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TRANSACTIONS
THE OSSIANIC SOCIETY,
FOR THE YEAR
1853.
VOL. I.
BATTLE OF GABHRA.
DUBLIN :
PRINTED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNCIL,
FOR THE USK OF THE M KM BKRS.
1854.
BATTLE OF GABHRA:
GARRISTOWN IN THE COUNTY OF DUBLIN,
FOUGHT A.D. 283.
FOE THE FIRST TIME EDITED,
FROM AN ORIGINAL IRISH MANUSCRIPT,
WITH INTRODDCTION, LITERAl. TRANSLATION, AND NOTES,
BY
NICHOLAS O'KEARNEY.
DUBLIN :
PRINTED FOR THE OSSIANIC SOCIETY,
By JOHN O'DALY, 9, ANGLESEY-STREET.
1853.
PUBLICATIONS OF THIS SOCIETY ARE NOT SOLD ;
TO MEMBERS.
REPORT.
On the l"th day of March, 1853, a few individuals, interested in the pre-
servation and j)ublication_ofjrish Manuscripts, met at No. 9, Anglesey-street,
for the express purpose of forming a Society whose object should be the pub-
lication ofFenian poems, tales, and romances, illustrative of the Fenian period
of Irish histqrxj_in the Irish language and character, with literal transla-
tionsand notes explanatory of the text, whenpracticable : and at a subsequent
meeting, held on the 9th of May following, the Society was formed, and named
the OssiANic Society, the Council to consist entirely of Irish Scholars ; when
the following gentlemen were duly elected as the first Council of the Society,
and the undermentioned Fenian Tracts were determined on as its first publi-
cations : —
COUNCIL.
Rev. John Clarke, R.C.C., Louth ; Euseby D. Cleaver, Esq., A.B., Del-
gany; Professor Connellan, Cork; Rev. James Goodman, A.B., Skibbereen :
William Hackett, Esq., ilidleton ; Rev. Patrick Lamb, P.P., Newtownhamil-
ton: Professor Mac^eeny, Thurles ; Mr. John O'Daly, Hon. Secretary,
DublinTTohn O'Donovan, Esq.T^LL.D., M.R.I.A., Dublin ; Rev. J. L.
O'Flynn, O.S.C.F., Kilkenny; Standish II. O'Grady, Esq., Castleconnell ;
Nicholas O'Kearney, Esq., Dublin ; _Profe^ssorjD'Mahwiv^_College_of_St^
Columba; Andrew Ryan, Esq., Gortkelly Castle, Borrisoleigh ; John Windele,
Esq., Cork; Rev. W. Wright, D.D., Medmenham, Bucks.
BOOKS.
I. The Prose and Poetical Account of the Battle of 5Abti>v (Garristown,
in the County of Dublin), fought A.D. 283, where the Fenian forces of Ireland
were conquered, and their ranks finally broken up.
II. A very interesting Fenian Tale, entitled " Vé]X Z]-^e Coo^m Ciw
r-vlé|bo ;" or a Visit to the House of Conan of Ceann Sleibhe — nearCorofin,
in the county of Clare.
III. A Volume of Ossianic Poems.
IV. A Treatise entitled " y.5AlUn) tjA SeAnómié," or Dialogue of the
Sages — a historical work in prose and poetry, full of rare information relative
to the topography of Ireland.
V. A Romantic Tale entitled "CótiuioeAcc r)iATtn)U6A U] bujbne A5Uf
Stt^^inne" — i.e., the Adventures of Diarmuid O'Duibhne and Grainne (Grace),
the Daughter of Cormac Mac Airt, Monarch of Ireland in the Third Century,
•who, after being married to Fionn Mac Cumhaill, eloped with Diarrauid; and
to whom are ascribed the Leaba Caillighes (Hags' Beds), so numerous in Ire-
land— the origin of which is now so anxiously sought for by antiquaries.
VI. A Tract giving an Account of the Battle of Ventry, iu the county of
Kerry, which was fought between Daire Doun, Monarch of the World, and
the Fianna Eirionn, and lasted for 366 days.
The editing of the first volume on the Council's list was entrusted to a
gentleman well qualified for the task ; owing, however, to the abundance of
more ancient and consequently more authentic matter which occasionally
turned up, some little delay has occurred in its preparation for the press; but
the Council now have the satisfaction of announcing to the Society that the
first printed-off sheet of this important work lies on the table before them,
and that the work itself shall be very soon ready for delivery to the members.
The Council have also to state that, owing to the kindness of the Rev.
the Provost and the Board of Trinity College, and to the courtesy of the Rev.
Dr. Todd, who is ever foremost in the field of Irish literature, a very valuable
and ancient poem by Oisin, on the death of CAnthne liyeACA^n, who was
killed in the battle of SAb^tA, has been secured for the Society's first publica-
lion, from the " Book of Leinster," a Vellum Manuscript of the twelfth cen-
tury, now deposited in the College Library. Mr. Curry, who has madelhe"*
transcript, states it as his opinion that the book must have been written before
the year 1150. The other poems bearing ou the subject will be also very
curious, inasmuch as one of them relates all the wondrous circumstances said
to have occurred in Ireland at the first sound of St. Patrick's bell, about which
there is so much discussion among antiquaries at the present day.
The second book on the Council's list gives an account of Fionn Mac
Cumhaill's visit to the house or mansion of Conan of Ceann Sleibhe — near
Corofin, in the county of Clare — when he was separated by a druidic mist
from his companions in the chase, on the mountain of Tork, in the county
of Kerry; the colloquy which passed between him and Conan, in which the
latter interrogates the Fenian hero as to the etymology of various places and
localities in Munster ; also as to the origin of certain Fenian haljits and
customs, as well as of sundry incidents in Fenian history which are quite
unknown to us of the present day, and to all of which Fionn gave full
explanatory answers.
The third on the list is a collection of Ossianic Poems, which will also be
found illustrative of the topography of the country.
The fourth on the list — the Agallamh,&c. — is highly interesting and curious,
and is at this moment preparing for the Society from the " Book of Lismore,"
a vellum manuscript of the fourteenth century : the most important portion of
the original having recently turned up for sale in Cork, and having been pur-
chased by a gentleman friendly to the Society for the munificent sum of jGSO, is
now at the disposal of the Council as far us it is necessary to use and consult it.
The fifth volume on the list— the Toruigheacht, &c.— gives the fullest
particulars of the subject to which it refers, and will carry the reader from
cave to cave where it is supposed the fugitives took shelter from the hot pur-
suit of the injured hero Fionn.
The sixth on the list— the Battle of Ventry— is just copied by a member
of the Council from a vellum Manuscript of the fifteenth century, in the Bod-
leian Library, Oxford, and presented to the Society by the learned transcriber.
Various other Manuscripts of high importance are in the Council's hands :
and while such a mass of valuable matter still remains unpublished, the Coun-
cil feel assured that the public will rally round an institution whose object is
to place these documents before its members on terms so reasonable as to
enable every one interested in the subject to obtain them at a sum almost
nominal (5«. per annum), which sum, too, will not be demanded until a book
is announced ready for delivery.
The Council take this opportunity of recording their grateful thanks to
the public for the amount of support they have already received at their hands ;
and, to show the success attendant upon institutions starting with a moderate
amount of subscription for membership, they beg to speak in honourable terms
of the great and unparalleled success of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ire-
land Archaeological Society, which went to press four years ago with only the
small sum of £15, the subscriptions of sixty members, and whose list, in this
short period, has swollen to the almost incredible number of six hundred mem-
bers, realising to the society an annual income of about £150 !
It may not be out of place to say a word or two more about this last-
named society, as it takes cognizance of matters which strongly prove that
Irish history is not fully before the public as yet, and that there are still many
omissions, and many important circumstances neglected or quite forgotten by
kindred societies in Ireland, such as Cams, Cromleacs, Dallans, Dangans, Duns,
Fallachd Fians, Leabas, Lioses, Raths, Tulachs, Turloghs or Lochans, and
many others that could be named, not to make mention of our great puzzle,
the Round Towers.
While the Council have every reason to feel thankful for the amount of
support tendered to them from all quarters, they cannot omit recording their
sense of the deep loss sustained by the cause of Irish literature in general,
and their own infant society in particular, in the death of one of their mem-
bers, the ever-to-be-lamented William Elliot Hudson, Esq., M.R.I. A., whose
time and money were ever cheerfully devoted to the advancement of every-
thing that could reflect credit on the country he loved so well, and in whose
annals he shall ever occupy a place second to none of those whose memory a
grateful nation " delighteth to honor."
(íoiuuil
RE-ELECTED 17th OF MARCH, 1854.
Clarke, Rev. John, R.C.C, Louth.
Cleaver, Euseby D., Esq., A.B., Delgany^ and Christ Church,
Oxford.
Connellan, Professor, Dublin, and Queen's College, Cork.
Goodman, Rev. James, A.B., Skihbereen, County of Cork.
Hackett, William, Esq., Midleton, County of Cork.
Lamb, Rev. Patrick, P.P., Newtownhamilton.
-y- Mac Sweeny, Professor, St. Patrick's College, Thurles.
O'Daly, Mr. John (Hon. Sec), Anglesey-street, Dublin.
O'DoNOVAN, John, Esq., LL.D., M.R.I.A., Dublin.
O'Flynn, Rev. John L., O.S.C.F., Kilkenny.
O'Grady, Standish H., Esq., Erinagh, Castleconnell.
O'Kearney, Nicholas, Esq., Dublin.
-^ O'Mahony, Professor, College of St. Coluniba, Rathfarnham,
and 24, Trinity College, Dublin.
Ryan, Andrew, Esq., Gortkelly Castle, Borrisoleigh.
WiNDELE, John, Esq., Blair's Castle, Cork.
Wright, Rev. W., D.D., Vicarage, Medmenham, Great Jfarlotv,
Bucks, England.
INTRODUCTION
There is no period in L-isli history so neglected by arclise-
ologists and unknown to the historian, though there is none
so important in the pages of our annals, as that in which the
Fenians flourished. It has been the custom to decry the
Fenian poems as silly and fictitious compositions better cal-
culated to amuse than instruct, to animate the chieftain and
his bonachts, to imitate the feigned prowess of a gigantic race
conjured into existence by the over-heated brain of the bard,
rather than to impress any portion of Irish history on the
minds of the reader and auditor. The learned Dr. O'Conor
and Ware were among the first to brand the Fenian poems
as useless; even others fell into a similar error, though
popular tradition, which never should be totally overlooked
by writers of the early history of any country, Fenian terms
innumerable, associated with Irish topography, and poems as
ancient — many of them at least — as those universally consi-
dered as genuine history, should warn them of their mistake,
and induce them to pay more attention to the numerous
Fenian poems scattered over our island, many _of which d 'P ■
Jomid_their_way_even to^ Scotland. If nothing else could /5"/^
prevail with such men to betake themselves to the study of ^^X^\
these poems, the pictures they present of the manners, habits, i^'j^r.^
and customs of those who have trod the same soil as them-
selves, and who have been long gathered to the ashes of their
fathers, should at least present some inducement, ^he
_Albaiimri_Scots^^who^an haye^ claim whatever to the
Fenian chiejs, have set an example worthy of iraifation. ^
10
If the marvellous be mixed with portions of genuine his-
tory in the Fenian poems, still there exists no reason for their
final rejection ; because if we turn over the pages of the early
history of any country, we find in them a leaven of the same
nature equally objectionable ; it is the duty of the historian
to sift and separate truth from fiction. If such fragments of
the poetry of the country existed among any other people
they would soon be rescued from oblivion ; but, to the shame
of the Irish be it told, they have hitherto advanced but slowly
in the performance of the good work. It is, indeed, to be
lamented that we have not hitherto thought the Fenian
poems worthy of notice as they deserve. But the time has
come when the remnants of the history of Ireland found in
the poems of Fionn, Oisin, Caoilte, Fergus, and other minor
bards of antiquity shall not remain in oblivion. Though
Ossianic lore has been almost neglected by most writers,
nevertheless it is but fair to record a few honorable and
praise-worthy exceptions. The first is C. Wilson, who pub-
lished a small quarto volume of Ossianic poetry in 1780 ; and
next Miss^Brooke, who published, inJJTSG, a large volume
which has been reprinted, in octavo, by the patriotic and
enterprising Christie of DubHn, in 1816. The Ossianic
poems afterwards remained unnoticed until the late Edward
O'Reilly and the Rev. Dr. Drum mond wrote prize essays
on their authenticity and in refutation of Macpherson's false
assertions, which were published in the " Transactions of the
Royal Irish Academy" (vol. xvi., part 2); and in 185JU.
the latter gentleman published a volume of excellent metri-
cal translations of some of our Fenian poems at his own risk,
which, it is feared, has not repaid his labors.
" The era of Fionn and the Fenians," writes the Rev. Dr.
Drummond, the Fenian chronicler and poet, " is as distinctly ^i^-^Aa/iS
marked in Irish history as any other event which it records."
This learned archaiologist is certainly correct: for, in the Ari-
nals of the Four Masters, it is recorded that Fionn O'Baoisgne
11
was slain at a place called Ath-Brea, on the banks^fjhe___
BoyngjA-D. 273. If such a person as Fionn O'BaoIsgne,
or Mac Cumhaill, was not named in ancient documents, it
is very improbable that the learned compilers of the Annals
of Ireland would ever have mentioned his name. The pedi-
grees of Fionn, Oisin, GoU, and other Fenian chiefs, are re-
""corded in the^Books of Bally mote, Leacan, and by Mac Firbis,
the great antiquary, with as much precision as those of any
other noble Irish families. It is stated in those manuscripts
that Fionn, son of Cumhall, derived his origin from a certain
chieftain namedBaoisgne, from whom the Fenians ofLeinster
took the name of Clanna Baoisgne (clans, or sons of Baoisgne).
This_Baoisgne was descended from Nuadha Neacht, according
to our annalists, who was monarch of Ireland about a century
before the Christian era. Irish writers are so particular in
this respect as to give the names of the mother of Fionn,
and other Fenian chieftains. Fionn's^mother was Muirne W^^,
Munch^omh^ daughter of Teige the druid, who descended l^Ji^'Mn^
from a princely family of Bregia in Meath. A Fenian poem, ucJi^tlj^
attributed to Caoilte Mac Ronain, records the names of the ^^i-^^
Fenian princesses of note at this time, thus — >^cA/Lof
I * * I I I iWAMt ^^ -
BeAT) bo CbúTÍ?vvll tnAc T,]iév 2^bó]|t. (|%v,„yí^<;^i(.
0]y]v n)AC ^blDD.feAji 50 t)-5oiI, i/rf'
)^'5^]V í)beiTi5 A TT)4véAi]t ttja^c, ^ /
"CoiiixcAC t)AO] xt)]Oif ói) rpó|t f;lA]C.
plAicbeATtc ir)5ei) co TjeAjic,
21 jt 6e]C rnu^^b ]io 6eA|* beAjtc ;
H115 Ors^Tt A5 )on7CAO]T) c-j-jaii,
S 1 A3 OiriT) nAO) rn-bl]A3Ai).
i \
12
2t)oi|ie<^i) A5 Oini) 5A1) éAcc,
Sect nj-bl|A5t)A &| |ie b|to]6e<xcc ;
jijjeAi) CHuaIa]!)!) C]ocri)U]T)e.
<t)<V|fl|:]1)T)e A5 2t)AC CiirbA)ll CAID,
Mi cu5f*ATÍí rpAOTt) r)A be A3 A] 6 ;
<t)Al5Af bA \)-A]^)n) ba l)-ACA^|t,
2t)AC <t)olA^|t Sj^e p^ODIKACA^O.
i)ub<vilt)e ii)5eu <t)ub6AC be]?),
2^ivcAi|i CoUa, Ciq]ic, i|- Cé]i) ;
Bei) Cf)0]Uce idac SeAco^fi 'piOD,
O b-pU]l <t)utT)A i)ub-A]l|i).
TRANSLATION.
Muirne, mother of a celebrated son,
Was wife of Cumhall, son of Trenmor.
Oisin, son of Fionn, a man of prowess,
Was born at Cluain lochtair ;
The (laughter of Dearg was his worthy mother,
She bore him nine months in her womb.
Flaithbheart, a lady of great power,
Over ten ladies of comely habits ;
Gave birth to Osgar at Imchoin in the west —
She was nine years the wife of Oisin.
Moirean was wife of Oisin without restriction.
Seven years was she under the bond of draoidheacht.
The mother of the other three sons
Was the daughter of Cualan of Ciochmain.
' Draiiidheaclit, druidism or sorcery.
13
Darfhinne was wife of Mac Cumhaill the noble,
He never bestowed wealth after her [death] ;
Her father's name was Dalgas,
Son of Dolar of Sidhe Fionnchathaidh.
Dubhailne, daughter of Dubhdath, the mighty,
Was mother of Colla, Core, and Cian ;
The wife of Caoilte, the son of Seathoir Finn,
From whom sprang Dumha Dubhailinn.
Hence it can be seen that the relatives of the Fenian chiefs
were accurately recorded, a circumstance which could never
have happened had they not had a real existence, and been
well known to the historians who recorded their history as
well as they did that of the magnates of any other family in
Ireland. It would be irrelevant to swell these pages by
quoting the innumerable passages we could extract from
ancient authors of unquestionable authority to show that the
Fenians did exist.
Supposing, with all the Irish writers of note, that the
Fenians existed in Ireland, as no Irishman, no matter how
sceptical he may be in other respects, denies, we then come
to the Fenian poems, and endeavour to show their extreme
antiquity.
In an Irish Manuscript, entitled 21'^cMAn) t)a SeAt)ó]|i]6
(the Dialogue of the Sages; or a Dialogue between Qisin,
Caoilte, and St. Patrick), which is now preparing for the
Society from the Book of Lismore — a manuscript ofjhefour-
teenth century — the old sages are represented in the act of
relating the achievements and military exploits of the Fenian
heroes to St. Patrick. It also gives the ancient names of
several mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, caverns, which derive
their names from, or are otherwise connected with Fionn Mac
Cumhaill and his people ; thus proving the antiquity of the
compositions from which these copies now extant were made,
as well as the existence of Fionn himself and his valiant and
llfOo ^dSíti? /1^^^ (^ ClI^ UJÍ- /n^íu^
\cdt^
14
warlike companions. It contains also the poems ascribed to
Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Caoilte Mac Ronain, and Oisin Mac
Fhinn; but the principal feature in it is the dialogue in
Avhich Caoilte and Oisin are represented as relating the mili-
tary glory of the Fenians to St. Patrick.
There is a vellum manuscript in the library of Trinity
College, which contains two poems composed by Oisin, and
one by Fionn^Mac Cumhaill. Mr. Curry, in his Catalogue
of the Hodges and Smith collection of Irish Manuscripts in
the library of the Royal Irish Academy, states that this
manuscript was compiled in_the twelfth century. If the
language and style of these poems be taken into consider-
ation they were transcribed from manuscripts of a much
earlier date. It may not be irrelevant to state that in one
of these poems Oisin informs us, thatjhe then monarch of
Ireland authorised a great fair and races to be held on the
Currach_ofjhe^j.ííey, now the Currach {vulgo Curraglij^ of
Kildare ; and he further states that it was on the day of this
great national amusement he composed his poem commemo-
rative of the joyous event. . In the library of the Royal Irish
Academy is preserved a portion of a book, called l.eAbA|t i)a
b-U|^lvi; bound in wooden boards and fastened with brass
clasps, and written in the eleventh_century, or, according to
good judges, considerably earlier. From its present appear-
ance it may be inferred that only about one-third part of its
original contents now remains. We are informed by the
writers of the Annals of the Four Masters that the manu-
script which originally bore this name, was compiled at
Clonmacnois, in the fii'th century. It appears that this book,
besides some original matter, contains a considerable number
of extracts from much older manuscripts, such as the Book
of Druimsneachta, the Book of Slane, and other manuscripts
now unknown. This book forms a connecting link between
the books of Leacan, Ballymote, and the older ones of Slane
and Druimsneachta, the latter of which, according to Keating
15
and others, existed before the time of St. Patrick. JThe fraff-
meirL-Of this book contains the history of the battle of Cnoca
(Castleknock), in which Cumhall, father of Fionn,was shiin by
GoU Mac Moirne, a circumstance which of itself is calculated
to corroborate the facts relative to the existence of Fionn,
Oisin, Oso-ar, Goll, Fergus, and their Fenian companions, as
well as the originality of their writings ; and if the Psalter
of Cashel, compiled in the tenth century, and the Psalter of
Tara, compiled at a much earlier date from older documents,
be still extant, they will unquestionably corroborate the state-
ments found in more modern manuscripts regarding the
Fenian chiefs and bards, and their compositions. The Book
of DinnseanchuSj another Irish record, compiled by Amergin,
son of Amalgaidh, who was chief bard to the monarch
Diarmuid, who reigned from A.D. 544, to A.D. 565, gives
an account of noted places, such as raths, fortresses, hills,
mountains, and cities, with the origin of their names. In the
course of this work extracts from poems composed by early
Irish writers are quoted as authorities : among the ancient
authors thus quoted will be found the names of Fionn Mac
Cumhaill, and his son Fergus, the royal Fenian bard, which
prove, if proof were necessary, that the Fenian bards did Avrite,
and that their original compositions have been preserved.
Dr. O'Conor {E-p.^ P- 51) says, "Errant qui Ossini
caimina genuina, tot sajculis, absque literarum ope servari
potuisse existimant. Lingua enim Hibernica, qua insulse
Hibernise et Albaniae nunc utuntur, in pluribus diversa est
ab antiqua : et cum id in codicibus scriptis pateat, quis nisi
partium studiis non percipit, diversitatem longe majorem
necessario oriri debere in lingua non scripta? Omnia hu-
mana in perpetuo fluxu apparent, et nulla mutationi magis
obnoxia sunt, quam linguae." It is true that language
changes with time, and equally true that the language of the
more ancient copies of Fenian poems is more difficult to be
understood than that of modern ones. This circumstance
16
arises in consequence of the people having committed the
Fenian lays to memory. In the good old times, it was
customary with the bard to chant them to the music of the
harp in the chieftain's hall, and with the seanchaidlie to
recite them for the amusement of his patron and his guests.
There can be but little doubt about the poems of Oisin, &c.,
having been originally written, but such as had not an oppor-
tunity of procuring copies of them as well as the bard and
seancliaidhe, who professionally committed them to memory,
learned to imitate them with success. This practice continued
from time immemorial almost down to the present; and we
ourselves have seen the local as well as the professional sean-
cliaidhe : one, in particular, who boasted he had in his
memory and could recite all the Fen^n poems from the Lay
J5£Deaj;g tqjhe^Cqurtshrp^Fionn Mac CumhailHn Lochlin,
_in all abou^ ninety-seven, according to his enumeration.
Whenever these poems were written from memory, it is clear
that the words having varied according to the change in the
language, they were taken down in the form of language
then used by the people. Hence the difference found to
exist in the language of an ancient and modern copy of the
same poem. This difference, however, is not so great as might
be expected, as may be seen by the following specimens.
This specimen is taken from the Bodleian Library, as given
by Dr. Charles O'Conor, in the Rer. Hib. Scrip. Ep., p.
cxxv. ; Laud, 95, fol. 124, col. 2, line a 26.
0]|*f|l). C.C. From nioilern paper copies.
Raj» a CJjAilc] c]h ^IA viU Kc%)ó a CaojIco c].\ do ^rjl, '
'2X)o\\ oolur t*'^ h^n F^^lólí'. 2r)ÓTi n/oolur tu' ir|Avn'M5;
Ccr ni'i')» en». i<"cb -^r» lecb, Ccao itoiw entionn tron 5ac loAt,
r'o cAci) c^}c\) vji A Uirnect). Uo 5A]b AT) PiAi)t) A b-U]rncAcb.
' Here the paper copy, though one of pretty ancient date, gives a very good
history of the times and reigning dynasty, supplied from other okl documents,
though not noticed in those old poems in the Bodleian Lihrary. This would
certainly warrant the belief that the poems of Oisin, Caoilte, &c., were the basis
17
Fol. 124. í. CO/. 1. 2. 1.
Kuc 00 tio5A in ti)AC bA xo,
Ro 5Ab i:et\et)Acb OAfi lein,
2lno nj5i ATt treriAib ejfl;
!Jl CAlllCl f A c))A]|ie.
Modern Copy.
Ru5 6o'n itoiw AT) njAc bA fo,
be]t Tieir péjn nf b-lonjAnso ;
GArSA, AllA, Af ]r)nbeAt\A,
t^o leisrionj 00 CuacaI ceAi^b,
2im rin ^ms-nio© emiono ;
21 b-puA]ti A zo]^te A co]5,
?l civioce ir A cTxeAbAjfie.
Iati i*]n bo 11A& i^iACAp An téjnn,
Oo ?f)bólT^ne ti)óf\5An bAoc-cejU;
Cljeicfie bl]A5iiA ^tfoe 50 ijeAftctijAfi,
3o C|téAt)n)ón t^o ceAcc AfcAti. ^c.
The
paper copy
with this ancient manuscript
details more accurately the genealogy of Fionn Mac Cumhaill
than the original. Hence it may very safely be inferred that
any additions (interpolations, if sceptics wish,) made to the
poem are the work of some person well versed in the archae-
ology of the country, and, as a conseqvience, the modern
poems are revisions of the old ones, therefore more perfectly
historical. Here is another specimen. — Fol. 124, b. col, 2,
/. i. ; Ex. Rer. Hib. Scrip, p. cxxv.
Cu|cer\ bftuAs bAbAi) »U)l)5,
Ir rcAnn cah uiM iAct:uini& ;
Ir tpebbAiti l]Ti)rA CO hec\)z,
21 nAirneir If At? b|tAióecf)c.
bA &lb bA5r)A Ari» bA5t)A,
tijb CAjcbbAft snA] tiesttAin) ;
ScocAt) njAc Cujtic c|tecc Ajs cljAin),
2no5nuici) jr nnb a roTiTtjAji
Cuicjn le5l)A licb nAttjttA,
]r renn cAttAiu cfn bAnbA ;
C^o cjAn AturA isAneir,
IrATT) eoiAcb HA ^Airnejr.
CuiseAft Ot^uAó fte bixjri) i)'u|le.
Oo nsAcb cAjioi lAc riM"f <^ ;
]r tijeAóbAiti IjonjrA 5A1) Acl)c
21 D-AunjonA 'x A ij-ftT^Aoi5eAcbc
bA ófob bív5tiA A r]oc bxvJnA,
Ir CAcpAio tittói5 í)eA5-ATt)TtA ;
Ir CoctijA rt;Ac i:foti-CAO]n)b,
3i)o5tiuic, ir Vmx) t^OTtfijAojl.
Cúi5ioTt leA5A luAócATt \]orx),
Ir peivrtn cAtioji iac eitt]oi5n ;
Ci* ^At)A curA bA n-béir,
Ir UT1) eoiAcb t)A n'f Airnéjr-
or theme upon which many historical accounts were founded with the aid of
other veritable documents. Hence one would naturally come to the con-
clusion, that our modern poems are the more perfect with respect to his-
torical information.
2
18
2f)lAcb ir ointt)eb bv\lA)b btteci)!:, SOiacI), ir 2l|nn)eA6Acl) bjvst) cftCAcr,
Hcux At) AcbAjTt &)A0 cecbc ; ^loAf A D-AcAjft b|An-ceAcljc ;
5AbttAn I1A15 cAfi ttjAjrx ADAitt, V]ri5W 1^-MóliA5, veATióA'n reAtt,
P)t)& feio 1)UA bA^rcne bAtinBlAin. ■plow O'bAoirsoe, At) cújsiOTt.
Cuiceti Tr]l UAfAl bncrx), Ciiisioft piliée vcAÓcAtt \.]on),
Ir i;<^nn catxaiu ]Acb neiftmn ; Ir r<?-^rin catio]11 iac CiTtionb ;
Ir ttjebbojtt liunjrA co becf)t, Ir njeAbAjti l]ort)rA 50 ceAtic,
21 rA]rne]r a |r]l]&ecl)c. 21 b-rAirtjéjr A b-rilióeAcc.
CAiribm rill l^w^iTt &An IcAU, CAinb^e nle rwAift catv leAi%,
?ln)A]Tt5li) lil&ri 5Ae&il ; Ir ílnjenól" l^e sAojoeAl ;
feiticeiTtcne, rte lAbtXA]& lofic, liltAjtiije, A5ur UvbttAó lo|tc,
2no5iiuirl) ir il"^ v-^ftbAfi norbr. p0Tice|\cr)0 |r V]oi)n r^^obAtt-nocc.
It is evident from the above specimens of ancient and
modern Ossianic poems on the same subject, that the differ-
ence between the language and orthography is only trifling,
and. such as can by no means obstruct the study of any
Irish scholar. This specimen is the best and most tangible
that can possibly be given of the very immaterial change
which the lapse of centuries has been able to introduce into
our written language, notwithstanding the broad assertions
daily made to the contrary, as well as a proof, if proof were
required, that the meaning of the original is strictly pre-
served, almost miraculously, in the slight change the originals
have undergone.
Dr. Charles O' Conor erroneously styles our Fenian poems,
" Colloquia Fahulosa de Rebus Hih. Scripta sceculo XIV.,
in quihus coUoquentes introducuniur S. Patricms, Coilteus,
et Ossiims,"^ and felicitously discovered a manuscript in the
Bodleian Library containing " The Irish Gigantomachia,
or Wars of the Irish Giants," written, or rather compiled,
by a person named Finlaech O'Cathail. It requires but a
few words to point out the mistake into which this learned
antiquary has inadvertently fallen. If the compilers of the
Book of Dinnseanchus Ibund more ancient documents con-
taining poems by Fionn, Fergus, and other Fenian bards,
' Tom. i. p. Ix.
19
there is no reason to believe that this Finlaech O'Cathail was
the author of any such Fenian or other poems, but merely
the compiler. It is very well known that tlie Poems of
Oisin, Fergus, and Caoilte were committed to memory even
in our own time, and recited to audiences on winter nights
at assemblies, such as weddings, christenings, wakes, as the
rarest amusement that could be procured for the assembly.
Many of those rhapsodists were unlettered peasants. Abram
Mac Coy, the best reciter of Fenian poems, and probably
the last of his class who flourished in Ulster in the middle
of the last century, was an unlettered man. If these persons
were accustomed to commit those poems to memory in latter
times, there is sufficient reason for believing that they were
the real representatives of the old class of seanchaidhes
(story-tellers), of whom we are. accustomed to hear so much,
and who preceded them in the same capacity. Poems com-
mitted to memory are much easier retained with accuracy
than prose, nevertheless, they must have undergone the
same transition as the language of the people was subject
to from age to age, so that though they closely agree with
the originals the language must certainly be different.
Hence we see how it is that these poems vary in point of
diction from those found in old manuscripts.
Dr. O'Conor has called the Dialogues of Caoilte^and Oisin
wi^i St. Patrick " Colloquia Fabulosa," probably on ac-
count of an anachronism evidently visible in making Caoilte
and Oisin contemporaries with St. Patrick. This anachro-
nism, which appears in the Fenian poems, adds to the dis-
trust entertained by some learned archaeologists as to the
credit' due to the jiistory they give. Dr. O'Conor (^Proleg.
ii. p. xii.) complains as follows: — "Ex hac retrograde nu-
merandi methodo, ficti Ossiani somnia rejicienda detego.
Synchronos enim faciunt S. Patricium, Ossianuyn, Osgarum^
et Cucidinum quod ab Historica fide alienum est." Strong
reasons for making this remark, it must be admitted, present
<hv^uM-í^ ^o^tti^tri^ c^/luSi/s U^iHau^
20 ^«^TCy h^ . ^
themselves. Cuchulainn_was slain in the great battle of
Moymuirtheimne, in_the^c^ntj~ of Louth, about A. D. 2*,
while Fionn, Oisin, Osgar, and Caoilte died in the fourth
century. It is not, however, found in any poem on Cuchul-
lainn that he was contemporary with the Fenians : the false
assertion is made by James Macpherson only ; and it is but
fair to say that tlie Doctor alludes to the anachronism of
Macpherson. But Irish lore, very fortunately indeed, comes
in to smooth this seeming difficulty. In^ Fenian poem
yf / consisting of one^hundred^and forty-six stanzas of four verses
each, St. Patrick is introduced in the act of interrogating
Oisin as to how he outlived all his Fenian friends and com-
/ panions during three hundred years. Oisin informs him
' that after the Fenians had been cut off at the Battle of
Gabhra, he, together with a few who survived the carnage,
had been engaged in the chase on the borders of Loch Lene
(the lakes of Killarney), and that a fawn was started, but
the sport was soon interrupted by the appearance of a noble
white steed with a rider in the distance. On its nearer ap-
proach the rider was discovered to be no less than a golden-
haired, soft, blue-eyed lady of exquisite beauty, dressed in
gold-bespangled robes of costly silk. She accosted the Fenians
and informed them that she was Niamh-cinn-oir (Niamh of
the golden hair), daughter of Cailce (Brilliant), king of Tir
na n- Og (Country of Perpetual Youth), who came forward
for the special purpose of offering her hand to Oisin, bind-
ing him at the same time under geasa (prohibitions) to pro-
ceed with her on her steed to T,]]\ t)a ihOj, promising him to-
gether with great privileges, that he never should see either
sickness or death. Oisin without hesitation mounted the
white steed, and both travelled over the boundless ocean until
they arrived at a certain great city governed by a monstrous
giant who had previously carried away the daughter of the
king of "Cifi i)A m-Beo (the Country of the Living), another
of the Paradises of the pagan Irish. Oisin killed the wicked
21
giant; and having reached the capital of 'C]]t i)a i;'05, he
married his lady-love. He remained here for three hundred
years. In the meantime Nianih-chinn-oir gave birth to two
sons and a fair daughter; but Oisin having felt a long-
ing desire to revisit his friends, and take a last farewell of
them, under the impression that he had been absent only a
few years, so perfect was his happiness, his wife used
every argument in her power to dissuade him from such a
rash project, but in vain. She at length consented on his
promising her not to alight from his horse, under the severe
penalty of never returning. He visited all the Fenian
haunts, but not one he had ever seen met his gaze. The raths
and duns of Fenian notoriety were all demolished, and the
only answer given to his inquiries respecting the Fenians was,
that such people were once in Ireland, but were dead for
centuries. On his reaching Gleann an smoil (the valley or
glen of the thrush), he saw a number of people endeavour-
ing to raise a great block of granite : one of the stewards
begged of him to assist his people, he consented, and, stoop-
ing on one side caught hold of the stone and raised it to its
proper place. In doing so, however, his foot touched the
ground, the white steed flew away, and Oisin became a
worn, debilitated, blind old man. This account of 'C']]x t)a
t;-05, and "Cjii i^a nj-Beo, the Elysium of the pagan Irish, i.e.
the Islands of the Happy of eastern writers, and of Oisin
having returned to life after a lapse of three hundred years or
upwards, so as to meet St. Patrick, and narrate the history
of Fenian achievements, is, probably, the remnant of his- %ajlP -iO
_tory thjl_J)est_exp]ains the doctrine of the transmigration of '^i^_rluJ ^ ,
souls. Since one calling^júmself_Oisin returned from "Cjjt^ j/ iH' IrL,
t)<v i^-Og, and related a portion of Irish history, no doubt it (1 ^ -, ^
was believed by the pagans of his day that he was the real t^'i^i^Ti. •
Oisin who had again assumed the human shape. -/Ac
It is a very curious fact that all the eastern nations be- Ltftti/u/t,
lieved that the Elysium, or abode of good souls after death, ^/[UlC 1cv\m}\
22
was located in the_west, contiguous to the place where the
sun set; Caicher the druid foretold to the clanna Milidh,
after having taken an observation from the túr^ or tower of
Braganza, that the race of people, for whom he was in-
terested, should necessarily migrate to the far west. The
real fact is, that the cradle of the human family was in the
east, and as a matter of course they must migrate to the west.
It is curious, indeed, that, after the lapse of many centuries,
the descendants of the Milesians are still pouring forward in
myriads, if it can be so expressed, to the far west. The
Puranas of the Hindvis record that the happy abode of the
just is in the west. The Celtic tribes of the continent be-
lieved that just souls were transported into a western island
which they called Flaith-inis, the Irish name for heaven,
still in common use. A learned gentleman, professor Ra-
finesque, writing on this subject, says: — "It is strange but
true, that, throughout the earth, the places of departed souls,
the land of spirits, was supposed to be in the west, or at
the setting sun." This happens everywhere, and in the
most opposite regions, from China to Lybia, and also from
Alaska to Chili in America. The instances of an eastern
paradise were few, and referred to the eastern celestial
abode of yore, rather than the future abode of souls. The
Ashenists, or Essemans, the best sect of Jews, placed paradise
in the western ocean ; and the Id (probably ]b, island) Alishe,
or Elisha of the Prophets, was the Happy Land. Jezkal
(our lizeklel) mentions that island ; the Phoenicians called it
Alizat, and some deem Madeira was meant, but it had
neither men nor spirits. From this the Greeks made their
Elysium and Tartarus, placed near together, at first in Epirus,
then in Italy, next in Spain, and lastly in the ocean, as the
settlers travelled west. The sacred and blessed islands of the
Hindus and Lybians were in the ocean; Wiliord thought
they meant the British Islands. Pushcarra, the farthest off,
he says, was Iceland, but may have meant North America.
23
The Lybians called their blessed islands " Aimenes ;"
they were the Canaries, it is said, but most likely the Atlan-
tides, since the Atlantes dwelt in the Aimenes. And farther,
he says, the Gauls had their Cocagne, the Saxons their Coc-
kaign, Cocana of the Lusitanians, a land of delight and
plenty, which is proverbial to this day. By the Celts it
was called ^^ Dunna feadhuidh" (fairy land), but all these
notions have earlier foundations, since the British druids
put their paradise in a remote island in the west called
Flaith-inis. It is rather curious to find that a learned man
should translate Flaith-inis "the flat island," the old name
for Elysium among the pagan Irish, and still the name most
generally used by Christians for heaven. But Flaith-inis, like
"Cjfi t)<x t)-05 was a place of great beauty and afforded a
pleasant retreat for the just. Oisin's description of 'C]y. t)A
Tj-Oj, according to the account given by his lady-love, the
king of the Land of Perpetual Youth's lovely daughter is
thus : —
'S Í Ai) ci|i If Aejboe le fi^SA^l,
Jf xno c'^]\ M)o\x fAt) i)-5|t&ii);
CiiA]t)b A5 C)torT)A6 le cofificA Y bl<vic,
)]' bii|lleAbA|t A5 y:\y Aft bA|i|tAib 365.
