336 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Aries. Of the fifteen names in the poem the obits of at least fourteen are 

 recorded in the Annals. But between the second, Beognous (Beogna, t606), 

 and the fourth, Siulanus (Sillan, f 610), we liave Aedeus, who is apparently 

 not mentioned elsewhere as an abbot of Bangor. In the Annals of Ulst«r 

 s.a. 607 {rede 608), however, midway between the obits of Beogna and Sillan, 

 we read " Quies Aedach mic Daill." This Aedh is surely the Aedeus of the 

 hymn. But in the Annals of Ulster he has no title, and in the Annals of 

 Tigern.aeh, which preserves the names of all the other persons mentioned in 

 the hymn, he is not referred to at all. The hypothesis is not unreasonable 

 that this memorial hymn was based on a list in the diptychs wliieh was 

 supposed in the last quarter of the seventh century to be a catalogue of 

 abbots, though in fact it included one ecclesiastic who did not hold that 

 office. 



The result of an argument which will have its fitting place at a later 

 stage of our inquiry may be anticipateil here. It seems that the recitation of 

 the names of the dead was abolished at Armagh in the first quarter of the 

 twelfth century, at the latest ; and that the original list of coarbs based on 

 the diptychs was made about 1020. If that conclusion is correct, it follows 

 that the final names in our list (nos. 51-63) were not derived from tlie 

 diptychs. 



We may assume, then, that at least the carlici part of our list was based 

 on the dipiychs of Jie church of Armagh. But the diptyclis would have 

 supplied the compiler w^itli a mere list of names, arranged approximately in 

 chronological order.' For the numbers indicating the periods of office, and 

 of course for the notes, he must have had recourse to other authorities. That 

 he actually did so will be confirmed by evidence wliicli will present itself as 

 we proceed. 



We may now enter upon a more detailed scrutiny of the list. It may 

 conveniently be divided into four sections, the firet containing nos. 1-25, the 

 second nos. 26-41, the third nos. 42 -56, and the fourth nos. 57-63. 



In the first section name«, numbers and notes are, for the most part, in 

 agreement with the Annals. It will Im; seen that as a rule the period assigned 

 to a coarb is the interval l)etwecn the date of his death and that of his 

 predecessor in the list, as given in the Annals. 



A few minor discrepancies, real or apparent, between our two authorities 

 may be mentioned. 



' In the diptyciu at Constantinople in the fifth centurjr the bishops were named in 

 the order of succession (E. Bishop, in Conolly, I.e., p. 104). But the abbots of Armagh 

 could not hare been so arranged without repetition of names ; for it often happened that 

 an abbot had two XAma of oflice, between which another held the abbacy. 



