Index of Names in Irish Annals: Descriptive Bynames: Bóroma
by Mari Elspeth nic Bryan (Kathleen M. O'Brien)
© 2000-2007 by Kathleen M. O'Brien. All rights reserved.
Version 2.2, updated 26 March 2007
Descriptive Bynames: Bóroma
Meaning:
This byname seems to be unique to Brían Bóroma, the high
king who died at the battle of Clontarf in 1014. This phrase
"refers specifically to the Bórama or Leinster tribute imposed on
the Leinstermen by the Tara kings" [see Research Notes below]. There is also a location whose placename
is based on this tribute. What is unclear is whether Brían's byname is a
reference to the placename or to the cattle-tribute itself.
Spellings:
What we know as a set of Irish Annals are manuscripts that were each compiled during a
particular time period, usually using older material as sources. For example, when
the Annals of the Four Masters were written from 1632 to 1636, they covered events
that occurred centuries and millenia before (including legendary history). So, when
an entry in this set of annals refers to a person who lived in the year 738, the
spelling used for that person's name is very likely not using the spelling that
would have been used in 738.
Standard forms of this name (based on spelling systems of different periods) would be:
| Middle Irish Gaelic (c900-c1200) genitive form: | Bóroma |
Frequency & Dates:
| Number of men found in the annals with this name: | 1 |
| Found in Years: | 992, 1001, 1014, 1023, 1064, 1065, 1068,
1114, 1117, 1118, 1119, 1134, 1142, 1151, 1167, 1172, 1194, 1224, 1305, 1370 |
Research Notes:
[Answering a question about a standardized form of this byname:]
DIL s.v. bóraime gives his name as Brían Bóroma.
The word is a compound that apparently appears in several
forms; it means '(cattle-)tribute, prey' and refers
specifically to the Bórama or Leinster tribute imposed on
the Leinstermen by the Tara kings. It apparently produced a
place-name, which has been offered as an explanation of
Brian's byname. [email from Talan Gwynek - 07 Jun 2006]
"At last the Norse yoke was broken by two remarkable men,
Malachy (Mealsechlainn), king of Meath, and Brian Boru 'of the
Tributes'."
[Curtis, p. 25]
[Documentation for the location Bóroma in existence pre-1600:]
[email from Talan Gwynek - 22 Jun 2006]:
It is unquestionably a place-name, as noted in the DIL,
whether or not that's the basis of the epithet. The editors
of the DIL don't commit themselves, but they note that Kuno
Meyer, an authority on early Irish, was of the opinion that
it was. Certainly the idea's been around for a while in
popular culture:
http://www.karott.com/gaelic%5Creference%5CIrish_Poetry%5CAn_Argument_for_the_River_Shannon.htm
takes it back to ca.1600
[email from Talan Gwynek - 22 Jun 2006]
Annals of the Four Masters [A, entry M877.12]
Indreadh Mumhan ó tá Boraimhe co
Corcaigh la Flann, mac Maoilechlainn.
Translation:
Munster was plundered, from Boraimhe to
Corcach, by Flann, son of Maelseachlainn.
Annals of the Four Masters [B, entry M1116.7]
Creach-shluaighedh lá Toirrdhealbhach Ua c-Conchobhair i Mumhain, gur ro loiscc &
gur ro mhúr Boromha & Cenn Choradh, & ro marbhadh sochaidhe lais. Do-bert
buar & broid iomdha lais no go t-taratt an m-broid do Dhia & do Fhlannán.
Translation:
A predatory excursion was made by Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair; and he burned and demolished
Boromha and Ceann-coradh, and killed many persons. He took many cows and prisoners, but he
restored the prisoners to God and to Flannan.
[email from Talan Gwynek - 22 Jun 2006]:
From Hogan's Onomasticon Goedelicum:
bóraime
ó B. co Corcaig, Fm. i. 526; ¶ al Bél Boroimhe on W.
bank of Shannon, nr. Killaloe; ¶ Boromha, now Béal
Borumha, earthen fort on bank of the Shannon, 1 m. N. of
Killaloe, Fm. ii. 1002, K. 171 a; ¶ now Belboroo, or
Borowe, Ac. 222, Mi., Cr.
bóroma
Rc. xviii. 37, Ai. 31 b; ¶ Creach la Tairrdelbach Húa
Concobair a Mumain cor' loisc 7 cor' mur Boroma 7 Cend
Coradh; ¶ v. Boraime; ¶ Béal Borumha fort, 1 m. N. of
Killaloe, Cenncorad 1 m. S. of it, Fm. ii. 1002, Tp. Ch.
318, Obr.