'S 5AC ujle T)i 6a b-pACA |*ú]l ;
Mi fiACAfO cACArb o[tc leb fVAe,
Bivf 1)0 meyt VÍ] f*A]Cf:]6 cii.
<t)o 5eAbA]fi pleA8, irt)]]tc, ól,
<t)o 5eAbA]|i ceol b]t)t) aji céAb;
<t)o 5eAbAi|t A] 1156 AC Acu|* ó]t;
<t)o 5eAbA|it póf joiDAC féAb.
í)o jeAbAjfi céc clofÓeAii) 5At) 50,
Céc bjtAC f|tó]l be fjobA bAe]t;
Céc eAcb }X Tt)lTte y Ti-5leo,
]X c&c leo be cotjAfb jeft.
24
Mac CU5 fóf bo i^eAcb pA't> i)-5|téit7,
í)&Ai;f A^ bíoT) o|tc 0]6ce ^|* ló,
2lc CAC A t}-5leo ]]• A t)-5A|ib 51^15.
5beAbA]|i lúi|ieAC cúrb&Aic cói]t,
ClojOeATh c^r)!) ó]|i Ti* cljf&e bé]TT) ;
M^]t ce|tT)Ab T)ecb TilATt) iiAC beo,
MOC C01)A]|tC pÓf Al) C-A|lrt7 5&|t.
<t)o 5eAbA]it cér lé]i:)e f|t5]l,
Cér bó, 11* ^óf céc Ues ;
Cér CAe^lA COT)A l0Tt)|lA Ó]|t,
Céc ]"eo& r)AC b-^ruil 'f ^t) c-fAe5Al,
)r céc rt7Ai5&eAT) rt)e]6|teAC 05,
Soill|*eAC, loWjtAC, Tr)A|t AT) l)-5|lélt) ;
)r fe^jiji beAlb, c]tuc, Acuf ft)Ó5,
'S 5u|i biTjtje A m-beol ijív ceol &at).
3beAbAi|i céc Uecb ir cit^^t^e 'tj-sleo,
)}- cli]*ce ^óy ] c-cleA|*Aib luc ;
2lTitt)CA, é]bce, a|* bo corbA^ii,
)c Till i)A T)-05 njA C15 lion?.
TRANSLATION.
Tir na n-Og is the most beautiful country that can be found.
The most productive now beneath the sun ;
The trees are bending under fruit and bloom,
While foliage grows to the top of every bramble.
"Wine and honey are abundant in it,
And every thing the eye ever beheld ;
Consumption shall not waste you during life,
Neither shall you see death or dissolution.
You shall have banquets, gaming, and drinking,
You shall enjoy the enchanting music of the harp ;
You shall have gold and silver.
You shall also have many jewels.
15
You shall get a hundred swords without a flaw, ' j ' ^ "^
One hundred satin garments of precious silk ; ^^ / <'x
One hundred steeds mettlesome in battle, /
Together with one hundred keen-scented hounds. V
You shall obtain the diadem of the King of the Land of Youth,
Which he never gave to any person beneath the sun ;
It shall shield you both by night and day,
In battle, conflict, and hard struggle.
You shall get a well-fitted protecting coat of mail,
A gold- hiked sword capable and quick for execution ;
From which none ever escaped alive,
Who beheld the keen-edged weapon.
You shall get one hundred satin shirts.
One hundred cows, one hundred calves ;
One hundred sheep with fleeces of gold,
And one hundred precious stones not found in the world.
You shall get one hundred merry young maidens,
Bright and shining like the sun ;
Who excel in shape, form, and features,
And whose voices are sweeter than the melody of the birds.
You shall get one hundred champions very expert in battle.
All well versed in feats of activity.
Armed and clothed ready to attend you,
In Tir na n-Og, if you come with me.
The above extract is only a small portion of this very /
curious £oeni, which pretty fully elucidates the Irish pagan . r\
doctrine of the metempsychosis as believed by the druids. f"}^
The traditions relative to the enchanted islands on the Irish "~
coasts are so firmly believed by the people that they actually
imagine to have seen them. Of these Idh Breasail and
many others, together with the Atlantis of eastern writers,
form a very respectable group, which are naked for the in-
spection of the human eye every seventh year. There are
2G
many charms said to be available for the recovery of those
enchanted or druidic islands, but the most potent is, if any
good Christian happen to see them, and fling a lighted ember
upon the land, the vapour which conceals these happy abodes
from the human eye must immediately vanish. The eastern
writers called these abodes MaKUpoiv Nijaoi, i. e., the Islands
of the Happy ; others, the White Islands. There can be
no doubt that the origin of this belief has claim to a very
ancient date. Some sects of Jews believed that Paradise
was located in the west, unquestionably in the Islands of the
Happy of the orientals. In the Book of Henoch, translated
by the late Dr. Lawrence, Archbishop of Cashel, it is stated
that a very beneficent being was wont to emerge from the
sea, and give good council to the inhabitants of the earth.
This story may have had its origin in that related in the
Fourth Book of Esdras, marked in the Vulgate of Sixtus V.
and Clement VIII. (Lugd. ed. 4to. 1688), condemned by the
Council of Trent as heterodox, though of great antiquity.
Speaking of the creation, on the filth day, it records : —
"Aqua muta, & sine anima, quae Dei nutu jubebantur,
animalia faciebat, ut ex hoc mirabilia tua nationes enarrent."
" Et tunc conservasti duas animas : nomen uni vocasti
Henoch, & nomen secundaj vocasti Leviathan."
" Et separasti ea ab alterutro. Non cnim poterat septima
pars, ubi erat aqua congregata, capere ea."
" Et dedisti Henoch unam partem, quo2 siccata est tertio
die, ut habitet in ea ubi sunt montes mille."
" Leviathan autem dedisti septimam partem humidam, &
servasti earn, ut fiat in devorationem quibus vis, & quando
vis." — EsdrcB, lib. iv. cap. vi. ver. 48, et seq.
We need not be surprised that the orientals believed that
there were places of abode for creatures of a rational nature
under the waters of the ocean, but much less when we learn
the belief of the Firbolg race that the places of the just after
death were in our creeks and lakes, to which the water sup-
plied a fitting atmosphere, after reading the ibllowing in the
same book : —
. . . . *' INIare positum est in spatioso loco, ut esset
altum & immensum ;"
" Erit autem ei introitus in angusto loco positus, ut esset
similis fluminibus."
" Quis enim volens voluerit ingredi mare, & videre eum,
vel dominari ejus: si non transierit angustum, in latltudineni
quomodo venire poterit ?"
" Item aliud. Ci vitas est aedificata, & posita in loco cam-
pestri : est autem plena omnium bonorura." — Esdrce, lib.
iv. cap. vii. V. 3, et seq.
There is a curious coincidence, in many respects, between
the substance of the above extracts and the traditions still
found among the Irish, relative to the pagan doctrine of the
transmigration of souls, the least remarkable of which may
have been the notion that the passage to Dift i)a i)-05 was
through a narrow cave in one of our lake islets. The doctrine
itself embraces so many ramifications that, to do it ample
justice, it would be necessary to devote a work to it.
Similar to this is the_ story told in^the Book of Leacan
about Tuan Mac Coireall, who was a man when Ceasair
landed in Ireland, then three hundred years a deer, he then
passed three hundred years in the shape of awild boar, three
hundred he was in the shape ofabird, and the last three
hundred years remained in the shape of a salmon, which being
caught by a fisherman was presented to the queen of Ireland,
who immediately, when she tasted it, conceived, and brought
forth the noted Tuan Mac Coireall, who narrated the history
of the antediluvian colonization of Ireland by Ceasair and her
people, and no person could doubt the accuracy of the history,
simply because, like Oisin, Tuan witnessed all the facts he
related. It is very possible St. Patrick met some old pagans,
if not druids, whom he converted, and who gave much in-
formation reliitivc to Ireland, but most probably it was too
^ Sc-^ay.. j(,.^erUo^'
28
much sprinkled with pagan abominations, since, it is said, that
he, on one occasion, burned three hundred vohimes of druidical
works. It is doubtful, however, if St. Patrick ever saw the
real Oisin, bvit only some druid or old seanchaidhe, who
believed himself to be Oisin revived, in virtue of the druid-
ical doctrine of metempsychosis, or transmigration of the
spirit into other bodies.
The transmigration of Tuan Mac Coireall's spirit is thus
recorded by the Rev. Dr. O'Conor; " Extatin Codice Bod-
leiano, Laud, F 95, foL 102, fabulosa narratio cujusdam
Tuani, cui titulus, Incipit a callain Tuain fri Finnia iar
tuidhect do Finnio cosin t-soiscela lais hi tir n Fir, hi crich
n-Ulodh (Incipit colloquium Tuani cum Finnio, postquam
venisset Finnio cum Evangeliorum Codice secum in regione
Hibernise, in partes Ultonise) — Postea, in fine colloquii, haic
de Tuano narrantur. — Tuanus fuit in forma viri centum
annos, pj M-^V-} 1^1^ f iot)ca]1) (in Hibernia post Fentanum ;)
|r]cbe bljAt) {xx annis), in forma porci, Ixxx, in forma cervi,
centum annos, in forma aqviil^, xxx annos po \]^'p (sub aqua)
in forma piscis ; et iterum in forma hominis, co f eftcA^b co
b-Ain7fi]i y']\)\)e n)Ac \)\x] 'piAcbAcb." — {Rer. Hib. Scrip.
Fp. p. xcviii. w.) — i. e. In the end of the dialogue, it is
said of Tuan that he lived one hundred years in the shape of
a man, and remained in the shape of a hog, in Ireland, twenty
years after Fiontain (i. e. Fiontain Mac Bochna, who survived
the flood in Ireland, or the Noah of the pagan Irish) ; eighty
years in the shape of a stag, one hundred years in the shape
of an eagle, and thirty years in the shape of a fish, under
water, so that he reached the time of Finnio son of Fiathadh.
Pliny, writing concerning the druids, says : — " In primis hoc
persuaderc volunt non interire animas, sed ab aliis post mortem
transirc ad alios, atque hoc maxime ad virtutem incitari pu-
tant metu mortis." — (Hb. xvi. cap. 44.) The general behef
of the pagan Irish was, that the souls of the just would pass
into Paradise, which consisted of two islands ; one less happy
29
called T^i|t t)a nj-Beo (the Land of the Living), the other
'pUic-]!)]]*, or Tilt i)<v i)-03, (the Land of Perpetual Youth).
Here they enjoyed all kinds of pleasures and happiness ; but
before they passed into either Elysium, they must pass over
a certain bridge, called &]tO]ceAb at) Aei) ^t^be (the bridge
of one hair) ; to the just the passage was easy and safe, as
the bridge spread sufficiently wide to aíFord a safe footing,
while to the wicked it contracted itself and became as slender
as a single hair, and they were consequently cast into the
world once more to assume different shapes, like Tuan, until
they should at length qualify themselves, to ensure a safe
passage across the mysterious bridge. The ghosts of the
happy were sometimes privileged to revisit the world.
To complete his forgery, Macpherson makes his ghosts
aerial misty substances that ride on the winds. Had he
known anything about the mythology of the Celts, he cer-
tainly would have omitted to describe the spirits of his de-
parted heroes as cloudy, aerial beings, because the Lish, as
well as the Scots of Alba, considered the air as the place of
punishment of spirits rather than that of happiness. Deamh-
ain aedhair were looked on as the worst and most malicious
class of spirits. Hear Macpherson's description of ghosts: —
" A dark red stream of fire comes down from the hill.
Crugal sat upon the beam ; he that lately fell by the hand of
Swarun" — the. ghost-maker says, and proceeds thus in de-
scribing his fictitious beings — " Dark is the wound of his
breast — The stars dim twinkled through his form ; and his
voice was like the sound of a distant stream — Like the dark-
ened moon he retired in the mist of the whistling blast —
Trenmor came from his hill at the voice of his mighty son.
A cloud, like the steed of the stranger, supported his airy
limbs. His robe is of the mist of Lano, that brings death to
his people. His sword is a green meteor, half extinguished.
His face is without form and dark." This is just a descrip-
tion of a demon, not of the spirit of a departed hero revisiting
30
the world from his place of happy rest. Irish pagans never
dreamed of spirits, after death, having assumed any such
forms cither in Tir na n- Og, Flaith-inis, or any other happy
abode of departed heroes. The spirits from Elysium always
appeared in their proper shape, and spoke and acted as if they
still were in the enjoyment of mortal life (see stanza 75, n.)
This impudent piece of forgery, of itself, is sufficient to damn
for ever any pretension to authenticity that Macpherson's
supporters can claim for his poems. It was not in the shape
of a misty being Fionn attended Osgar's last moments on the
field of Gabhra, but in his wonted appearance ; his words
were not like the "murmurs of distant streams" but just as
they usually were. It is a matter of surprise that Macpherson
should once dream of persuading the Irish that his compo-
sitions were genuine, since he has committed so great a
blunder with his cloud-formed ghosts.
The arts and sciences were advanced to a certain degree
in ancient Ireland, as the discoveries of every day only make
us better acquainted with the nature and application of terms
which are as familiar as household words to us from our
childhood. We always heard wonderful stories told of the
soporific powers communicated to the individual by the dark
druidic wand of the priests or magi : mesmerism has made us
acquainted with the operation. Again, the tales told of the
power acquired of knowing what had passed, and was pass-
ing in distant parts, and describing it by individuals placed
under the influence of a druidical operation are brought home
to us by clairvoyance. There is, however, another ancient sci-
ence about which we hear a great deal, but which has not been
revealed to us as yet, namely, the power of prolonging
human life beyond the natural span. A neamhain (Irish
pearl) if swallowed, would prolong life, or render the
swallower as youthful as when the pearl was swallowed.
The Tuatha do Danans possessed this secret, and people still
adhere to that ancient belief and imagine they have become
3i
fairies. Whether this belief originated from some historical
fact dimly seen, or was founded on the Irish pagan elysian
doctrine, it is unnecessary to hazard a conjecture here, suffice
it that it is as well recorded as any other traditional belief
found in Irish folk-lore. The pagan Irish, it appears from
a close examination of our remaining traditions and legends,
believed in a place of happiness after death. It is not too
much to come to the conclusion that the various colonists
who settled in Ireland, in the olden time, entertained different
notions respecting the character and location of this abode of
happiness. The Firbolg and Fomorian races, being more
or less sea-faring men, placed their Elysium far out in the
sea, and called it by various names such as 0)leivr) t)a rn-Beo,
the Island of the Living, ]6 BfteAfAjl, the Island of Breasal,
jo T)A BeACA, Island of Life, and other names equivalent to
the MaKUpctiv Nt/o-oi of eastern tradition. The Firbolgs are
said to have lived under the waters of our lakes. The Tuatha
De Danans, being devoted to civil and literary pursuits, and
their druids having held their seminaries in caves and other
secluded subterranean abodes, fancied their Elysium placed
under the earth. While the Milesians steered, as it were, a
middle course between both, and made their Elysium in a
sort of indescribable locality to which a subterranean passage
led. This they called "Cjii t)a t^-Oj, i. e., the Country of Per-
petual Youth. In this they supposed the virtuous and brave
to roam among fields covered with sweet flowers, and groves
loaded with delicious fruits. Here, some, as the taste inclined,
promenaded in happy groups, some reclined in pleasant
bowers, while others exercised themselves with hunting,
wrestling, running races, martial feats, and other manly ex-
ercises. No person ever grew old in this happy abode ; nor
did the inhabitants feel tedium of enjoyment, nor know how
centuries passed away. It was to this land of happy and
everlasting youthfulness the sage Oisin was conveyed, after
the Battle of Gabhra, according to such as evidently imagined
32
that he lived in the time of St. Patrick. This anachronism
has been always settled by the above traditions derived from
sire to son from time ovit of mind.
In pursuing the inquiry whether our Fenians appear in
the characters of warriors, princes, druids, or bards, we
can by no means afford to stop to argue whether they
were a distinct class of colonists who emigrated thither, and
were known as the Poeni, Phoenicians, Persians, &c., as
some have imagined, but shall briefly quote Irish historians
in corroboration of our assertions. The Fenian forces seem
to have been hirelings, in the beginning of their career, but
subsequently became very powerful. They consisted of seven
legions, called in Irish, ^eAcc j-caca t)a ^^)^t-f^]^)^)e, each
legion containing three thousand men ; so that the usual army
was always about twenty-one thousand strong. Some are of
opinion that this twenty-one thousand was only the number
of Fenian forces levied in each province of the five provinces,
into which Ireland was then divided. The seven legions
were only the staff since they have been usually styled *'i)a
5t)ívc-fé]i)i)e" (of the standing Fenians). Almost all writers
agree in making the Fenians a regular military force, possessed
of vast privileges, and, in consequence, bound to defend
the island from invasion. It appears that the forces of each
province had their own commander. Goll Mac Moirne was
commander of the Connaught forces : these forces were chiefly
composed of the Gamhanraidhc of Erris, and the Firdomh-
nain of Mayo and Roscommon, all of whom were of the
Firbolgian race. The standing forces of Ulster were the
bravest of all, and denominated "Cu|tA]6e t)a C^tAe^be
KuA^Oe" (Knights of the Red Branch). The fame of Conall
Cearnach, their chief, Cuchulalnn, Fergus Mac Roigh, the
sons of Uisneach, and other brave warriors and statesmen
attached to the Knights of Emania, still survives. The
Red Branch was the most ancient order of knighthood that
ever existed. The forces of South Munster were called
33
CUi)i)A <ÍDe<V5Ai8, after Deaghadh an Ultonian chief, who
had been expelled his country by the Clanna Rughraidhe.
These forces were commanded in the first century, by the
famous champion Curoi Mac Daire, the ruin of whose
fortress, called Cathair Chonroi, still stands on the mountain
of Mis, between the bays of Castlemaine and Tralee, in
the county of Kerry : it is a huge cyclopean building of
dry stone masonry. The Dalcassians, so called from
Cormac Cas, a renowned King of Munster, were once the
standing forces of North Munster, but very probably they
were not exactly of the Fenian order. These forces were
composed of the clans of Limerick, Tipperary, and Clare ;
they were distinguished soldiers down even to the twelfth
century. The Leinster and Meath Fenians were the CIai;ua ^
BAoif5r)e, so called from Baoisgne, ^ne^ ofjbheir ancestors. />
TheseTorces were of very long standing according to the fol- 'li '^/a*»^
lowing ancient poem which gives the names of their chief ^
commanders and the years of their command, by which it WM
appears that Fiachadh, brother of the monarch Tuathal, was Ci\Mc<^^i^
the first who established the Fenian forces in Ireland : híItAAA^ 2,
2t)eAbAi|i \\oxx} At) ^y\ bo p]l,
21 ri^eic ]r)T^Q\x)e At) Í)ei]t5 &)tu]r)t);
O ]tO leA|*A15 'pjACAÓ AT) "pblAW,
5u]t c|téi5reA& cu, A 0\x]x) !
i)b^ TÍ)AC peAjtÓA, bA|t \]OXX)y
"CuacaI II* 'piACAÓ pic |:]OT)t);
KoiT)& fjAb B^te leAc a|i Igac,
3ai) C05A6 bó|b, Ba bé-beA|tc.
Ku5 feo'r) •\io^r)\) At) 117 ac bu fo,
Bbe^c yi]X r^l»), V] b-lotT)0|i3o ;
y^^t ]ie iTAfAOAib, ]te |:eA6A,
Ba^a iv]lle, ]X i»)beA|iA.
34
í)o le|3|'|on) t>o TIjuacaI ctM)b,
21 cív]i)ce ]f A c|tebA]|ie.
Rjje TuacaI |to bA tt^aic,
Ho 5Ufi jAec 2l)AelAi) n)ó\i-fl<\]t ;
Ba b^j- |tÍ3 ftíO^ÓA A 1)-50ll,
BíVf "CFjUACA]! TDAC 'pbf'ltAÓAI^.
'pOIVAÓAC pACCtJA bA ^Ia]C,
2Í!:A]it 'pblACAió Ai) rrjAC rr)A]C ;
6iCT)e ii)3et) í)ai|te í)H]b,
2li) |tí05U)i) bA b-í <v Tr)ÍVCAT|l.
2t)o]|iT)e rtjAC 2t)A|we bu rbAfc,
Ba it)ac iT)5]i)e 'pblACAib ;
Bu cjietj-freft 1*0] I) 'i* bii c|iiac,
'CeAjtc peA|i )i]y i)ac coi)5ti)A6 fSl^e-
JAji y]v &o ]VAb P|aca6 ai; 'pbl<M)U,
«Do 2t)bó|]ti)e tÍ7Ó|i 3At) bAec ciaU ;
Cbe]C|ie bl]A8r)A ]tí5e co ijeAjtc,
3o "CitéTjníóii jte ceAcc AfCAfi.
"Ciiéi^njóit n)AC BA0i|-5i)e bu bAlc,
<De cÍAWA^b Se&i)A SíoÓbAC ;
Sei)-ACAi|t pblT)!), CA]|ib]|- clo|t)n,
2lcA]]t CbutbAiU ]|- CbftiorbAiU.
Cho:]t]ie bl]A6t)A y]tc]Oz pé]i),
Bu \i'] 'piACAjo po|t A1) b-'pé]i)i) ;
Ba tbA]C A jlófl If A 50|l,
<Dé-b|tacA]fi TuACAll 'CeACCTbAllt.
35
CbíilS bliAéiM 2t)ói|U)e njótt-cloiuD,
21 CeACA]t bO 3bA|t|lA^ 1)A 5-CA|lT),
5o t)vq5e |*5A]tTÍ)AT) <v ceAt)b.
<t)ív]]ie ii)AC 3bA|tlt<vi6 i)<v 5-cleAf,
SeACC rn-bl]A6i)A bo t)A ^ÍACAf ;
21 ciq5 A b-pUcAf 3 At) TÍ7AiTt5,
2t)ói|ii)e TDAC 4)ai|ie CjieAC-ÓeAfis.
JAit t)-bíc 2t)ói|tT)e n)ó]i aí) f aI,
Ba |ií5 AT) c-2lcAc A b-€JlT^loi)b;
Ba bl^AJAiT) bo 5Ar) bA05Al,
3o r)-beACAi6 b'ec ]]- v] ^AebAjt.
ےOCA]6 tT)AC 2lltCAlb A T)01|l,
Kí A|i pblAi^r» 6i|i]ot)b A t)-UlcAib ;
BliAOA^r) CO le^c ji^Ai) A lté]r»7,
)a]i AT) 2lcAC ]i)h Qi]]X]\)h.
^AbfAC AT) 9^im)A]t) |te meAb 3-C0I5,
t^Ac LuAcitA ]X 1u5a6 LaTT>6eA|i5 ;
<t)b^ bliAÓA^t) bó]b 5AI) TÍ7ji)T)e,
Jati t)-6ocA]6, T)í^ AT)-]tí5e.
Ca|* T17AC Cor)'A]r), c|tuA]6 a 50]!,
2leT) bljAOA^T) 80 i)A 6e5Ai6 ;
43ubAT) n)AC CAjf Tt)Ot)A|t TT)-b] T)b,
2lei) bl]A6A]i) A]5e A]]TTbirt7.
"C^cceb TjiéTjTbojt, c]t&r) a bliv]6,
'p]AT)T)A Bl|ll0T)b AT) ACT) 6iV]l ;
Ko rtis© A»? nl5 5^V c]ter,
"Clti bljAÓTJA flCC]OC, A]]tTbef.
36
Ho 5Ab CurbAll jAC ^Ajl fO|l),
)vb pt)AC |-c&]ce II* clo|&e|iTj;
Rí5e ]i:)A b-cuj ceo|iA caca,
Sul |tO JAb A1) pbl^^')') A|ITT)CA.
<t)b^ bl|A6A|i) bee, i)i |:ivc f aijij,
21 |tí5e fo|i "pbiAtjDAib 6||ieAi)i);
6c 11* bjtAC bo bu|8i)|b bl<\|C,
3ll]l t17A|lbA6 ^C CAC Ct)OCA.*
)a|i fit) 5Ab|*AC n7|C 2t)ó||iue —
2l|t ir)-b]tói), II* ív|i tT)-b|c T)-bó5|tA —
<t)e|c TT7|c |i|CC|Oc oil im blivc,
U|ti7 i)^||te,"uiTr) 3olU ^M") 3<^T^^<^^'
3oll TT)ó|t bu rr)ileA6 |c cac,
2t)AC boi) 2t)ó||iTje &e|5r)eAcb ;
'Piece bl|A8A|T) v] ):^i f at)t),
21 |tí5e poll 'piADiMlb 6||t|0t)&.
jA|t I'll) bo 5Ab At) ceo ó|it,
'pioi}!) rt)AC CurT)A|ll tr)AC 'Clieurbóiit ;
2l|i &-CA||ibejtcAcb |*t^Ab-fluA5AC,
2l|t l)-b|tAO| Att)|lA ]l-buA6AC.
"Cjti céAb bl|A6Aii) com bliv^ce,
i)e|C ii)-bl|A6i)A Acc Aei) iiiv|cce ;
SAe5Al "pblW 50 b-|ruA]|i a ]tAe,^
30 co]tcA|t c|te bé|it) bAe^i* é.
' Cnoca, Castleknock in the county of Dublin.
^ Kao, or no, means the moon. Old Irish leaches, who most unquestion-
ably derived all their knowledge traditionally from the druids, believed that
the influence of the moon was very powerful over the human frame. It was
known by a certain violent pulsation in the blood-vessels called t\ao, or |té.
This passed through all the veins in tlie human frame in the space of twenty-
four hours. This is nothing more or less than their knowledge of the circu-
lation of the blood. It was the general belief that if the |ié escaped from the
vessel by any means death was inevitable. Hence the phrase pUiXjti a tiAe,
i.e., rU'-^in 'J~^r, he died.
37
<t)eic rt)-bliA6t)<v a ^^-^e itA^c,
^iiT^ jtof b|tév\5<xó |iúi) t)A b-'p|At)i),
'S 5UTI cfté,5reA& cu, A Oini)!
S& iv'i ^riccioc ir ^qTi^p) liotT),
Ro 5Ab |ií5e Piat)i) 6||tiot)& ;
peA|t|i p|Oi)& 10A lAC ujle,
CAC-rpíleAÓ ív|i& 2llrnu]i)e.
TRANSLATION.
I well remember the incidents you relate,
Thou son of the daughter of the accomplished Dearg ;
Down from the time when Fiachadh instituted the Fians,
Until they abandoned thee, Oisin.
Two manly youths, as I am aware,
Tuathal and Fiachadh the fair-haired ;
Divided Eire half and half,
"Without having recourse to war — a wise policy.
It fell to the lot of the younger son
As his inheritance, — it is not incorrect —
Plains with forests and woods,
Fine cataracts and rivers.
He permitted Tuathal the valiant,
To assume the sovereignty of Eire ;
Wide was the circuit of his fame,
His adherents, and his ancestry,
Tuathal the just reigned
Until he was slain by Maelan, a potent prince.
The death-struggle was one worthy of a prince —
The death of Tuathal, son of Feredach.
38
Feredach Facbtna the prince,
Father of a worthy son ;
Eithne, daughter of Daire Dubh,
The princess, was his mother.
Moirne, son of Mainne the good,
Was son of the daughter of Fiachaidh ;
A valiant man, and a prince,
Few the men against whom he could not support a shield.
After that, Fiachadh subjected the Fians
To Moirne the great, whose wisdom was not feigned ;
Four years he reigned with power.
Until Trenmor returned from his journey.
Trenmor, son of Baoisgne, the invincible.
Descended from the race of Sedhna Siodhbach ;
The grandfather of Fionn — the fatnily connexion,
(Between) the parents of Cumhall and Criomall.
Four and twenty years in verity,
Fiachadh reigned king over the Fians ;
His glory and valour were repowned —
The worthy brother of Tuathal Teachtmar.
Five years lasted the reign of Moirne of the great clan,
As sovereign over the Fians of Eire ;
And four (years) for Garadh of the Cams,
Until his head was separated (from his body).
Daire, son of Garadh, of victorious feats,
Held the sovereign power seven years ;
And five years without trouble
(Reigned) Moirne, son of Daire Creachdhearg.
After the death of Moirne the Great,
The Giant from Eire reigned ;
One year was the span of his rule,
Until he died, not by the keen sword.
39
Eochadh, son of Archad from tlie east,
Was king of the Fians of Uladh ;
One year and a-half was the span of his reign
After that of the Giant in Eire.
Theyassumed the sovereignty of Munster by their swords,
Liath Luachra and Lughaidh Lamhdhearg ;
Two years they reigned without diminution
After Eochadh — they were not usurpers.
Cas, son of Conan — hard were his struggles —
Reigned one year after them ;
Dubhan, son of Cas — a charming musician —
Held it one year, as 1 reckon.
Trenmhor came, great was his influence.
Over the Fians of Eire at a general assembly ;
The king reigned without intermission
Twenty-three years, according to account.
After him Cumhall assumed the command.
By virtue of his shield and sword ;
During his reign he fought continuous battles
Before he obtained the armed Fians.
Twelve years — no weak achievement —
Was his reign over the Fians of Eire ;
His death was ruin to his well-appointed hosts
When he was slain in the battle of Cnoca.
After him the sons of Moirne reigned,
To our sorrow and lasting torment ;
Thirty great youths in their bloom,
Under Daire, Goll, and Garadh.
Goll the Great was a hero in battle ;
He was son of the latter Moirne ;
Twenty years — no ignoble exertion —
Lasted his reign over the Fians of Eire.
40
After him, Fionu Mac Cumhaill, son of Trenmlior,
The golden bodkin, the bestower of gems on lieroic hosts,
The noble, and the all-powei-ful druid,
Assumed the sovereignty.
Three hundred years with splendour, *
(And) ten years lacking one month —
Until he met his fate —
He lived, and was slain by a mad stroke.
Ten years the span of the prosperous reign
For you, Oisin, sovereign prince ;
Until the allegiance of the Fians was feigned.
And they forsook you, Oisin !
Six and twenty kings I opine,
Held the sovereignty over the Fians of Eire ;
Superior to all these together,
Was Fionn the inimitable champion of Almhain (Allen).
Hence it may be infered that the Fenian order was of
very ancient date, since twenty-six kings, or chiefs, ruled
over them from the time of the institution of the order, down
to the period of their final overthrow and dissolution in the
terrible battle of Gabhra.
The arms used by the Fenians were swords, spears, javelins,
battle-axes, arrows, slings, &c., specimens of which, or of
similar ones, may be seen in our museums as well as in the
collections of many private gentlemen. The banners of the
i^'enian chiefs were most magnificent: they were made of
fliól (silk), but most probably the word niól meant fine
linen, in the manuflicture of which the ancient Irish, like
the Egyptians, excelled all other nations. These standards
are described by Oisin in liis poem, entitled the " Battle of
the Sixteen Chiefs." Their banners were of various colours :
blue, green, red, and white, and bore representations of various
trees, animals, military weapons, &c. Tlic yew-tree, oak,
f
v
41
mountain- ash, wolf-dog, stag, sword, spear, bag-pipes, harp,
&c., were not omitted ; all these devices figured something
of a religious, warlike, and patriotic nature : for instance, the
standard of Fionn himself, called the 5AI STvéirje (sun-burst,
or potent sunbeam), bore on it a representation of the sun
darting forth jhis brilliant rays, probably because the sun was
the great deity of the pagan world in early times.
The military dress of the Fenian forces was of various
colours ; if we may attach any degree of credit to the Book of
Fermoy, their garb was not very dififerent from that worn
by the Highlanders of the present time. It, however, is no
proof that the Highlanders are the only genuine Scoti of
ancient writers, that in their mountain fastnesses, far remote
from strange society, they should have preserved the manners
and dress of their Irish ancestors.
The Fenians were in duty bound to guard the coast and
preserve the country from invasion. The privileges they
enjoyed were very important, especially in the reign of the
good monarch Cormac Ulfhada, son of Art, when they
reached the summit of power, and shone with the greatest
glory in feats of valour and war. A more correct account of
the privileges the Fenians enjoyed in the reign of Cormac
cannot be found in any modern work on Irish archaeology
than that given in an Irish manuscript entitled "Tofiui-
5eAcc SbAi6be ]V5]or) 603^117 Ó13."— (The Adventures of
Sabia, daughter of Eoghan Og; Eugene, or Owen the
Younger). The circumstances under which the information
was elicited were as follows : — The Fenian forces having
proceeded on a hunting excursion, leaving their families
alone and unprotected, Maighneas, daughter of Garadh
Glundubh, the wife of Fionn, proposed that the ladies should
take a bath in the adjoining bay. All consented except
Sadhbh {pr. Syve), daughter of Eoghan Og, who was wife
of a celebrated chief named Glas Mac Aen-chcarda; this
42
lady showed the imprndence of such a step in the absence of
their husbands. The queen would not be thwarted in her
project, and all the ladies corresponded in opinion with her.
Sadhbh, however, having some gloomy forebodings brooding
on her mind, absolutely refused to bathe, but promised to
accompany them, and keep watch and ward while they re-
mained in the water. After the lapse of some time she dis-
covered a strange bark standing towards the coast under a
press of sail. She immediately warned her friends of their
danger ; but, before they had time to flee, the stranger who
commanded the bark was by their side. Having accosted
the trembling fair ones, he enquired if they belonged to the
household of the good monarch Cormac. They answered in
the negative, informing him that they were the wives of the
Fenian chieftains. He then requested to be informed what
were the privileges which the contemptible Fionn, whose
father possessed only a small spot of land, enjoyed under the
monarch The Fenian queen replied that there were only
four individuals, namely, GoU Mac Moirne (who had once
been chief commander of the Fenian forces, after he killed
Cumhall, Fionn's father, in the battle of Cnoca, until Conn
Ceadchathach deprived him of his post) ; Oisin, son of Fionn ;
Caollte Mac Ronain, Fionn's nephew ; and Lughadh Lamha,
who could give full information on the subject ; but she her-
self would freely tell him all she knew : here follow the words
as given in the original: — "2lcii," aji y], *'c|i]ca céb ]i)
T^AC có|ce iT)fc> 6j]lt]r)b, ocu|* bA]le ^i:) 5AC cmcA c6&, ocuf
ccc ^t) 3AC bAjle, ociiy co]leivn coi) i)o 5a&a|i biv beACA]6 |i)b
5AC cec ]\)t) &i|tii)& ; ocuf co^tjrve bo fecb 5-CACA i)a 5i)iv]c
'pbéinne ]bi|i bu]nc ocu|* 3|om, coin ocuf 5AÓAT|t, ó Sb^-
inA^n 50 Belro|i)e Aji peA6 6i|teAt)b, ocuf f |a6ac ocuf jAfS^c,
OCUf COfl]tCA opCA ]01)CvVlCrbe Ó Bbelcjnno 30 SAtbA]!). OcUf 1)]
livtncA|t Aet) beAi) in& 6]]t]i)b <v c<vb<\iiic bo freAfi A|t bic ^At)
A p|Af:|tA]6 po c|ti An n)-l)í6 a b-^piAnnA^b Q']]t]0\)b poA|t a
43
ti]OX)^h'A\'A, ocuf rv)'^ bioi)t) i|* bo <\ beAficAji i- Ocuy v]
UTt)CA|i bfiAb^D, T)o ó5-lAe5 aUa, i)o rnil rrjuise bo rósb^il
bo coi)Ai|x bí^ b-|:A5CA|i ^c ceAX)v 5AC eic|i]5e n^Ajvb jAb,
n)ui?A b-cói3peA6 bu^tje é]ceAi) be 'pb1<^WA^b 6i|tioi)b ^ac,
c|te rb^Ab Ar> |TnACCA AcA. A5 'jPioijt;) Ajt 61^x1 t)b. Ocuf b^
iDAjtbAÓ Aet) bu]t)e ]t)b 6^i|tii)b bArb aUa, bo |iaca6 bAtb ceAT)-
fA bo "pbiow A]t A for), ocu]*lo]l5eAC ]:a't} e]l]c, ocuf cAe|iA
^A-'j) roil mui5e, ii)ui)A TDAitbA6 bu]T)e é]ceAr) be pbl^MW^^llJ
6iitior)b lAc. )r 1^'^c ri'' ^'^ n^feib focAi^t if Aictje bAtbfA
bo pbl0T)T) Ó |ii Bi|teAi)b; acc Ac^]b |*oca]|i móitA o^le ijac
f^Of ÓArbfA, ocuf biv njA f^of bArb ^lo lUfeACAjw bu]C]*e
lAc-feT)." — i. e. : " There is a triocha cead [cantred] in every
province, a townland in every cantred, and a house in every
townland in Ireland belonging to Fionn ; he is likewise
entitled to have a hound, or wolf-dog whelp reared in every
house in Ireland. He is privileged to canton the seven
standing legions of the Fians of Eire, together with all
their followers and attendants, wolf-dogs and hounds, upon
the country from Samhain (the first of November) to Bealtine
(the first day of May), and they are at liberty to enjoy the
sports of hunting and fishing, and to use all ripe and edible
fruits from Bealtine to Samhain. And n(5 one dares to give
any woman in Elire to any man whatsoever [in marriage]
without asking three times whether there be among the
Fians of Eire a man to marry her ; and if there be, to him
she is given. No person dares take any salmon, fawn, or
any smaller game, even though he found them dead on his
path on tlie end of every ridge, except a person belonging
to the ranks of the Fenians of Eire, in consequence of the
strict subjection Fionn exercises over Ireland. Were any
person in Ireland to kill a stag, he must give an ox instead,
a milch cow for a fawn, and a sheep for one of the smaller
game, except that person happens to be one of the Fians
of Eire. These are all the benefits enjoyed by Fionn from
the monarch of Irelan.d, of which I am cognizant ; but there
44
are other great benefits of which I am ignorant, if, however,
I knew aught about them, I would inform you."'
