A generation before St Patrick, a World Chronicle arrives into Ireland and gets written up year on year from 425AD until their conclusion with The Annals of Lough Key in 1590.   Much of the latter plus the Annals of Ulster & Connaught become The Annals of the Four Masters whose patron the Chief O’Gara, received its first copy at Moygara Castle in 1636. Both conclusions of these traditions are close by our latter day Scriptorium overlooking Lough Arrow in south Sligo.

The Annals of the Four Masters despite its name is more a Chronicle than an Annal, as it was not continuous; it had the luxury of hindsight to shape its “story of Ireland” and last minute editing before completion, its last act; the death of Hugh O’Neill in Rome in 1616.

WORLD CHRONICLE BECOMES INSULAR  This diligent logging of the central events of the district, the island, the known world has its origin in a world chronicling tradition that commenced in the latter decades of an imploding Roman Empire,  their Irish continuation itself became undone in the Plantation wars, mid a collapse of the Gaelic world. The Annals were at first likely very short & part of tables for calculating Easter. Others say they were clearly book like from the time of their arrival.

JULIUS AFRICANUS 230-240AD CONCLUDES A NOW LOST WORLD CHRONICLE-EUSEBIUS OF PALESTINE CONCLUDES A MUCH EXPANDED WORLD CHRONICLE TO 325AD-SAINT JEROME TRANSLATES LATTER FROM GREEK TO LATIN, UPDATES IT TO 378AD-RUFINUS TAKES IT TO 403AD-SULPICIUS SEVERUS IN GAUL TO 410AD-3 MONKS OF DESERT FATHER TRADITION BRING WORLD CHRONICLE TO IRELAND FROM MARSEILLES AREA BEFORE ST. PATRICK c. 423-IT IS CONTINUED IN EITHER OF CARLOW KILDARE OR MEATH-ANNALS FOR CERTAIN IN LOUTH,“MOCHTA”FIRST NAMED SCRIBE IN IRELAND-SAINT COLUMBA COPIES “THE JEROME PSALTER” (LIKELY THE ANNALS ) & TAKES IT WITH HIM INTO HIS EXILE IN IONA-THE IONA CHRONICLE’S ORBIT BROADENS TO INCLUDE ALL OF IRELAND & SCOTLAND ACROSS THE FOLLOWING 180 YEARS-DUE TO INTERFERENCE IN ITS CHRONOLOGY FROM A SAXON ABBOTT, ECGBERHT THE ANNAL REMOVES TO MOVILLA ABBEY NEWTONARDS AND REMAINS THERE 12 YEARS UNTIL 753AD-IT MOVES SLOWLY TOWARDS CLONMACNOISE WHERE IT CONTINUES FOR ALMOST HALF A MILLENNIUM FAIRLY SEEMLESSLY, ITS MOST FAMOUS SCRIBES ARE CUANA & TIGERNACH - A VERSION GOES SOUTH TO KILLALOE-EMLY-INISHFALLEN -SEPARATELY REGNAL LISTS IN THE PSALTER OF CASHEL PUT TOGETHER BY KING-BISHOP CORMAC CULLINAN-ANNALS COMMENCE IN ARMAGH-DERRY. POST 1227 THE NORMANS TAKE A HOLD OF CLONMACNOISE & OVER THE NEXT FOUR CENTURIES ANNALS DIVIDE & VERSIONS CROSS POLINATE-AT BELLE ISLE/MCMANUS IN FERMANAGH-AND NORTHWEST TO BOYLE/ANGLO-NORMAN CISTERCIAN MONKS-CLUAIN PLOCAIN/ FENAGH/MAOLCHONAIRE SCRIBES-LECAN/MACFIRBISIGH-KILRONAN/O’DUBHGEANNAN-LOUGH KEY/PREMONSTRATENSIAN MONKS WHERE THIS VASTY VULGATE TRADITION REACHING BACK TO ST JEROME’S ADAM&EVE CONCLUDES IN 1590 WITH A LAST ACT OF THE UNCERMONIOUS BEHEADING IN ATHLONE OF A MAN FROM THE DARTRY MOUNTAINS….. INSPIRING FROM THE ANNALS OF ULSTER/ KILRONAN & MAOLCHONAIRE & THEIR OWN O’CLEARY TROVE AT DONEGAL THE FOUR MASTERS EXTEND TO 1616-SCRIBE TEAM IN MOYTURA, WITH GUIDANCE FROM DR. DAN MCCARTHY TCD COMMENCE IN SPRING 2020 DE RÉIR BOOK

1.  Veiled/ Cryptic information

Veiled/ Cryptic information. Item 11 of The Annals of Tigernach for 744AD  "A strange sign was manifested in Boirche, in the time of Fiachna son of Aedh Ron, king of the Ulaid, and in the time of Eochaidh son of Bresal king of the Uí Echach, to wit, a whale which the sea cast to land with three golden teeth in its head and fifty ounces in each of these teeth, and one of the teeth was taken, and remained on the altar of Bennchor for a long time."

Perhaps there was a controversy afoot that inclined one annalist to shroud the literal bringing of the Annals to Ireland, back from Iona, Scotland after being there for 180 years. Iona; cognate with Jonah aka of whale fame.  One of these 3 golden teeth, or treasures of the beached whale, on the Down coast, scholars weigh was the Iona Chronicle, the other items possibly manuscripts or valuable church ware. The Annals for sure were at Movilla Abbey around this same time, close by Bangor/ Bennchor, itself in the mid 8^th century like a university in western Europe.

3. Proof that the Annals were written in their time

Climactic accuracy known from thin rings in cross sections of Irish oaks, were the focus of a Queens University Belfast study, that indicated that the dreadful winters of the 560s were the result of a great catastrophe that befell the northern hemisphere. It is clear from the Annals of the time that this was happening and the wording, the subject matter indicated that the Annals, regarding plagues and lack of food connected to it, were being written up contemporaneously, not later on. 

Also recent studies by astronomers of supernovas noticed an interesting one in 1054AD. The Irish Annals got the date right, spot on to the day. In Rome, the Vatican’s logging of same was out by eight weeks; they had tweaked the dates to suit the passing of a favoured Pope that needed that extra angel halo.

5. Skewing History

Brian Boru when he felt secure in his high Kingship, went to Armagh and as good as stood over the scribe to assure he got written in as imperator Scotorum/ emperor of the Irish. 

Ecgbehrt Abbott of Iona, and for some vital years, scribe of its Annals, favoured a Roman episcopal origin for Christianity for Ireland and Scotland over a monastic one, but it did not fit with the already written up Annals so he rearranged the dates and St. Patrick, like Moses wound up dying as an 120 year old. His interference in the Annals chronology was seen as the main reason the Annals returned to County Down and the whale incident above.