The Prophecy of Berchán

The Prophecy of Berchán is a Middle Irish historical poem of 205 debide stanzas, two of which are corrupt. It survives in Royal Irish Academy MS 679 (23/G/4) and a few early modern copies. The work is divided into two parts: the first, attributed to the abbot Berchán, covers Irish kings and Viking attacks; the second, an anonymous prophecy set around Saint Patrick's death, describes Scottish kings from Cináed mac Ailpín to Domnall Bán. Its indirect identification of Scottish rulers makes it a key source for the period.