The Fenian ranks were not open to every " raw recruit"
that wished to join them from motives either of glory or of
selfish interest. Leaving aside a certain class who seem
to have been Fenians by birth, there were strict quaUfications
necessary for the uninitiated. From Keating and other old
documents we select the following qualifications and com-
phances necessary to enable a candidate to become one of
the Fenians of Eire.
In the first place there was no stranger admissible into the
Fenian ranks as a recruit, except his parents and relatives
gave proper security that none of them would attempt to take
revenge for his death, as was the then custom, but would
resign their claims for eiric (ransom) and revenge to the
hands of his fellow Fenians ; it was also stipulated that the
relations of an alien Fenian should not be made accountable
for any act of injustice or other unworthy deed he might
commit while in the Fenian ranks.
The second necessary qualification for a candidate was
that he should have a taste for poetical composition, and be
able not only to scan verses, but compose according to the
rules laid down by the college of Ollamhs. This was a very
rec[uisite rule ; because the composition and recitation of a
Rosg catha (war ode) was the first step to victory, as is uni-
versally acknowledged by our historians.
The third qualification was this : the candidate lor Fenian-
ship should be skilled in the dexterous use of his warlike
weapons. To prove his experience in this respect he was
placed in a sedgy plain or in a copse ; he had a shield and
staff given him, and nine expert warriors were stationed at
' If the Fenian king and his men only enjoyed the privileges above enume-
rated, the people of Ireland were little less than abject slaves under this mili-
tary despot, and the monarch himself must have been a mere bauble destitute
of either power or influence.
45
tlie short distance of nine ridges and as many furrows from
tlie candidate : these cast their missiles at him, and if he
could not ward off their strokes thrice nine times he was not
considered qualified for enrolment in the Fenian ranks.
The fourth qualification required that he should be a
nimble runner ; and also that in his flight before a chosen
body of the Fenians, he should be able not only to outrun
them but even to defend himself intact against their assaults.
There were other conditions also enjoined in this case ; the
candidate was required to braid his long hair in so neat and
compact a manner that the trees and underwood through
which he was required to pass would not disarrange it. He
was, moreover, required to be so expert in passing through
the woods that no matter what number of the Fenians
pursued him, he would be able to pass under the bough of
a tree not higher than his knee, and leap over one more than
breast high without interrupting his mode of defence or
impeding his progress.
The fifth qualification required that the candidate should
extend his arm and hold a javelin by the handle end ; if the
weapon appeared to quiver in the least he was at once re-
jected.
The sixth qualification required that, should a thorn pierce
the foot of the candidate for admission, he should be able to
extricate it without stopping his flight, or neglecting the
necessary defence of his person.
The seventh qualification demanded that the uninitiated
candidate should take an oath on his arms of valour to be
faithful to his commander, and not to dispute his authority
in any manner, or to sufler insubordination in any other
person belonging to the Fenian ranks.
These were the seven qualifications necessary for an unini-
tiated recruit ; but there are strong reasons for supposing that
these were not generally observed by the families of the
hereditary Fenians, as they nearly amounted to an actual pro-
46
hibition. We can find in no Irish manuscript, or other docu-
ment, that the children of Fionn and other Fenian chiefs
and soldiers had ever been excluded from the order, though
it is very natural to suppose that all the progeny of the
Fenians could not possibly be so brave and expert as the
recruit was required to be. A strong argument could be
fovmded on this thesis to shew that the Fenians were not
originally of the same family as the Milesians, but either the
remnant of conquered colonists, or foreign military adven-
turers who made war their profession and hired themselves
as soldiers like the Mamelukes of Egypt.
The Fenian forces of Ireland, as they are generally styled,
were unquestionably the defenders of the country against
foreign invasion, if we can believe the testimony of our own
historians ; the character given of Fionn by the learned
archaeologist O'Flaherty is brief and quaint: — " Summus
Hibernise militiae pra^fectus, jurisprudentiam etiam, super
qua scripta ejus hactenus extant carminibus Patriis, et est
quidara ferunt prophetiis celeberrimus, qui ob egregia sua
facinora uberrimam vulgo, et poetis commixendi materiam
rclinquens a nulla aetate reticebitur" — ( Ogyg. p. 338), which
fully agrees with the character given him in the ' ' 2l5AlUrb
T)A SeAi)ói]ti6." But whatever may have been the good and
great attributes conceded to Fionn and his armed hosts in
point of morality and literature, there certainly rests upon
them the stain of promoting servility, and forcing not only the
people, but even the monarch himself and his court to submit
to their martial as well as to their game laws. It was the
tyrannical bearing of the Fenians backed by the great grudge
which the Clanna Moirne entertained against the Clanna
Baoisgnc, that fomented the enmity which subsequently broke
out between the Fenian forces on the one hand, and the mon-
arch of Ireland, supported by his oppressed subjects, on the
other. The slavish exactions of the Fenian forces were quite
sufficient to stir up the people to regain their independence
47
whenever an opportunity ofFered. But there were other
reasons for dissolving the bond of union that existed between
the Fenian forces themselves. During the reign of Cot)T)
CéAb Cacac (Conn of the Hundred Battles), Cumhall, father
of Fionn, enjoyed the post of king, or chief commander, of
the Clanna Baoisgne or Leinster Fenians. Cumhall, from
strong interested and political motives, resolved, in virtue of
his position, to depose the reigning monarch and restore the
family of CACAe]]i 2t)ótt (Cathaeir the Great), a former dynast,
to tlie crown. Cumhall, supported by the Heberian forces
of Munster, marched out to meet the army of the monarch
who was aided by the renowned champion Goll Mac Moirne.
Both armies met at Cnoca on ^<V5 t^ye (Moy LifFey), gene-
rally supposed to be the present Castleknock, near Dublin,
and a terrible battle ensued. Many thousands fell on both
sides ; but the monarch Conn gained a complete victory over
the Fenians of Leinster and their Momonian allies in conse-
quence of the superior feats of valour displayed by the heroic
Goll, who slew Cumhall in single combat. The death of
Cumhall by the hand of Goll was afterwards the fertile
source of serious quarrels between the two rival clans of
Moirne and Baoisgne, even while Fionn was commander-in-
chief of the united Fenian forces of both families. Conan
took every opportunity of reproaching Fionn and the Baois-
gnean chiefs with the grudge which they entertained against
the family of Moirne, on account of the death of Cumhall ;
and the old malice and longing desire for revenge existing
between the two leading Fenian families encouraged the
reigning monarch Cairbre in his truly laudable intention of
putting a final end to the slavery imposed upon his people
by those proud military despots. In an old manuscript
history of Ireland,^ now in the library of the Royal Irish
Academy, the following account of the strife that existed
' See the Rev. Dr. Drummond's I'rize Essay, on the Poems of Ossian,
p. 137.
48
between Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his family on one side and
the Clanna Moirne on the other, is given :
" Cairbre Lithfeacair, the son of King Corbmac, obtained the crowne, and
was nicknamed Lithfeacair, because he was fostered near the river Liffey in
Leinster, in which place he tooke great delight : this monarch was killed in
the battle of Gabhra, which was fought upon this occasion.
" There were two septs of the Fions of Ireland, the Clanna Morna and the
Clanna Boisgne. This Boisgne was father to Cumhall, who was Fionn's
father (commonly called Fionn Mac Cumhall). Fionn had a daughter called
Samhair, and was married to Cormac Cas, King of IMunster, by whom she had
three sons. Tine, Conla, and Mogha Cuirb. This Mogha Cuirb was King of
Munster in the raigne of this monarch Cairbre. Fionn Mac Cumhall's son
was called Oisin, and was head of the Clanna Boisgne, who fallinge at dif-
ference with the Clanna Moirna, was protected and assisted by Mogha Cuirb,
his sister's husband. The Clanna Moirna, who were then the monarch's
mercenary souldiers, were headed by Aodh Caomh, son of Garadh Glundubh,
son of Morna, assisted and backed by the monarch Cairbre ; soe that this
civill warre continued betweene the Fions for seven years ; and at length the
Clanna Moirne provoked the monarch and other princes of Ireland to warr
upon Mogha Cuirb, King of Munster; because he protected the Clanna
Boisgne, hoping by that meanes that they should be deserted by the King of
Munster, and so be utterly expelled the kingdom, which the monarch did
although that was his own daughter's {not sister's) son. But the King of
Munster stuck faithfully to the Clanna Boisgne, wheteupon insued tj^e Battaille
of Gabhra, whereupon the monarch Cairbre was slain after he had raigned
twenty-seven years."
The most ancient document extant on the death of Cairbre
Lifeachair in the Battle of Gabhra is the following poem,
which the Society have obtained through the kindness of the
Rev. Dr. Todd, and the Rev. the Provost and Board of Trinity
College. It is preserved in the Book of Leinster, at folio
109 f, marked H. 2. 18, in the manuscript department of
the College library, and Mr. Curry, to whom the Council is
indebted for making the transcript, states it as his opinion
that the book must have been written prior to^ A. D. 1150.
So obsolete is the language of the poem that it is almost
unintelligible to the majority of Irish scholars of the present
day; yet it is hoped that the accompanying translation gives
a fair representation of the original.
49
05urr) ill] A I] A UAf lecc,
bA^le 1 cesqr pecc fi|i;
THAC Ti|5 b-6iiter)r) |to 5Aec At)b,
bo ^Ae 5Ar)& oj- 3<^t>uii 5il.
■CaiiU^c CAi|ip|te AU|tcu|i r)Ai]tc,
bo TPUJT) A TTJAl|tC TtJA^t ]]" C|ie|* J
5Ai|iriu cot7b|iircAr a rcirr»
Ofcuit |xob] A ÍArr) bei-f.
■Ca|iIaic Orcu|i lltCUjl T^oll,
CO pejtjAC loi)b irnrnA|i leo;
CO |io TT^Ajib CAi|ip|;e b-UA Cu]r)b,
H^AfitA 5iAll|*ACA|t 5lu]r)b 5leo.
2lrt)At)fi rtJOflA UA tT)lC,
]:uAfx.i\cA]t A rpbAf boT) jleo ;
5A1tXnU C0T)b|t||-CAir A DAIitrt),
|topcA|i l|A An)n7Aiivb ^wa rpbeo
lec A^bei* bo 3AbA]|i oU^f-f ;
rT)A|tbfA .1. Uec yob],
2l|tpeceT)b cAjibAC pocjiuc, ^
]T)i}]T:)A]Tt) bA |iuc t)on)jiOT; ;
]to rnA]tbAir)b co|ic ] ca^U cA^b,
1)0 fa|t5]t)b ét) A-[c iTDOj.
' For the subjoined translation of this poem, parts of which are very ob-
scure, the Society have to thauk Mr. Curry, whose long study of our most
ancient MSS. has given him an insight into obsolete words and idioms, to
which few if any Irish scholars of the present day can pretend.
4
50
)i) co5iirD uc p|l ]y]^) clojc,
bAn)rTjA|ic& 'pli)^ F|ccib jloDb,
C]At) bAb Cllll)<M) ID C05A117.
OlSIN CECINIT.
In the Battle of Gabhra were slain Osciir and Cairpre Lifecliair.
An Ogbami in a stone, a stone over a grave,
In the place where men were wont to pass ;
The son of the king of Eire^ was there slain,
By a mighty spear on a white horse's back.
Cairpre threw a sudden cast,
From the back of his horse good in battle ;
Shortly before he met his own death,
Oscur was slain by his right arm.
Oscur threw a mighty throw,
Angrily, vehemently, like a lion ;
And killed Cairpre the grandson of Conn,
Before they raised their battle cries.
Dexterous, great, were the youths,
Who received their deaths from the fight ;
Shortly before their weapons met,
Their dead were more than their living.
1 myself was in the fight,
On%ie south side of green Gabhair ;
I killed twice fifty warriors.
It was I who killed them with my hand.
' If the antiquity of this poem be correctly estimated, the existence of
Oi/ham characters even at that age goes far to prove that these characters are
by no means of Christian origin, as is asserted by some modern writers.
2 The son of the King of Eire. Cairbre son of Cormac, son of Art, son of
Conn of the Hundred BuUlcs.
51
Music, boating, rewarding,
The prey most difficult I chose ;
I would kill a boar in the hard wood,
I would rob a vengeful bird' of its egg.
That Ogham which is in the stone,
Around which fell the slain ;
Were Finn the fighter of battles living,
Long would he remember the Ogham.
In consequence of the war waged between Conn of the
Hundred Battles, and Eoghan Mor (Eugene the Great) of
Munster, the long-existing spirit of ill-feeling between the
rival clans who supported each of the great competitors for
power was considerably augmented, and a change in the
affairs of Ireland was contemplated. When Eoghan was
slain, and Conn re-assumed the sovereignty of the whole
island, the ire and jealousy of the Moraonian clans became
still much more excited. The battle of Cnoca (Castleknock,
near Dublin), in which Cumhall, the father of Fionn, was
slain by the hand of Goll, was fought by those two powerful
factions. The animosity of the Momonians towards these
northern and western enemies was by no means abated
in consequence of the results which followed this battle.
The clans of Deirgthine, Dairfhine, &c., who supported the
claims of Eoghan, felt very indignant on account of Conn
having assumed the supreme government of Ireland ; especi-
ally since the Conacian branch of the Fenians had been per-
mitted to assume the command of the whole body. It is
not irrelevant to give a brief sketch of the history of Eoghan
Mor, who forced the monarch Conn of the Hundred Battles
to divide the kingdom with him, from E>ubHn to Galway,
where, in a direct line, the eA|*CA|i<v it^AbA, or meering of
the two divisions, is said to be traceable even to this day.
Leath Chuinn, i. e. the half of Conn, was the name given
to the northern portion ; and Leath Mogha, i.e. the half of
' Supposed to be the eagle.
52
Mogha, was the name of Eoghan Mor's portion, which was
the southern part of the island. It happened that Siodna
(daughter of Flann the son of Fiachra, and queen of Mogha
Neid, king of Munster), mother of Eoghan Mor, saw a
vision, Pharoah-llke, in lier sleep, which much troubled her.
She saw seven white milch kine, with smooth hair, pass be-
fore her, and the exuberance of their udders was so profuse,
that children could swim in the milk which they shed in
the furrows and hollow parts of the earth as they passed.
Immediately after she saw seven ill-looking lean kine,
whose hair stood on end, whose horns were of iron, and
whose fronts portended destruction to man, following in the
track of the beneficent kine. The ill-looking kine killed
and devoured the fair kine which she first saw, so as not
to leave a trace of them to be seen. Mogha Neid, having
been acquainted by his queen with the circumstances of her
vision, was very much troubled in mind as to the con-
sequences likely to ensue. He summoned all his druids and
demanded an interpretation of the vision. Dearg Damhsa,
his arch-druid, said : — " Seven years of great plenty, and
after those seven plentiful years, seven of scanty produce
shall come. My advice is this, that you make a suitable
provision for the years of famine." Hereupon Eoghan
Mor and his father called a council of their princes and
chieftains, and they unanimously resolved, that the king
should make suitable provision for the forthcoming famine.
Mogha Neid and his son Eoghan accordingly constructed
cells and built granaries for the storing of the grain crops ;
and ordered their subjects to use only fowls and fishes, which
amply sufficed for their maintenance during the years of
plenty. The years of plenty came, as foretold ; and Mogha
Neid took all his tributes in corn, and even expended all the
funds in his treasury in purchasing the surplus grain of the
neighbouring provinces. The years of famine also came,
and were more keenly felt in Munster than elsewhere.
53
The people of that province assembled in multitudes to be-
wail their hard fate, and to beg of Mogha Neid and his
son to relieve thera ; but there were two other kings then
in Munster, whose names were Niadh Mac Lughaidh and
Mogha Lamha, who were rivals of the wise princes : these did
not come to supplicate assistance with their people. Mogha
Neid told them plainly that he would not relieve them,
unless they promised him fealty and engaged to support the
claims of his son to the supremacy of all Munster ; and the
distressed people unhesitatingly bound tliemselves to these
conditions. After some time the Momonians, faithful to their
promise, advanced Mogha Neid and his son to the sovereign
power over all Munster; and the clans of Deirgthine and
their supporters were then well contented, and assumed great
power in Munster. Mac Niadh and Conaire, son of Mogha
Lamha, who had been forced to abdicate, retired to Tara,
and put themselves under the protection of Conn of the
Hundred Battles, who received thera honourably, and made
them lords of Bregia and other districts, while he appointed
them officers of his household troops.
The princes felt well satisfied with the reception they met ;
but did not forget all claims to their patrimony : they united
in a league to support each other; and ha\ang formed an
intimacy with the royal ladies of the palace, from motives
best known to themselves, Conaire married the sparkling
blue-eyed Maoin ; and Mac Niadh married the gentle Sabia.
It may as well be said here that Conaire was father of the
three Cairbres, namely, Cairbre Riada, whose descendants
passed to Scotland and peopled the islands, Cairbre Baisgin,
and Cairbre Musg.
When Eoghan Mor heard how honourably the ex-kings
had been received by the monarch Conn, he felt very indig-
nant, and despatched heralds to summon him to prepare for
battle. The monarch accepted the challenge, and sent
couriers to Goll Mac Moirne and to the provincial kings of
54
Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster, to summon them to liis aid.
They all assembled with their forces, except the king of
Ulster; and on this occasion the battle of Magh Cam in
Feara Ceall was fought, in which the monarch obtained a
complete victory over the Munster forces. On the following
day the Momonians re-assembled on Magh Tualaing, in the
district of Eile, and a bloody battle ensued. GoU and
Mogha Neid met face to face in single combat, but the
heroic king of Munster was slain by his antagonist; con-
cerning his death and burial we find the following curious
and interesting funeral dirge, composed and chaunted by
Dearg Damhsa the druid over his grave, in a beautifully
written manuscript which gives an account of this famous
battle, made by the poet, historian, and scribe, John Collins
of Rosscarberry, in the county of Cork, A. D. 1780; now
in our hands : —
'peAjic 2t)bo5A Mé]& A]]i 2t)bi^5 TuaUitjj,
3oi) A imjbije |te a 5uaIaii)u;
5oT7 A lui|t3 |:a loDD A v--^v]onj,
3oi) A CAc-bii|i|i, 501) A clo|6eATb.
Hoc A^jt A]f |tO p]l]C Al) peA^t,
CeAW buAT)T;A tjA u-^^oÓaI u-5lé, v-'S^^V ;
21CC A5 COftJAÓ 'l) ^AC bA ÓUaI &Ó,
2lic5p) bo 6ocA]6 2t)urbo.
2^A|i bo bíi&A]t ^x )r) ]on}-^o]\),
TAob jie CAeb ^f p 1011501 1 ;
^v\]C A1) C-UltCA|l CÍVJiIa Ó 'pblAl)!;,
3o nj-b] cori)C|toni c|i& CboijAll.
<t)0 CUA16 2t)03<V HC^]t) 'f AI) CAC C<\)U,
<t)o copjAÓ Ai;n}<v B05A11);
'pAbA A cuTÍ)A |te |*Aec ]*eAítc,
í)<\Tbr)A bubAC bi-l^cA^ji.
55
TRANSLATION.
Mogha Neid's sepulchre is on Magh Tualaing,
With his javelin by his shoulder ;
"With his club which was strong in conflict,
"With his helmet, with his sword.
The man was not found to turn back,
He, the head of the true pure Gaedhals ;
But he was wont to defend the territories which were his due,
Similar to Eochaidh Mumho.
As they were in the mortal struggle,
Side by side in the combat ;
Good was the cast aimed by Flann,
So that it passed straight through Conall.
Mogha Neid went into the noble battle.
To protect the life of Eoghan ;
Long shall he be lamented with deep love.
His absence shall be the cause of dark sorrow.
After a series of bloody skirmishes, Eoghan Mor was
forced to fly to Spain and to put himself under the protection
of Heber the Great, king of that country, who received him
honourably, and, according to the advice of his druid, gave
him his daughter Beria in marriage. Eoghan, assisted by
the forces of Spain, returned to Ireland and forced Conn to
share the kingdom with him. In all these battles the clans
of Baoisgne, or the Leinster Fenians, supported their friends
of Munster against the monarch, who was assisted by the
clans of Moirne, then chiefs of the Irish Fenians. Hence
the grudges and jealousies that afterwards existed between
the family of Conn, aided by the Connacht Fenians ; and
that of Cathaeir Mor, supported by the Fenians of Leinster.
Conn. himself was slain at a place called Tuadamar, fifty-
two years after the death of Tuathal Teachtraar ; according
to the poet Gilla Caemhan : —
56
JA|i rnAjtb ]i) cu]|ic TuACAjl;
Co b^i* Coii)b cec Caca|3 CA]t),
jr 11} 'CuIai5 1 TuAbAmA^it."
TRANSLATION.
(There are) fifty-two years
After Tuathal the fierce was slain ;
To the death of the renowned Conn of the Hun-
dred Battles,
On the Tulach (hill) in Tuadamar.
Thirty-seven years after this period the battle of Magh
Muchruime was fought, in which Art Aenfhir, son of Conn
of the Hundred Battles, was slain by Lughaidh Lamha.
The Annals of Boyle record this occurrence thus : — " LxijA^b
Laja occ]b]c 9l]xr. Bei)e b|io]ri)u occ^b^c Bo5Ar) rrjc
21iIiIIa UIa^tt»: Lu5Aib ?t)Ac Co^i; ]iex]z xxx Ai)t)]|*." — i.e.
Lughaidh Lagha slew Art. Bene of Britain slew Eoghan,
son of Oilioll Olum : Lughaidh Mac Con reigned thirty
years.
The annals of Boyle record the reigns of Art and of his
contemporary in Eraania, as well as another battle fought at
the instigation of the turbulent Fenians : — " 2l]iz 6i)i|i ]\eT^\)^t.
Ai-)\-)]y xxxii. 05rnAT)rr)AC 'pjAcbAcb ^1i)<v jiejtjAc ]r) BrrjAir).
CAcb Cinbeb|iAC ^t^A njACA^b 2l]lellA UlA]rt), acu|* ■\\]y i)a
c|ii CAi]ib|i]b, .1. tT)]c Coi)A]|ie, TT)AC LiijA Lattja ^0]t Lu^A^b
rt^AC Co^^ CAcb ^IM31 ^llC]tUTr)A ^llA 'Lu5A]b TOAC Coi),
u.c. 2lfic Bi)i|i m^c Ciqi)b Coc CACA15 Acii|* vii i^^líí 2leloUA
UlAitn," i.e. "Art Aenfhir reigned thirty-two years. Ogman,
son of Fiachach Fina, reigned in Pimania. The battle of
Cindebrat was fought by the sons of Oilioll Olum and the
three Cairbres, sons of Conaire, son of Lughaidh Lamha (sons
of the exiled Momonian king, who found protection at Tara,
and married the daughter of the monarch Conn), against
Lughaidh Mac Con. The battle of Magh Muchruime was
57
fought by Lughaidh Mac Con, against Art Aenfhir, son of
Conn of the Hundred Battles, and the seven sons of Oilioll
Olum." It would be too tedious to enumerate all the battles
that were fought in Ireland at the instigation of the Fenians
and their supporters, incited by interested motives.
To explain the nature of the influence exercised by the
Fenians over the powers that then were, it must be told
that Sabia, daughter of the monarch Conn, and wife of Mac
Niadh, eloped with Oilioll Olum, a prince of Munster, after
having given birth to Lughaidh, who was surnamed Mac
Con, because a hound, according to Keating and other
authorities, had taken care of him in his stepfather's house.
But Sabia, though she had been frail, still remembered her
first-born; and when the battle of Magh Muchruime took
place, in which her brother Art and her seven sons were
slain, so strong was her feeling of faction that she could not
conceal the joy she felt because Mac Con, her son by Conaire,
had won the monarchy. This imprudent conduct of the
queen of Munster had such an evil eftect upon OllloU, that
he gave vent to his feelings in unmeasured language, and so
much was he affected by the death of his sons and of the
monarch, his grief being aggravated by the unnatural joy of
his queen, that he never saw any person except a few faith-
ful friends during the remainder of his days.
All those great battles and innumerable minor ones were
fought at the instigation of the Fenians. The clans of
Baoisgne supported the claims of the Heberian line to the
monarchical throne ; and they themselves consequently held
supreme command of the Fenian forces, while the clans of
Molrne supported the Heremonian line, for during their reign
their own power predominated. When the peaceful Cormac
obtained the supreme government of the country, he found
himself too weak, or unwilling to wage war with the clans
of Baoisgne and their adherents, especially since he was under
some obligations to one of their principal chiefs. He there-
58
fore, wisely perhaps, permitted them to hold the supreme
command of the Fenian forces, and even gave them greater
liberties than those they previously enjoyed.
Tlie learned antiquary, O'Flaherty, speaking of Cormac,
the 126th monarch of Ireland, remarks: —
He (Cormac) had a son-in-law Fin married to his daughter Crania, but
she eloped with Diarmoit O'Diiihhne: he had his other daughter, Albea,
married to him who was the son of Cumliall by Mornia, daughter of the
druid Thady, of the family of O'Boisgne, the descendant of Nuad the White,
monarch of Ireland — Ogi/g.,\o\. ii. p. 242, Dub. 1793.
The same writer furnishes additional accounts of the dis-
putes that existed between the rival Fenian clans, which,
with another source of angry and jealous feelings on the part
of the Clanna Baoisgne and their adherents, namely, the
monarch Cairbre having previously deprived them of the
chief command of the Fenian forces, and bestowed it on
the Clanna Moirne, fomented their ire, and goaded them to
open revolt. There may have been many strong reasons on
the part of the monarch for depriving the haughty Clanna
Baoisgne of their power ; but a piece of arrogance occurred
which certainly could not fail to widen the difference to the
utmost, and to bring the whole matter to a crisis.
The son of the king of the Decies solicited and obtained
the consent of Sgeimh Sholais (Light of Beauty), daughter of
the monarch Cairbre, to accept him as her husband. When
the news of the intended marriage of the princess reached the
ears of the Fenian authorities (the Clanna Baoisgne being
then in command), they sent messengers to the monarch to
remind him of their wonted privileges, and to demand twenty
ungas (ingots) of gold as a ransom for the lady herself.
Cairbre became indignant at such a demand, and vowed to
extirpate the Fenians from the country, or perish in the
attempt. He despatched messengers to the provincial kings
to advise them of his intentions, which met the unanimous
approbation of his princes and people. The Clanna Baoisgne,
59
the great enslavers of the Irish people, and their adhe-
rents, resolved to meet the monarch and his forces in battle ;
having secured the assistance of the Scottish and British
Fenians, and all foreigners upon whom they were able to
use any influence, in their interest. There are strong rea-
sons for suspecting that the Clanna Baoisgne party, when
they found the monarch bent upon reducing their power to
a proper standard, determined to dethrone him, and to confer
the crown upon one of the descendants of Cathaeir Mor.
The usurping Fenians, when they found their ranks strength-
ened by sufficient bodies, defied the royal troops to battle.
The battle of Gabhra, fought between those two fierce and
powerful parties, assumed all the character of a civil war ;
because all the people of Ireland were involved in it, and
the arrangements made on the occasion occupied a consider-
able space of time in their progress. The following abridged
account of this deadly battle, collected from our old manu-
scripts, may not be uninteresting : —
" After the death of Fionn, the Leinster Fenian forces were commanded hy
his son Oisin, but the chief command of the revolting forces devolved on
Osgar, son of Oisin, in the battle of Gabhra, while the Clanna Moirne, or lo)'al
Fenians were under the command of Aedh Mac Garaidh, King of Connacht,
who was also called Osgar, on account of his extraordinary valor. The forces
of Munster, consisting of the Clanna Deaghadh (Dalcassians), and other war-
like tribes under the command of the brave Mogha Corb and his son Fercorb
joined the revolters. Besides these and other powerful auxiliaries, the re-
volters were strengthened by their own order from various countries beyond
the seas, especially from Alba, Britain, and Lochlan. With these numerous
allies they brought a powerful army into the field. The army of the monarch
•was chiefly composed of the household troops of Tara, the forces of Meath,
Ulster, and Connacht ; and though it was powerfully supported by the Connacht
or Firbolgian Feuians, it is presumed that it was inferior in numbers and
strength to that of their antagonists. The revolters according to the Book
of Howth, marched upon Tara, and reached Garristown, or Gabhra, a village
and parish in the barony of Balrothery, and county of Dul)lin ; but they were
met here by the royal army, who, having had notice of the enemy's approach,
marched forth to meet him. Both armies encamped that night on the field
of battle. At the dawn of day next morning, the men on both sides having
GO
kissed the ground and gave utterance to three loud cries of defiance, as was
the custom of the ancient Irish, rushed to the attack."
There are, however, some Irish archaiologists of high re-
pute, who consider that the site of the battle was called BA]le
AT) jiviite, Garristown (5^||te, gen. from 5iv]|i, a cry, or war-
shout); but we think that it rather takes its name from Garradh
Glundubh, a Fenian chief; hence, B<V]le 5bATt]i<v]6, Gar-
radh's town. This battle was fought on the seventeenth
day of June, A.D. 283,^ and lasted from dawn to the setting
of the sun ; and in addition to the numbers slain, the few
surviving combatants were so mangled and fatigued that the
approach of night was a welcome advent, although they would
■ According to O'Flaherty, the Battle of Gabhra was fought A.D. 296, ac-
cording to Dr. Charles O'Conor and others, A.D. 283. Fionn Mac Cumhaill the
renowned commander of the Fenians was not present at the battle of Gabhra,
since his death is recorded by the Irish Annalist Tighernach {Proleg. ii p.
20-21) in the year 285. This is confirmed in the body of the poem, but the
general impression is that he was numbered with his fathers in the year
previous to that of the battle. Dr. O'Conor, says ; — (Kiii. Piuh b- bAjfcne
decollatus est oc ^Icb b^t^A pott bomb, K. V. Tacitus regnat) — " Tum vero
Finnus (vulgo Fingal) floruit cum Carbrao, regnanti Cormaco Ulfadha, et
pater fuit Ossini, ac avus Oscari, qui pugnavit in proelio Gaurano, quod gestum
est prope Temoriam, anno quo Carus occisus est, anno antiquam Dioclesianus
ad Imperium pervenit, ac proinde anno 283." Giolla Caemhin, a writer of
the eleventh century, speaks thus of the Fenian affairs and of the death of
Fionn : —
Secl)c n)-bl]A&f)A, I. Ar cen CTtA&b,
O Cac 2í}uc|iU]ti)í ijA njAl ;
Co co|tcA^ p]i)t> leo c]Ati ^rell,
t>o itenoAjb z^i n)]c \X\\^]\em-
Seven years and fifty, without question.
From the Battle of Mucroime of the Iieroes ;
To the treacherous death of Fionn,
By the three sons of Urgrenus.
Doctor O'Conor says on the subject of Fionn Mac Cumhaill's death : — " Jam
vero, cum Finnus decollatus fuerit, regnanti Aureliano, anno quo Kal. Jan.
inciderunt in feriam IV., et cum Kalendae istas in feriam istam non inciderint
nee incidere possint toto isto regno, ullo alio anno, qtiam anno Christi 273,
uti potes ex calculis, sequitur Finni obitum referendum esse ad annum vera
communem 273.
61
not desist from the carnage wliile the sun shone above the
horizon ; for such was the spirit of chivalry of the ancient
Irish. It would be difficult to determine which party re-
mained victorious on the memorable field of Gabhra, nor
can the historian, who has taken a calmer and more dis-
interested view of the event, concede the palm of victory
to either party. The battle of Gabhra was fought by
men who desperately determined to sacrifice their lives to
the principles they supported. The annals of Ireland do
not furnish us with an account of any other battle fought
with so much deadly determination. This can be plainly
seen from an analysis of the number engaged on both sides,
and of the slain in that shocking carnage. According to the
sources of information which can be most safely relied on, the
number of men who opposed the monarch Cairbre, were
upwards of twenty-one thousand; while those who were
marshalled in the ranks of loyalty, patriotism and liberty,
amounted to about twenty-eight thousand. Of the revolting
Fenians and their allies, there were about eighteen thousand
slain ; while of the royal army, only twelve thousand were
numbered with the dead; and if the day had afforded a
longer space for the display of valour, and for the avenging
of old grudges and jealousies, it is very probable that half
the number would not have survived "C<\c ^^^^!^*' V^
n)-hé)n)]Ovh" i.e. the Battle of Gabhra of the fierce strokes
or blows.
Though the tyrant Fenians had been almost cut away,
and though the royal forces, notwithstanding the death of the
valiant and patriotic Cairbre himself, had obtained, in the
estimation of some writers, a nominal victory, it was certainly
a victory loo dearly bought; because, on account of the
nature of the quarrel, the best men in the island were en-
gaged in the struggle, and cut oíF. Thus, bereft of her
natural defenders, Ireland was exposed a prey to foreigners,
as Oisin remarks to St. Patrick.
f)2
" í)Afi bo U]it), A Cblé]fi|5 cí\|5,
Mj fXAjb Y At) rD-B^ubA n)-h<X]i);
2lcc beA5iit) lAecjtA a JD-blA^b,
2lcu|* b'ó]5]b i)^]t &eA|ibA]6.
Hi T^Ajb Aei) |tí5 qocpAÓ ^tjb,
Hac b-iíAJAÓ 6i|ve 'i>Ai|-5] ;
5At) CAC, 5A1) Í0]t50ll, 5AI) ÍVI3,
5ai) 11175011), 3AI) Acri^iii-ivi;."
TRANSLATION.
By virtue of thine hand, chaste Cleric,
There did not exist in fair Banba,
But a few warriors renowned for feats,
And youths who had not been proved.
There was no king who would come hither,
Who would not obtain Eire freely,
Without battle, without strife, without contention,
Without conflict, without reproof.
As the custom of lamenting the dead in the pagan ages
is specially alluded to in the poem on the Battle of Gabhra,
it may not be irrelevant to treat of the subject here ; but
with as much brevity as possible. Some antiquaries believe
that the old Irish burned the remains of the dead, in conse-
quence of the numerous urns containing bones, apparently
human, which bear marks of fire, which have been dug up
in raths, &c. But all such relics should be examined with
great caution lest a theory ibunded on a weak basis should
lead to grave historical error. It does not appear that any
portion of Irish history is found to support the theory of
burning the dead ; but we have numerous instances recorded
by tradition of persons guilty of great and unusual crimes
being burned at a stake, while every person who attended
the execution was bound to fetch a bundle of dry faggots to
63
add to the fire. As such criminals were held in general de-
testation, it is probable that their ashes were scattered to
the winds instead of honourable monuments being raised
for their reception. If we take a survey of the numerous
Cills, or places of burial, never dedicated to Christian pur-
poses, we find them too numerous to warrant the opinion
that the remains of the dead were wont to be burned instead
of having been interred in graves formed with flag-stones. So
numerous, indeed, are these Cills found in Ireland that we
know six such places of interment literally within sight of
each other. If then the ancient Irish had been accustomed
to burn the remains of the dead, so many old pagan places
of interment would necessarily not exist. The best autho-
rity we find on the subject of ancient interments is the Rev.
Dr. Keating: in an unpublished work on theology, en-
titled "Cfii Bioia|t-5Aece Atj Bb^^ir (Three Sharp-pointed
Shafts of Death), written by him about A.D. 1620, we find
that the pagan Irish interred their dead in graves, mounds,
and small raths. The account is so curious that it is well to
give it in the learned Doctor's own words : —
"2lr é bo :sv'pir ] ij-entiw ]v A]mx]\i v^ 3-cu|i<\6 A3<\r
t)A péiwe, |*ul v.SS']V]'5 ro^uf AT) c]tei&]rb cuca, i)a Tr)Ai|tb
b'AÓt^ACAl ^ío ú]|t ; 5|6eA6 ]f ]oit)6a c<y]i Ajt a 5-cu|icaoi leo
]Ab: —
" 2li) céAb cojt.
"Ua]tt) t)0 peAjtc CAÍrbAT) bo óéArjArb 50 b-^Ab A5A}* 50
le^qob AT) cu]|ip, A5Af boTji) a coy bo cu|t ]tj|* ai) ^]]vb fo|]T,
A5Af A bAjqOf ]l]X A1) ^]|Vb f 1A]l, A5A|* CA|IU cloc bO Cll|l Of
A cioi)T) bA i)-50|icA0i LeACc, rr)A|t ací^ ^eAjic 2t)l;A0CA5^ii)
] r)-\l]h pACAió.
" 21t) bAjiA co|i.
"Ma TDA^jib bo cu|i po ú||i A5Af n^^otj-jtívcA bo cIa6a6'i)a
b-qTt)C10ll, A5Af 5AI) l^A T)iV leACC of A 5-C]0T)T), A5Af ACiV^b
z]ti b|toT)5A A cu|icA]t ]f T)A n)]oi)-]Tí^cA]b fo : n)A]t t!x]b AOf
64
caIaOija, rtjv^, ^S^'^r l<í1i)t» ; aca|* cív]& Ó<v co|i o^le A|i a
5-cu|iCA0i bAO]T)e ] i)-6i|t]r)r) rf7A|i aot; |t]|* at) 5-co|i |*at)
cu]5ceA|i A|* M) |iat;t) |*o : —
"peAjtc Aet) boftu^f '^fioit 50T) aoj,
■)^eA]tc 50 i>&ó óói]tfib bo TbT)AO| ;
"peAjlCA 5]OT) hÓl]X|*lb CCATJDA,
"po|t TÍ7ACA]b, po|i ^T)5eAr)T)A ;
COO^C pOjl Allrbu|lCAlb ATJA,
2l5A]* múllt ^Ojl TT)Ó|l-pla5A.
" 2lf* At) ]tAT)T)|*0 ]f pT)CU]5Ce T)^ b]A6 ACC AOI) &0|tU|*
A)^ freA|ic ai) ^]|i eAlAÓijA, a3A|* 6íc 6o|tii|* a|i freAjxc r)A
roTjív ; |:eA]ic At) le|t)b 5AI) AOi) bo]tu|*, ci)Oic A5 AllTÍ7uiicA]b
UA]fle, clA6-TÍ7Úllt pO]t luCC 5AlA]Tt 5|t^]T)eATbATl.
