dangerous indefiniteness is unsatisfying. True, we cannot trace the
genealogy of the present version beyond middle of the sixteenth
century, but its references to ancient monuments existing at date of
its compilation show it to be many centuries older. Its language
proves little or nothing, for, being a popular work, it would be
modernised to date by each successive scribe. Colgan was of opinion
it was a composition of the eighth century. Ussher and Ware, who had
the Life in very ancient codices, also thought it of great antiquity.
Papebrach, the Bollandist, on the other hand, considered the Life
could not be older than the twelfth century, but this opinion of his
seems to have been based on a misapprehension. In the absence of all
diocesan colour or allusion one feels constrained to assign the
production to some period previous to Rathbreasail. We should not
perhaps be far wrong in assigning the first collection of materials
to somewhere in the eighth century or in the century succeeding. The
very vigorous ecclesiastical revival of the eleventh century, at
conclusion of the Danish wars, must have led to some revision of the
country's religious literature. The introduction, a century
and-a-half later, of the great religious orders most probably led to
translation of the Life into Latin and its casting into shape for
reading in refectory or choir.

Only three surviving copies of the Irish Life are known to the
writer: one in the Royal Library at Brussels, the second in the Royal
Irish Academy Collection (M. 23, 50, pp. 109-120), and the third in
possession of Professor Hyde. As the second and third enumerated are
copies of one imperfect exemplar it has not been thought necessary to
collate both with the Brussels MS. which has furnished the text here
printed. M. 23, 50 (R.I.A.) has however been so collated and the
marginal references initialled B are to that imperfect copy. The