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Primary sourceBook1348-1349

The Annals of Ireland by Friar John Clyn

John Clyn · 1348-1349

A firsthand chronicle of the Black Death in Kilkenny, Ireland, written by a friar who expected to die of the plague himself.

Clyn's firsthand chronicle, written as he expected to die of plague, is a direct eyewitness record of the Black Death.

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A nearly black book cover with an embossed decorative pattern of scrolls, leaves, and flowers in a symmetrical design. The image is very dark, with faint highlights on the raised ornaments.
John Clyn, The Annals of Ireland, 1348-1349. Cover of a later printed edition.

About this source

What it is

John Clyn, a friar in Kilkenny, wrote this chronicle recording events in Ireland including the Black Death of 1348-1349. He left blank parchment, writing that he did so in case anyone should survive to continue the record. A later hand notes that Clyn himself died.

Why it matters

This is a rare firsthand account of the Black Death from Ireland, written by someone living through the pandemic who expected not to survive it. It shows how deeply people believed the plague might wipe out entire communities, and the human instinct to leave a record for the future even in the face of expected death.

Look closer

  • What does it mean that Clyn left blank parchment for a future survivor?
  • Why might a personal record like this feel different from an official document or law?
  • What does the note of Clyn's own death added by another hand tell us about what happened next?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of The Black Death on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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