"Cott e|le A]t A 5-cii]tCA0i ^Ab.
" 2t)A|t CÍV 50 l)A A5A|* 50 leACC (a5A|* Af lÍ0l)Tf7A]t ACÍV
t)A -peAjtcA ]ie t:Aic|-]i) ] v-Q']V-VVh |ie Iji)!} t)a pa5ívi)c<\cca),
T)A n)A]]ab bo cu|i 'i)a ye^y^n) asaj^ cajiu cttiAÓ A5Af cloc
bo cÓ5bívil óf A 5-ciot)t) 50 c]0|i6aIca cóiT)-c|m]t)t), A5Af a
T)-A]|ttr) b'AÓijACAÍ rtjAjt Aor) it^u ; " A5Af iqnje f ]i) bo b-AÓÍACAÓ
iDÓixar) b'uAifl|b i)A b-6iltioi;t) a ijAllób ; AjAf 50 \)-í\^i]-^te
2l)o5(\ Méjb, ATr)U]l léA5CAii A s-CAjc 2t)bívi5e DuaIaius [le
*t)eAfl5 <t)<VrbrA Al) Í)]IA0^."
It was customary among the Irish at the period in which the heroes
and Fenians flourished, and before the light of faith dawned among them,
to inter the dead in the earth : there were, however, many modes of inter-
ment in use.
The first mode of interment.
A grave corresponding witli the dimensions of the corpse was dug in the
earth, and a small rath was raised around it. The feet were placed facing th-j
east and the head the west : a cairn of stones, called a leacht, was piled over
it, like the grave of Maothagan in Uibh Fathaidh.
The second mode of interment.
To deposit the dead in the earth, and to erect small raths around them.
No stone or monument was raised over them. There were three classes of
persons usually interred in this manner in those small raths, namely, men of
65
science, women, and children. There were, besides those, two other modes
of interment practised in Ireland, as is manifestly seen by the following poem.
A grave of one door for a man of science,
A grave of two doors for a woman,
A grave without even one door,
Around boys as well as maidens ;
Mounds around foreigners of distinction.
And enclosures around those who died of deadly plague.
From the above verse it is plain that only one door (passage) opened to
the grave of the man of science, two doors were peculiar to the woman's
grave, no door belonged to the graves of children, while mounds were raised
over the remains of noble foreigners, and enclosures were constructed around
those who died of loathsome plague.'
There was another mode of interring the dead, namely, with a grave-stone
and a tomb (and those graves are numerous throughout Ireland, of the pagan
time). The dead were placed in a standing position, and circular cairns
(heaps) of earth and stones were raised over them, and their arms were buried
with them. It was in this fashion that very many of the Irish nobles were in-
terred in the olden time ; the interment of Mogha Neid by Dearg Damhsa the
druid may be instanced, as we read in the " Battle of Magh Tualaing."^
The Irish were wont to lament the loss of their relatives
and friends in a manner calculated to inspire compassionate
feelings in the bosoms of all who witnessed their demeanour
on such occasions. We ourselves have seen the scenes dis-
played at funerals in Ireland, which were in some manner
the reliques of the customs prevalent in the olden times.
Dr. Keating, in the manuscript work already quoted, gives
a lucid description of the custom prevalent among the pagan
Irish. He says :
"2lf é Af clu^cce CAO]r)ce aw, 5ol-5iv|t|icA 5U||ice s^^jb-
ceACA A5Af eolcA]|ie &A5A, &éA|iA A]r)-rbeAí*A|i6A boóéAt^Arb
6ó]b n)Aille |ie fcocAÓ a b-^olc A5Af a b-p]0i)r)f:A8 ; fie
]*5|iíobA6 A5Af jie X'S]i]OX a ij-beAlb, a^at ]te c|io|*b-buAlA6
C|lOTt)-A1T)Tt)eAC A 5-C0|ip A3A|- A 3-ColAÍ)t) po \<\]t A5A|* ^O
1 From this paragraph we learn that the ancient Irish not only did inter
their dead, but were accustomed to distinguish sex and rank by the peculiar
construction of the grave.
2 See the poem on the interment of Mogha Neid, on Magh Tualaing, by
his arch-druid, Dearg Damhra, pp. 54-55.
5
66
lívt)-cAlrb<x^t) ; A5<\f póf, a]|ieAn) a5<v|' ]0ti)|iív6 a i)-éACC
A5A|* A r)-AiceAf bo 6éAi)ATb> &o Tté||i n7A]t ^f ioi)cu|5ce a
n7-b|i]Ar|tAib 0||*íi) ]*at) buA]i) béA5AT)A]5 bo |i]T)e, TT)A|t a
Iua6at)T) hixy Of cu]|t a rbjc, 55A]t Ab co]*ac : —
"2t)Ó]t A 1)0CC n)0 CÚTÍ7A ]íéit).
" 2I3 fo r)A |tAp)T) A|* A b-cu]5ceA|i clu^cce CAOit)ce |
I>A1TT)ri|l DA b-pA5ÍVDAC ^ t)-6l]t]t)t) :
"SsiieAbAi* rrjAC Rot^Ait) atjij f|u,
2l5Af cu)r]Of 50 CAlrbAiT) ;
BuA^ljOf |:0 líV|t A CO|ip CA]T),
'CA]tt)5]0f A frolc 'y a f:]or)r)^A6.
í)0 b] At)t) A3 -peACAlT) A C|léACC,
2l5<^r ■'^B ^II^IOT^ A éACc ;
"pA mó|i At) c^y bú^m AT)r) |*|r),
2t)A|l |^UA]|t bíV]* ]&|^ íl]t líVTÍ)A]b."
The funeral lamentation consisted in raising a plaintive sorrowful wailing,
in weeping loudly, and in lamenting the fate of the deceased ; in plucking the
hair and beard ; in tearing and disfiguring the features, and in casting their
bodies with great violence on the ground : they also enumerated and extolled
the deeds of the deceased, and gave way to a general murmur in consequence
of the losses entailed by the death, as may be learned from the expressions
used by Oisin in the last poem he composed, mourning the death of his son
Oscur, beginning with the words : —
Deep is my sorrow to-night.
The following are the verses in which the funeral lamentations of the
Irisli in the times of paganism are described: —
Mac Ronan then cried aloud
And fell upon the earth ;
He cast his pure body upon the ground,
And plucked his hair and beard.
He continued to examine his wounds.
And enumerate his achievements;
Great was the consequence to us then
That he died in our arms.
The custom of lamenting over tlie dead and enumerating
67
and praising their exploits as well as those of their ancestors,
has reached our own time, and is not yet quite extinct.
From what we have seen of it (the plucking the hair and
beard, tearing and disfiguring the features, and casting the
person of the mourner violently upon the ground excepted),
it is almost the same as in the days of Oisin. It is to be
regretted that such a time-honored custom has been decried
and suppressed.
As further remarks have been made on the funeral rites
of the ancient Irish in the body of the poem, I consider it
needless to dwell further on the subject here. However, I
cannot refrain from noticing that when such an eminent Irish
scholar and antiquary, as Doctor Keating is universally ac-
knowledged to have been, quoted the above stanzas in his
work, he must have considered tlie Fenian poems as valuable
historical documents.
In concluding this short introductory notice of Fenian
poetry, Fenian achievements, and Fenian history, I must
claim the indulgence of the Society for any faults or omissions
that may have occurred ; for my means of information are
rather limited — hence the fewness of my references; but
before I close, I must acknowledge the kindness of that
zealous and indefatigable archaeologist, the Rev. James
Graves, of Kilkenny, who unhesitatingly placed his copy of
O'Conor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," &c., in my
hands to aid me in the work ; and for this act of kindness
the Society must owe the reverend gentleman a deep and
lasting debt of gratitude.
N. O'K.
Dublin, July, 1854.
T:U2lB2l$52lBt)2ljt C\)^T.\)^ 52lBl)K2l,
2t)2ljtl.6 Ke \)-0)S)n 2t)2lC l=l))HM,
be]r A5 Clé]|tqb p^ ÓAO]|i|*e ;
]]• bí\\)A bo luce T)A rt)-bACAll,^
fuioe I u-pt^Ab CblAi^UA BA0]|*5Tje.
CurbAll) l]OTt) A H!X]t Cb|lUACiV|T:),3
be|c pivb' b|iuACA]b 50 fiijAC ;
II* beA5 bo fil |*|Ab ti^Aft CA|t|tAt)5Aiit,
AT) r-i*eil5 bo be|c A]t bo tt)uIIac.
t)ob' lon^ÓA ys]^t A5A|- fleAS,
co]t) Y 5AbAm'' piib' rbullAC ;
518' Ci\]tlA1|* A C})0]C t)A ')Fé|t)1)e,
):o clé]jtcib 'f ^ó bAclA^b.
' rulAc, signifies a hill, more correctly an artificial raound, but the name
is now considered to mean any acclivity. CuU^c i^a pónjne surely cannot be
well supposed to mean a natural hill, since by the context the poet evidently
alludes to K;\c Cixuacaii). Some think, probably with propriety, that cuUc
signifies a tumulus. There can be no doubt but that the numerous artificial
mounds spread over the face of our island are of very different orders and con-
structed for different purposes. — See a paper on Tulachs by John O'Daly, in
the " Transactions of the Kilkenny and South-east of Ireland Archaeological
Society," for May, 1854.
* t)AcAll — A pastoral staff, a crozier, cognate with the Lat. baculus. The
Irish ]:leAf5Ai5 eAlAorjA, or itinerant professors of medicine, arts, sciences,
&c., once numerous in Ireland, each of whom carried a wand indicative of
his profession, were not men of the bACAll.
THE
BATTLE OF GABHRA,
AS RELATED BY OISIN, THE SON OF FINN, TO ST. PATRICK.
OisiN. Sorrowful to me that the Tulach of the Fenians,
Is now under the bondage of Clerics ;
It is presumptuous in the tribe of the croziers,
To occupy the place of the Clanna Baoisgne.
Well do I remember, O Rath of Cruachan,
When I enjoyed pleasures around thy borders ;
Little faith they had in the prediction.
That the chase was to pass over thy summit.
Many a shield, and many a spear.
Hound, and wolf-dog, were on thy top ;
Though it has now come to pass, O Fenian hill.
That thou art subject to Clerics and croziers.
3 Kc\c CbnuACAin — Rathcroghan, near Belanagare, Roscommon, which was
the ancient palace of the kings of Connacht, where the ruins of several forts
and other monuments are still to be seen. The stipends of the chieftainries
of Connacht from the King of Cruachain were that every one of the chiefs
might approach to assume all sovereignty and kingship alike, if not debarred
by the defilement of the slaying of a kinsman, or the oppressing of saints, or
the renouncement of baptism. — See leAbAfi da 5-CeATxc (Book of Rights),
published by the Celtic Society, p. 111.
* Cojn ir 5AóA)it. — Hounds and fVolf-dogs. Though it cannot be easily
ascertained whether the wolf-dog was from the time of Partholan a native of
Ireland, it is certain that cú was the name for a gaze-hound, while 5A6An
was that given to a hound of stronger frame, calculated to contend with the
boar, wolf, and other larger beasts of chase. Hence 5^6^11 has been trans-
lated wolf-dog in the text.
70
21 p]|t At} t]niyz'A]v bu]6e,
bo JTjíÓ AT) f u^Óe |*on&A ;
]f rt)A]C 6u^c T)ii njAl|V]oi)i) Coijivi^,'
b'eAslA 50 rr)-bA]T)peA6 6u]c a 6o|it)i).
21 f)]i Ai) clo^5 rpAji f-AOll^ft),
ba TT)-be|c 43io]t|tA|t)5 ]Oí)a beACA ;
bo be^c bo clo5 't)A ]iAepcAC,
CaU fO éAbAi:) AT) CA|t|tCA.
21 ^i|i T)A bACAiUe c|toirT7e,2
'1* cu|*A AT) bu^oe ba.T)A ;
bo be^c bo bACAll i)a bjuij-jAH,
biv TT)-be]r Ofcu|t bo liicAj|t.
<t)A TT)Ai|ipeA6 2t)AC Ui <t)b»i|bo«^,3
A f]|i T)A lúi]t5e CTtO]fe;
bo be^c X) '^^^ r">10|t |-rt)|fce,
^o Ai; CA|i|tcA]6 clo^ce.
<t)^ rnAi]tfeA6 Ai) b]y bACAtt^Ail,
V] b]A6 cApAi) i)a 5-Clé||teAc ;
'p^ot)!) bívr) ]y 2t)AC Lu]5eAC,''
rixuA5 l^orx) "CuIac t)a "jFe^T^ne !
' Con^M) was brother of Goll, the renowned chief of the Connacht Fenians :
therefore it is presumed that Conan would feel so indignant at the usurpation
of the royal seat of the Conacian kings by St. Patrick and his clergy, that he
would be inclined, as was his wont, to wreak vengeance upon the intruder.
Conan is usually designated by the soubriquet ti)aoI, bald, in all the Fenian
poems.
■'' '4 nt^ "J* bACv\)Ue c\\0]n)c, — Man of the crooked staff. This alludes
in a very satirical manner to the pastoral staff of St. Patrick.
' 20ac Uj til)U|Bi)e. This was Diarmuid O'Duibhne, a Fenian chief. Diarmuid
was the Fenian Adonis : he had a hM roAtir (beauty-spot) on his left breast,
and whenever he pleased to win the affections of any lady he had nothing
more to do than to display his HaU ve^^T'*^- Instances of his power in winning
the affections of the fair may be read in the "Lay of the Giantess," trans-
71
Thou man of the golden vestments,
Who assumest the prosperous position ;
Happy for thee that Conan does not live,
Lest his clenched hand might touch thee.
Thou man of the bell, as I opine.
Had Diorraing been among the living ;
Thy bell would have been shattered.
Against the face of yonder pillar-stone.
O Man of the crooked staff.
Though thou art a daring fellow ;
Thy staff would be smashed to atoms.
Were Oscur now present.
Did Mac Duibhne live,
Thou man of the staff with the cross ;
It would be dashed to pieces
At the foot of the pillar stone.
If the graceful two were living.
There would be no howling of Clerics ;
Fionn the fair and Mac Luigheach,
How sorrowful I feel for the Fenian Tulach !
lated by M. M. Graham, Esq. ; and by the Rev. Dr. Drummond under the
title of the " Chase of Glenasmoil." But perhaps the greatest feat he ever
performed in this way was to carry off Grainne, daughter of Cormac, monarch
of Ireland, in the third century, from her husband, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, upon
account of which he persecuted tlie Irish Adonis to death. The history of his
amours with Grainne is found in Irish manuscripts. Diarmuid and Grainne
traversed all Ireland to avoid the vengeance of the enraged Fionn ; and the
leAbcAcA cAjUfJe, or LeAbcACA t^bh^nnjiMO a^ut 3bn;\)nne, so frequently
found throughout Ireland, are said to have been the resting places of the
amorous couple.
* SHac Lui5eAc — Another celebrated Fenian chieftain whose exploits are
recorded in almost all the Ossianic poems which have come under our
notice.
Ajt b-oitjeAC ]]• Ajt b-eA5r)A ;
bob' ^e^|i|i ho b] 'f'?^ 'p]<M)i)A]b?_
O. 2t)Ac CuTbA^ll n^AC Tjieii) n7Ó]]t,
tT)é pé]r) A5A|* 0|'cu]t;
&0 béA]tTT)AO]f 5AC AOi;) bu<\6,
A5Ar SeAll 5ACA SAirse.
P. C^A b-é A1J ceAC|i<\n)A6 &iqr)e,
A 0|nt) tb^c t;a pUcA;
bob' ve^T»?^ S^irS^ 'S^r bu]lle,
A b&A|lCA01 A1) ]OT)Ab CACA ?
O. í)o bí ceAC|iA|t A5U]T:)T)e,
i)^|i cl<vo|6eA6 |i]ATb A 5-cotb|iAc ;
T^Aol^T) PjaII A5A|* CA11lft]0U,*
21)ac l,u]5eAC ajai* <D)A|tTT)uib.
í)0 bíVbA]t AlCrt^e C|VéAT)TbA|t,
Asuiune ir i)A p]Ar)T)Aib;
bo 5AbbA0it* cofAC beAlAjj,
A t)-]01)Ab CACA ]|* ]:eA&IT}A.
P. Be]ít xx)0 beAt)r)<vcc a 0|nu,
ir b^w \yox\) tio rS^AU;
]r x\oyv)r) bú]t)i) 5AD eAfbAi^,
At) A^Crt^e A cív]rt) b']A|t|tA]6.
O. 2lfic, \\ 5oll, ir 5a|v|ia]6,2
luce |:aIa b'iv]i. b-'pjAi^ixvjb ;
Tf Of*cu|i bob' fíeív|i-|t pA^cnr),
cu]b bo'i) Ajctiie |*|t) a Cbléi|iic.
' PaoIao A5ur CAifinioU. — Faolan and Cairrioll. Renowned Fenian cham-
pions.
2 'i\.\\z, 5oll, ir SAitnA]». — yi>-/, Gull, and Garraidh were of the Clanna
73
P. Relate to us, O Oisin,
For thy generosity and thy wisdom ;
Which was the hand of valour
That was best among the Fenians.
O. The son of Cumhall son of Treanmor,
I myself, and Oscur ;
We were wont to win every victory.
And gain the palm of all valour.
P. Who was the fourth man,
O Oisin, son of the prince ;
Whose feats of valour and strokes
Were most esteemed in the place of battle ?
O. There were four men of us,
Who were never vanquished in conflict ;
Faolan the liberal, and Cairrioll,
Mac Luigheach, and Diarmuid.
There were valiant men
Among us in the Fenians ;
They used to take the front of the way,
In the post of conflict and of prowess.
P. Receive my blessing, O Oisin,
Sweet to me is thy narration ;
And name to us, without omission,
The parties I inquire for.
O. Art, and Goll, and Garraidh,
The privileged persons of our Fenians ;
And Oscur, the most comely.
Were some of these, O Cleric.
Moirne tribe. Goll was probably the best champion who ranked among the
Fenian bands. He was chief commander of the Irish Fenians before Fionn
obtained that post.
74
^o bív&A|i luce 5A]f5e,
Tl* 2I0CÍ1T) 5eAl ó't) RocA.
p. joD^r ^iMw A Oint?,
|te b-AT)ATT7 )^blAT»T)A 6l|t]0T)t) ;
qA A5A]b bA c|te]|*e,
] 3-CAC 3<'^^í^<'^ t)A n)'hé]rt)]0^)^)?
O. Ní ]tAbTT)U]]aT)e AT)t) ACC beAJÍVT),
A5 bul A r)-A5A6 cjtíce "poOlA ;
|io h'] T^iom) ir ■* TT7U]r)qii,
A|i fli^e t)A RórbA.^
t)o b<VTT)A||ir)e be]c n}]c p|cc]0&,
&o fl^occ pblW T)A 'pé]t)T)e;
A5 A tT)-b]A6 |*51AC A5Af clo]ó]orb,
A b-CO|*AC CACA Tf ^eAÓmA.
2I5 fív5bí\il Biwe b-6AbAi|t,'
^f é líot) bo bívn^Aiit u]le ;
be^c 5-c&Ab 5Ai|*5|6eAc y^é]vne,
A t)-5A|*|iat6 3<xca buirje.
<t)0 bí SAflVAÓ pblAm) 2llbAT),'»
A|i 5ltí^6 'péirjije 2llbAT),
pO|l ^tjtje fAT) 5-CAC fAt).
' Maedan, Parran, and Aothan of Roca, are names that seldom occur in
Fenian poetry. The Rev. Dr. Drummond, who has published a metric.il
translation of a portion of this poem, a work of much merit, says:
" Baedan, and Barron too, were found
Among our Fenian chiefs renowned,
With Rocha's chieftain, /Edan fair,
Still prompt his falchion keen to bare."
' 'ilji flioG i)A Róri)A Figuratively, on their way to the grave.
^ beion CM)á]]\. — Binii Eadair, Hill of Howth. A famous resort of the
Irish Fenians. It was at Ilowth that Fionn wrote his prophecy relative to the
75
There were men renowned for valour,
Conan, whose words were not good ;
Maedan and Parran,
And Aothan the fair, of Roca.
P. Narrate to ns, O Oisin,
In honor of the spirits of the Fenians ;
Which of you were strongest
In the battle of Gabhra of the strokes ?
O. We were but few in number,
Opposed to the provinces of Ireland :
Fionn and his people
Were on their way to Rome.
We numbered thirty sons
Of the tribe of Fionn of the Fenians ;
Who bore shield and sword.
In front of conflict and battle.
When we marched from Binn Eadair,
This was the number of our whole force ;
Ten hundred valiant Fenians,
In the bands of each man.
The bands of the Fians of Alba,
And the supreme King of Britain,
Belonging to the order of the Fian of Alba,
Joined us in that battle,
further invasions which would come upon Ireland. Irish tradition says : — biO'»
GAOAjft mjc e^bAin, n)]c 2lnloicb, ^MC A b-c^.ir)l5 At) ceAb loti5 A5ur ad ceAti
5Air5]óeAc A ni^ri) 50 fj-Ginifn. — i.e. — " Binn Eadar of the son of Eadar, son
of Anloich, where the first hark and first hero ever landed in Ireland.
* V]Ar}i) SillbAt). — The Fenians of yllba. From the text it appears that the
Fenians, whether a military order or otherwise, were not confined to Ireland,
but were also instituted in Alba (Scotland), Lochlan (Denmark), Britain, &c. ;
but this by no means invalidates the Irish claim to Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Oisin,
Caoilte, Oscur, &c. It, however, goes pretty far to show that the Fenians
were a sort of hired military force, who remained in those countries after
their countrymen ceased to trade with the natives.
' V /^ /-^
i
Í1
76
ó CAO^feAC 50 T^AetjbAfi;
r)íx|i b-pocAiii fAt) lívcAi|i,
CUTT) béAT)CA t)A b-Í0|l5U]l.
430 b'i CAHvbfte l,]peACAi|t,
A5Ar rt)ó|t-fluAi5ce 6i|tior)T);
A T)-A5Ai6 ív|v 5- corb Acc-i;é,
A 5-CAC ^^i^^l^^^^ T)A Tt)-bé]ní]Ot)p.
í)o bí Ofcuji n^AC 3<^]^|^'<^1^>*
]Y &e]c 5-céAb cu|ia6 cl]fce ;
A5 COrt)Ó|lAÓ At) CACA ]*]1),
A i)-A5Ai6 rno n)]C f).
Mao] 5-cACA b'peAitA^b UIaÓ,
]]• pi|i 2t)urbAt} |ie CAi|ib|te ;
lAb fir) ir)ív|t r)-A5Ai6-i)e,
Hl5 Cor)t)ACC 'r A TÍ)Ull)C|]t,
i)a)t i)-A5Ai6-r)e f a ceA5rbíV|l ;
1)Í0|t COTbcitOrt) At) ]tO|l)l) f^l),
^l* 5At) A5U]i)t) Acc beA5ívi).
T^^AiiitAiseAr TM5 e>i|tiot)i),
b'Ofcii|t tt)AC 3<^1^I^<^1^ j
A IJ-jeAbAÓ CU Ab C-A01)AIl,
|te la^rb Ofciiiit e|le?
"^115 tt)AC 3^T*T^^1^ ^ t)f^<^léiíi,
A^Af* five rt)ó|i At) poc<\l;
1)AC |lAlb IaOC A]i CAltÍ)U1l),
bO béA1)pA6 COtt)|tAC OfCUIIt.
' Orcun 'V^^^c 5Ant^Ai6. — Oícu»- son of Garraidh. Historians assert that
this Oscur was Hugh, King of Connacht, of the Clanna Moirne tribe.
77
The Fians of Lochlin were powerful,
From the chief to the leader of nine men ;
They mustered along with us,
To share in the struggle.
There was Cairbre Liffeachair,
And the great hosts of Erin ;
Opposed to our power,
In the battle of Gabhra of the strokes.
There were Oscur, son of Garraidh,
And ten hundred active warriors ;
Augmenting the forces in that battle,
In opposition to my son.
Nine battalions of the men of Uladh (Ulster),
And the men of Munster, were with Cairbre ;
All these were opposed to us,
And also the King of Leinster.
The King of Connacht and his people,
Were opposed to us in the struggle ;
The division was not equal.
Since our numbers were but few.
The King of Erin thus interrogated
Oscur, son of Garraidh ;
"Wilt thou venture to meet alone.
The arm of the other Oscur ?"
Mac Garraidh pledged his word,
And great was the importance of the expression
That there was not a champion on earth
Able to fight Oscur.
78
2tr)t) ]*|T) A búbA]|tc C<xi|ibft(^,
Ti7Aifi5 c^i^ic Ó 2llbATr),
n)u])A 3-co]]-5p]6 cu Ofcu|t.
i)o rbA|tbA&A]x CIai)T)a "Cit&i) rbóiii'
b-ACA]|l-f], A W]C 5A]t]t<xi6 ;
rpAor CIawa h^o^y^ne,
]i* cu]rbi:)i6 Ai) ^aIa.
2l|tif A bubA^jtc CA]ftb|ie,
A5Af C0TÍ7|tAlC-f1 OrCUjt.
]y rnAc 5<^T^TiAi6 rbjc 2t)ó|it)A;
A T)-5lAT)-c-rluA5 > A ti7ei]t3e,
A b-COfAC CACA ^^^^^T^^'
2t)A|t bo co^)A]■\lc 0|*cu|t,
5eAllA|* CAi|ib|te a bAj-jAO,
'X A C0f5A]|XC fie 1)A 5éA]t-lAlt)U.
jAltjlAT OfCUjl &ACCAC,
o|in)fA If Aji CbAiit|tioll ;
COfAC CACA A1) liV f^T),
bo pé]i) ]]• bív clo]6eATb.
21 búbA]|ic CAi|t]tioll ctjeAf-geAl,
|ie b-Ofcu|i t)A H7-bé]n)]ot)i);
5eAbAb-fA A 1)|U COfAC,^
A 1)-A5A]6 feA]lA]b 6^11101)1).
' CUnnA Cttcn njoiti- — The sons of Trenmoir. It appears from Irish
history and manuscripts that the Clanna Baoisgne, or Lagenian Fenians,
joined the Munster forces against Conn of the Hundred Battles, the reigning
monarch, in consequence of which the great battles of Mochruime andCnoca
were fought. The Connacht Fenians, or Gamhanraidh of Irrus Domhnain
79
Cairbre then exclaimed,
To Mac Garraidh the victorious ;
" Sad is thy visit from Alba,
If thou can'st not quell Oscur.
" The sons of Treanmor slew
Thy father, O Mac Garraidh ;
Suppress the Clanna Baoisgne,
And remember the enmity."
Cairbre again said : —
" O Mac Garraidh the victorious,
I myself will restrain the standard,
And do thou fight Oscur."
The King of Erin
And Mac Garraidh Mac Moirne,
Led their brave hosts and their banner forward.
In the front of the battle of Gabhra.
When he saw Oscur,
The king of Erin made a beginning ;
Cairbre promised to destroy him,
And to hew him in pieces with his keen blade.
Oscur the valorous requested
Of me and of Cairrioll,
To begin the battle that day.
For himself and for his sword.
Cairrioll of the white skin said
To Oscur of the strokes :
I will begin the battle this day
Against the men of Erin.
were always the rivals of the Clanna Baoisgne. It was the death of Garradh's
father, who was slain in battle by the Clanna Baoisgne, that the monarch
wished to call to the remembrance of the rival chieftain with the view of ex-
citing his anger against the Fenians.
* 3eAbAorA A niu cofAc. — It is evident that insubordination prevailed in
80
21 &úb<x]|ic iT)Ac UuijeAC,
bo be]]tio6 buAÓ jac f o^Ia ;
b]AbfA AJAj* CAl|t|l]0ll,
A b-CO|*AC CACA ^^'^í^^'
21 búbA|fvc Bojwe rDAC B|teAfA]l,'
50 rpeAji co|*3A|icA caItda ;
b]AbfA ]f "p^AIJlJA Bftí^ACAi:),
^0|t]tA b-OfCU]t 6ATT)t)A.
'CUS CA1]t]tloll lt05A At) U|lCAl|l,
bo't) c|tA0]]*|5 c|té ÍAfAift;
5U|l CU]|l AT) C-fleA5 C01)CArtJA]|t,
C]té l)A co|tp A5 rtJAC B|teAfAil.
'piA|:]tA]5eAf Ofcu|i Battjua,
50 ]:eAíi5AC bo Cb<!^1Tt|tioll ;
CjtéAb píl'|t CA]t CU TT)0 b|tíVCA]|l,
A rv]c 'pbir») Tbic CbúrbAiU.
21 búbA^itc CA]|v|t]oll ci)eA]*-5eAl,
bo 5UC ri)ó|i Tte b-Ofcu|i ;
n^Vj* cii|*A roAC Oii'ÍT),
bob' ^u|iA|* l]on) bo bAí*5A6.
^AbAf feA]t5 n)0 rbAC-fA,
]ie clo]yz]v AT) u]t50]U ;
A 5IACA6 i)^0|t f;éAbA,
50 |tíxií)ic f& Cai|1|iioII.
the ranks of the Fenians, since Cairrioll and Oscur contended for the supreme
command. According to the modern mode of engaging an enemy, it may
appear that it was rather a principle of valor than an ambitious jealousy that
prompted Cairrioll, who was son of Fionn Mac Cunihaill, to the desire of leading
the van in the battle, but it must be remembered that the chief commander
among the ancient Irish always commenced the battle. Hence, it was a
rivalry for supremacy, as the stanzas immediately following clearly indicate.
81
Mac Lughaidh then exclaimed —
Who bore the pahn in every struggle —
I and Cairrioll will be
Foremost in the battle of Gabhra.
Boinne the son of Breasal exclaimed.
With quickness, fierceness, and valour ;
I and the Fians of Britain
Will be with Oscur of Eamhuin.
Cairrioll made a well-aimed cast
Of his lance through a flame of passion ;
And drove the polished spear, we saw,
Through the body of Mac Breasail.
Oscur of Eamhuin demanded
In a flame of passion of Cairrioll ;
" Why hast thou struck my brother.
Thou son of Fionn Mac Cumhaill ?"
Cairrioll of the white skin said,
With loud voice to Oscur ;
" If thou art the son of Oisin,
I can easily vanquish thee."
My son became enraged
When he heard the disdainful challenge :
To restrain him was impossible
Until he reached Cairrioll.
' boinne idac bneApAil. — Boinne (he son of Breasal, was commander
of the Fenians of Britain, and came to aid his kindred Fenians against the
monarch of Ireland. There are several families named Brazil residing on the
Glenahiry mountains near the town of Clonmel, in the County of Waterford ;
who, we believe, are descended from this Breasal.
6
82
"^(5 tt)AC I)A f.'UcA 1)A. CÓ|rÍ7-|l6)If),
A 5-co|t)i)e Ofcu^fi ^é]l;
5l6 be bejc biv b-^oACAiu,
bA co|i|tAC A ciaU.
<Do cuA^O CAT[t|t]oU ]!• Orcuji,
bo buAlA A cé^le;
bo cuASn)A]\ive hi\ 5-co|'i)a8,
'pAOl^T) A5A}* 'p^ACflA.
51*5 be be|c »^ b-^éACA]n,
bA n)ó]í A i)-ú|t-5|ií^|i);
bo ■\i]\)i)eAn)<^]]ive a i>eAbA|i5iv|U,
5é'|t c|iuAi6 Ai) bivjl.
<t)ob* é ]on)tny Ofcui|t,
ASAf CbAi|i|iill CljéAbA]C;
5u|i ti7A|ibAÓ bív 5-co|*t)a6,
be]C 5-céAb rAO||*eAC 'p&]i)»)e.
'CójTTJAOlb íl]t TT)eA6Al|t,'
A b-cofAC CArA '^Ah]iA;
OrCU|l If PlA1)T) ÍAiseADU,
A t)-A5Ai6 rr)]c 2t)ói]ti:)e.
iDo bi 'peAjisuf file,2
oi|ii:]beAc i)a pUcA ;
b'iv^v rt)-b]to|*cÚ5A6 'f ai) iOTt)50|i),
bul b']0i;tj|*Ai5e At) caca.
t)o cuA6rt)A]|tT)e po cé]le,
lT)t)e ASAf lAbfAT);
D] bjAÓ AT) COtJpAÓ C&Abt)A,
A5 bujtje |ie iwr^i).
1 CÓ5TijA0it) íxn itjcABAift. — IVe then raised our cry. It was customary
with the ancient Irish when about to engage in Ijattle to fall prostrate on the
earth and kiss the ground, and then give utterance to these cries. It is said
S3
The son of the prince advanced
To meet Oscur the generous ;
Whoever chanced to see them
His senses were deranged.
Cairrioll and Oscur began
To deal strokes upon one another ;
We hastened to restrain them.
(With) Faolan and Fiachra.
Whoever chanced to see them
(Felt) a great abhorrence ;
We effected their separation,
Though the task was difficult.
In consequence of the exertions of Oscur,
And of Cairrioll Ceadach ;
There were slain in their protection,
Ten hundred Fenian chiefs.
We then raised our war-cry-
Commencing the battle of Gabhra ;
Oscur and the Fians of Leinster,
Marched to oppose Mac Moime.
There was Feargus the poet,
The prince's minstrel.
Cheering us in the struggle.
To advance to the battle.
We rushed against each other,
We and they ;
Of a similar conflict
No mortal shall have to tell.
that bAjle Sb^me, Garristown, was so called from 5t\in, a cry or shout, the
war-cry raised by the Fenian forces on the occasion. — See Introduction, p. 60.
* J^CAnsur x^\o. — Fergus the poet. Fergus was the Fenian bard who was
84
<)t)o rbAjibAO f]^imA B|teACAi?,
5é> IjtTOe b) A 5-coi;3i)ATT) ;
|te bejc 5-C&A& ttjic 3bA|t|i<xií5,
'f* r)io|i CAbAjii Tbó}t 6íi]i)t)e.
í)o cu^c njAc |ií5 1,ocIaii)u,
&o rbA|ibA6 (Y é ]-p) cuA]|t|n7),
&e]C 5-céA& cuftAÓ CAlnjA.
(7}v ^Orn
T^is.]\)]c rx)o TbAC-|*A, lyu^ £J-UJ\^ 5dA<^
^tyW^L.it^VuC^ ró CACAlb 1,A T:eATi7|tAC; C^^,.,^
^ /^^^^^^^' "'^^ "^^^"1S '^^'^"'^- i^^^^^ /-^w
TiiKyxy^c n^Ac 3^|t|iA]& ct^eAf-jeAl,
CA|t é]|* p|ieAfbA]l AIJ CACA ;
A 5-coiT)ije n)o ri^ic-f],
50 C0f5A]tCAC córb-frlACA.
Cbí^ic]te cT^eAÓA p]cc|&,
A 3-CT)eAf Ofcu^|i ó'r» |*5auaiI ;
A5 ceACc Ó n)U]T)q|t CbAi|ib|te,
50 n^eijise ttjic 5bATV|tAi6.
4Do b] A 5-ci)eAf rbic ^bAMt^^-l^»
A5 ceAcc 5 CACAjb Ofcii||i ;
]•& f1CC]b CtjeAÓ C]l&ACCAC,
T)iV]l éACCAC l)A b-OfCUl|t?
<t)'éi]'qobA]t ^i|t 6nt|oni),
5&'|i c]tuA]6 Ai) c-o|*a8 ;
le clo]fb]i) i)A TT)-bé|rnioi)i),
&o b] 'b]|i At) biv Ofcu|t.
wont to animate the warriors to deeds of valour in battle by the force of his
animating strains. Lame Tyrlicus succeeded in leading the forces entrusted
to his charge to signal success by similar means. See the nors caca (war
85
The Fians of Britain were slain.
Though their aid was with us ;
By the ten hundred of Mac Garraidh,
And it was no great aid to us.
By him fell the king of Lochlin's son,
And the Fians of Almhuin ;
He slew ('tis about the number)
Ten hundred brave warriors.
_My^^on ur^ed his course
Througli_the battalions of Tara_L
Like a hawk througji_a flock of birds,
Or a rock descending^ a declivity.
Mac Garraidh of the white skin came,
After having served in the battle ;
To meet my son.
Fiercely and prince-like.
There were four-and-twenty wounds
On the skin of Oscur from the struggle ;
When retiring from the forces of Cairbre
To the standard of Mac Garraidh.
There were on the skin of Mac Garraidh,
When retiring from the battalions of Oscur
Six score gaping wounds.
Were not the Oscurs brave ?
The men of Eire hearkened.
Though the cessation was painful ;
To the sound of the strokes
That passed between the two Oscurs.
ode) sung by Fergus on this occasion ; printed at the end of the volume.
' iiUtDUin, Allen, in the county of Kildare, where Fionn Mac Cumhaill kept
his court ; and which was the general resort of the Fenians.
86
A S-cljAC 3 AC A PO5IA;
bo hp.]X Tt)AC '^A]tJlA]6 3]t^A1)&AC,
■]X njo Tr>Ac fé]t) 1 5-cAc "S^^^]^^ !
t) éHt3i6 c|tí ceACA]b,
of A 3-cioi)i) AVV-TV^ cliACA]b;
c]OC ]:oIa, cioc ce|T)e,
Y qoc CA^lce íí'a f5]ACAib.
<t)o clAO|6eA8 n)Ac ^^"^!^!*^!^*
5é'|t 6o]l^3 A 6éAi:)A6;
le b-Ofcu|t i)ii]t iT)eAllA&,
A 5-CÚ.IÍ" o]i)]5 ]te bii^TTj^b.
• t)0 luACA]5 |IÍ5 6||tlOT;i?,
A3 A |tA]b i)A b-A]|VTT) Dirbe ;•
A 3-coiT)t)e Ofcui|i i)A ro-be^iDionn,
VÓ 5u|t 301T) fé A c|ioi6e.
