Peregrine Ó Duibhgeannain

Who is Peregrine Ó Duibhgeannain?

Peregrine Ó Duibhgeannain was an Irish clergyman and historian.

Born Cú Coigriche mac Tuathal Ó Duibhgeannain, presumably about or after 1590, his name was Latinized to Pereginus when he took holy orders in the Franciscan Order based at Leuven, now in Belgium. Cú Coigriche means "hound [or hero] of the neighbouring [or foreign] land." His family, the Clan Uí Dhuibhgeannain, were professional historians from Annaly, many of whom had crossed the Shannon and practised their art in Connacht. Here the Ó Duibhgeannains set up a bardic college at Kilronan, near Lough Key in northern Roscommon.

Nothing is known of his life and activities until he began work with Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh and Fearfeasa Ó Maoilchonaire under the direction of Brother Mícheál Ó Cléirigh about 1627. In that year Ó Cléirigh was sent from his mother house at Leuven to Ireland to collect Irish literary, historical and chronological material in danger of being lost. These materials were assembled into a number of compilations, the most famous being the Annals of the Four Masters.

Nothing is known of O'Duignan's life after 1636, the year the annals was completed.