The Northern Tapestry

Exploring the sagas and stories that link medieval Iceland, Scandinavia and the northern British Isles

Irish Annals

Some of the most important historical evidence for this period comes from the records known as the Irish annals. There are a number of these with the main ones highlighted below. It is believed that although the versions we have now often date back to the later medieval period, they are based on earlier records, perhaps originally from records kept at Iona from the 7th century. This is helpful to us as they therefore provide a good amount of knowledge about northern Britain which would otherwise have been lost. There are no equivalent “Scottish Annals”.

The Annals of Ulster – these cover the period 431 – 1540. Written in a mixture of Irish and Latin, the original text can be found here, with an English translation here.

The Annals of Tigernach – covering the period 48 – 1178, but with large parts missing, the common parenthood of Tigernach and Ulster is evident with many passages almost identical. Written in a mixture of Irish and Latin, the original text can be found here, with an English translation here.

The Annals of Clonmacnoise – covering period from the Creation until 1408, the original Irish text is now lost but a translation into English from 1627 survives and can be found here.

The Annals of Inisfallen – covering the years 433 – 1450. Written in a mixture of Irish and Latin, the original text can be found here, with an English translation here.

The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland – covering the years 573 – 914, these seem to be a compilation of other sources, collected in Irish in the early 11th century. The original text can be found here, with an English translation here.

The Annals of the Four Masters – covering the period from the Flood until 1616, these are mostly another compilation of various records. Written in Irish, the original text can be found here, with an English translation here.

Chronicon Scotorum – covering the period from Creation to 1150 but with some gaps, the text, written in a mixture of Irish and Latin is closely related to the Annals of Tigernach. The original text can be found here, with an English translation here.