Mio]i IÚ5A |ie T170 ri)Ac-fA,
1)AC b-pUA1|l bAfSAÓ peA6tT)A ;
3u|i cii^ii At) c-fleA5 5Ar&A,
50 Cjtof c]té CI)A]|ib]te.
i)o 30]TieA6 1115 ^li^|0W,
bo tbAC CbAijibjie c|iAi)u-]tuA6 ;
bo CU]C Y ^'^ UA]|t CéAbOA,
]te b-0|*cu|^ 3AI) Ai)-b-fAi)i).
p. 2li) ciiiii))!) leAc A Oini),
of o|tc bo 11113 bAifce;
civ Ijoi) bo rbACAib itijc,
bo cuic |ie líviTÍ) Ofcuift.
' Na tj-Ain"' niii)o. — The poisoned weapons. There is good reason to
l)elieve that the ancient Irish used poisoned weapons. Some native leeches
assert that the poison was extracted from the niglitshade; hut Dr. Brian
O'Rody, late of Leyden, who has studied the natural history of Ireland with
87
As many as two score shields,
In each contending struggle,
Mac Garraidh the pure, and my own son,
Broke in the battle of Gabhra.
Three showers arose
Over their heads in the strife ;
A shower of blood, a shower of fire,
And a bright shower from their shields.
Mac Garraidh was worsted.
Though the task was difficult ;
By Oscur, who never failed
In point of liberality to the learned.
The monarch of Eire hastened.
Who had poisoned weapons ;
To meet Oscur of the strokes,
And he wounded his heart.
Nor failed my son.
Whose career was never impeded :
He drove the nimble javelin
To the cross through Cairbre.
He was proclaimed king of Eire,
The son of Cairbre of the red spears ;
But he fell the same moment
By Oscur, without intermission.
P. Oisin, dost thou remember,
Since baptism has reached thee ;
How many kings' sons
Fell by the hand of Oscur ?
much more attention than any other person we ever heard of, thinks it must
have been extracted from the herbs called " Ua|iac ttnillAis" {Devil's bit),
helebore, and the yew berry.
88
bO CU]C TTJAC |t]5 AV borbAjt)
le]r A5A|* 2t)Ac ^^i^l^l^^^l^-
)Y le]f &o n)A|tbA6 CA]|tbfie,
A3 A ]iAib AT) n)e]]t^e fíobA ;
ho cu]c le]|* A i>-Ai)-beA|tcAib,
lucc ív]|i3ce 3ACA qjte.
í)o rbA]]ib |*é |t]5 CbotjDACc,
peAjv i)ív|i co|i|tAC ^eAÓrtíA;
bo riqr fé 'i" ai) íon);^0]v,
|ie c&ile A3A]' GAi|ib]ie.
í)o cu]c cAe3A& c|ié]i)-|ií5
b'ív|i é]]f^]6 óf CACA|b;
Ite b-Ofcuft Y ai) ío|i5oil,
^e cé^le ]Y 2t)Ac ^^itltAiS.
2t)ó|t-fe]noTi 'r At) 3-CAé r|i),
b'ívjt ÓuaI |tí5eAcc 6]|t^oT)T);
bO CU]C le Tt)0 TbAC-]*A,
T T)-bTAi3 CbAijibjte da n)-bé]n)| 01717,
^o i)-^i]tTb]5ceA|t ^&A|i |:A]Cce,
A|t cu]c le n}0 itiAC-fA,
1)] ^éAbCA]! A 1)-ÍV]|t|0tb.
)f l]oir)|*A cu]c |t|5 UIaÓ,
36 |i b'ioi)i)rAi3e caIida;
If rt)ó|t Ai) b^c bAO|i)e,
A]X clAO]6eA6 A(t tb^]3 3<^t)iiA.
89
O. He slew the king of Munster,
Though great his deeds in conflict ; [also,
The son of the king of the world fell by him
And so did Mac Garraidh.
By him was slain Cairbre,
Who had the silken standard ;
There fell by him in evil conflict
The despoilers of every country.
He slew the king of Connacht,
A man whose feats of valour were successful ;
He fell in the conflict,
Together with Cairbre.
There fell fifty powerful kings,
Who arose over battalions.
By Oscur in the struggle.
Together with Mac Garraidh.
There were seven in that battle,
Heirs to the kingdom of Eire ;
Who were slain by rriy son.
After Cairbre of the strokes.
Until the grass of the plain is numbered,
And every grain of sand of the sea-coast ;
All who fell by my son
Cannot possibly be enumerated.
By me fell the king of Uladh [Ulster],
Though our conflict was brave ;
Great is the loss of the people
Who were slain on tlie field of Gabhra.
90
|ie JT)eA6A]it n)]c Ror)íi|í) ;
A|t cu]C l|i)r) Y ^^5 5-corb6i^il.
i)o n7A]tbA6 At) biv Ofcu^i,
Y ^») 5-CAc 3-cof5A|icA 3-cAlrr)A;
AT)01f ]|* A&bA]t 0|*T)a6,
A|t bA|*3A8 A|l TÍ7A]3 3^tlflA.
4)0 CUjC CA]|t|tioU Y pAoli^r),
&A rbAC 71Í5 T)A b-'pJAW;
]|* leo bo 3T)í6rT)í|* coTT)|t^Ó,
corbA^iile A5A|* c|itaII.
4)0 Tt)A]lbA6 Tt)0 rbAC-|*A,
bob' é f]i} olc T)A 'péjtjrje;
bo cii]c fé Y ^^ 5-cAc fin,
]te cé]le A3Af CA||tb|te.
4)0 TnAjibAÓ Ai) bA Occu|t,
bo b^ A3 co|*i)a6 At) CACA ;
Ac^n)AO|bt)e ipo eA|*bA6,
A3 eA|*bo3 2l|tb ?^aca.
4)o cuic clAt)t) CbAO]lce Cbi'AbA]3,
lucr AiJt3re 3ACA cifte;
If C|téAt)-lAOCA DA 'p&|l)t)e,
ACC tt)6 f&ll) Att) AOt)A|t.
4)0 cii|C f]om njAC 4)ubivit),
11* c|ti c&Ab e|le n* "piot)!);
bo CU|C "plAI)!) CblA1)l)A 4)ubiV|t),
ir niS OriiiM^o oy A 3-c|ot)t).
91
The king of Leinster was slain
During the war-cry of Mac Ronain ;
Never shall there be told
All who fell by us in the meeting.
The two Oscurs were slain
In the murderous, hard-fought battle ;
There is now a sigh due
To those who were slain on the field of Gabhra.
Cairrioll and Faolan fell,
The two sons of the Fenian king ;
It is with them we were wont to converse,
Hold council, and march.
My son was slain,
That cavxsed the misfortune of the Fenians ;
He fell in that battle,
Together with Cairbre.
The two Oscurs were slain,
They who were the supporters of the battle ;
While we pine away in want.
With the bishop of Ard Macha [Armagh].
The clan of Caoilte Ceadach fell.
The despoilers of every country ;
And the brave champions of the Fenians,
Except myself alone.
Fionn Mac Dubhain fell,
And three hundred more with Fionn ;
The Fenians of Clann Dubhain fell,
And the king of Ossory besides.
92
<t)ob' ^onjOA l)ui)ce ^ol'S^
ir qt»'^ 5^V colt)A,
Ó ]rr)ceAcc i)a P05IA.'
^|i v-]\mz]\v) ir ^l^ iDeAi)njA]tj;
ó't) 5-cAC f)U í^ó óeifte.
CU5A& le |ii5 BATjbA.
p. Ma bi-ri 50 ^eA|i3Ac,
I) a cu|rT)^i) bo civ]]tbe,
A rbic pbl':") rr)]C CbiinjAiU.
O. C]6 corbA]|vle ]01)1)|va]C,
bo be]|i cu ÓATT) A Cl)lé]|iic;
]y &0]l5 ÓAn? n)0 rbuiuc]|i,
1)6 rT)'ACA]]t bo c|té]5|oi;.
)t)1)]f bArt) A Pb<VC|lA]C,
A T)-ot)ó||t bo lé^5p)t);
At) b-pu)l tjeAtT) b<v^|i|5ce,
A5 l17A]C|b "pblADi? 6l|llOI)1).
p. Bbeiivim 6u]c A 6e]rn]v,
A 0|ni) CÓ]|t T)A lAt)u;
1)AC b-pUjl T^eATt) A5 CACAIft,
A5 Ofcuji i)iv A5 3*^1^1«
O. Oc ! II* C)tUA5 I) A f5éAlA fiu,
be|fi cu ÓAti) A Cbl^iT^ic;
rne|fi A5 b&At)ATT7 C|iabA6,
If 5 At) 1)0 Atb A3 DA y^]M)])A]h.
' PoqUv, means a grudge or malice, as well as robliery or trespass ; it is
very probable that the Claniis of Baoisgne and Moirne settled an old account
in this battle, because the rivalry that existed between them for a long period
93
Numerous were the pools of blood
On the gory field of Gabhra ;
And heads devoid of bodies,
Through the working of the strife.
Our valour deserted us,
Our intellect and self-reliance ;
Since the last battle fought by us
Against the king of Banba.
P. Give not way to your anger
If you fear hell ;
Remember not thy friends,
Thou son of Fionn Mac Cumhaill.
O. Though the counsel may be correct
Which you give me, O Cleric ;
It is painful for me to forget
My people and my father.
Inform me, O Patrick,
In honour of thy learning ;
Whether heaven be obtained
By the chiefs of the Fenians.
P. I assure you as a certainty,
Just Oisin of the blades ;
That thy father has not gained heaven ;
No, nor Oscur, nor Goll.
O. Oh ! how lamentable the news
Thou relates to me, O Cleric ;
That though I am exercising pious acts,
The Fenians have not gained heaven.
appears to have been brought to a close at the Battle of Gabhra, by the al-
most total annihilation of both parties.
94
Ba bir)t)e Tjxe 2t)AC CúiíjaiU,
5U|C 5A6A]t &o cloii^ciu,
T)a c]tócA]|ie b')A|i]tA]6.
p. 06 ! bA c|mA5 A17 |t05A ]♦]?),
bo bi A3 PiAT)i)A]b yhim;
5U|t b]r)r)e jip; a i)-5A6A]]t,
T)iv bejc A5 5U|6e ija t^AOirb.
21 0|ni) TjA i)-5éAit Iadd,
Ó civ]|t A r)-b]A]5 UA b-peACAC ;
t)AC TTJA]C leAC bill Ab AOtJAjt,
JAP bo JAol CUTt} plACAl*.
O. B<v beA3 AT) rbeió]|i l]Ortj|*A,
be^c AT17 Aoi)Ait 'y ai) j-cac^ia^j ;
3AT) OfCU]l If CA0|lce,
rtjAit AOT) Ijort) If rtj'ACAiTt.
p. 43ob' fre^|t|i bu^c 3t)u]f n)]C 2t)l)ii]|te,
b'fA]Cf]Tj |ie b-AOt) l<v;
i)iv ó]i. T)A c]tii]i:)T)e iiile,
bo be|c A3Ab 30 b-iorolin).
O. <t)'AlC]l]|* II7& Óll]C A P\j'AZ]i<\]C,
f3&AlA CACA ^^'^bjiA; ' ' r
■\r)})]T ^^^ 5<> b-AclArb,
|'3éAl t)A CAC|tAC IJCATpOA.
p. TiuA]lUf5AbiV]l l)A CACjtAC f|1),
f |Af|tA]3eA|* cufA A f'OAyoiii ;
3AI) ÍOCA, 3AD OCiVAf,
3AI) oiJiceAr, 3Ar) Arj-jtó^s.
rtfr . -■ rS'CAl
95
Sweeter to Mac Cumhaill
And the nobles of the Fenians ;
To hear the voice of the hounds,
Than to solicit mercy !
P. Oh ! how sorrowful was the choice
The Fenians of Fionn preferred ;
That their hounds should be sweeter to them
Than to be praying to the saints !
Oisin of the keen-edged swords,
Since thou hast survived the sinners,
Wouldest not thou wish to go alone.
Unaccompanied by thy kindred to heaven ?
O. It would afford but little pleasure to me
To dwell by myself in the city ;
Unaccompanied by Oscur and Caoilte,
And also by my father.
P. Better for thee to behold the face
Of the Son of Mary for one day ;
Than for the gold of the whole universe,
To be all in thy possession !
O. I have related to thee, O Patrick,
The history of the battle of Gabhra ;
Give me, then, without delay.
The history of the heavenly city.
P. The description of that city,
Which you require, old man ;
(It is) without thirst and hunger,
Without necessity or affliction.
96
O. 2lí) pea|i|t rDU|T)C|ji t)e]TT)e
1)0 A T)-e]C]Ot:)t) ^]A& Aé]1)T)e.
21 Ti)]c 2l]tplu]i)i) fé]l,
of A5Ab pe^r) ACÍV AT) c-]uil;
Ai) l&ISPl^ ^11 50 fUireAi* í)é,
r^o 5A6A|t pé]T) i)ív n)0 cú ?
p. ?^í |lACAl6 Al) Cll]l C|l01)i^T)AC,
t)^ |:ór AT) 5A]c ST^&ioe;
5AT) ^lof bo't) 11^5 n)0]t6ivlAC,
A fCeAC 'l* A1) 5-CACA]]t DAOrbCA.
O. HiOji be ]-]T) bo 2t)bAC Cbúrt)AiU,
bo b] T)A ]tÍ5 A]V T)A pjAUIJAjb;
bo jiACAÓ fló]5ce AT) borbA]T),
^O T)A cull 5AI) lA]t|lAl6.
p. Ma })-AbAi|i fit) A f-eAr)ói|i,
If CU A]t 5-CAlC|OTT7 b-AO]fe;
i)i corbc|ion) AT) biie^c |*]i),
bo be||t CU A|i n)o |t^5-n-
O. t)ob' ^eiv|t]i A01) cori)|iAC CAlrtjA,
b^ b-cu5An7A0ift)e t)a Piaijija;
TOt)^ c]5eA]it)A AD c|tiibA8,
ASAf CUfA fe]!) A Cbleli^lC.
p. 21 0|nt) t;a t)-3éA]t Iaw,
CAT)Af T)A b|l|AC|lA bu]le ;
^y feiv]t]t i)iA le b-AOij ua]|i,
1JÍV 'pjAt^IJA 6l]ll01)t) U]le.
' Silt) b-vml cttiuNoAf DA 5-c|\oióte. — Is there hardness in their hearts.
Tliis was a stroke of keen wit aimed at the saint, who, on account of the
severe abstinence and fasting observed by the church, was marked as a nig-
97
O. Are the denizens of Heaven
Better than the nobility of the Fenians ;
Has penury hardened their hearts,
Or do they refuse every one ?
O son of Calphurn the liberal,
Since it is thou thyself that hast the learning ;
Wilt thou allow to go to the kingdom of God,
My own dog or my hoimd ?
P. Not the buzzing gnat.
Nor even the sunbeam ;
Can unknown to the Omnipotent King,
Enter the heavenly city.
O. It was not so with Mac Cumhaill,
Who was King of the Fenians ;
The hosts of the world might enter
His mansion without invitation.
P. Old man, say not so,
Since thou art at the end of thy life ;
This is not a just judgment
Which thou givest of my King.
O. Greater the worth of one well-fought battle
In which we, the Fenians, used to engage ;
Than the Lord of Hosts,
And thou thyself, O Cleric !
P. Oisin of the keen-edged swords,
Who speakest the words of madness ;
God is better for one moment.
Than all the Fenians of Eire together.
gardly person by Oisin, who was ignorant of the principles of Christianity,
with the exception of a few terms, as the foregoing and subsequent stanzas
amply testify,
7
98
5)6 civ TDii-e Art) feAT)ói]i,
]X Tt}é iA]t 3-CAiqoTT) rt)'AO]fe;
A Pbi^C|lAlC T)iV CAbA]|l A^CIf,
bo ^Ia]c bo CbUwA^b BAO^fSije.
<t)^ TT)AT|i):eA8 A5An7|*A Coi)ivt),'
•peAji rr)i-lAbA|tcA t)a 'pé]T)t)e ;
bo biiii-peAb f& bo TtJujtjéAl,
■pó c-]on7A|tbíii6-|*] A CblélT^lc.
' CorjiM). — St. Patrick here excites the rage of Oisin by declaring the supe-
riority of the Omnipotent Creator over his creatures, and Oisin regrets that he
had not the foul-mouthed Conan there present to punish the saint in a sum-
mary way for his apparent insolence. Conan was the brother of Goll Mac
Moirne, a prince of the royal family of Connacht : he was the god of discord,
if he may be so termed, among the Irish Fenians, so that he always bore the
soubriquet of CotjAtj njAcl njAllAcbAc, t^oAn njiUcc ha )^c]or)e (i e. Conan
the bald and giver of curses, the reviler of the Fenians). He delighted on all
occasions in charging Fionn and the family of Baoisgne with their treachery
and ill-will towards the family of Moirne ; he often provoked the hostility of
his opponents in the Fenian ranks, and on several occasions came to blows with
them in consequence of his foul-mouthed bitter invectives. This Conan was a
great boaster ; he was, nevertheless, said to be an arrant poltroon. The Rev.
Dr. Drummond in his " Ancient Irish Minstrelsy," in " The lay of the combat
of Fuath and Conan," pp. 139-40, records a ludicrous incident relative to the
contention between Conan and another champion of a similar character who
landed with an host of invaders. Conan, though a sheer coward, was en-
dowed with a supernatural power which rendered him invincible, according to
popular tradition ; for it is stated that whenever he reckoned his opponents
while looking through his extended fingers he became invincible, while the
power of his enemies decreased. Conan was ignorant of his own powers in
this respect ; and Fionn, who discovered the secret by the gnawing of his
t humb never revealed it to Conan, but frequently availed himself of the ad-
vantage, by causing his chieftains (Conan of course among the rest), to place
their spread hand before their eyes and count the enemy. The name of Co-
nan is not mentioned as having been present at the battle of Galjhra ; most
probably he was dead previous to that time. If we may believe Mr. Theo-
philus O'Flanagan, who published an account of a flag- stone inscribed with
Ogham characters, some years ago, in the "Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy" (vol i.), he was slain the May previous to the battle at a festi-
99
O. Though I am an aged man,
And my life is close to its end ;
O Patrick, offer not an insult.
To a chief of the Clanna Baoisgne.
Had Conan survived to my time,
The foul-mouthed man of the Fenians ;
He would break thy neck,
For thy contention, O Cleric !
val of the sun, and interred on the mountain of Callan, in the county of
Clare. The verses recording the death of Conan, which Mr. O'FIanagan states
occur in the poem on Gabhra, cannot now be found in any copy extant. They
are most probably spurious ; however we give them : —
"Wf n-s]b Af) \acc iftAocoA Con'Ao,
1 n-3At)Ti<^ 'x ■^■^ cTtéAn-oí^|l;
Un beAllcAjne ao bljAóAjn no]n)e,
y.5 co]nr)e ABAncA i}A^'5\\é}r}e,
Ko zo^cAp. At) cuTtAo nAc z}n),
Sil b-T:ionn50]l lo PjAnnAib Finn;
Ko ClO)Ó A feA^XC Xl^p bA CUA]» :
y. cluitce CAojnce bA efol cnuAi§ ;
'S Z'-\ AinTI) 05Art) An Mc bU\i3,
tl rljAb coti)-éub CbAlU^1n."
The ferocious warrior Conan,
Was not at Gabhra in the mighty strife ;
For on the May-day of the preceding year,
At an assembly convened to adore the Sun,
The hero who was not timid was slain.
Treacherously by the Fenians of Fionn ;
His grave was formed on the North-west side,
Sadly plaintive was his dirge ;
And his name in Oghara is on a smooth stone.
On the black mountain of Callan.
Mr. O'FIanagan says that his curiosity was excited by the above passage,
and that he consequently visited the spot, where, after some difficulty, he dis-
covered the stone inscribed with Ogham characters. The Ogham as well as
the extract some suppose to be a fabrication ; but it would be unfair to pro*
nounce either such until a proper inquiry had been made to ascertain the fact.
100
p. )y A5<xn)fA AcA. 'i) |*3&aI,
bo b] ^ív |tiA5Ail J0S21;
A m]c Ai) |tí5 T^'éirjue,
ní T^fe^biit 5AD A ívvT]V.
O. Mi A 1)-5lATbA|l1)A15,
bo 5e]b|& at;) uAi|*le 5]teAi)T) ;
ACC A 1)-bUA1)CA]b Tt^olcA,
'y A lAbA^jtC A|l 'pl)TA1)T)Alb ^-í^ll.
21 1) b-pu]l A5 Pivc]iA]c bo clé]ji
A01) T)eAC b-]T)T;|*eocA6 Oah) yé]\} ;
C]téAb ]Ab 1)A COlijACCA CA]1J,
]te 'n b^b^it ]*]b i)A beAtT)Ap)?
p. Kiv^S eA|*bo5 SeA5Ab' v^V- ^^35
^T)T)eo|*Ab 6u]c n)A]i t^]V]C ;
At) CI052 |ie '|i ]*A0|tA6 iv|i tt)-b]tu|b,
^0|t|lA COrbACCA Pb^C|tA]C.
' SeA^Ab. — Succoth, the baptismal name of St. Patrick, which signifies
valiant in war. — Ware. Here St. Patrick gives in the third person an account
of the manner in which he expelled the demons from Ireland.
2 CI05. — Bell. The Bell of St. Patrick is celebrated from the earliest ages
of Christianity in Ireland up to the present. Great powers were conceded to
it. It is not surprising that the bell of St. Patrick should be supposed to be
instrumental in expelling the demons from Ireland, since it sounded the tocsin
of war against the powers of darkness and error, by notifying the advent and
victory of those of light and truth. In the historical romance of the Children
of Lir, who are represented to have been metamorphosed into swans by their
stepmother, or, which is more probable, dedicated to the service of Lir, who was
the Neptune of the pagan Irish, the following account is given of their first
hearing the sound of the bell of St. Mocomog on Innis Gluair: — ""Oo h'\oA\\
xA-\v- At) ótt&u5^\B rin rt'Ai r^»'^ 5"^' b-Ainjrm cnepiri) cbnforc, Asur 50
>5-ci\i)Aic p;i\c|tu]c njAC SilfxpluiDft 50 })-(i]\K]\To, A5ur 50 í)-cí\t)Aic SÍJacac-
n)Ó5 50 b-lnoir 5luAiTte bbnc i)U]nf) ; Asur at» oi6co cí^dajc ?t)*\CAenjÓ5
fAT) Itjíjjr céAblJA, bo CUAlAÍ)A|l cUlJIJA l]Tl 5UC AI) clo)5 A5 buAjr) ]f At)
jAttti)eiTi5e a lAjtij nju. iilsuf bo bfoósAbAit A5Ar bo buAt)r5it)t)eAbA|x
50 I)-Ac^UAtti)ATt A5 A clof X]r) bó)b. ' C^teAb y\r), A h\y'A]ty\e ?' Aft Kioijti-
101
p. 'Tis I, myself, that have the news,
Who have been under the rule of JESUS ;
0 son of the Fenian King,
1 cannot refrain from disclosing it.
O. It is not in bellowing,
That nobles find pleasure ;
But in laudatory poems,
And in talking of the Fians of Fall.
Is there among the Clerics of Patrick,
Any one who can inform me ;
What were the religious powers,
By which ye expelled the demons ?
P. Segadius the Bishop, who was not infirm (in faith),
Said, I will tell thee how it came to pass ;
The bell by which we were freed from bondage,
Had effect by the powers conceded to Patrick.
JuaUv. ' Wf T'eAbxMijAtt', Afx lA&fAt), ' A5ur -Ml nl »^ not A5Ab-tA ctteAt) An
5Ut Anii)IAI)ACl) AC-fUACTt)A|t I'lO At) CUAlAtlJAt^ ?' ' 3UC ClO]5 2f)ACAenjÓ5,' ATI
PionnoUAiA, ' A5ur ir é rcAtipAr rit>-re ne pé]vn, Asur f ompir r?t> 0 ah-
focA]nr) le co|l t^é." i.e. the Children of Lir remained in that condition a
long time, until the time of the faith of Christ, and until Patrick, son of
Arpluinn, came into Ireland, and until Maecomog came to Innis Gluair of
Brendan. And the night that Maecomog came to the said island, the Chil-
dren of Lir heard the sound of the matin bell near them. They trembled
violently, and started through excessive dread upon hearing it. ' What, my
dear brothers, has troubled your' enquired Fionnguala. 'We know not,'
replied they, ' canst thou inform us what that unusual detestable sound
which we heard is ?' ' It is the sound of the bell of Maecomog,' replied
Fionnguala ; ' and it is it that will liberate you from suffering, and save you
from adversity with God's will !' " Similar to this story of Saint Patrick's
bell having expelled the demons from Ireland by its sound, is that of the
demon that had been expelled from its stronghold by the ringing of the bell
of the Church of Geneva ; as the demon could not bear to hear its sound.
The prevalent belief among the ancients was that demons could not endure
the sound of a church bell any more than the crowing of a cock.
102
Tpi cA03Ab A)fic-Ain5|ol 5it)in)j
tiv|i)ic Af C15 t^eirbe cu5Ait)i):
A t)UAf |ie clo3 i)A b-|:eA|tc,
50 Pi^qiAjc fc>i^ co]TT)beAcc.
M] llA^b A|tbA]t' AC A A b-CUA]t,
'f 1)] ]tA]b bA]i)t)e A b-):éA|t-cluA]U ;
']• 1)í TV)Ó ]X0 b] CT)UAÍ* A|l CO]ll,
|l]A b-ceAcc Pb^C|lA1C A 1>6>]|tl1)b.
' Mf iiAib AfibAri. — There tvas no corn. It is believed by the pea-
santry in many parts of Ireland to this very day that evil spirits damage the
crops, &c. The same belief prevails to a considerable extent in some parts
of Scotland. 5acc Ruaó ija 5-Cnoc (Red Wind of the Hills), is much
dreaded, because it blasts the crops and fruits. Charm-mongers found a
profitable occupation in counteracting the baneful effects of those malignant
spirits, and persuaded the people that their spells were potent and availing,
despite the preaching and exhortations of the clergy. Some explain a blast
in a seminatural manner. They say that, wlien persons who die in a foreign
country are interred abroad, their dust, anxious to repose with that of their
kindred in native burial ground, flies on the winds of heaven, and never
rests until it reaches its hereditary place of interment, blighting whatever
green or living thing it may chance to settle upon in its passage. 3aoc,
according to the Rev. Dr. O'Conor and others, was one of our Irish pagan
deities. He says : — " Ilinc alia narratio, pariter Ethnica, de Laogario
Rege occiso a diis magnis, Griano et Gaotho (i. e. Sole et Vento), quorum
jusjurandum temeravit." The reason for the death of the monarch Laoghaire,
is thus given by the Four Masters, under the year 457 : — " Cac ^Ica-
bAfVA niA lAiSDibb ron lAosAn^o ti)AC Ké]ll. Ro 5Ab f)ot) lAosAjiie
inn CAcl) rin, Acur so \u\t> lA05l>\]rie ^aca Snéjtje Acur 5Aoi6e,
Acur t)A n-tM'il bo Ul5T)lb tiAC ri<-VA ^ront^A cniA bicm AttA I05A1Ó
UA(3l)A ;" i. e. " The battle of Ath-dara was fought between the Lagenians
and Laoghaire Mac Neill. Laoghaire was taken prisoner in that battle, and
Laoghaire bound himself by the oath of the sun, wind, and elements, to the
Lagenians, that he never during life would march against them, for sake of
obtaining his enlargement." Tlie monarch, however, forgetting his oath,
renewed the war against the Lagenians, upon which occasion he was killed,
as we are informed, anno 458 :—"i!lcbAch iccAob Cauti cojn <?tte A5ur
:^llbAii}, ^^ cpoc jac rii rilec ]r) \.\\h pAolAin, Ajuf 5r»|An 1 5aoc nor
njAtibronji), A|% no r^^t^A]^ 1A6, con 1* »0 rin A&bcric in ^]\} -. — x>ú]\e x>é no
nAC^Aih nAJcl). Cue fAC &(\il An biv]r pon rAn T^Í5h-" — i-e. " He (Laoghaire)
was slain at Caise, between Ireland and Scotland : these are two hills in the
103
Three times fifty archangels pure,
Came out of the mansions of Heaven to us ;
Down with the bell of wonders
To Patrick for his protection.
They had no promise of corn,
There was no milk in the grassy plain ;
Neither was there produce upon the wood,
Before the coming of Patrick to Eire.
country of Uibh Faolain, and it was the sun and wind that killed him, because
he violated them. Wherefore the bard said —
' The elements of God, whose oath he violated,
Punished the King with death.' "
The celebrated charm-monger of the North, Felim Mac Coy, was wont
when making his spell for healing cattle, &c., from the effects of elf-shots,
and blasts, to invoke and then threaten among other mythic beings, the
bAttcAch Ctió (Gory Chief of Battles), and the 5Aec Ruao oa 5-Cnoc
(Red Wind of the Hills), with the view of compelling them to relinquish their
claim to the subject afflicted by their baneful influence. Hence it may 'X
reasonably be concluded that if 5Aet were a pagan deity, it was the evil
genius. Husbandmen and cowherds used to assert that the blasting 5Aec
nuAó generally blew from the middle of the month of April to about the
middle of July, and they always dreaded its malignant effects. It is main-
tained, contrary to the opinion expressed in the text, that during the reign of
Cormac, son of Art, the produce of the earth was most abundant ; according
to the following stanza found in the mouths of the peasantry : —
"Ke linn C})OTtn)A]C njic Iil|nc,
bhf An rAe^Ai 50 b-Aebjnn ajc ;
bhf nAoi 5-cnó A^n sac ctiAeibfn,
iJljAr t)Ao^ b-picq» cp.Ae]h}f} Aitt 5AC rlAjc."
During the time of Cormac, son of Art,
The world was delightful and happy ;
Nine nuts grew on each twig.
And nine score twigs on each rod.
This prosperity, however, is attributed to the excellence of the monarch,
and the same is recorded to have taken place in the reign of Cathal Crobh-
dhearg. King of Connacht, A.D. 1224. The memory of Cathal Crobhdhearg, as
well as that of Cormac, is still held in respect by the peasantry. They say that
the limes were so prosperous, and the produce of the earth so abundant, that
y
104
2lu céAb buiUe CU5 P^vcjiaic fto 6103,"
Ai? ceoil AO]biw 5r*ob-5|tii)u ;
le]f bo cu]|i A|ibA^ A b-cuA|t,
fu5A ]X oIa a b-|:éA|l-cl^A]l^
2lt) bAjiA bu]lle CU5 bo't) cloj bl^^c,
Tt)AC 2lj\plu]1J1) AT) CiV]6leAC biVT) ;
Iacc a n)-buA]b, ctjua]* A]t co^ll,
A]tbA]t A b-CUA|l, 1A|*5 A|l AbA]l).
2lt) c|teA|* bujlle CU5 i)^}t IA5,
6ib]|i t)A beATTjA^r) íi]t6ACc ;
b] c|tu]T)T) jvojrbe a|i At) 5-C]tUAC,
5U|t cu]|i ^Ab iqle A]t AijbpAtjT).
i)A|t bo UlTT)-|-(, A 0|ni) TÍ7]C 'pbl'JU,
5l6 cAO] Ab feAt^óifi a 5-C|miii) iiDt);^
t)'] cu]|i|:eiv ]Ab u]le atdac,
rrjAfi bo cu]|t at) cói|t-clé]]teAC.
when the kine lay down the grass reached above the top of their horns.
Hence it is said that cows whenever they lie down give utterance to three
moans in remembrance of the good old times that once had been, and lament-
ing the hard days in which they live. This, though a myth, is perhaps worth
recording.
1 CI05— fíe/í. Tradition records that the celebrated bell of St. Patrick
was presented to the saint by angels ; the prevalent belief among the natives
of Mayo, especially in the neighbourhood of Croagh Patrick, is, that as the
saint was praying on the top of the Reek the bell fell on the ground at his
feet, whereupon a fountain of crystal water gushed forth. This well was called
Tobar Phadruig, and was held in great veneration. We hear, moreover, that
the bell, after having scared the demons from their strongholds by the supe-
rior sweetness of its tone, is now deposited in Log n'a n-deamhan, where those
wicked spirits were forced to plunge themselves. Tliere is, after all, nothing
very strange in this tradition, when we find that David liiade use of his harp
to calm Saul when the demon entered him ; at least we may conjecture that
music always had a particular effect upon malicious spirits. The bell, it is
said, was not shaped like our present bells, but was a sort of gong which was
struck with a mallet or some such instrument. The terms used in the text
105
The first stroke Patrick gave to the bell,
Of the joyful, quick, and heavenly music;
By it he set crops of grain in growth,
Sap and vegetation in the grassy plain.
By the second stroke he gave to the fair bell,
The son of Calphurn the glorious light ;
There was milk in kine, fruit on the wood.
Crops in promise, fishes in the rivers.
The third stroke that he gave with vigor.
Expelled the monstrovis demons ;
That were assembled before him on the Reek,
And reduced them all to feebleness.
By thy hand, Oisin son of Fionn,
Though thou art an aged man at Crumlin; [all.
Thou couldest not possibly have expelled them
As did the just Cleric.
i. e. " An cÓAft bujUe 6115 bo'rj CI05," &c., i.e. the first stroke he gave to the
bell,Sfc., as well as the old phrase in general use for tolling a bell, sufficiently
warrant the tradition that the bell of St. Patrick was struck with some in-
strument, and not rung like our present bells. The chime of St. Patrick's
bell warned the people of the approach of the light of the gospel in Ireland ;
and the pagan doctors, who held them in continual dread of the malevolence
of demons, lost their reputation when the Christian missionaries convinced
them of the falsity of the doctrines to which they had been previously de-
voted ; so that they saw at length tliat the diseases incident to man and beast,
as well as the failure of their crops, proceeded from natural causes.
^ Cnuu) Ijnr) — Crumlin. The name Crumlin occurs so frequently in the
topography of Ireland as to warrant the opinion that it must have belonged
to places of much note. Cyxou), or Cfuti) l]nv, means the lake of Crom, If
this be the real meaning of the word, it follows that as Crom was the name
of a pagan deity, or rather of a festival celebrated by the husbandmen to the
sun and moon, in gratitude for having brought the fruits of the earth to
perfection, the pool must have been a sacred one. Though nothing has yet
appeared in manuscripts to tell us that the druids consecrated water as well
as fire for the use of their votaries, still it is impossible to imagine that they
did not do so. If we review the historv of the sacred fountains to which
106
&0 cu||i ]A& u]le 50 bA^leAC ;
t7Í0]t 1^13 beATT^AI) ]-]A|l 1)^ |-0]|l,
Ó fo^x) b^ob 3AI) bívcAÓ.
pilgrimages were wont to be made, we shall find that in most cases they have
been associated with pagan reminiscences. The Catholic Clergy, to their
credit be it told, always discountenanced those pilgrimages, though, indeed,
it could be no great harm for Christians to pay their vows to the Deity of
Truth even if it were at a pagan shrine ; but there was always a class of per-
sons found in Ireland who were not Christians, and mimicking or pretending
to possess the sacred knowledge of the druids. These were the bacachs, who
drove a very lucrative trade in persuading the peasantry that certain evil
beings had an influence over them, and that, by virtue of the sacred know-
ledge they possessed, were able to counteract the malicious machinations
of the wicked demons. Bacach signifies a maimed person, but there were
bacachs who were not maimed ; and in the seventeenth century it became a
very lucrative profession. There is now on the table, a copy of a bacach's
petition in Irish manuscript, which is couched in language the most ex-
pressive that could, even in Irish, be strung together. Some of the tribe,
as O'Farrell, whose petition is now before us, rode a fine horse and kept
servants well mounted to receive contributions in their almost innumerable
bags. The reason for mentioning bacachs in this note is to tell the reader
that those wicked vagabonds led the simple people astray, taught them
wicked doctrines — doctrines totally repugnant to the tenets of their reli-
gion— and bound themselves for the fulfilment of their engagements in the
most wicked manner.
1 I05 DA Tj-t)eAii)An — The Pool of Demons. This is a deep pit on the
declivity of CftuAc pi)Cv&|tuj5 (Croagh Patrick), which presents a grand ap-
pearance to the tourist. There are numberless legends told of this place, as
well as of the Cttu.xc or Reek in general. Dr. O'Donovan in a note on the
Clann Gibbon, who were located in lar Umhall, to the west of the mountain
of Croagh Patrick, or the Reek, in the barony of Murresk and county of Mayo,
says, "According to all the Lives of the Irish Apostle, he remained for forty
days and forty nights on this lofty mountain, which was then infested by ma-
lignant demons, who opposed his progress in preaching the gospel in this
dreary region, but whom he drove thence headlong into the sea." — Tribes of
Ireland, p. 42, n. 4. The ancients believed that numberless evil spirits were
hovering in the air while paganism prevailed. Egypt was generally supposed
to be infested with such spirits. In the work of Gulielmus Alvernus, Bishop
of Paris, written in the thirteenth century, we read : — " In yEgypto vero
propter idolatriam, qua; maxime ibi fervere consuevit, atque malignorum spi-
rituum longe majorem quam in aliis partibus frequentiam, ludificationum fan-
tasise maxime abundant nunc, licet nulla pars hominum habitationis ludifica-
107
Away to the Pool of Demons,
He prosperously expelled them all ; [or west
He let not a demon of them to flee to the east
Since that time that he did not drown.
tionibus hujusmodi caruerit, donee, ut prsedixi, lex et fides Christianorum
viguit et floruit. De ludificalionibus autem quarum famositas partes occiden-
tales replevit, et potissimum minorem Britanniam, non aliud tibi sentiendum
puto, vel video, nisi quod per antedictum modum fiunt." The ancients classed
malignant spirits under various heads, as may be learned from the following
extract from the above-named work : — " Quod autem nefandse illse dominae
nocturnae, quibus pracesse credunt vetulse dominam Abundiam, vel dominam
Satiam, ab eo quod est satis, vel a satietate dictam, similiter et ilia; qua; in
stabulis et arboribus frondosis apparere dicuntur, sint maligni spiritus, per
haec, quae dicam tibi, patefiet, Et primum quidera, quia boni ac beati spiritus
cibos vel potus sibi pra^parari, vel exponi, sive apponi, nunquam expetunt,
utpote qui talibus non indigent." The nightmare was called Ephialtes by the
ancients — " De nocturno vero daemone, quem Ephialtem multi vocant." The
Incubi and Succuhi seems to be the same as the Irish Leanan siyhe — " Post-
quam autem jam produxi tractatum istum eousque, ut jam convenientissimum
sit persecutari de malignis spiritibus, qui usualiter incubi vel succubi nomi-
nantur, incipiam hie cum auxilio Dei, et dicam, quia esse eorum, et concu-
piscentiam eorum libidinosam, necnon et generationem ab eis, esse famosam
atque credibilem fecerunt testimonia virorum et mulierura, qui illusiones
ipsorum, molestiasque, et improbitates, necnon et violentias libidinis ipsorum,
se passos fuisse testificati sunt, et adhuc asserunt. Accedunt et ad hoc histo-
ricae narrationes, per quas augetur non mediocriter hujusmodi credulitas ;
pracsertim cum gentera Hunnorum ab hujusmodi dasmonibus esse generatam
evidenter asserat historia regnorum occidentalium. Sed et insulam Cypri
totam populatam esse et inhabitatam esse a filiis iucuborum daemonum fama
praedicat." The ancient tract intituled Fortalitium Fidei, written A.D. 1458,
corroborates the above opinions, and goes on to show the worldly pursuits of
malicious spirits. The t'eAtijAin Aem (Demons of the air) were very trouble-
some to the pagan Irish, as we learn from Irish manuscripts. As a punishment
for having metamorphosed the children of Lir into swans, Budh Dearg ex-
pelled the wicked enchantress from the society of mortals and changed her into
a demon of the air. The belief in such beings having extensively prevailed
among the ancients, it is not to be wondered that St. Patrick was generally
supposed to have expelled them by his wonder-working bell. The author of
the Fortalitium Fidei, after having related a story of a troublesome apparition
which annoyed himself and his companions when a boy, concludes thus: —
"Quidam autem ex sociis, qui majoris aetatis erat et vir satis peritus, dixit
nobis quod non timeremus quia erat quidam spiritus malus nobilis aerarchice,
qui alia mala non operabatur nisi ludos illos."