These all refer to the same place and show that the EIr word
is found in both spellings. As it says in the first entry,
the place is apparently now Belboroo or Borowe. Most of the
abbreviations are to inaccessible sources or
self-explanatory, but 'Fm.' is 'Four Masters', followed by
volume and page number, and 'al' is 'alias'.
Sources:
Further information about the byname Bóroma, may be found in:
The Sources page lists the Annals referenced below.
Information about secondary sources is included on that page as well.
Raw Data
In the table below, I have separated individuals with a blank line. That is, when there are multiple
entries in the annals that refer to a single person, those entries are grouped together.
Within the list of entries refering to a single person, I have sorted the entries
primarily by orthography when it is obvious that what I am seeing is the same entry
showing up in multiple annals. The entries that tend to use older spellings are listed first.
NOTE: The Annals referenced below under the code letters A, B, C, E, & F tend to use
later spellings than the other Annals. In some cases, the spellings listed in these Annals
may not be appropriate for the year referenced in the Annal entry.
In some Gaelic scripts, there is a character that looks approximately like a lowercase f,
but without the crossbar. This character (represented by an underscored , e, in
the entries below) sometimes represents e and sometimes ea depending upon the
context of the text.
| [Standardized form of this man's name] |
| Annals | Entry | Context | Citation (formatting preserved) |
| |
| [Brían Bóroma mac Cennétig] (d. 1014) |
| B | M982.8 | | Brian mac Ceinnéittigh |
| T | T992.1 | | Brian Boroma |
| T | T1001.7 | | Brían Boroma |
| LC | LC1014.3 | | m-Brían m-Bóromha mac Cinnéidigh .i. rí Ereann |
| B | M1013.11 | | Brian mac Cindéittigh, áirdrí Erenn |
| LC | LC1014.3 | | Bríain Bóromha |
| LC | LC1014.3 | | Brian mac Ceindeidig mic Lorcain, airdrigh Goeidel Erenn & Gall Brettan |
| LC | LC1014.3 | | an t-airdrigh .i. Brian mac Ceinneidigh |
| T | T1023.6 | | Tadhg mac Briain Boroma |
| T | T1064.2 | | Donnchadh mac Briain Boroma, rí Muman |
| LC | LC1064.3 | | Donnchad mac Briain Boroimhe, airdrígh Muman |
| U | U1065.10 | | Donnchadh mc Briain Boruma |
| B | M1068.5 | | Murchadh ua Briain, .i. an Scéth Ghirr, mac Donnchadha, mic Briain Boroimhe, ríogh-dhamhna Mumhan ["Murchadh, i.e. of the Short Shield, Ua Briain, son of Donnchadh, son of Brian Borumha, royal heir of Munster"] |
| MCB1 | MCB1114.2 | | Brian mac Murchadha An Sgeith Ghirr mic Dondchadha mic Briain Boramha |
| MCB1 | MCB1114.2 | | Domnall mhac mic Muirceartaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Boramha |
| MCB1 | MCB1117.10 | | An Diarmaid-sin O Briain mac Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidg mic B(riain Boramh)a |
| MCB1 | MCB1118.1 | | Brian mac Murchadha An Sgeith Girr mic Dunnchadha mic Briain (Boramha) |
| MCB1 | MCB1118.2 | | Toirrdealbhaigh mic Diarmada mic Taidhg mic Briain Boromha |
| MCB1 | MCB1118.3 | | Muircearttach mac Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Boramha |
| MCB1 | MCB1119.4 | | Muircirtac mac Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Borama, airdrigh Eireann |
| MCB1 | MCB1134.4 | | tri mic Diarmada mic Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Boramha |
| MCB1 | MCB1142.1 | | Concubur mac Diarmada mic Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Borumha, ri Mumhan |
| T | T1151.3 | | Bríain Boraime |
| MCB1 | MCB1167.10 | | Domhnall Mor O Briain mac Toirrdealbhaigh mic Diarmada mic Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Boramha |
| MCB1 | MCB1172.2 | | Domhnall Mor mac Toirdealbhaigh mic Diarmada mic Toirdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Boramha |
| MCB1 | MCB1194.2 | | Domhnall Mor mac Toirrdealbhaigh mic Diarmada mic Toirrdealbhaigh mic Taidhg mic Briain Boramha |
| U2 | U1224.1 | | Brian Boroma |
| U2 | U1305.1 | | Brian Boruma |
| U2 | U1370.8 | | Brian Borumha |
Medieval Scotland | Medieval Names Archive | Index of Names in Irish Annals
Feminine Given Names | Feminine Descriptive Bynames | Masculine Given Names | Masculine Descriptive Bynames
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(Jan 2006)
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