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 OBSERVANTS

194

O'CALLAGHAN

but according to many authorities in that of Connello, Co. Limerick; d. January, 109S. He was well edu- cated in the Irish, Latin, anil English languages. His historical poems show the influcMic of Geoffrey Keat- ing, his favourite Irish uuthoems, whether historical, social, or elegiac, are marked by a freshness rare in the seven- teenth century and they furnish many interesting de- tails .about the life and manners of his time. Two of his epithalamia, a form of composition rare in Irish literature, have been preserved. They were written to celebrate the marriages of the sisters, Una and Eleanor Bourke of Cahirmoyle. His satires when di- rected against the Cromwellian Planters or the Duke of Ormonde and his flatterers are bitter, but lighter and more humorous when treating themes of local interest, as in the case of his witty proverbial " Guagan Gliog", or his mock-heroic defence of the smiths of Co. Limerick. His religious poems exhibit great beauty and depth of feeling, especially the poem on the Passion of Christ. Others like those on the schis- matical movement of the Remonstrants (1666-70) and on the Oates Plot (1678-82) are polemical and con- tain details not found elsewhere.

His political poems treating the events of Irish his- tory from the CromwelUan Plantation (1652) to the end of the War of the Revolution (1691) reveal his great political foresight and independent views. His " Suim Purgadora bhfear n-Eireann " summarizes the history of Ireland from 1641 to 1684, and a series of poems commemorates the exciting events of the reign of James II (1685-91). Being written from a national and Catholic standpoint, these poems, owing to the dearth of Irish documents relating to that period, are invaluable for the light which they throw upon the sentiments of the Irish nobles and people during that half-century of war, confiscation, and persecution. Despite his enthusiasm for the national cause, O'Brua- dair is no mere eulogizer, and in " An Longbhriseadh " (The Shipwreck, 1691), he criticizes the army and its leaders severely. He warmly defended the conduct of Sarsfield in the negotiations preceding the close of the war (1691). His views upon this subject, when com- pared with those of Colonel O'Kelly in his "Macarite Excidium", enable us to appreciate better the diver- gence of opinions in Irish military circles in regard to the acceptance of the terms offered. O'Bruadair was a master of the art of versification, and wrote with ease and grace in the most varied and complicated syllabic and assonantal metres. His style is vigorous, his lan- guage classical, and his vocabulary extensive; but a fondness for archaic expressions prevented most of his poems from being popular in the succeeding centuries. He is copious in illustration, careful to avoid repetition, and never sacrifices reason to rhythm. Though he was an expert scribe and an in- dustrious copyist of ancient historical MSS., the only existing manuscript in his handwriting seems to be H. 1. 18 fol. 4 to 14 in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. It contains three of his latest poems (1693- 4), some genealogical matter taken from "Leabhar Iris Ui Mhaoilchonaire" and the "Rental" of Baron Bourke of Castleconnell, Co. Limerick. Most of his poems are preserved in three early manuscripts: 23 M. 25-23 M. 34, by Eoghan O Caoimh (1702), and 23 L. 37, by Seaghan Stac (1706-9), both in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, and Add. 29614, by Seaghan na Raithineach (1725), in the British Museum. Others are to be found in various MSS. in the above-mentioned libraries and in those of Trinity College, Dubhn, Maynooth, while a few are preser\'ed in MSS. in private hands. A complete col- lection of his writings with translation, of which the

first volume has appeared (1910), is in course of pub- lication by the present writer for the Irish Texts Society, London.

O'Gbadt, Catalogue of Irish MSS. in Brilish Museum, 517, etc., cODtaiDs many t-xtracts from the poems; O'Reilly, Irish Writers in Transactions of the Ibemo-Celtic Society for 18S0, I (Dublin, 1820), i. p. cxcvi; Hyde, Literary History of Ireland (London, 1899), 592-4; Hull. Teit Book oj Irish Literature, II (Dublin and London, 1908), 188-97. <

John MacErlean. Observants. See Friars Minor, Order op. Obsession. See Possession, Demoniacal.

O'CallaghaxijEDMUND Bailey, physician, publicist, and historian, b. at Mallow, Cork, 29 Feb., 1797; d. at New York, 29 May, 1880. His eldest brother Theo- dore held a commission intheEnghsh army; the others, Eugene and David, became priests and were distin- guished for their learning. On completing his educa- tion in Ireland, Edmund went to Paris (1820) to study medicine. In 1830 he settled in Montreal and besides the practice of medicine, took an active part in the National Patriotic movement and in 1834 became ed- itor of its organ the "Vindicator". Elected to the Provincial Parliament in 1836 he held a conspicuous position in debate for [jopular rights, took a leading part in the unsuccessful insurrection of 1837, was at- tainted of treason, fled to the United States, remained nearly a year the guest of Chancellor Walworth in Saratoga, and in 1838 resumed the practice of medi- cine in Albany, where he edited the " 5f orthern Light ", an industrial journal.

The anti-rent agitation of the time led him to study the land-rights of the Patroons. Attracted by the rich but neglected old Dutch records in the possession of the State, he mastered the Dutch language and in 1846 published the first volume of "History of New Netherland", the first real history of New York State. The result of its publication was the official commis- sion of J. R. Brodhead by the New York State Legis- lature to search the archives of London, Paris, and The Hague, and to make copies of documents bearing on New York colonial history. These documents were published in eleven quarto volumes (1855-61) under the editorship of O'Callaghan and are a monument of care and ability. In 1848 he was made keeper of the historical MSS. of New York State, and in this capac- ity served for twenty-two years. He was the first to call public attention to the value of the Jesuit Rela- tions, and read a paper before the New York Histori- cal Society, giving description of their purpose and scope. James Lenox began to collect the scattered copies and the Lenox Library in New York, contains the only complete set or series of printed Jesuit Rela- tions. The Thwaites edition in seventy-three volumes was based on the Lenox set of the French, Latin, and ItaUan texts. O'Callaghan dedicated to Lenox his "List of the editions of the Holy Scripture and parts thereof Printed in America Previous to 1860". An edition of this work with annotations by Lenox is in the Lenox Library, New York.^

In 1870 O'Callaghan went to New York and as- sumed the task of editing its municipal records, but through difficulties about financial resources they were never published. Though highly esteemed for his medical learning, O'Callaghan's great claim on the gratitude of posterity is his historical work. The clearness of his style with accuracy of detail gave authority to his writings, which contain a mine of original information about New York colonial history.

Published works: "History of New Netherland" (New York, 1846-9); "Jesuit Relations" (New York, 1847); "Documentary History of New York" (Albany, 1849-51); "Documents relating to the Colonial His- tory of New York" (Albany, 1855-61); "Remon- strance of New Netherland from original Dutch MSS." (Albany, 1856); "Commissary Wilson's Or-