108
O. 21 bubA]]ic 0]f]]) 50 pjiAp,
bo juc n)ó]\ ||- é r)-Aii)|i]OCc;
b|i]fp]ob p&]t) A|t bo ceAi)i) bo cloj,
5 CAO| ATT) fr]A5!)A]|*e A Pbi^cjiAic.
p. jf n)A]c l]OTt) cw be]C 5AI) r-j*úile,
A 0]nt) Ó CAOi b|toc-n)úiT)ce;
n7Ai|i5 bo be]|t oi)ói|i Su]z,
n)A\t t>o b&A|icAO] bo jt^j ^)ó b'eA^bo5.
O. Mi VI» n)'ovó]]i-y] ye^v,
tT)A|]t5 bo 5e]b A]]*ce zo]hé]n);
A|t beA5^u b^óe A5Af b^jje,
A5 c]t^cAi|ieAcc A5A]* A5 A]C|ií5e.
p. Nj |:tú b-oi)ói]t-]-i AW^v,
]*eACc b-p]cc]b bA^iijii) A|ii^]t);
lpo T)A T)U]|iceAt)r> >5']Af5 'f b'^eo^l,
olc lAb]tAf CU A X^M)Ó]]Í.
O. i)A|i AT) UI1501U bo ^^y]S]n) leAC,
]|* i)iv|v ^A5A]Tt) 0]8e Ó f A5A|ic ;
50 n7'fe^|i|t l|Ott) fpitúiUioc ^50 lp})]VV,
A5An7 ^^11) iA i>o coTÍ7-]to]t)r).
p. 2lu é ^-ji) ci)uA|* i;a b-po]ic,
A5Af f ]a6ac i)a i)-5A]tb-ct)oc ;
^ó iÍ7Í-ODÓ}tA6 AU léi|i-C|ie]b]Tf>.
O. Mi b-fe» Acc pi 01) ]y yeo]V
coj-AC corb-|tO]Ui) ]f corb-ójl;
bo 5e]biw, Tl* iuocaoa rr^ilfe,
5Í6 TDAOjCTbeAC 0]trt)-fA 1*lb-|*].
' V-jon ]]■ troo|l. — n^i7ie and flesh. Some think that the vine grew in
Ireland in the olilen time; if it did not, there are reasons for believing that
wine could have been imported, since, according to Tacitus in ""Vita Agricolae,"
109
O. Oisin speedily exclaimed,
With a loud voice, in fury ;
I will break thy bell on thy head
As thou art in my presence, Patrick.
P. I rejoice that thou art without eyes,
O Oisin, since thou art ill-taught ;
Woe to him who does thee honour.
As would be done to a king or to a bishop.
O. Altogether worthless is my honour,
Alas ! that I derive reproach therefrom ;
(Living) on a scant portion of food and drink,
Keeping canonical hours and doing penance.
P. Thy honour of itself is not worth
Seven score small cakes of bread ;
With their requisites of fish and of flesh meat,
Evil speakest thou, O aged man.
O. By virtue of the utterance I use to thee.
And may I not receive hospitality from a priest ;
If I would not prefer the crumbs of Fionn's house
To my share of thy meals.
P. Meanest thou the produce of the havens,
And the chase of the craggy hills ;
Together with hell in the end.
For dishonouring the true faith ?
O. Not so, but wine and flesh.
The first of feasting and carousing ;
I was wont to get, together with delicious entrails.
Though ye are boasting over me.
commerce with Ireland was then carried on by foreign nations : — " Siqui-
dem Hibernia, medio inter Britanniam et Hispaniam sita, et Gallico quoque
mari opportuna, valentissimam Imperii partem magnis invicem usibus mis-
110
21 tt)|c 2l|iplu]i)ti ^éil,
civ b-pe<vcA]f A leicé'ib \ ad 'pb&I')') ;
A3 ceACC CUJA^b flA|l t)iv fO]]t,
AJAh |1|ATÍ) t)Ó At) b-plljl?
2lf T1)Ó|t A T;0CC TT)0 cútr>A pé]1),
A Pb^c|tA]c 5Í6 cii]TD bob' Tvfe||i];
A5 ]*T17UA1T)eA6 AT) CACA C]tUAlÓ,
cu5fAtt) Ti* CAiiibjte c|tAt)i)-]tiiAi6.
CAi|ib|ie, At) ttJAC f|i) Cboitrt)Aic n)]c Cbuiob,
tt)ATft5 bo'i) pb^l')!) c^t^U fo r)A cu]i)5 ;
f^lS 5^t) c^f ii]tt) CAc bo cu|t,
'v 3^^> 31^^T> T^^ t)<'^ bjobbA.
i)o |ii5t)e CA]tib|ie cotbAi|ile |te fluA5,
A5Af bob' Í f]T) AT) ^aIa C|tUA6 ;
50 tt)'^eiv|t|i le]y cu]qtT) A|t At) tdíV]5,'
A^Af At) pb^At)!) uile bo bejc ] t)-A5<vi8.
Mit |ií5eAcc t)A beACAÓ tt)íii,
^S-í^r H'^'^ ^^' ^í^l^ 'i^^T* ii)-beACAi6 ;
A bubA]|tc pA|t|tíxt) 50 pfiAp,
cuitt)i)i5 2t)oc|iuitt)e ! cuiTbt)i5 2lrtc l^
cuerit. Spatium ejus, si Britannia: comparetur angustius, nostri maris in-
sulis superat. Solum coelumque, et ingeniacultusque hominum,haud raultum
a Britannia diíferunt. Melius adilus portusque per commercia et negotiatores
cogniti." Ireland in those days had a fleet of war gallies as well as of mer-
chantmen. According to the Annals of Boyle and Innisfallen, the fleet of
Cormac, son of Art, defeated the Picts on the coast of Louth. According
to the Crymaga;a, or Antiquities of Iceland, and Johnston, the Irish were the
first discoverers of Iceland, which they used as a fishing station. It is impos-
sible to believe that people who traded with foreigners could be without wine.
There is a tradition very prevalent to the effect that the Danes possessed the
secret of extracting wine from the toppings of heath ; but it is more likely that
the Irish druids and not the Dunes are alluded to. Though agriculture was by
Ill
O son of Calphurn tlie hospitable,
Hast thou seen anything similar to the Fenians;
Coming to you in the east or west,
Didst thovi ever enjoy such, or dost thou now ?
Great is my sorrow to-night,
O Patrick, though I am submissive to thee ;
While thinking on the stout battle
Which we fought with Cairbre of the red spears.
Cairbre, that son of Corinac Mac Conn, [yoke ;
Woe to the Fenians that they came under his
Was a king who recked not to give battle,
And one without dread before his enemy.
Cairbre took counsel with his host,
And that same was the cruel treachery ;
That he would prefer to fall on the plain
Having all the Fenians against him.
Before the sovereignty over all men living.
If we, the Fenians, should still exist ;
Barran suddenly exclaimed,
Remember Mochruime ! remember Art !
no means neglected by the ancient Irish, the chieftains and persons of dis-
tinction lived principally on venison and other flesh, more especially the
Fenians, whose game laws were very severe. — See Introduction.
' 2f)'A5. — Plain. The old feuds so long subsisting between the clan of
Baoisgne and their abettors, and the clan and supporters of Conn of the
Hundred Battles, were rekindled with great bitterness in the reign of Cairbre;
and the excessive pride and intolerable tyranny of the Fenians left the mon-
arch no alternative but to meet the rebels in the field.
* 'áv-z. This was Art Aenfhir. grandfather of> Cairbre, who was slain in
the battle of Magh Mochruime by the hand of Lugha Lagha ; the Clanna
Baoisgne prevailed in this battle, and Lughaidh Mac Con obtained the mon-
archy.
112
2ifi riwrni ^*^ tii]t]tn ^du ri»)
bo b|tí3 ^aIa u<x pejijije ;
CU]rbT)]5 t)A CjOfA CjlUAOA,
Af CU]Tr>l)]3 At) C-A1)U-UAbA|l.
)y 5At) có]5e a i;-6||t]i)i) |te t)A Ijw,
Acc A5 íocA]6eAcc |te n^Ac CbÚTÍ^AiU ;
bob' ] corbAi|ile cIai)1)a Cbiili)í5,
A5Af CbAiiib|ie 6 L]AC-b|iuiti).i
Ja& ^&]T) &o CAbA]|tc bA C]or)r),
1)0 T)A p^AWA u]le bo 6it~c]or)\) ;
50 T1)A]|tpeA6 50 bjtiVC ATblA]6,
^eAÓ bo be]r p'^AijijA a i)-2llrbu]i).
O bo 5e]b]on) bivf ^^ ^eo]3,
f u]lp5|OH7 cu]C]ii) A v-AOT) jleo ;
cu5]*Aii) 50 ^íocrbAji peA|t6A,
AT) jleÓ 1*^1) CACA 3<'^^T^A.^
i)o cuic Ai) 'p'blAt)!) bow Ajl boi)i),
ir TMi'ST^^ uA^fle 6i|tiow;
bob' pit)bA' A|t ^eAÓ A1) bOT^AlT) TbÓ|]t
TjeAC le'jt b'AO]b|i)i) iv|i At) c-flójj.
' CAittbno Ó l)Ac-&ttuiti) — Cairbre from Liath-druim ; i.e., Cairbre
from Tara. Liath-druim was the old name for Tara.
2 5Abtu\. — Garrisiown. After the Introduction had been put to press,
the following interesting communication was received from Mr. John Reid
of Garristown . — " Garristown," writes Mr. Reid, " the scene of this battle,
lies fourteen Irish miles north of Dublin, and on the northern verge of the
county, bordering on Meath. A little south-west of the village is a place
called the 'Windmill Hill,' which is five hundred feet above the level of the
sea ; and from which on a clear day, and with a good telescope, may be
distinctly seen fourteen counties. Immediately south of this hill is a field
called the ' Black Hill,' where, in the year 1823, the plough-share in tiu'ning
up the earth exposed a vast number of graves formed of single stones, where-
in were deposited human bones. Near the south-west corner of this field is
the mouth of a subterranean passage, which the inhabitants believe to reach
Tubbergragan, a village about half a mile distant."
113
Our ancestors fell there
By force of the treachery of the Fenians ;
Remember the hard tributes,
And remember the extraordinary pride.
There was no province in Eire during their sway,
But was payin» tribute to Mac Cumhaill ;
It was the counsel of the clann of Conn,
And of Cairbre from Liath-druim.
To sacrifice themselves in the cause.
Or to behead all the Fenians ;
That matters might ever remain so,
Whilst a P'enian remained in Almhuin.
Since we are doomed to die some time,
Let us fall in one great struggle ;
We fought the fight with ferocity and manliness
In that struggle of the battle of Gabhra.
The Fenians fell foot to foot,
And the noble princes of Eire ;
Many a one there was throughout the wide world,
Who rejoiced at the destruction of the host.
' tiob' lonjóA. — Many a one, &fc. There can be but little doubt that
Alba, Britain, parts of Gaul and of the adjoining countries, felt Fenian slavery
and were doomed to pay heavy tributes, as the following stanza certifies.
The extent of their sway may be exaggerated, but the Irish did make con-
quests on the continent at a very early period. The pagan monarchs of
Ireland were accustomed to invade the continent. Niall of the Nine Hos-
tages and other Irish sovereigns carried their victorious forces to Gaul ; and
probably the prisoners they carried home were made slaves, like our national
Apostle and his sisters. The Book of Rights, published by the Critic Society
(pp. 116, 117), records many instances of slaves having been given as a
tribute by the Kings of Ireland : all of those bondsmen and bondswomen
were, there is reason to believe, foreign prisoners of war. The king of
Cineal Aedha, or of the clan of Mac Hugh or Hughes of Tir Aedha, now
the barony of Tirhugh, in the south-west of the county of Donegal, was
8
114
H] fuxjb ó'i) Ji)b|A A i)0||t,
50 poi)t) ^AjtcAjiAC AT) borbAin;
|il5 t)Ac jiA^b ^o']t |-n7ACc jte'iv l|i)i),
5uf Ai; 5-cAc |-|i) A TbAilsiD.'
p. <Div b-CA5bA0T|* AUrini|tAi5^ aui) |-|1),
cu5Aib A v-Q>]-\i]\)\y ]Ai-■^l'^]^) ;
A 0]|*ii) c|i6Ab bo 66Ai;fA6 ■p]Oi)i),
r)^ n^-n ^ pblADi) 6i|tioi)T)?
entitled by the laws of Ireland to receive the following from the monarch of
Ireland : —
"t)li5ib t^i cerjél i)-21<-'6a
có]c T'^G^i, cc>-]C clAjtin)) cacIa,
có]c tijOqAjó zA]X Ti)0)t)5 ti)Aiaa,
CÓ]C tIJDA 1p]VbA, ifi^-i,\Ar}A."
Entitled is the liing of Cineal Aedha
To five sliields, five slender swords,
Five bondsmen (brought) over the bristling surface of tlie sea,
Five fair-haired, truly fine women.
These fair-haired women were unquestionably British ladies, as the Britons
were renowned for their fair hair, according to many authorities, and espe-
cially an old manuscript poem now in our possession : —
rii& 10 5et)e CAfi rfV iálóAitt) ;
Vin& AT1J boU\cc It ]i) 3Tto],
Pino DA bHACU pOfl ]i) ftttOJ."
Fair (white-haired) are the Britons, fair are their connexions,
Fair is the nation beyond the race of Adam ;
Fair are their kine and their steeds,
(And) fair the garments which their druids wear.
It would be tedious to quote all the instances recorded of bondsmen and
bondswomen having been paid as tribute to the monarch and provincial kings
of Ireland, but did any doubt remain as to those slaves being foreigners, the
following from the Book of Rights, pp. 84-85, must at once remove it : —
" ruAnircoi nfs bno5A-TiíJ
0 nio Gnii^ CAD tnífoí"},
pp|cl) t)-]nAiit sonoA be<\Tt5A,
]\- bojcl) n-?ÍAiU cAn 5Aeóel5A."
115
There was not from India westward,
To the most western land of the world ;
A king wlio was not under our power in our time,
Until that battle, O Tailgin.
P. If foreigners then came,
To you in Eire the delightful isle ;
O Oisin, what could Fionn do,
Or ye O Fenians of Eire ?
The stipend of the King of Brugh-righ
From the king of Eire without sorrow,
Ten tunics, brown red,
And ten foreigners without Gaedhealga [Irish]."
The native Irish were not reduced to the condition of slavery in the olden
time, though they appear to have been divided into castes. The Atha-tuaithe
seem to have been a race not entitled to all the civil privileges enjoyed by the
Milesians, but to have been looked upon as strangers ; they were not however
absolute slaves, as we learn from the following stanza taken from an old manu-
script poem now in our hands : —
" li) n)05A ri-s buicnecc.\,
of HJOqA ClArjOA íltíóA ;
noch OAen en r^cn cinel n)ó]x
Tjfi senr* ron cUn&A 2í)íIad.
The herdsmen are not slaves.
The clan of Mac Hugh (Hughes) are not slaves;
No great independent race is subject to bondage.
The clans of Milesius are not under slavery."
The Book of Rights (p. 97), corroborates the statement made in this poem
respecting the clan of Aedha or Hughes of Connacht. " The Ui Briuin, and
the Siol Muireadhaigh, and the Ui Fiachrach, and the Cineal Aedha are free
tribes, and they are equally noble as the king, and they do not go upon an ex-
pedition or hosting except for pay ; and they do not go into battle with the king
but for reward ; and if they be killed, and upon their being killed, the king is
bound to give eric to their king ; and when the kingdom [of Connacht] does
not belong to the race of Fiachra or Aedha or Guaire, the best man of them
is privileged to sit by the right shoulder of the king of Connacht. If they
happen to be in exile in another territory, they are to sit at the right shoulder
of the king of Caiseal, or of the king of Nas, or of the king of Eamhain Macha.
Of which things the gifted scion Benean sang," Sec.
' CAil5]n, according to Dr. O'Brien, means 5in nAotT)tA, i.e. a holy
offspring ; a name supposed to be given to St. Patrick by the Druids before
his arrival in Ireland. (Irish Dictionary, voce CAHseAn, p. 420).
' i?C% ^-^A5eA0Ir AllnjunAi^. — // foreigners then came, Sfc. The
IIG
0. 5)6 be |ií5 bo C|OCf:AÓ M)t) CI I),
bo 5eAbA6 "pobU' a i)-A]f5e ;
5At) CAc, 5At; io|i5U)l, 5AT) iv^j,
5Ar) iOnjjO]!}, 5A1) ACTt7U|*iXT).
<t)A|t bo l^]iT)f| A Cbl^lT^lc civ^o,
r)i jtA^b AT)T)|*A n7-BAT)bA Tn-biv]r) ;
ACC feAl)-lAOCA il|t|*A A 5-C]aII,
^3<^r ó5íxr)Ai5 t)ív|t beAjibAÓ.
í)o cui|teAn7A||tr)e ceACCA uaji^i} ro]ft,
50 'p^cA Cbooív^T) rt)Ac 2t)beic Cbot) ;
b'A ]A|ijiA]8 cu5A]r)T; loijiv^t 3-c]or)T),
bo 5AbxV|l i^jib-jtijeACCA &i|t]ot;i).
P. Í2t)ó|i At) b&]rT7 C]i) bo biiA]l Ojtuib,
^ IM3 6i|iT0t)i) pA njóji A^iirt);
]]• cu]lle uAbA]|t bo JAb ri^'D'
bo rbAjtb^b r)A b-peA|i e]le-f].
21 0]xíx) ]vn]r búiw r5é<vl<v>
c]OT)r)A|* bo cu]|ieA6 at) ^joitjujl c|i&At)A ;
TI)A|t bo TnA|ib<\6 ho t^ac ^AT) 5-CAC,
r>Ó AT) |lU5Alf A13e A|l U]tlAb]tA?
óf ci0T)T) Tr>o n)]c Ofcu|t ^]5;
1|- cív]t)^c CAOjlre 5At) clé,
óf" ciow A feirut clA]t;r)e feim.
battle fought on the plain of Gabhra was so desperate, that after the pro-
tracted warfare carried on for many years by the two great factions contenr
ding for power, none except a few " old warriors of worn intellect and youths
not proved in battle" remained to meet an invader if he chanced to land in
Ireland. Hence it is clear that the greater number of men able to bear arms
in Ireland at that time were engaged in this battle, and that most of them
were slain, for none remained to defend the country, since, " whoever the
117
O. Whatever king might come tlien,
He would gain Fodhla for nought ;
Without battle, without conflict, without contest,
Without the infliction of scars, without reproof.
By thy hand, O chaste Cleric,
There was not in Banba the fair ;
But old warriors of worn intellect,
And youths not proved (in battle).
We despatched messengers from us eastward.
To Fatha Conan son of Mac Con ;
Asking him to hasten to our aid,
To take the high sovereignty of Eire.
P. Great was that stroke that fell upon you.
From the monarch of Eire renowned in arms;
Ye assumed additional pride.
From the slaughter of those other men.
Oisin relate to us the story.
How the mighty struggle was fought ;
How thy son was slain in the battle, [him ?
Or didst thou see him while speech remained to
O. When the carnage ceased I came.
And stood over my successful son Oscur ;
And Caoilte devoid of deception came.
And stood over his six gentle sons.
(invading) king might he, he would gain Fodhla for nought ; without battle,
conflict, contest, or without the infliction of scars or reproof."
• póólA. Fodhla, Banba, and Eire, were names for Ireland; some say that
the island was thus named after the three princesses of the TuathaDeDauan,
whose husbands were the last sovereigns of -*hat race who ruled in Ireland,
but there are reasons for supposing that the island received the names from
other circumstances.
U8
'C'A^\)]C A fi<\|b beo b'ivfi b-'pé]i)i),
of* Cjow A 5-CA|tAb ^eft);
&|tOt)5 bfob A5 UbjlA T1)A]t |*]t),
If b|toi)5 e]le 5AI) aiwajij.
21 Pbi^c|tA]C i)A rn-bACAll tD-bC\t),
5I& be i;eAC bo C]ó|:eA6 ai) c-iv|i ;
bob' A&bA|i c|tuA5 ]te i)a l]t)i),
iiA)fle &]|t]oi)i) bo cii]r|tT).
*^Dob' jon^bA lú|fieAC ]*AO|ceA6 fAOjt,
A5Ar n9]oi)i)-cÚTt)bAC CAorf);
^S-í^r r31^^ CAfifUA A|t Ai) n7iv]5,
A5A|* C|V|ACA 3AI) |lÓ-A1)tT)A]1) !
t^íOjl CéAflUAlb AOI) t)eAC t)0'\) C-fluAJ;,
óift bA bAll é Aft A jiAfb buAb ;'
'r V] |tu5A6 r;eAC Ay At) 5-cAc,
Acc rrjAC |tÍ5 í)o ívjib-|:lA]C.
}^uA|tAf Ttjo ri^AC^ pé]i) (Oi)A lufje,
A)i u|lleAi;i) clé 'f a f'^jAC le ija CAOjb ;
Y A Iai)i) r)A beAf-lafri) ]f é,
A5 Cllft foÍA CAjt A lú]]t]5.
' biuvB. — Enchantment. The word bvu\6 has many significations ; it simply
means victor;/, success, Sf-c, hut in pagan times it implied a supernatural power
or property, as well as a sacred bond or pledge imposed by some supernatural
power. We read in the MS. of the Battle of Muirtheimne, that Cuchulainn often
bemoaned the loss of his buAóA, or extraordinary powers, and thereby had
sufficient warning that his life was near an end. Perhaps the most authentic
account of those pagan superstitions that we can find is furnished in the Book
of Rights(p.2); they were the seven buAOA, or privileges, of the monarch of Ire-
land, "l^rc ho]T)t>] [6A coiijA|lc]; í:)Ao lujbms] ; njeAf 2t)Ai)Ai)t); vn-^echnjoAf
bnis loicb] ; bjonATt bftornAih] ; ujrce rhobAjTt Cl)lAct}C5A ; tijiltiAó 'HAjn :
I)-1 CaIv\]p& ^lu5U|rc bo Tio)c))&ir rin wiM ^o 1115 CeAnjttAcb. 'i^n bljAHAjT)
I cett)leA6 ]V^X]^ ''í cbe]5eAíyi n-AitieAnj f-AosAjl so, 1 ir T^1*^''J no ii)0)-
5eAb ATX CAC leAc:" i.e. "The fish of the Boinn (Boyne) to eat; the deer
of Luibneach ; the fruit of Mananii (Man) ; the heath-fruit of Brigh Leithe ;
119
All that were alive of the Fenians came,
And stood over their friends ;
Some of these possessed the faculty of speech,
And others were without life.
0 Patrick of the white croziers,
Whoever should see the carnage ;
A cause of pity during his life,
Would be the fall of the nobles of Eire !
Many a mail of noble warriors,
Many a fair head-piece ;
And shield lay scattered over the plain,
Together with princes bereft of life !
There escaped not a man of the host ; [chantment,
For it was a place upon which there was en-
And not a man was brought out of the battle,
P]xcept the son of a king or sovereign prince.
1 found my own son lying down
On his left elbow and his shield by his side,
His right hand clutched his sword, and he
Pouring blood through his mail.
the cresses of the Brosnach ; the water of the well of Tlachtgha; the venison
of Nas (Naas). On the calends of August all these things reached the king
of Teamhair (Tara). The year in which he used to eat of these was not
reckoned as life spent, and he was wont to rout his enemies before him on
every side." So much for the buAóA or supernatural advantages derived from
the use of those articles of food, not because they were of a superior quality,
but l)ecause pagan usages conceded to them these virtues.
' pUAjiAr njo ri)AC. — I found my son. Another copy supplies the following
version of this stanza : —
"2ln)lA iUA^Af it)o TijAc xé]r),
'tjA lui^e Ati uilleAT) clé|é ;
'r é AC cot)SA |:plA óe,
TAti béAlA|b A lúifi)5e.''
120
A PbíVC|tA]C &0 fn7UAlT)eA|* AT)T) f]T),
c|ieAb ÓéATjpA^ijr) ]01)a 6eA5A]6.
'péACAf OfCUjl OjtmfA fUAf,
A5A|* bA leoji l]on) a c|tuA|*;
7*ÍT)eAf CU5ATD A 6íl líV]Tb,
A|i q é]|i5i6ce Art) cot^O^il.
It was thus I found my brave son,
He was Ijing on his left elbow ,•
Shedding torrents of blood from him,
Through the openings of his mail.
This and the above stanzas present to the reader a feeling picture of a loving
father attending his son in the distressing moments of his death on the field of
battle, as well as of the filial love of a young warrior, expiring of his wounds,
yet animated with superhuman strength to receive a beloved parent.
' Kj5i)rtAr of A ciODH 3^)Ti. — / raised a cry over him. 3^v)n, according
to the present acceptation of the word among the Irish peasantry, means a
laugh, especially in the plural number. But 5;%iTt cAt,\ and 3Cv)n or ceAprj
HA n) Afib were quite different in meaning, because ^'-\]]i signified a cry of sorrow
as well as of joy or victory, according as circumstances warranted its appli-
cation. No person need suspect that the Irish language was or is deficient
in terms to express the diíTerence between a cry of sorrow and one of joy.
The words filliioo, idliloo, Sf'c, may be instanced. The first is really an ori-
ginal Irish cry ; for when rival parties met in mortal struggle, tradition informs
us that the vanquished, retreating from the slaughter-field, used to warn their
friends of their danger by the cry ^ruil le Uu\6, i. e. there is blood to be told
of, or, as others think, perhaps more correctly, pujl le lúc, i. e. blood or blood-
shed with speed ! The expression finally dwindled down into an interjection
denoting sudden news, surprise, danger, death, &c. Ulleloo, however, is of
a more ancient and perhaps of foreign origin. The ulleloo, or idtoo, is heard
among the most remote tribes of the continents of Asia and Africa. If we
can possibly explain the word in Irish we would say its component parts are
uAjll le luAD, i.e. a cry to be recited, or a cry that should influence all persons
interested to join in its feeling and repetition. Ignorant writers, or rather
caricaturists of the Irish people, say that the tUlaloo raised at Irish funerals
was an unfeeling and disgusting act of hypocritical sorrow for the dead.
Such, however, was not the case ; we are familiar with the subject of funeral
121
I laid the shaft of my spear on the ground,
And I raised a cry over him ;
O Patrick, I then bethought,
What I should do after him.
Oscur gazed up at me,
And the sight was pain enough for me (to bear);
He extended his two arms towards me.
Endeavouring to rise to meet me.
keens, if we may Anglicise the term, and it is true that women wlio met a
funeral on their way considered it a duty to return with it the distance of at
least cnf coircéirp da ct^ócAln'-S i. e. "the three paces of mercy," for sake
of obtaining grace for the deceased ; and when females met a funeral and
paced the three paces and many more through compassion for the bereaved,
they could not possibly omit raising an uajU, or as English, and Irish writers
too, term it, a keen for the departed. But personal observation forces this
remark, that they who thus accidentally joined the funeral procession neither
shed tears for the dead, nor after having shed tears, as it is said, enquired who
the deceased was, but arrested by the melody of the keeners, or Uirbc rumiti),
raised their voices in concert, and adventitious associates were often known to
forget their engagements by the fascinating melody of an Irish funeral oration.
There were hired keeners who made it their profession, men as well as women.
We knew Padruig Buidhe O'Bruin, i. e. Patrick the yellow O'Byrne, who was
a professional man-keener, and who officiated in that capacity at the funeral of
a near relative for the fee of a gold guinea. Tiie good old custom of cu)Tic.\n)
or cAoine»\ó, was certainly objectionable in some respects : if a husband or
wife died and their fanjilies happened to be on disagreeable terms, then each
party made it a point to hire a keener to trace the genealogy of their respective
tribe to a noble and royal origin, and to vilify in unmeasured terms that of
the other. This, however, happened very seldom indeed, but when it did the
consequences were rather unpleasant ; but the custom of Irish keening was
so ancient, and the practice so pleasant and refined, if carried out in the ori-
ginal spirit, that it is much to be lamented that it has neariy ceased. It would
be well if the ignorant persons — refined gentlemen, if they wish — who decried
those harmless customs which they did not understand, had confined them-
selves to the suppression of the wicked dcmonology fostered by the successors
of the pagan Irish through interested motives, instead of pursuing the (^unsi
refined system of crying down harmless and time- venerated reminiscences of
the olden time.
122
3<xbAiii)-|'i líxrb njo tt)|C yé]r),
A5A|* ru]3|Ti7 í)'a le]c clé;
T)io|i cu]|ieA]* |-u]ro fAt) c-|*A05aI.
«Do ti^ié |i^OTt)fA n)o rn<xc )reA|i6A,
A5Af* é A i)-&ei|ve a AtjnjA ;
"a bu^6e |i]f i)A b&iqb^ ]-]v,
bo be]C|*| ^lí^r) a aca]|x."
bJocA T)-béAUAi6 tt7]fe 5Ó,
T)'] |tA]b p|veA5|iA A5ATT) 80 ;
50 b-cii]t)|c CAO]lce Ai)u y]V,
cii-^^]m b'fréACAii)!) 0fcui|t.
SjlieAf CAOjlce Ai^ c]\)é]l có]|t,
1)5 30 b-puATji A ii)i;a6 rjA 60;
'l* fUA]|l A 6|tU]rn CjleACCAC,
Ajv T)A coUaÓ bo'i; 5éAH-fleA5.
í)ob' é ]*o c]iéAcc 3A1 CbAijtbite,
A|l llttJAl OfCU]|l Al|ttT7-|lUA6;
llxrn CbAOjlce 501)1»] 5 u^lleAi),
c|té 50|i) Ai) 5Aec| c]tuA8.
CAO|lce. Mac cn]r\)^\f ai) la bo cnAÓn)A]|i ri^l^'
50 S]t 2t)l)ój]t t)bltotT)A Cl^Ab;
50 i)-ai|iii)ii)i) T^i]t cite bo cneA|-,
]|* 5U|t ]:óAbv\6 1)1)1) bo le|5eA]*?
!* '4 buioe TMr 0* 6Ó|c|b. — / return my thanks to the gods. From this
passage it is evident that the pure monotheisui of the druids had dwindled down
into a vulgar polytheism previous to the date of the Fenian era. Historians
assert thatTighernmas was the first monarch who introduced polytheism, and
that a great multitude of people were struck dead on the worship of strange
gods. The sun, moon, stars, elements, and many aniuials which were adored
by the Egyptians, were introduced as deities.
123
I grasped the hand of my own son,
And sat down by his left side ;
And from (the time of) that sitting by him
I disregarded the world.
My manly son thus said to me,
And he at the latter end of his life ;
" 1 return my thanks to the gods
For thy safe escape, O father."
I shall not tell a lie,
I had no answer for him ;
Until Caoilte then came
To us to look at Oscur.
Caoilte of the just tribe searched,
Until he found his entrails severed in twain ;
He also found his back wounded.
Pierced by the keen-pointed spear.
This was the wound of the spear of Cairbre
On the navel of Oscur of the red arms ;
The hand of Caoilte to the elbow
Passed through the wovmd of the hard spear.
Caoilte. Rememberest thou not the day we went westward,
To the Sith of Mor of Drom Cliabh ;
When I could count men through thy waist,
And yet we were able to heal thee ?
* Wac c\x]n)]n. — Dost thou, Sfc. The ancient Irish possessed many curious
medicinal recipes, and the bacach fraternity are to this day in possession of
many useful secrets ; indeed, until very lately, every good housewife in the
remote parts of the country was expected to know the virtues of simples, and
many of these primitive cures have not yet been superseded.
124
21 b-fUAyiAi- PI Art) |ie n)0 Ijur),
A fq5 A i>]<xcA]b a]lt)e 6ifiir)i;;
bo]l5e l|ort7 |*leA5 CbA)|tbite U] Cl)ii|i)b,
]t)]]i n/Aiyiti) If n^ii) l]!)!).
S5|veAbA|* n)Ac Roi)ii|i)' Ai)r) |']i),
II* cu^qoi* 50 pAOT) |:ó CAlrbup) ;
buAilioj* ^Ó líV|l A COjtp C'<\]V,
cA|iT)5Ai' A frolc 'f A irior)i)|:A6.
«Do b] Ai;i) A5 p&ACA]!) A C|léACC,
A5Af A3 iv]|t]on) A lon^ÓA &acc ;
|:a rbójt Ai) civf &ú]T)r) aw rit)j
TT)A|t f«Ai|t hlxy 'b]]x iX]t l^rbA^b !
"CjiuAS x\t) A Ofcu]|i CAlnjA fé]l,
bo |*5A|ia6 a t)occ ]t|f au b-peirji);
1Í* bo j-SAjtAO bo CACA |lO pIOI)1),
If b'frAT) iv]i 5-cio|* A3 rjol njófi Cl;u|i;b.
2lr) OjOce y]i) bii^me'^ fAi) ivji,
A3 coirbéAb A cu]jtp 30 liv;
!]♦ A3 b|ieic clAt;i)-tr>Aicr)e pb]!)",
A]t culcA]b ixjltje AOib|T)b.
<t)0 CÓ3bAtnA]lt At) C-0|-CU]l pCAjtÓA,
A]t C]tAUi}Aib i\|t |-leA3 A uivipbe;
b'A bfie]c 30 cuIa|3 3I011) ojle,
bo biiA]i) be A f'Abui3.
' 2t)Ar Kor);%in. — Mac Ronain then cried, Sfc. For the funeral obsequies of
the pagan Irish, see Introduction, pp. 03-65.
* 'iXv) ojoce x]r) hi'i]nr)e. — We remained that niyht, ^'c. To wake or watch
125
Of all that ever befel me in my time,
Within the compass of the beautiful isle of Eire,
Most sorrowful to me is the spear of Cairbre the
grandson of Conn,
While Invested with arms & warlike habiliments.
Mac Ronain then cried aloud,
And feebly fell upon the earth ;
He cast his pure body upon the ground,
He plucked his hair and beard.
He (Oscur) was there beholding his wounds,
And enumerating his many achievements ;
Great was the calamity to us then,
That he died in our arms !
Sorrowful, O Oscur, the brave and generous,
Thy separation this night from the Fenians ;
And the separation of thy battajions from Fionn,
And our tribute remain with the race of Conn.
We remained that night amidst the slaughter,
Watching his body till the day ;
And conveying the male descendants of Fionn,
To pleasant and delightful mounds.
We raised the manly Oscur
Aloft on the shafts of our javelins;
Bearing him to another pure mound.
To strip him of his garments.
the dead, as the custom is among the Irish to this day. The superstitious
notions which attended this custom cannot be explained in a note. These
stanzas throw some further light on the custom of interment of the old Irish.
12G
ieiceAb bAjfe ó i)a f-olc,
V] fiA]b flívi) b'A co|ip ;
ACC A A5A]6 ]01)A AOt)A|líVI).
SgaI pA&A 6ÚI1)1J TT)A|l y]\),
A5 co]TT)éA& A cu]|xp CAO|rb 3|l ;
50 b-|reACAn)A]íi cujaiui) U)rD ueo]i),
P'lOlJlJ TT)AC CutT)A|lU rt7AC 'C]léM)n)Ó]]l.
■C^t)5A&A|l CU5A]1)I) I^AU ^tl,
At) feitot:)5 |*]i; bo TbA^it &"pbiAi)i)Aib 'pvvil;
A5 p&ACAiu CbÍADiM BAOi^Tji^e njAji ri'^
t)A 5-C0fAl|l-C|ló |*A1) Í0|l50]l.
B<v cituA5 A <t)bé |-5|téACA6 t)A Iaoc,
A5Af bÚl|tCeAC T)A TTJÍleAÓ ;
bA b|r)i) feAb|tAt;i)AC ix]x ^leAJ,
<v5Af TDeAÓAijt i)A njjleAÓ,
Ba TTJOjl ]*|XAt)U-peAbAC A TT)-b|tACAC l*|tÓ|ll,
A5 ^iti3ií> njAib]!) rr)<\o]c-|ieó6Ai5 ;
})] óeA]tt)A n^AC 2t)ó)|ir)e rbó]]t,
Acc ^njceAcc u^le A]t ^eAÓ ai) c-fló|j.
