The Metrical Dindshenchas, or Lore of Places, is probably the major surviving monument of Irish bardic verse. It is a great onomastic anthology of naming legends of significant places in the Irish landscape and comprises about 176 poems in total.
As a national compilation, the Metrical Dindshenchas has come down to us in two different recensions . The first recension is found in the 12th century manuscript the Book of Leinster with partial survivals in a number of other manuscript sources. The text shows signs of having been compiled from a number of provincial sources and the earliest poems date from at least the 11th century.
The second recension survives more or less intact in thirteen different manuscripts, mostly dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. This recension contains a number of poems composed after the Book of Leinster text. These may have been added by the compiler for completeness. Since many of the naming legends related in the poems concern the acts of mythological beings, the Metrical Dindshenchas is an important source for the study of Irish mythology.
Uses of the Metrical Dindshenchas
Knowledge of the real or putative history of local places formed an important part of the education of the elite in ancient Ireland. This formed part of the training of the military, for whom a knowledge of the landscape was essential. It was also essential knowledge for the bardic caste, who were expected to recite poems answering questions on place name origins as part of their professional duties. Consequently, the Dindshenchas may well have grown by accretion from local texts compiled in schools as a way of teaching about places in their area.
The poems are accompanied in both recensions by an incomplete prose commentary, now known as the Prose Dindshenchas.
References
Edward Gwynn: The Metrical Dindshenchas (1991, reprint)
This is the standard edition with text, translations, notes. a general introduction and glossary.
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