot. Irish type design: a history of printing types in the Irish character, (Blackrock, 1992).

Millett, ‘Irish Franciscans ask Propaganda to give them books for their pastoral ministry in Ireland 1689–1696’, Collectanea Hibernica 44/45 (2002), 63–75

Sharpe, R., ‘Franciscan copies of Lucerna Fidelium. Lóchrann na gCreidmheach in Ireland’, in Lorg na Leabhar, edited by C. Breatnach, M. Ní Úrdail, & G. Ó Riain (Dublin, 2019), 331–42.

Sharpe, Richard; Hoyne, Mícheál, Clóliosta : Printing in the Irish language, 1571–1871: an attempt at narrative bibliography, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, (Dublin, 2020)

scríofa ag Patricia Moloney, Catalógaí, Bhailiúcháin Uí Shúilleabhain

An t-údar

Mar chuid de Bhailiúcháin Uí Shúilleabháin tá cóip de Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach, Roma, (1676) le fáil. De réir Parthalán Mac Aodhagáin OFM,  rugadh an tAthair Froinsias Ó Maolmhuaidh O.F.M. i mbarúntacht Bhaile Mhic Abhain i ndeoise na Mí ‘Tír na Maolmhuaidheach’. Ag tús Mí Lúnasa, 1632 thosaigh sé a shaol leis na Froinsiasaigh sa Róimh i gColáiste San Isadóir. I 1642, bhí Ó Maolmhuaidh ina léachtóir le fealsúnacht i Klosterneuberg, in aice leis an Vín agus i 1645 ceapadh ina Ollamh le Diagacht é i nGratz.

Faoi 1652 bhí sé ar ais arís sa Róimh i gColáiste San Isadóir  ina léachtóir le fealsúnacht ann. Foilsíodh an chéad leabhar diagachta uaidh i 1645: Disputatio theologica de Incarnatione Verbi ad mentem Joannis Duns Scoti. Ina dhiaidh sin  dfhoilsigh sé Iublatio Genethliaca in honorem Prosperi Balthasaris Philippi Hispaniarum Principis, 1658 (filíocht) agus Theologia Sacra, 1666.

Foilsitheoir

Ar an 10ú Samhain 1670, d’iarr na cléirigh Éireannacha ar an Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide sa Róimh, teagasc Críostaí a chur ar fáil i nGaeilge. D’ordaigh an Sacra Congregatio go scríofaí é gan mhoill. B’é an chéad leabhar  scríofa  i nGaeilge é a chuir clóphreas  an Sacra Congregatio  amach nuair a foilsíodh é i 1676 agus baineadh úsáid as an cló ‘Rome irish’  don chéad uair.  (Féach: Alphabet Irlandais)

Foinsí Lucerna Fidelium

• Antóin Gearnon OFM (c.1610–c.1680), Parrthas an Anma (Louvain, 1645)
• Jacques Bossuet (1627–1704), Exposition de la Doctrine Catholique sur les matières de controverse (Paris, 1671)
• Porter, Proinsiais (Porter, Francis Walter), OFM (c.1622–1702), Securis evangelica ad haeresis radices posita (Roma, 1674)
• François Véron ( c. 1575–1649), Méthodes de traiter des controverses de religion par la seule Escriture saincte ( Paris, 1638).

Lucht léitheoireachta

Deirtear gur le freastal ar shaighdiúirí Éireannacha san Eoraip, (na Géanna Fiáine), in éineacht leis na misean in Éirinn agus in Albain, a bhí ar intinn aige nuair scríobh Ó Maolmhuaidh an Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach. Criochníonn an leabhar le dán: Soruid a dhithreabhach Ruama go clar Coinn, tiomnaithe do na scoláirí. An bhliain dár gcoinn dfhoilsigh Ó Maolmhuaidh  Grammatica Latino–Hibernica (1677), an chéad ghraiméar Gaeilge nua–aoiseach  a cuireadh i gcló.

Tá tuilleadh eolais faoi Lucerna Fidelium–Lochrann na gCreidmheach ar fáil sa Clóliosta ag uimhir tagartha 44 agus ar an gcatalóg anseo.

Tag

Ainm.ie  ‘Froinsias Ó Maolmhuaidh (1606–1677)‘

DIB.ie, McGettigan, Darren  ‘Ó Maolmhuaidh, Proinsias (Francis O’Molloy)‘

Mac Aodhagáin, P., ‘Notes on Propaganda Fide printing-press and correspondence concerning Francis Molloy OFM’, Collectanea Hibernica 2 (1959), 115–24, at 117–18, nos. 4, 5.

McGuinne, Dermot. Irish type design: a history of printing types in the Irish character, (Blackrock, 1992).

Millett, ‘Irish Franciscans ask Propaganda to give them books for their pastoral ministry in Ireland 1689–1696’, Collectanea Hibernica 44/45 (2002), 63–75

Sharpe, R., ‘Franciscan copies of Lucerna Fidelium. Lóchrann na gCreidmheach in Ireland’, in Lorg na Leabhar, edited by C. Breatnach, M. Ní Úrdail, & G. Ó Riain (Dublin, 2019), 331–42.

Sharpe, Richard; Hoyne, Mícheál, Clóliosta : Printing in the Irish language, 1571–1871: an attempt at narrative bibliography, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, (Dublin, 2020)