2I5 1A]t]tA]6 1T)0 CUHip-|-| |*A1) 5-CAC,
Y AT) cu]b ejle b'A fi^]i-n)ACA]h ;
'y co|tp Cb^^'Ollce rnójt A 5-CAC,
'l* 1T)]C ACA]tAC b]0t)5TT)AlA.
1 l^jotin ^AC Cuii)AiU. — Fionn Mac Cunihaill, Sfc. It has been already
shown that Fionn was dead ten years before this battle was fought, therefore
he could not have so conveniently come merely for the purpose of examining
the field of slaughter. It was his ghost and not himself that appeared. There
existed a belief among the Irish that the spirits of the departed were wont to
attend the obsequies of their relations and to join in the mourning ceremonies.
Those spirits sometimes rendered themselves visible. The Bean siyhe was
127
A palm's breadtli from his liair.
Of his body was not whole ;
Until it reached the sole of his foot,
But his face alone.
A long time we remained thus,
Watching his fair white body ;
Till at length at noon we saw approach,
Fionn Mac Cumhaill son of Trenmor.
They came to us amid the slaughter.
Those who lived of the Fenians of Fall ;
To see the Clanna Baoisgne as they then were.
Mangled corpses after the struggle.
O God, how pitiable was the crying of the heroes !
And the raging of the warriors ;
Sweet was the clash of our spears,
And the exercise of our soldiers.
Wildly fluttered their silken banners.
At the rising of the gently frosty morning ;
Mac Moirne the great did nothing else,
But pass throughout the host.
Searching for my corpse on the battle-field,
And for those of the rest of his noble sons ;
The corpse of Caoilte who was great in battle
And those of his worthy descendants.
supposed to have been an ancestor of the person whose death she deigned to
forewarn. Benebhigh Ni Ardghoill, daughter of Turlogh an Fhuinn, and
Maire Ruadh Bellew, daughter of Lord Bellew of Dundealgain (Dundalk),
were not long since celebrated for their affectionate feelings for the decease
of their blood-relations. Ghosts, according to the opinions of the old Irish,
were wont to appear in their mortal shape, but not as " clouds and mists,"
as Macpherson fancifully writes. — See Introduction, p 29.
128
A5 &íitiu5A6 A flí5e 'v'^]i 5-c|0')i);
b|xu)beAtT)AO|b '\)a cojurje |*Ar) &^]l,
']' bo bfiocbu]5 |*é 't)ív|i 5-córb6íV)l.
BsAi)t)ui5eAiT)A0ib u]le b"pb|Oi)i),'
r\j<x-\t A iiA^b Ofcu|t A]trt7-3éA|t.
2lr) uA^jt bo coi)A]|tc Ofcuii f]or)\),
■péACAI* A|t A5Al8 TJA ^IaCA,
]f beAwui5eAf b'A f-eAij-ACAHi.
21 biibA]]tc Of*cu|i At)r) j-p),
|ie tt^AC 2t)ó]]ii;e At) ua]]i f )r) ;
n)o ceAi)T) AT)0]|* bo'i) éA5,
]te c'^AICflT) A "pblí^T) Al|tn7-5éA|t.
r;|vuA5 fip A Orcu]|v fréil,
A 6e]5-rbic 1170 Tb^c-f] pei^;
Ab óiAiJ-fi b^Ab 50 ^AVV,
AJAf A t7-blA15 'pblAW 6||ll0t)I).
He clo]yz]\) 5ol-b|tiAC|iA6 pblW.
A AijAti) Ai" Ofcu]t bo lit)5;
]-ÍI)]0|- fiOj- A 6íV la^TT),
A5Af bÚT)A|* A IIOH'5 |XÓ-blíV|C.
NOCA jlA^b bo'u "pbélW Óf A CjOW,
le^c Aii)uic 6íott)fA '5uf b"pblor)i) ;
bo léi5 ri^^ cjtí 5ív|i|tcA 50 c|tuAi5,
bo cloifeAÓ p6 6]|iTi)t} Ac-uAi|t.
' beAnnuisoAniAoi» ujle &'Fbloi)0. — TV^e saluted Fionn, Sfc. It is said that
gliosts cannot speak until they are thrice interrogated.
129
When we recognised Fionn
Wending his way toward us ;
We proceeded onward to meet him,
And he hastened to approach us.
We all saluted Fionn,
But he made no reply to us ;
Until he reached the strong Tulach,
Where Oscur of the keen-edged weapons lay.
The moment Oscur saw Fionn,
Directing his way towards him ;
He looked on the face of the prince,
And saluted his grand-father.
Oscur then said
To the son of Moirne that time ;
I concede my head to death [weapons.
Since I behold thee, Fionn of the keen-edged
Sad it is, Oscur the valiant,
Thou good son of my own son ;
After thee I shall be powerless,
And after the Fenians of Eire.
Upon hearing the mournful words of Fionn,
His spirit darted out of Oscur ;
He stretched down both his arms.
And closed his beauteous eye.
There was not of the Fenians over him.
Except myself and Fionn ;
But gave utterance to three sorrowful cries,
Which were heard through Eire a second time.
9
130
r;u5 'piODt) ^i]me A cúl,
A5A|* bo fil &eo|XA 30 b-ú|i;
ACC pÓ OfCU|l ]f ^Ó Bb|l^U,
T)iOfl CAO^I) pó l^eAC A]t CAlrbA]!).
t^ioji CAOiu 'p)Our) A Tr)AC |:é]t,i,
aY i)ioT^ CAOfi) A b|i^cA]|i at;i) fé|i);
A|i b-pA]Cf|T) n)o n)]cy] a|i i;-bul b'éA3,
If c^c u]le A5 cA0]i)eA6 Ofcu]ti.
2t)AllAcc 2li]tc 2lo|ihp]|v 50 nj-buAÓ,
cívji)]C Auocc A]t n)o fluAJ ;
If é bo be]|i rr)]fi fó léAt),
h'Ay TTj]c Oifit) Ai|in)-5éA|t.
'Piece c&Ab' bu]i)e ai)i:) fiUj
lb||i Ó5 ASAf ^itfAiS;
1)] ]iA]b Aoi) r)eAc flivi; bjob yjt),
A3ii]t;t:) bo't; frjcce céAb y]v.
2lcc peAjt i)AO| i;-5oi)CA 50 i^irb,
If é fó lúJA bo c|téACCA]b;
bív ^]cc]cc ]f f]cce céAb,
bo córi)-ív]|t]tr) 'p]Ot;i; bo fé]i).
<Do b] njAfib A|t At) rT)^]5^
'<'^'f S<VT) AOI) bu]i)e b'íi t^eAfbAjb ;
A 6<x 0|]teAb f)!) 'f t)í 5Ó,
^'r IM5 6i|t|ot)i:), r5^<^^ ^^^ f^'^-
*Do b) rtjAftb A|i AT) le|C e]le,
xiAiflo 6)^1101)1) A|in;-5lo]i)e ;
VÍ 6eiX]i\iVA f]0\)]) coblA f^nj»'
ó'i) 0]6ce fjt) 50 l^ A biv^f."*
' f iccc (■CA^. — Tweniy hundred. It appears from the text that twenty
hundred of the Fenian forces survived the battle, but all the survivors were
so dreadfully mangled that a man having nine wounds was the least injured.
The ancients reckoned the number of their wounds with honorable pride, and
the ghost of Fionn boasted of his wounds as well as the rest.
131
Fionn turned his back to us,
And shed tears in abundance ;
Except for Oscar and for Bran,
He never shed tears for any one on earth.
Fionn wept not for his own son,
Nor did he even weep for his brother ;
But (he wept) on seeing my son lie dead,
While all the rest wept for Oscur.
The curse of Art Aenfhir with vengeance,
Fell this night upon my hosts ;
And the thing that causes my distress.
Is the death of the son of Oisin of the sharp swords.
Twenty hundred were there present,
The young as well as the aged ;
We had not one unwounded
Of these twenty hundred.
But a man of nine venemous wounds
Was he who numbered the least hurt ;
Two score and twenty hundred
Fionn numbered as his own.
There lay dead upon the plain.
And not one man was deficient ;
Twice that number without deception,
And the king of Eire, a sadder tale.
On the other side lay dead
Of the nobles of Eire of the bright weapons ;
Fionn never slept a calm sleep,
From that night to the day of his death.
* 2f)Afib Ati AT) Tt)C\|3. — Dead on the field. According to the poem, forty
thousand of the Fenians were slain in this battle.
' Wf óei\Tttii)A PjorjD co&Ia r-^'b- — Fionn never slept a calm sleep, Sfc.
This refers to the disquietude the spirit of Fionn felt in his elysiuni in conse-
quence of the results of the battle of Gabhra.
132
Hjofi TT)ó|&e iTj'AOibueAi' i)<\ 11)0 5ev\n,
|i^5eACc Ai) beACA b'^ b-pA5<\]i)i);
^l^i^ UA]T0 b'ioft^o^l A'f b'ivj,
flivt; uA]rf) 5A1; c]o]- bo có5b^|l.
O't) l^ f]U CACA 3^'^^T^^'^J
i;i 6eii|i|n)|*ATt7 reAT)r)-lA|ib<\& ;
'f T)i bim^A^ii Ojoce T)ii liv,
1)AC l&ISrt^if OfOAÓ líl1)-TbÓ|t.
2l6lAcrr>AOib At) c-Ofcu|i A|irt)-|iuA6,
'f A1) CAob CllA]6 bo't) TT7Ó)t-3b<'^t»|tA ;
*f Ofcuji TTjAc ^^'^T^t^^l^ 1^^ T)-5loi)n,
Y 0|*cu|i n)AC ]i]5 LocIat)!).
'S A1) Cé 1)ÍV|l CUTT)A1)5 ]:ó Ó|t,
2t)AC I.Ú5A15 At) Iaoc líii)-n)ó|t ;
bo C0clu|Tt7 Ú]|t A peAjtCA,
^ouAb |ií5 A i>bóic |to f^]]iY]V^.
■peAjtcA i)A j)-Ofcufv, A8bA 5Ai)r),
^eA|tcA rbjc 3<^TiT^'<^1^ ir ">ic Oifit);
'f bo 5Ab At) í?^lé iT)óft A|i ^Ab,
^eA|ic Ofcu]it TÍ7Ó||t o^) n)-BA0]f5i)e.
^iilí^líDri T^ÍS '^'^i^ beACA b]t)i),
It* 5"l^ri -«^ Pb^cjXAic TT^ic 2l|tpluii)t) ;
50 b-CA5Al6 cl^f AJt Tr)0 3ló|X,
njo cUT^A At;occ ]|* 716 n)ó]i !
* 5o lí^ A bXvii" — (0 the day of his dmth. This is a poetic licence and
eviikntly refers to the time when the spirit of Fionn, according to the druidic
133
My pleasure or my joy would not be increased
Did I obtain the sovereignty of the earth ;
Farewell to strife and to victory,
Farewell to the levying of tribute.
From that day of the battle of Gabhra,
We did not speak boldly ;
And we passed not either night or day
That we did not breathe deep heavy sighs.
We buried Oscur of the red weapons,
On the north side of the great Gabhra ; [ed feats,
Together with Oscur son of Garraidh of renown-
And Oscur, son of the king of Lochlann.
And he who was not niggardly of gold,
Mac Lughaidh, the tall warrior ;
We dug the cave of his sepulchre
Very wide, as became a king.
The graves of the Oscurs, narrow dwellings of clay,
The graves of the sons of Garraidh and Oisin ;
And the whole extent of the great Rath,
Was the grave of the great Oscur of Baoisgne.
I beseech the king of blissful life, [Calphurn ;
And do thou beseech him too, Patrick son of
That weakness may come upon my voice ;
My sorrow to-night is very great !
doctrine of transmigration of souls, should assume mortality in some other
shape and character, and revisit the earth.
C2lt 521BI)H21.'
!-<-, ''
CA]|ib|te TT)AC 2l]iic,n)]c CI)oii)i) CbéAb-CbACA]5. SséjrbfoUf
A b-A]1)]TT7, A5Af bO C^lí)15 2t)A0]lfeAcU]l)I) O'pAoU]!),^ n^AC
]tÍ3 x)ó r|5eA|ir)A r)A r)-í)é]f*eAc3 b'ív b-1A]i|VA|6 tt)A]t rbuAO]
pófbA; A5Af ob' cuaIa 'pjoi)!) a5A|* 'Piaiít^a 6i|xeAi)i) |*|ij,
' The following argument or Prose Account of the Battle of Gabhra,
which is now presented to our readers, is a somewhat^rarejdocuraent ; but
though it can by no means be called a piece of genuine history, it nevertheless
deserves to be preserved, because it is older than any other account of that
great battle. Hence the Council of the Ossianic Society determined to pub-
ish it, with the sole view of enabling the members of the Society to draw
their own conclusions from all the existing portions of history which cau
now be collected relative to this great event. It is evident that the writer,
whoever he may have been, had reminiscences of Irish history crowding on
'yi^^<~. his mind to such an extent that he confounded names and facts, throwing
them all together in one confused mass. This, however, is no reason for
withholding such a document from the perusal of the antiquary, especially
since the candid and critical investigator of genuine history may be enabled
to learn something useful therefrom. The reader must perceive at a glance
that more than one great battle fought for the preservation of the liberty of
the ancient Irish is confounded with that of Gabhra; but the compiler of the
document may have had more authorities to guide him than we of the present
day possess. Hence, what appear to be anachronisms to us may be yet found
genuine in the main.
The account opens with a piece of history nowhere else to be met with,
namely, the intended marriage of the monarch Cairbre's daughter with a Mo-
monian prince, and the tribute or tax claimed by the Fenians even from royalty
itself for permission to celebrate the nuptials of the princess of Ireland. This
information is in itself valuable, and therefore claims the right of recording
the whole, as it proves, beyond doubt, the state of utter slavery which the
Fenians imposed upon the ancient Irish, and would warrant the opinion
that the enslavers were not of the same race as the enslaved — an opinion
entertained by some men who have made Fenian lore their particular study.
The remaining portions of history detailed are monotonous and barren of
interest : one chieftain's combat with his antagonist is detailed in the high-
sounding superabounding compound words which can hardly bear an English
THE BATTLE OF GABHRA.
Cairbre, the son of Art, the son of Conn of the Hundred
Battles, had a fair, mild-eyed, dignified, and modest daughter.
Sgeimhsholas (Light of Beauty), was her name, and Maol-
sheachlainn O'Faolain, son of the king or lord of the Decies,
came to seek her as his wife. "When Fiomi and the Fenians
translation. The style adopted would mark the composition as that of the
fifteenth or beginning of the sixteenth century, when such mode of writinj
was considered elegant and descriptive. Nevertheless, here and there are
Icme curious accounts of the chief conabatants which should by no means
be permitted to lie hid in obscurity.
2 2i)A0]li-eAcluiT)n 0'^AoV-x]r). — This name is now Anglicized Phelan, or
Whelan, and is rather numerous in the Decies in Waterford ; particularly in
the parishes of Sliabh Cua and Modeligo, in the latter of which a townland
called Lisroe was occupied by highly respectable families of the name in 1810.
This county is remarkable as giving birth to many eminent men, as well as
for the longevity of its natives. The celebrated Valentine Greatrakes who
possessed the extraordinary gift of healing the king's evil by stroking the parts
affected, was born at Affane, in this county in 1628; also John Daly, who
lived at Tourin.near Cappoquin, in 1710, when he reached the extraordinary
age of 106 years, and was able to hunt a pack of hounds ! For an account
of the eminent literary characters that Waterford has produced, see Smith's
History, pp. 359-376.
^ t^é|r<?. — The Decies, comprise the tract of country which extends from
the river Suir to the sea, and from Lisraore to Credan Head; and takes its
name from a powerful clan called the tíéire, who claim descent from Fiaclia
Suighdhe, the elder brother of Conn of the Hundred Battles ; and were origi-
nally located in the territory of l?éire rcAiijftAc, now called the barony of
" Deece," in the county of Meath ; but were expelled thence by their relative
Cormac, the grandson of Conn of the Hundred Battles, about the year 254,
when they settled in the county of Waterford. {Book of Rights, p. 184, n.)
The Decies are now divided into two baronies, namely, Decies within Drum,
and Decies without Drum, by a high ridge, called in Irish t^tionj Fj^ofn, i.e. the
Back or Ridge of St. Finghin (who according to Ware (see Bishops) was
l)ishop of Lismore, A.D. 1179) which extends from Helvick Head, on the
coast of Dungarvan, to Tallow, the most southern extremity of the county.
136
bo cui(t |*|<vb ceACCvN cim) CAi|ih|te b'iv ^ó5|ia6 Apt <m) blije
bo Óíol, .1. fjCCe 101)5A b'ófl, 1)Ó A01)-leApCACA|* t)A TTjoa
ói3e ]tO|rbe a peA]t |:&]i). «Do 5IAC CA]|ib|ie peAjis rbó|%
r|tí& ^]T) ; A5Af Af 6 A bubA]|tc, i)iv bíolpAÓ ceACCAjt b^ob
30 b|tivc; A5A|* Ai:)t) ]*ii) bo cu]|i ■p]or;i) y-^eAl^, cu]-^e 30
3-CAicpeA6 A S]ol, 1)6 ceAiji) t)A b-T)5Í»)e n^ui^A i)-biolpA8
Ai) blí3e. 2l3Af At)u fit) bo ]:eA|t3A8 30 lívt>-ri)ó|t CA]iib]te,
A3Af bo cu]|i ceAccA 3oCoi)AUCii)T)-Bb<!^3All^} TM5Cbó]3i8
UIaÓ; A3A]* ceAccA 30 Pjaca 2t)uilleACAU, 11^3 2t)un)Ai;.
'C^]V]'5 T]^^ "1^^ ^""^ ^01) UcA^ji, A3Af b']i)i)]f CA]|tb|tc
6Ólb A C0||*3, A3Af A1? buAT)T)ACC bo b] A3 "plOtJl) A3Af A3
"pjAWA^b BllHOt^T) 0|l|lA pAO] ACCUjb A3AI* f AO^ jteACC CÓttJ
TTJÓft A3Af bo b] A3 LocloWAlb A3Af A3 "pjAIJUA^b &]]t]Ot)l)
0|i]tA; A3Af T)ii]t b-f^]b]|t leo ye^y^vj le]|*, t)í^ be]c fAO|
biiAT)r)ACc A3 b]teArt) bA n^eAfA beAjicA ^)'^, ]Ab f eii) ; A3A|*
1)^ jiAjb |ií3, pfiioi)i)f A, c]3eA|it)A, i)<v cAOifeAC bo cUijijAib
Cblll^^^^ ^ t)-6lftll)t), 3A1) be|C pAO] buAIJUACC A3 clAi^UA^b
CburbAill.
<t)o 5IAC ]ii5ce A3Af uA]|*le Q,^]ieM)\) Tijó|t-feA|t3 cftíb
fji), A3AI* bo |V]T) f]Ab corbA]]ile 3At:) ai) buAi;r)ACc ]-|i)
b'pilAi)3, ^yA cu|i fuAj* lé| i;] bA n}ó; A3A|' ai)1) fp) bo c]X]aII
3AC A01) biob A|i A 6úcA]6 fé]i); n)A|t bo cori)Ai]tl]3 f^Ab
eAbco|titA fé]i) Ai) 'pb^AW bo 6ib]]tc Af Bim')') A i)-]Of)Ab
uTblui5ce 6ó]b. 2l||i y]i)f bo cu]]t CAi|ib|ie f3&AlA curt? i)a
'péjwe T)ív cAbA|ifA6 cíof t)<v buAi)i)ACc bójb pep) i)iv b'Aoi)
b'iv ]tAib A i;-6]itjr)r) 30 b|ti^c. <Do 3IAC p|0i)t) A3Af au
'pblAi)!;) u]le feAit3 líiT)-rbÓ]t b'4v C|0i)i) fp? ; A3Af ho ciqii
"p^ow f3éAlA 30 CA]|ib]te A3 fó3|iA6 caca A]|i. Jy Ai)t)
f]T) bo CU]|l CA^jtb^te ceACCA A^t C]01)1) 3AC |IÍ3 A3Af UA^AjI
b'^ ]tA]b A T)-B||i|i)i). "C^ib u]le cu]3e ai)u Vp) ; he]c 3-CAC
a'i* biv picc]b, A3A|* bo ct^ofA^s |*6 f ifi Cboi;i)Acc A3Af z]i^]V-
y]\i "CeAbcA, A3Af cA|i)]3 |-luA3 tDOfi lo <t)orTji)Alb O'pAolap),
|tl3 i)A ihí)óinc>c; A3A}- U\ihc-fluA5 2t)uiibi)<^Ac le "Piaca
?t)u]UeACAi), |ví3 2l)inbAi;; A3Af livihc-|-luA3 ^le CouaU
CeAuu-BbA3A||i, His Cl)ói3|6 UIa6 ; A3AI' be^c 3-céAb l^soc
|^/^i)0^
'■^A
137
of Ireland heard of this, they despatched messengers to
Cairbre, to remind him to pay the tribute, viz. twenty
ungas (ingots or ounces) of gold, or the right of co-
habiting with the princess the night previous to her mar-
riage. Cairbre became very indignant upon hearing this
message, and declared he never would submit to either
of these conditions. Fionn thereupon sent him word that
he should pay either, or that the head of the princess
only should satisfy the violation of the privilege. Upon
hearing this, Cairbre became exceedingly enraged, and lost
no time in despatching heralds to Conall Cionnbagair, king
of the province of Ulster ; to Criomthan Culbhuidhe, king
of Leinster; and to Fiacha Muilleathan, king of Munster,
They all assembled at one place, and Cairbre explained to
them the nature of his difficulty, and the thraldom under
which he and his people were held by Fionn and the Fenians
of Ireland, in virtue of certain conditions and regulations as
galling as those by which they then were bound by the
Lochlonnachs and Fenians of Ireland, being such as they
could no longer bear, especially since they were imposed
on them by a race of people inferior to themselves ; and that
there was not a king, prince, lord, or chief, of the race of
Conn then in Ireland, who was not oppressed with the slavish
yoke of the followers of Cumhall.
The kings and nobles of Ireland, thereupon became ex-
ceedingly enraged, and came to the conclusion not to endure
or tolerate such slavery any longer. They all returned to their
own provinces, and having held council with their people,
came to the resolution of expelling the Fenians from Ireland,
instead of submitting to them. Cairbre then sent to in-
form the Fenians that he would never pay them tribute or
submit to their exactions or to those of any other individual in
Ireland any longer. Fionn and all the Fenians became ex-
ceedingly enraged at this announcement; and Fionn sent
heralds to Cairbre, proclaiming war against him. Cairbre
10
138
lAi;-CAlti)A jte Cfi|otT)CAi) Cúl-biqóe, |ti5 t<x|5eAi;i) ; A5Af
Ob CUaU 'plOt)!) A5Af "pJAI^UA 6l|ieAt)U V]Vi TT)A|l bo ca|i)]6
piji 6]ft]0t)T) u]le curt) buAÍAÓ bo CAbAifir bó|b, bo fe^weAO
A1) biV|l|t bllAÓ le 'p]Ot)l), AJAj* C\)Ó]'A]6 AV 'lp})]^Vf) Af 5AC ^]]lb
10I)A jlAbAbAJl .1. f]0\)V, 0)ni)> OfCUTt, p'lACA TTJAC P'bl'JPj
*t)A0lC]Ab TT)AC 'pbl'JI), Cu(tAÓ CéAb50|l)CAC TTJAC "pblOl)} 2lo6
BeA5 tT)AC 'pblW, AJA]- uAi|*lo Cbl^'WA BAO)f5i)o; i)]A]trouib
0'i)iilbi)e, pcAftcAib 0'i)uibi)e, S]ai)|-^u 0'4D»ibi)e, A5A|*
Cof*5A|tcAC 0''Duibi)e, 3^^l TDAC 2t)óiiixi)A, SjorjfAT; rr)AC
«DuAoiv^U Tr)ic 2t)óft]ti)A, BAbAOjT) rpAC 2t)óit[ii)A, 2t)obco|ib
n)AC 2t)ó|V]ti)A ; A5Af ai) ua]|i ci)óf AbAjt ii]le feACc 5-cACA j;a
5UA.ic-pé]i)i)e 50 b-AOt) lAcA]|t, bo |*e|i}t)eA6 leo a i)-a6a|ic
ceo]l, eAÓoi), AT) b^it|i buA8, a fcu]C A5Af A i;-0]|ip]be ;
A5Af bo 5luAi|*eAbA]t |ieon)pA i)a j-cIjaca ceAjtcA cói|t]5ce,
A5Af 1;A 5-C]p]b bliiCA bA]1)5]OI)A, A3Af UA lA0CA]b Ijoi)-
rbAjiA, líii)-n)ó]tA, b]Aihl^]b]]te, 50 fl|Ab 3^^!^^) ^"B^V c^]n]6
CAjjibjie A5A|* A livi) 1)01) Iaocjia, be]C i;-o]|ieAb ^iccjob
A5Af bo b] at; ai) h-fé]t^v; A5Af ^o ^]^) pAb ai; b^ f^n^s
rt)ó|v j-^i) A|i A cé]le A5A|* bob' é fp; at) cac 3<^b|tA i)a
n)-béin)]0i)u 5-c|iua6 ; cac ^y xr)ó cujaÓ ^ tj-B]]!]!)!) ]t]ATr> ;
A5A]* T)i f AbA bo' I) IÓ y]^) juji Tt)6|i ai; c]tuA5 bú)C|ieAC t)a Iaoc
A5Af b&ic^oc ijA Tt^íleAÓ, A5Af jtAobAÓ t)A ]*5iAc b'iv |*5oIca8,
A3A|* CÍW b'^ Ttj-biiii-eAÓ, A5A]* cueAÓ b'ív jtAobAÓ A5A|* peo]l
b'^ 5eA|t|tA6 l)A fC^IJ^OC, A5Af pujl t;A CAlfjb b'A bOJtCAÓ,
AjAf b'íi fé|beA6 i)a culcA]b, A5AI* 5U|i ptTjÓA U\u-fre]6]tT) bo
t)A ÍAOCAlb, A5 ]Tt)CeACC Cjl^b A1) n)ACAl|ie, A3 COItpA]b IT>A1lbcA
A|t Ai) Tt)Á\i5 cA|t éif i)eA]tc l^irbe Orcu]ft. 2liii n') ^*^ cii|aII
3oll rnílcACA n)AC 2t)Ó|t|lt)A A5Af plACA 2t) 11] lie AC At) |tÍ5
2t)ÚTt)Ai), A]t A cé]le ; a^aj* bob' é fpj At) bftii-eAÓ buAt)-
|iAobcA, A^Aj* At) jlcó 3ívibceAC5]tob-buAilceAC 3it^it)eArbA]l;
A3A|* At) Í0|15U|l tT)eA|t-tt)A|lbcAC, A3Ar ]-plAt)1)CACA ce]t)eA8
ACA b'ív rT)-buATt)c a|- AftrT)Aib a cé|lc, 30 b-f ua]|i 3^11 bA05Al-
bu|lle A)v IIÍ3 2t)úrf)At)' 311)1 f3iiAb ai) Uub ó i)a 3iiAlAii)t) be,
A3Af At) bvX^tA bii]lle 3int r30|lc a ceAt)i) b'AOi)-béirt) ; a3a}*
bO CUAl6 yi^]\) A3Af cIaT)1)A ÍJl)0|t|tt)A pAO] i)A 2t)uiri)t)eACA]b
139
despatched messengers to summon every king and chief
in Ireland : they all assembled to the number of fifty
battalions. He also collected the men of Connacht, and
the brave men of Teabhtha. Domhnall O'Faolain, king
of the Decies, led a powerful body of men to the contest, and
numerous hosts from Munster accompanied Fiacha Muillea-
than, king of Munster, while those of Ulster with Conall
Ceannbagair, and Criomhthan Culbuidhe, with one thousand
valiant men of Leinster also attended. When Fionn and the
Fenians of Ireland learned that the forces of Ireland mustered
with the view of defeating them, Fionn sounded the Barr
Buadh, and the Fenians assembled from all the places where
they had been stationed, namely, Fionn, Oisin, Oscur, Fiacha,
Daolchiabh, Curadh Ceadghoineach, Aodh Beag, sons of
Fionn, and the nobility of the Clanna Baoisgne, with Diarmuid
O'Duibhne, Fearcaibh O'Duibhne, Siansan O'Duibhne,
Cosgarthach O'Duibhne, Goll Mac Moirne, Sian?an, son of
Duanan Mac Moirne, Eadaoin Mac Moirne, and Modhcorb
Mac Moirne. When the seven standing battalions of the
Fenians assembled in one place, they sounded their musical
horn, the Barr Buadh, their trumpets, and all their musical
instruments, and then marched forth in properly arranged
ranks and dense columns of brave heroes, strong and powerful
in their might, to the mountain of Gabhra. Cairbre too came
forward with a force of the warriors of Eire, consisting of
ten and twenty times as many heroes as the Fenians brought
to the field. And then the two great opposing forces attacked
each other, and then was fought the great battle of Gabhra
of the hard strokes — the greatest that was ever fought in
Ireland. And indeed little of the day was spent until the
war cries of heroes, the groans of warriors, the cutting
asunder of shields, the cleaving of heads, the augmentation of
wounds, the mangling of flesh to atoms, pouring blood being
spilled in torrents and flowing in the cavities of the earth, be-
came truly pitiable, and innumerable were the exertions of the
140
u]le; AjAj* bo citAOCAbAft i<\b 50 b-lorDfU\i) 50 ^y<^)^ pa^bAb
AOT) Ajl A1) liVCAjfl t)']0h JAI) mA|tb<\b. 2ll)1) j*]!) bO fV]l) Oil*')!)
TDAcpblW A^Af <t)0Tbt)AU O'pAoUv]!), fi|5 t)A r)-<t)&iri<^<^j ■^l^
Acéile; AjAf bo ]t]t) ^-jAb 5leo jiv^bceAC 5]ti\]i)eAnjA]l |xe
i)A c&ile. 2li) uAiit cot}A]|tc 'p]AcitA n)Ac )-blUi)) Oifin
ir>AC pb]!)») <V T7-5é]b]OT)1) A5 í)orbT)All, 5luA||*I0]* b'^ V^}}'
CACC, A3A]- bo |t]T) í*é pé|r) a^a^ <t)orbi)AU 5leó móft
3|tob-bu]ll] 06, ]:í\ i?eoi5 5U]i buA]l piACftA bujUe n^illceAC
A 5-COTb5A|t At» C]m A5Ar <V1) Tbu|1)íl A|l |tÍ5 t)A T)-í)&inOC
5U|t buA]!) A CCAm) be; AJAf bo CUAjÓ fé AT}t) fjt) ^A0|
At) tliiA5 <t)é]fioc A5A|- ho |tAob jAb iqle; aja]- ai)u ri"
bo It]!) í)|A]UT)uib 0''Duibr)e asa]- |ii5 l.<\]5eAW .]. Cftiotb-
CAi)T) Cíil-buibe, A]t A cejle ; A5Af bob' é y]t) at) con)|tAC
pejCjoc |:u)lqoc, A5Af at) p]t5U]l ioi)5ai)cac, A5Af ad
b|i|feAb buAij-itAobcA, A5Af ai) ^leó 54v]bc]OC jitív^i^eAtbA]!,
50 5-cii]]ibí|* ceACAi)i)A fplAWCAC ce^tjeAÓ b'ív i)-A|in)Aib;
A5Af CeACAt)1)A fOÍA b'ív 5-C0|ipA]b, A5Af 3AC bélT17-bu|Uc
ru5 <t)iAiiit)uib, 50 T)-5eA|tiiAb ^eo^l A3A]*cr)íirbA r)A|*c&i5ioc,
A5Af é ^é]U lúcrbAii lív^b]|t líVT)-TbeAi)rni)AC, 5AI) ce]beAb A]|in)
i)ív rt}]|*i)]5 Ai|i, pAO] beo]5 5U|i buA]l líiT)-biiille b'A clo]b-
eATb C0I5AC ciiuAib-5éA|t A 5-ceAT)í) n)ó|t At) Kí5, 51111
f5oilc Ai) pUof5 A^^e, ASAj* ai) bA|tA bujlle 51111 f5UAb
Ai) ceAi)t) h'í\ n)ó|t-coluit)t).
jf ArblA]b bo b] 0|*cu|i At)r|ií\c |*]i) A5 rt)AitbAb, A5 fcoÍAb,
A5Af A5 fcjiojceAb i)A t)-llllrAC, A5A|* b'ív t)-5eA|i|tA6 da
fc<>]5ioc Atbu]l jtACc loii)5e U\i)-tb6i]ie b'ív b-Ai)i)C|tA]b |tc
5lAi)-5luA|feAcc 5A0]ce lívt)-n)ó|ito ; i)ó leo5Ai) cucai5
cTi(^Ar)-buile cutt) t^]A]5; i)ó feAbAC A5 lé]|i|*5]i]Of r5A0CA
rt)iot)i)-&Aí)lA]C ; i)0 rnAbjtA aUca ib|fi c|ieACA cao|iac ai)
CAT) bo 5Ab coi)AC é ; 50 Ti7-bío8 Aibi)c ^.-oIa A5 ]i]t 50
c|téAt) rjijb At) Tt)ívi5, A5A|* 5U]i rrjóft ai) cftUAj 50I i)a
t)-ó5, búicjieAC t)A Iaoc, A5A]* bi^jcioc t)a rt)íleAb, A5Af
f0C|tAtT) t)A tt)-bu]U0Ab, A5A|* 50 Tt)A6 ]tÓ 6cACAl|t bO t)A
lAOCA^b irt)C0ACc citjb ai) tt)íV|5 A5 a iiA^b bo cojtpAjb mA]ibA
<\\\ A1) l^CA]|t cAit 6if i)CA|tc lív|rt) OfcMJiii, AH con 511 |l
141
warriors passing through the field, because of the bodies heaped
dead on the plain through the valor of the arm of Oscur. It was
then that Goll the invincible, son of Morna, and Fiacha Muill-
eathan, king of Munster, marched together ; and then en-
sued the continuous battle, the mortal contention, the detes-
table unceasing blows, and the deadly-mad struggle : sparks
of fire flying from the clashing of their warlike weapons.
Goll found opportunity of making a dangerous pass at the
king of Munster, at which time he hewed the arm from
his shoulder, and by the next stroke clove his head in
twain. He and the clanns of Moirne attacked the Momo-
nians, and totally vanquished them, so that not one of them
survived the carnage. Oisin, son of Fionn, and Domhnall
O'Faolain, king of the Decies, engaged one another, and
performed a hideous mortal combat. When Fiachra, son
of Fionn, saw Oisin in mortal danger in the combat with
Domhnall, he hastened to relieve him. He and Domhnall
engaged in a great and hard-contested conflict, until at length
Fiachra gave the king of the Decies a fatal stroke on the
neck, by which he cut off his head. He then proceeded to
attack the hosts of the Decies, and totally dispersed them.
Diarmuid O'Duibhne, and Criomthan Culbhuidhe, king of
Leinster, attacked each other ; and that was the strong-
nerved, bloody combat, the contention, and the dangerous
detestable conflict to such an extent, that they scattered
sparks of fire from their armour, and struck showers of blood
from the bodies of one another. With every well-dealt
blow Diarmuid gave, he cleft the flesh and bones in large
pieces, while he himself continued in the enjoyment of ac-
tivity, strength, and vigour, without intermission of action,
of weapons, or of power; until at length he dealt a full
stroke of his keen, hard-tempered sword on the king's head,
by which he clove his skull, and, by a second stroke, swept
his head off" his huge body.
At this time Oscur was engaged in hewing and dispersing
142
]0rn8A béAl <V3 bú^cfieAé, cofA bfiifbe, c]W jiAobcA, cu||ip
i)A |*cé]5]0c, c]tO]6eA6A |*c|aIIca, lAitjA leopjce, A5Af col-
t)A JAU Cim A]t A1) Tt7ACA]fie A1) CAT) f]r) ; AJA]* A]t
].*eA6 i)A b-Ain^i^jite |*|i) bo b] "^oll A5AI* cIat)1)a 2t)ó|x]ti)A,
A5Af CAl|lb|ie, A5A]* ]i1|l CboiWACC, A5 CllA|t5A]I) A cé]le,
5AI) ^'jof clAf, c|n)e, i)iv cA|icA]fi)e, A5 ceAccAjt b]ob feAC
A cé]le. 2l5Af bob' é f*]i) ai) 5leó i)pt)T)eAC, b^AC|^iAc, bivtjA,
bivfACCAC, •peA|i5AC, ^íojicAltDA, 5A]bceAC, 5|i<v]i;eArbA|l,
bo Ttor)|*Ab Afi co]ipA|b a cé]le. 2l5Af ai)i; |*|I) cAjvIajO
"PaoIAi) njAC y^\y]^)^)f A5Af <t)Aolc]Ab n)AC Cbl^lOTbcAii)!)
