Tromdámh Guaire

Tromdámh Guaire (also known as Imtheacht na Tromdhaimhe) is an Irish piece of prose satire about the relationship between the patron and poet and the abuse of privilege. Although the text itself is difficult to date, it is believed to have been composed no earlier than 1300. The only surviving copy of this text is found in the manuscript Leabhar Mhic Cárthaigh Riabhaigh or The Book of Lismore which itself dates to the 15th century. The story is set in seventh-century Ireland and is a literary showcase and parody of the practice of satire that was common among professional poets at the time. Tromdámh Guaire takes on a humorous look at the Bardic Order which a 12th-century audience would have been aware of in order to "fully appreciate the biting sarcasm and satire contained in the narrative". This retrospective view does not give us an insight into seventh century Ireland, rather the 12th century perceptions of seventh century Ireland.[3]

There are a number of factors that make this piece of writing unique. First of all, the language of the text is not of classical modern Irish like most pieces of literature from the era. Writing poetry and prose was largely dominated by the professional poets and so the vast majority of surviving texts were written in their high-register. It is unlike the formal language of professional poetry, but similar to the language that was spoken at the time. Secondly, it is unusual because of its focus on the poet as a prominent character. Tromdámh Guaire was notably produced by an author who was outside of the circle of professional poets, but who knew of the Bardic Order and the tradition of professional poets. This is apparent when reading the text.

There is some amount of ambiguity when it comes to the meaning of the title, Tromdámh Guaire. Patrick Ford translates it as "Guaire’s Greedy Guests". He further explains this by adding that trom means heavy or burdensome and dámh means "a company, a legitimate number of guests, party; a bardic company, poets". Féargal Ó Béarra on the other hand gives a more insightful translation of the title with "the excessive poetic retinue which afflicted Guaire". With both translations of the title however, the same message is made clear.

In Tromdámh Guaire, there are three main characters; Dallán Forgaill, Senchán Torpéist and Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin. The story starts off by introducing the reader to Dallán who is the poet for King Hugh Finn of Bréifne at the time. The King of Oriel, Hugh son of Duach and Hugh Finn are very competitive with each other. Hugh Finn wanted to attain the king of Oriel’s ever-powerful shield, so he asks Dallán to demand it from him as payment for a poem. Dallán agrees to this and arrives at the King of Oriel’s home reciting poetry, asking for the shield. Hugh son of Duach offers Dallán all sorts of riches in return for his poetry but did not want to part with his shield as it was not appropriate for a poet to demand something of the sort. Dallán persists with his demands but to no avail and so he satirises him. On his way home he becomes ill and dies soon after because he had unjustly satirised the King of Oriel.

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