O’BRENNAN, Martin A. O’Brennan’s Antiquities.

Volume I: A Defence of Ireland’s Ancient Enlightenment and Antiquity … Some Rules on the Irish Language … Reviews of Ancient Ireland and Saint Patrick … The Danish and Norman Invasions … The Reformation … The Confiscations by Elizabeth, James I, Cromwell and William III, The Struggles of Desmond, the O’Sullivans, O’Donnels, O’Neills, Fitzgeralds, O’Roarke, Mac Guire, Fitzmaurice, O’Malley, Tyrell and other chiefs to vindicate their liberty, to uphold nationality ... An Essay on Round Towers and Irish Crosses ... “St Patrick’s Birthplace” His Existence, his life in Irish by St Fiech. Volume II: A School History of Ireland, from the days of Partholon to the Present Time: Derived from the Works of the best native Authors; and Foreigners, who wrote on and published matters, having reference to “The Island of Saints and of Learned Men”. With two folding maps. Two volumes. Dublin: by the Author, n.d. (c.1858). Octavo. pp. (1) xvi, 524, 16, (2) xxxvi, 412. Recent blue buckram. Occasional mild foxing. Previous owner’s neat stamp. A good set. Scarce. [L1 6E]

Martin Andrew O’Brennan, a member of the society of Queen’s Inns, Dublin, was a native of Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo. A noted historian and Irish scholar, in addition to his ‘Irish Antiquities’ he also wrote a school history of Ireland and a grammar of the Irish language. For a time he conducted an academy in Bolton Street, Dublin. For a period of twenty years he edited a newspaper in Tuam called ‘The Connacht Patriot’. There is a large list of subscribers to this work and numerous press reviews. Volume I is the second edition.