Cbiil-bH]6e, |ii5 LAi5eAi)u, a|i a cé|le; a5A]* bo cotbTtAjc
I'jAb 50 fiocrbAjt, |:eA|i5AC, Iívij-caIitja, 50]|iceArbuil, pej-
C|0C, |:ío]t-líV|b]|i, A5 jiAobAÓ cojip a^a]* ceAW a c&ile ; A5Af
j-eAl |:AbA 6ó]h n)<\|t fit;), 5U]t biiu'eAbAjt lú]C|ieACA a cé]\e
le]y i)A clo]6rbqb clAif*-leACAr)A, co]]xc-bu|UeACA, c|téAr)CAl-
ir)A, cjiotD-frAobjiACA, pAO] Óe]|te 50 |tA]b b'A i)eA|ic a cejl-
5]ot; ; A5A|* 50 |iA]b <t)Aolc]Ab b'A c|tA0CA6 50 b-joriil^T) A5
pAolAl). 2I5AI* Ajl 1)A fAlCpt) X]V ^O Cb0|*5AftCAC n)AC
C[i|orbciqt)i), A 6eA|tb|iAéAi|t b'A cfiAOCAÓ ajaj* b'A caiU-
eArbiiji) A5 "pAoliii) 50 b-jonjlAi) ; ído |t]C i)a cftort)-|tuACA|t
cfi]b Ai) TT)ACA]ite 50 t)-'c<X]\)]S Ajl 'pbAol^') <v le]c A ÓjtorrjA,
5U|t cujii ]*Aca6 fAiji^rAC b'A fleA5 cfie tja 6|tom a5A|*
c|te i)A c|t0]6e, 5u|i TÍ)A]itb lAiqieAC é; ASAf Ai? cai) bo
coi)A|]ic 'pjoiji), pAoUi) rr^Ajib A5 Ai) ^-b^^y |*it), A3A]* sujt
peAll bo ^i|t)eA8 Aijt, bo jiic 50 r|véAi)-CAliT)A A5A|* bo
COlbllA^C leo A ]tA01), eAÓOÍ), C0f5A|XCAC A^Aj* <t)A0lciAb,
50 lA))-CAlrt7A, ceAi)t), cit&Ai;-|:oiiic|l, p^]8rt)-lAib||i ; A5Af
If lom bo buA|l 5AC i)A0U AC A lAi;-bu]Ue A]t pbioi)!),
ASAf 1)] 6eACAi6 AOi) bujlle a u-A^rse ó fh]o\m leo 5At)
biol 30 Ti^A^c bo 6Í05AI o|t|tA; A3Af feAl fAbA 6ó|b rpAji
f|i) A3 cuA|i3Aii)c A c&|le 3AT) y]oy c]n)e, zV^xy, v'^ cA|i-
CAifi)c, A3 ceAccA|t biob CA|t A c&|le, 30 b-|:eACA Oinu
iDAC pblDD A ACAifi AW f^ i;-3éibiouu ri')= ^o 3luA|r All
A feAi)ivu]c b'A putcAcc, A3Af bo coTbltA^c p&]i) A3A|- Co|--
3A|tCAC 30 lAi;-COAI)l), l<\l)-CAln>A, lo DA cé|le, 3AU Kiof
143
the Ultonians ; he was mangling them in pieces, furious as
the straining of a great ship upon her anchors, with the
blast of a mighty gale ; like a furious madly-raging lion
attacking a deer; like a falcon dealing destruction on a
flock of smaller birds ; or like a route of wolves incited by
canine ferocity among a flock of sheep ; so that he caused
rapid torrents of blood to flow over the plain, while it was
painful to listen to the cries of the young men, the groans of
the heroes, the shouts of the warriors, and the sound of the
strokes. It was diflicult for the heroes to pass over the plain
in consequence of the impediments opposed to them by the
numerous human bodies slain by the powerful hand of Oscur ;
and gaping groaning mouths, broken legs, cloven skulls, man-
gled bodies, rent hearts, disabled hands, and headless tnmks
were then scattered over the plain. At that time Goll and the
clans of Moirne, Cairbre and the Connacht men were hewing
each other, while no fear, weakness, or disparagement had
been shown on either side. That was the envenomed, sor-
rowful, intrepid, irresistible, angry, truly-warlike, deathlike,
odious attack which they made upon the persons of each other.
It was then that Faolan, son of Fionn, and Daolclabh, son of
Criomthan Culbuidhe, king of Leinster, met; and they fought
with mutual hatred, anger, valour, intrepidity, strength of
nerve, and physical powers, mangling the bodies and heads
of one another, until their armour had been rent by the
strokes of their broad, heavy, truly-strong, keen-edged
swords, until at length by powerful exertion Daolciabh was
on the point of entirely yielding to Faolan. When Cosgar-
^thach, son of Criomthan, saw his brother a being van-
quished, and about yielding to Faolan, he hastened with
vitmost speed across tlie plain, and attacking Faolan from
behind stabbed him with his spear thi'ough the back and
heart, so that he instantly expired. When Fionn saw Faolan
treacherously slain by the two (brothers), he courageously
ran forward and eniinored both Cosffarthach and Daolciabli
144
cl<x.f, C|rt)e, r)ív cA|iCAift)e, A5 ceACCA|t biob j-eAC a cé|lc ;
<V5Af fAt) ATT) 5-CéA&i:>A bO b] f]Or)V A5Af i)A0lC]Ab A5
cfiéAccÚ5A6 ceAi>i) A5Af co|ip A cé]le; a5A|' bob' é y^n
A1) 5leÓ 117Ó|t-]01)5A1)CAC tiO ]1]1) ]*IAb, A3Af A1) Í0|t5U|l
A^rn-rbA|ibcAC, A5A|* At) biiAlA^ lívi)-bé]mioui)AC bo]xb, ajai*
At) b|i|feA6 biiAt)-|tAopcA ba]f cu5fAb A|t co|ipA]b A cé]le;
rT)A|i bo b] 'piot)!) AO|*bA A5A|* <t)<volc^Ab Ó5, ASAf fis, 6e]|te
30 b-|riiA||i "Plot)!) bA05Al-buiUe a 3-CAol At) cjc A5A|^ At)
bu]l5 A|i <t)b<^olc]Ab, 5U|t 5eA]t|t cAiift)A &, A5A|* 5U]t 1&I5
A 1ÍUC05A xi^V ^^ITi -^S^^r 5"T^ ^'M^ tt)A|ib 5 At) I'cAb A(t ai)
"^^15 5 ■<^5<^r ^W ri'> -í^ búbA]|tc Coi)At) 2t)Aol, "a OiriD,"
A|i fé, " If ]tó rbó|i At) vix]]ie 6u]C a f A]b ac^ Cof5AftCAC
A]t bo lic^tt), AjA]* luACA]6 bo bu]lle." 2l|t |*|t) bo 5IAC
i)^]]te 0]xiv cjté fpjobiiJAÓ Cbot)ív]t), 50 b-cu5 lívi)-bé^| tt)
A tt)iiUAC At) c|i)i) bo, 5u|i f50]lc A plA0]*5 50 y■\ió^); A5AÍ*
II* c]t&ACCAC c|t5i6liot)CAC bo b^ pé^t) ca|i é]f At) ti)ó]]t-5leó
I*]!); C]A t)AC fCAb bo ]t]t) fé ACC C|1|aII A|1 At) lT)Ó|t-flHA5
6'ix t)-5eATi|iA, 6'iv t)-bicceAi)i)A, A5A]- 6'is. i)é]|tlioc ; a5A|-
At)t) i*]!) citjilAio CAjjibtie A3A|* Ciii|te CéAb50]t)eAc Aft a
Cé]le, AJAI* bo |t|t) ]*|Ab COti)|lAC p&IC|OC, pll]lc]0C, t1)Al-
lA|5ce, rt)ó|i-&ACCAC, citiiA|6; 5At) CA||*e, ACb A5 líM)buAlA
A5Af AJ U|tlA0]5eACC 50 CeAt)t) CO|lAt)l)CA A]l CO|tpA]b A
céjle, 5U|i biiA]l CAi)tb]ie l^t)-bu|Ue a tt)Aol t)A juAlAt) A|t
Cbii]|ie CéAb50|i)CAC juji buA]i) ai) U\|tt) ó'i) t)-5uAlAii)t) be,
A5Af bo't) bA|tA bujlle 5u|i |*50|lc a ceAt)t), juft cu]c n)A|ib
Afi At) livcA]it. «Do bj 2I08 BeA5 A3 béAi)Att) é||tl]oc i)a
3-C01)l)ACCA]5 30 11)6lt-A]3|01)CAC, At) llA])t bo COt)A]|lC At)
3ICÓ bo |i|i) CAi|tb|xe A3Af a 8eAfib|tiicAi|i, bo c|t|All Ion*
A3A]* bo CiVlt)|6 ]01)A |IUACA]1 |tACA ]0t)A C0|I)1)C, A5Af bO
coti)]tA]C leji* 30 pfiA0cit]6e, peA]t3AC, pío|t-t)AtT)AbAC lo
cejle, A3A]* bob' é fp) At) 3leó it)ó|t-&ACCAC A3 tt)ó]b t)A
pAÍA A3A|* t)A pUACA bO b] ACA pé]t) CUtl) A Cé|le, Tt)A|l bO
ti)A]]tb 2I06 BeA3, tt)AC CbA]|lb|ie At)t) fA t)-iV|l Tt)Ó|t A]t
t)A Cot)t)ACCAi3 ; A5A]* ii)A]i bo TbAi]tb CAiiib|ie b]Af beA]i-
b|taCA|l 2lob ,Bbl3, A]t I'll) 3n|l luACA|30AbA|t DA U\TÍ)A
145
with valour, courage, power, and intrepidity. Eager were
the blows which each dealt on Fionn, while the blows dealt by
Fionn upon tliem more than repaid theirs. Long they con-
tinued thus without either of the parties displaying the least
symptom of fear, weakness, or disparagement. When Oisin,
son of Fionn, saw his father in such imminent danger, he
hastened to relieve him : he and Cosgarthach fought very
boldly and valiantly, neither evincing the least weakness,
fear, or disparagement. At the same time Fionn and Daol-
chiabh were mangling the heads and bodies of one another ;
and that same was the truly-wonderful contest, the deadly-
armed struggle, the fierce frequent-stroked beating, and the
ever-telling breach of death they made on the bodies of one
another ; for Fionn was aged and Daolchiabh youthful. At
length Fionn dealt a dangerous blow between the breast and
the belly of Daolchiabh, by which he cut him across the
middle, and his entrails fell to the ground, when he instantly
dropped dead on the plain. Conan Maol thereupon exclaimed,
"What shame, Oisin, to have Cosgarthach so long in hands!
redouble your blows." Upon the remonstrance of Conan,
Oisin grew ashamed, and gave him (his antagonist) a fair
blow on the crown, by which he clove his skull to the nose.
Then he himself was covered with wounds and clotted blood.
After the dreadful conflict he did not rest, but marched
forward to attack the assembled hosts, to hew down, behead,
and mangle them. Cairbre and Cuire Ceadghoineach then
met in conflict, and performed a powerful, bloody, accursed,
truly-valiant, hard-fought combat, without any cessation from
full-beating and hard blows, accompanied with vigour and
loud report upon the bodies of one another, until Cairbre
dealt a full blow on the top of Cuire Ceadghoineach's
shoulder by which he severed the arm from his shoulder;
he clove his head with the next blow ; and he (Cuire
Ceadghoineach) instantly dropped down dead. Aodh Beag
was occupied with hewing down the Connacians with great
146
leii* i)<v Uoc-bu|llí6ib, 5U|i lu<X]rr)i)]o&A|i a po^fj i)<s,
b-culcA]b An)U]l U|*a t)<v fpé]|te le ]téAlcAib j-olAf-ri^oftA,
A5Af ]*&|beA6 A b-pluc Arbu]l bu]l5 5obAij A5 jjiiof u^aó, A5AI*
bo buA]leAbA|i 50 ]*ív]t-t)|Tbi)eAC a cé]le lejf i;a bii]lleA6A]b
l^r)-rbÓ|tA ]*ir), 511]^ ]lAObAbA]l A 5-CllAOlfeACA C|tUA]Ó-5éA|tA
A|i co]ipA]b A céjle, A5Af bo 5lACAbA|t A 5-cloitT)ce 5&A]t-
frAObjlACA, clA]]*-leACAT)A, C|tllA]6-6A]n5]01)A, A5AÍ* luACAjj-
eAbAji T)A l^rbA le]|* tm líVT;-buillí6ib |i6-rbó^A A|i co|tpA]b a
cé]le, 5u]i tu]z 2I06 BeA5 le bé]n}|oi)T;Aib bojtbA litu-rbonA,
lé]]te, luA]ce, CbAijibjie; AjAf ai) peAÓ ^]i), bo b] 3^11
A5A|* cIaWA ^Ó|l|tt)A A5 CUA]t3A1t}C, A5 5eA|t]lA, A5Af A5
buAT^jlAobA 1)A 2t)iqtT)))eAC A5A]* 1)A 'LA15eAT)t)AC ; A3Af 'pjOIJI)
rt7A|i A01? ]i]u, b'iv i^coIa, b'-ix fcjioice, A5Af b'A i)-5eAii]tA
T)A b-píof A^6e ; 5U]t lívihbA]*5AbA|i 50 pó||ilíoi)CA ]Ab u]le,
50 T)ii|i pii5bAbA|t A01) Ajt l^cA]ii b^ob ; A5A|* Ofcuji aijv)
fAT) Art) 5-CéAbi;A A5 CUA|t5Alt)C t)A T)-llllcAC 5Ar) pUAjtA,
JAT) c|iUA5, 5AÍ) cA]f*e, 5AI) c|tuA6-bé]l; ACb b'iv t>-5eA|t|tA,
b'A |*coIa a5A|* b'^ ]*c|tó]ce, 50 b-c^jilA^Ó |*é pép) a5A|*
T^IS i?<^ Bltejpue A 3-coiuue ^f a 5-cói]t a céile, ASAf
Ofcujt T)AC rr)ó|i cjtAOCCA d*i) ^|t]t cu^ fé Aji i;a }hUllcA]5,
A5A]* bob' é f]T) AT) jleó 5ív^bceAC ; a5A|* ai;) p|t5U]l n)eA|t-
bu|]tceAC, A5A]* AT) bji]|*e buAi^-jiAobcA, a5ai* at) újiIao]-
ÓeACC ]01)5A1}CAC, A5Af AT) COTt)|tAC pe]6|Tr)eATbU]l, píoji-
T)eA^CTT)A|i, pioji-liv^b^jt, bo |t]T; |*]Ab ; A]t n)o6 t)ívc peACA]*
AT)T) ]*A b0Tr)AT) It^ATt) AOT) b]A|* bA Tr)Ó ]0^)'^VA feA]*ATb le
cói|ileAfpA A cé)le '^)is, ^Ab; A5A|* 5U|i ]tó TT^ofi ai) ioi)5t}A
le b-Ofcu|i AOT) peAji Afi b]c bo f eA|-ATt) le(f córb pAbA ;
A^Af AU1) f]t) bo luACAi^oAbAji i)A l^TTjA le]f t;a lé]|t-bu)l-
V]6]h A|l C0|lpAlb A Cejlc, A^t Tt)0& 50 TtJO COrb-clof* A1)í) 5AC
ívjib b'Siitp)!) piiA]tt) AjAf cu|C|rt) i)A Tr)-buillí6]b, A5A|* 50
5-cloi|*CÍ6 A|l TT)U]|l A5A]* A|l Cl|l pUA^tl? A5Af CUjqtT) AJAf
pocitArT) ATbu|l có|iti)eAC, cjieAThbuAlA Ofcii]|i A]t Ai) TM5 ;
A5Af bO IjOIJAbAli A 1)-UCrA b'A T)-AT;CvlA]b, A5Af* bo 5léA-
|*AbAji A i;-6]bí6e le||* tja clo^rbce clA]f-leACAi)A, col5-pAob-
jtACA; A5A|* bo Tb6AbA|5 A T;-c|iO]8e ]]• a i;-a]51)c le coi)ac
147
success, at the time he saw the conclusion of the struggle
between Cairbre and his brother : he proceeded forth with
utmost speed to encounter him (Cairbre). The two com-
batants fought resolutely, fiercely, and truly-inimical ; and
that same was the extremely valorous struggle on account
of the enmity and hatred that existed between them, be-
cause Cairbre's son had been slain by Aodh Beag in course
of the attack he made upon the Connacians, and Cairbre
(himself) slew the two brothers of Aodh Beag. They, there-
fore, redoubled their blows, until their eye-balls distended
into hillock-like masses, glaring like the sheen of the firma-
ment, illuminated by brilliant stars of first rate magnitude,
and their cheeks swelled like the bellows of a smithy when
employed in fanning quenching embers ; and they struck
one another so extremely venemously and heavily, that their
hard shields were colloped in small pieces defending their
bodies. They then unsheathed their keen-edged, well-tem-
pered broad swords, and redoubled the well-told blows upon
the bodies of one another, until Aodh Beag fell by the fierce,
perfectly -full, complete incessant blows of Cairbre. During
this time Goll and the clans of Moirne were slaughtering,
hewing down, and dispersing the Momonians and Lagenians,
and Fionn was assisting them in dispersing, tearing, and
mangling them into atoms, until they entirely annihilated
them in such a manner that not one of them remained present;
while, at the same time, Oscur was worrying the Ultonians
without intermission, pity, or kindly feeling, but (continued)
mangling, dispersing,' and tearing them, until he and the
king of Breifne met in hostile struggle. Oscur was then
nearly exhausted, in consequence of the destruction he in-
flicted upon the Ultonians. This was really a momentous
struggle, the ever-destructive breach, the wonderful exercise,
and the truly-famous, dexterous, and powerful combat in
which they engaged, so much so, that no two were ever
known in the world capable of uniting greater astonishment to
148
mlc A5Af con)]i^]c A|i A cé]le, 50 5-cu|i&A0if ceACAt)r)A
fplAi)íKACA ce]ue b'A T)-A|irt)<v]b, A5A|* ceACA |:oIa b'iv 5-co|i-
pA]b ; A5A|* JAC bé|rr)-bu|Ue b'ív b-cii5 Of*cu|i bo't) 1115, 50
i)-3eAyi|tAC |ieo]l A5Af cuivrrj ]r)A |*céi5]0C be, A5A]* é pé]i)
lúcrbAti, l^ibiTt, pó 6e]|ie ; ^u^ &ni31^ ^Ttb-Ai5T)e ASAf* n)]X-
ve^c A|t Ofcujt bo'r) bul |-]i;, 5U|t leA5 V^'^^l ^^l^ ^3<^r T^^^l
Uvi)-CAlArb At) |tÍ5, A5Af 5U|l ]*5UAb Al) líVlJ-CeAl)l) b'<V TT)Ó|t-
colu(i)i): ó]]i V] T^Aib Atjij fA n^ACAijie ]:eA|i A|tb|c córi)Tt)ófi
le]f, T)^ AIJI) |*A IIÍ05ACC bA Tf)Ó TjeAjlC 'tjív é, ACb OfCU]t
An}ix]i), A5A|* Ai)u |*]t; CU5 Orcujt Ui? |*5éiTÍ)le A|t i^a b-UUcAij
5u|i cú|vi:)a6 A5Af juji cfiAOCAÓ ^Ab u]le le]|*.
2ir)i; TP) C|t|AllA]* A|l T)A Coi)l)ACCA]5 b'^ b-CUÍltJAÓ ]f b'A
i)-é]|tl]OC 50 pói|i-líoi)CA ; b'ív i)-5eA|i|tA, ]f b'^ b-c|iAOCA, ']•
b'^ b-CT;i^CA, 3AI) pUAjlA, 5AT) CjtUA^, 5<M) CAjI'e ; AJAj* A1)i;
7*11} é^iT)i6 'peAjisuf pii)i)bé]l A5Af i)iA|tir)U]b 2t)óit, |ií5
Cbo|icu^5e, A]t A cé]le; (a5a|- ]y 5'i; i><t)iA|tn7U]b ct^Abi^A
A]V]iVV']^tQ^]i Co(tcA|5 2t)ó|t Tb|c í)|Aiinj<\bA, ai)105), ajaj*
bo |t]i) 1*0 AjAf 'pe<v|i5u|* co)t)|VAC coii)]tACcrbA|t, |:o|]tc|l,
peA|iATbA]l, pe]ó]Tt)-Uv]b|)i, le cé]le, ]Oi)Af* 5U|i |ió Tt)ó]i at)
|0r)5UA AT? 5leó cjiuaiÓ, cjtóAT), cjuqóe, ]:AobA]iATT)uil, pioft-
T)]rbt:)eAC, A jVAobA ceAW a5A|* co|ip a céjle 5ÍV1; |*o|*a ; Acb
A5 c|iéAO-buAlA A cejle, pAO| 6ei|te 5U|i WsaÓ feí^]t^uy le
í)lAfiii)iqb, A5Af bo cw]|i At) clo|6eArb coIjac, cjiuAiÓ-jéAit,
cfte T)A C|tO|6e. 2lui) |*|1), ao uA]p^ bo coi)A]|tc 0\Y]V "peAtisuj*
bo cu]C]n) le <t)iA|irnu^b, cívii)]6 a|i a f&Ai)|tu|c i;a co]i)3]b,
ASA]* bo corbfiA]C |*iAb 50 CAlrrjA, p|VAOCU)óe, peA|i5AC,
fe]6rt)-líi]bi|t ; 51111 cu]iieAbA|i ceACAi)T)A ^toIa b'^ 5-co|tpA]b;
A5AI* 5u|t luACA]5eAbA|i i;a lí^rbA le]|* i)a luAC-bu]Uí6]b
CulcAI^CA, C|téAt)-rbÓftA, A^Af JO 1)-beA]t]tt)AbA]V lóCACA b'ís
r;-A|in)Aib le]|- i)a c|iuA6-buillí6|b ; A5AI* le pío|i-ueA]ic v^
b-pjOfl-lAOC |-p), 51171 CÚflt)A8 A5Af 5U|l C|tA0CA6 ]Ab ó'l) líVT)-
5leó I'll); pAO) 6e||ie, 50 b-|:uA||i Oin') n)AC "pbl')') bA05Al-
bu|llo A|x <t)blA|tir)U|b 2t)l)0)t, 5ii|i r5"^b Ai) ceATji) b'ív rbó|t-
C0lll|»)l), A5A|* 5U|l C|lAOCCA, CU||t|*eAC, é |:éH) CA|t é||* A1)
n)ó|i-5loó |-|T).
149
see them engaged hand to hand than they. Oscur was exceed-
ingly surprised that any man on earth was capable of standing
in contention with him for so long a time ; and, therefore, they
redoubled their blows on the bodies of one another to such a
degree that the sound and iall of the strokes re-echoed through-
out Eirinn ; and the bravely-dealt blows of Oscur on (the
body of) the king, resounded like thunder over the sea as
well as the land. Their bosoms heaved with the intensity
of their breathing, they clipped their garments with their
broad, keen-edged swords, their hearts expanded, and courage
augmented through the excessive feelings of hatred and hos-
tility they entertained towards one another to such a pitch,
that they struck sparks of fire from their weapons, while every
telling stroke Oscur levelled at the king hewed away his flesh
and bones in pieces, he himself, in the meantime, was gather-
ing fresh courage and strength, until he laid the king prostrate
upon the earth, and completely severed his head off lais huge
body, for there was no man on the field or throughout Eirinn
larger and more powerful than he, except Oscur. After
this Oscur attacked the Ultonians, and prostrated and entirely
destroyed them.
He then proceeded to hew down and deal complete de-
struction on the Connacians ; to mangle, subdue, and anni-
hilate them withovxt cessation, remorse, or compassion. It
was then Fergus Finnbheil and Diarmuid Mor, king of Cork,
encountered one another (and it is from that same Diarmuid,
Corcaigh Mor Mhic Diarmuda is so called to this day). Fer-
gus and he engaged in a furious, valiant, manly, powerfully-
puissant combat, to such a degree that it was wonderful to
witness the hard, brave, fiery, keen, truly-venomous struggle
they made ; heads were gashed and bodies mangled without
cessation, from the continuously-striking at one another. At
length Fergus was prostrated by Diarmuid, whereupon he
pierced his heart with his pointed, keen, well-tempered sword.
When Oisin saw^ Fergus fall by the hand of Diarmuid, he
150
<t)0 b] OfCUfl Al)l) f'At) Arl) 5-CéAbUA CA|X é]f lél|tf5|t]0|*
50 b-lon)lívt) bo CAbAjjic A]t t)a b-UUcA]j, A5Af bo CUA^é
•pAO] V4K Coi)i;accai5, aja}* bo b] 50 b]AT) A]t lo|t3 CbAn^t)|ie :
ó||t bA 8ó|C le||* b'í^ b-pA5A6 ArbA|ic be t)ív béA|tpAbAO]f p]]t
Bifiiow UA]6 & 5Ati Ti7A|tbA6; asa^* aw T*1^ cív|vIai6 bjAi*
tDAC CbAi|ib|ie Ai|t, éAÓoi), Coi)i) a5a|* 2liic, a5A|* bo ]i]i)
corb|iAC éACCAC, ioi)5Ai)CAC, leo A ]iA0i) ; A5AI' CU5 bé]rr)]0T)i)A
TTíÓ|tA, C0I5ACA, VÍ^G, bÓ)b; A5A|* CU5 5AC T)A01) bjob |*|l)
b&]ro]oi)i)A c|ion7A ceó bo ; A5Af ^)] ^íAbA 5U]t rbójt at) c|iua5
bú]C|teAC i)A t)-ó5lA0C A5 l^i)-bé]n)|Ot)i)A Ofcujii ; ^a'i) Art) y]})
bo b] njAc |X]5 UIa6, éAÓoi;), BfieAcc ttjac Bi^1<vii)> a t)-5é]-
blOl;)!) C|tUAl6 A5 CAO^Ice IDAC KoT)<V]1}, ajaj* 1)Í f AbA b], A1)
cat; bo buAjU Ai) ceAi)i) bc; A5A|* bo h] CAi|ib|te aih; fAi?
AtT) 5-céAbi)A CA|i é]|* i-eifeAjt clA^we Cb^o^lce rt)AC Hot)ív|i)
bO TbA|lbA6 Al)l) fA 5-CAlC; A5A|* ^f ^OtTjÓA búicjieAC,
blAÓjlAC, C]tUA6-50l, A5Af 5ÍV|l|lCA, AH ^íeAÓ A1) CACA líVT)-
rbÓjt At) UA^Il |•|1^ 2l5A]* A1)í) ]*At) ATT) ]*]T) bo b] b]Af n)AC
CbA])ab|ie A5A|* Ofcu|t ']• a T;-ii|tlA0]6eACc le cé]le, 3U|i
f5uAb Ofcuit At) ceAi)t) b'Aor) bpb, éAÓot}, Cot)t), a5A|' ^í*
5eA]tft bo f*eA]*A]b ai) ^eA|i e^le le]f at) cat) bo biiA]T) a ceAt^t)
be; A5A|* ai)u V]^) 5liiA]]*íof z]\]b At) s-ca^c A|t lojij CbAi|tb|te,
A^Af cíi|iIa]8 cAOjfeAC cjtéAT) bo rbuii)c]]t CbAi|tbjie le]í*,
A5A|* bo bAbA^t A t)-5leó |ie t)A ce^le, A|i ai) uA]]t céAbi)A.
Ba tbÓjl Al) C|UIA5 CAO^lce TT)AC Kot)A]T) Óf C|0t)r) A fei|*]0|i
clA]t)t)e ; A3Af At) uA^it bo cuaIai8 CA]iib|ie a Ó]A]^ tbAc bo
tu]C]tr) le b-Of*cu|i, bo sluAif t)A féAt)|tuic 5111* 0|"cu|t 'f* ad
5-coTb]iAc; bo CA]C CA]]tb|ie At) c-|*leA5 le]|*, a5A|* bo buAjl
A lc]c A 8jion)A ^AO] but) a flii)eA]t), juji jo^t) 30 c|ioi8e &,
A5A|* 5U]t cu]c TJ)A|ib Aji At) lívcA]|t ; Acb 50 t)-búbA]|tc, "uc!
iic !" A]t ]-é, " Af í |*eo fleA5 CbAnib]te cjte rf)o coitpj* a ; be |*o
CAiíit)5]oc ti)o cu^qti)," AJA]- A|t i-^t) cívjDiÓ 0\f]\) 50 ceit)t)
bó|ce ó|* A cjot)!) A5A|* t)í ]:AbA 50 b-c^|i)i& f\ovv> ^^^V 80
f|l beóftA pAO] Orcuji bo tu]z]rr}, v']0]i f\l p]Ot)t) Aot) beó|i
A T)-b]A]5 ^<"^ ^^^^ ^o''> b-pbéit)!) ]tiArb |iO]tbe fp). 2lt)t) f^i)
ca)t)]Ó At) Tt)6]b tÍ)A]|l bo't) "pb^l'?') Óf C]Ot)t) 0}*CU|]t, A5AI*
151
hastened to engage him ; and they fought with courage,
fury, and valorous power, until they struck showers of blood
from their bodies. They then redoubled their exertions,
dealing quick, laborious, heavy blows ; they rendered useless
their weapons by the heavy strokes, in consequence of the
superior physical powers of the true heroes. Tottering and
vanquished were they in consequence of that hard struggle,
when, at length, Oisin, son of Fionn, struck Diarmuid Mor
a deadly blow, by which he swept his head off his huge body,
and he himself was both overpowered and fatigued after that
great struggle.
At the same time Oscur was after having dealt complete
destruction upon the Ultonians; he then attacked the Con-
nacians, while he kept a sharp look out for Cairbre ; for he
felt convinced that if he laid his eyes upon him the men of
Eirinn would be unable to rescue him unslain. The two
sons of Cairbre, fiamely, Conn and Art, met him, and he
engaged in a valorous wonderful combat with both. He
dealt heavy-pointed venomous strokes upon them, while
each of them returned heavy, hot blows. In a short time,
however, it was pitiful to hear the roars of the youths caused
by the heavy blows of Oscur. At this time the son of the
king of Ulster, namely, Breacht, son of Brian, was driven to
the last extremity by Caoilte Mac Ronain, and soon after
was beheaded. Cairbre, at the same time, was after having
slain the six sons of Caoilte Mac Ronain; and numerous
were the roars, soothing addresses, sorrowful tears, and cries
that thus resounded over the site of that great battle ! This
was during the time the two sons of Cairbre and Oscur had
been engaged. At length Oscur severed off the head of one
of them, namely Conn, and soon after cut off the other man's
head. He then proceeded to the battle-field in search of
Cairbre : he met a brave leader of Cairbre's men, and they
immediately engaged one another. It was a piteous sight to
see Caoilte Mac Ronain (weeping) over his six sons. When
152
i)ío|v fM) Aou bu}\)e A|i b^c At^rj |*a 5-CAC ACb ^Ab A3
CAOjtje Ofcuiit.
2I5 X]r) n7A|i bo cuic Orcujt ASAf tjíoji cu5 atj pbjAi)!) AOt)
CA^C Ó't} Att) f]U ATT^AC.
153
Cuirbre heard his two sons had been slain by Oscur he
hastened to engage him in combat. Cairbre made a cast
of his spear at him, which pierced him in the back,
under the shoulder, and wounded his heart ; he fell down
on the spot, but exclaimed "Oh, oh! it is the spear of
Cairbre which pierces my body, by which it has been
foretold I should fall !" Oisin sick and heart-scalded came
over him, and soon afterwards Fionn, who shed tears for
the fall of Oscur. Fionn never before shed tears for the
loss of any one Fenian. All of the Fenians who survived
came over Oscur, and none remained on the battle-field,
but all assembled to weep the loss of Oscur.
The above is an account of the fall of Oscur, since which
time the Fenians never fought a single battle.
12
154
THE WAR ODP: OF OSCUR, IN THE BATTLE
OF GABHRA.
The war ode recited by Fergus, the royal bard, to stimulate
and call into action the sparks of valovir and chivalric
honour concealed in the bosom of his nephew, who was
the leader of the Fenian forces in the Battle of Gabhra, is
presented here to the reader. There have been difficulties
in translating it, in consequence of some omissions in the
text, and the impossibility of conveying the spirit of the
original in an alien tongue. Nevertheless, the Rosg catha,
or war-ode, is somewhat rare, and well worth being pre-
served, the more especially in the present work, since it is
the war ode of the battle of Gabhra.
Rosg catha, as the war-odes of the Irish are usually termed,
is by some translated, the Eye of Battle ; but |tO|*5 signifies
not only the eye, and light of the eye, but also a poetical
composition. If we analyse the word, we shall find that it
means an incentive calculated to inflame the mind of the
individual addressed in particular, as well as the minds of the
auditors in general, to emulate their opponents, so as not to
disgrace the position and martial feats of themselves or their
ancestors. As the Fenian chiefs, as well as the common
soldiers were obliged by the laws of their order to be well
skilled in poetical composition, it is more than probable that
the rule was made with the view of qualifying them, in case
of need, to be able to address their comrades at the onset
in battle, and the |iof5 was an extempore composition.
It would appear that the Greeks were not ignorant of the
use and eíFect of such addresses as the Rosg catha, since
we read that lame Tyrtopus had recourse to it, and with un-
155
expected success. Homer's rhapsodies were not without the
desired effect, as far as military emulation was concerned;
and Alexander the Great was wont to lament the want of a
Homer to sing his military glories.
We seldom read an account of any Fenian military
achievement in which we do not find the bard called on to
animate his friend by chanting the Rosg catha. The Rosg
catha was used from time immemorial among the Irishj
even down to a comparatively modern period. The Rosg
catha of Sir Phelim O'Neill is still extant in the library of
the Royal Irish Academy. Copies of those military ad-
dressess are pretty numerous, but many of them do but little
credit to the bard; and some appear to have been mere
panegyrics of the hero, instead of a stimulus to perform
heroic deeds. Of this character is the 'Hoy^ '3ho]il n)]c
2t)ó]|ii)e, or the war ode addressed to Goll Mac Moirne by
Fergus, the royal bard. In the manuscript from which this
Rosg catha at Gabhra is transcribed, two others are found
addressed to Goll Mac Moirne, and another to Oscur ; but
upon what occasions it does not plainly appear.
The Irish people were ever fond of poetry and music, and
it is most likely that the recitation of the addresses was ac-
companied by the melody of the harp, bagpipes, or the more
warlike music of the bugle, and in ancient times of the bófib
156
H0S5 C2ir.r)2l OSCUjK 2t)í)jC OjSJH,
FCKBus i^ue vh^^^, «o amh
21 nil Ai) cofSAni c)iUAi6;
tcb' b|iArA]3 ^]5,
Bei|i i)eA|tc A5Af buA^é
21 Tb]C Oinu i;<v ro-bé|m|oi;i)^
3bAb c|tei|*e 5ACA conjlAiut);
Miv ^&AC bo lijéAb yó]ÚAm,
2l|i CÍVC 1)5 50 b-cúi[il]OT)i;.
3<.\b biio|-bÚ5A6 ó'i) b-|:]le,
'pop. Of*cu||i rbjc 3<'^N^^1^ >
t^v\ msce civ Ab A5A(8,
TltAOCAlb If- CAUA13.
)oi)i)fA|5 itjAc Cbo|tn)A]c,'
3<vb C|U(*OaI AT) coibftAic ;
híó 50 b-pA5CA||i leb' fleA5,
í)|UItA I17AC ftÍ5 l-AU 5-C0lbU|t)IJI.
21 ti;|c IMS 5-^'> ^'^U^G,
i)o 5010 5T)iori) If ^051a;
Ba 6cA|ibcA t)0 1*56 aIa,
3o n;eAi;n)>MC a T)-3Ab|iA.
BiA^b b]tA]i>eo]i) 50 buA]feACj
O AtjA]l bo CjtAOJfCAC;
'pjiOA5<v||i 50 b-A|6bccAC,
43o leAb)t<\6 i)A b-cAO]feAC.
21 rAO|i-fUc 5Atj 5Ai|t5e,
CIao] 50 luAC A rr)e]it5o;
'S AT) 5-CO5A6 Af AO|]tbe,
ScimiAió c]i6 CbA]]tb|te.
' Cairbre, Monarcli of Ireland, who patnolically led his ptoiile agaiubt
their military enslavers.
157
THE ROSG CATHA OF OSCUR, SON OF OISIN,
SUNG BY FERGUS, BAUD OF FIONN.
OscuR, the generous, arise,
O man of hard-fought conflicts ;
Under thy successful banner,
Win power and victory.
O thou son of Oisin of the lilows.
Gain superiority in every contest ;
Look not to thy greatness of power.
Over man until he is prostrated.
Receive animation from the bard,
Against Oscur, son of Garadh ;
Those kings who oppose you,
Subdue and make fewer.
Engage the son of Cormac,
Assume command in the battle ;
Till thou obtainest by thy spear,
The death of princes in the struggle,
Thou son of a king without reproach,
Performer of feats and aggressions ;
May the (good) tidings of you be certified
With magnanimity on Gabhra.
Ravens shall be rewarded,
Through the expert use of thy javelin;
Answer with great majesty,
The mangling of the chieftains.
O noble youth without ferocity,
Suppress quickly their standards ;
In this, the fiercest battle,
Your spear plunge in Cairbre.
158
B'l rt)v\ii co|i)t) cu)le,
3fe l]oi)rbA|t Ai) bu|le,
Be|]i |ii5ce A|tAile.
MiV JAb 0|*A& UAC<\,
21 5-cor5ATi T^isce 6iiteAt)b;
Be]|t buAÓ A rb|C |tÍ5 'péiiji^o.
21 51)Úir If CAOtp CfXOCA,
Bt|15]6 a b-cu)f caca;
ie t^e]|i5 njo soca,
21 TT)e]|t5e ]f beA|i5 bACA.'^
43éAUA tDAjtbcA C|tOtDA,
Bi A|i coijpAb 5oile;
CjW A|t luce ^acIa,
Jr 3<>^T) p|OW Ab 50||ie.3
CeAi)UAf bo r)A f]At)t)Aib,
i)ob' feAlbA 'co f4T)Ai6 ;
"CAbA^it 5iV]t|tcA A b-'CeAn)A)]i,
3l6 b'0|fbuAÓAC A 1)'0]|teA|".
Ba bllAÓAC bo CUItAI",
i)0 CACA b'iv 1)'atT)AÍ*,
Cu]|l ^IaCA b'iV 3-CUM)A|*.
3é 50 C|tOCAC illu]t)t),
B'l 50 |*úbAC rí|i-b]r)t);
21 CA|tA bAI) Qi]]l]0\)V,
X.'<\\r) (K]]\ bo 5i)itir n)]V.
' r;\tn\^ 11' ctifotA. — Under and over them. A literal translation of
the Irish phrase still in use in some parts of Ireland, which conveys the
meaning of making a victorious onslaught on all sides.
* It appears from an ancient Fenian poem that the mountain ash, crowded
with clusters of blood red berries, was the emblem on the banner of Oscur,
which very likely was emblematic of carnage. Rev. Dr. Drummond, in his
" Ancient Irish Minstrelsi/," p. 178, renders the stanza as follows :
159
Be impetuous as a torrent,
Or an overwhelming fire ;
Though its rage may be furious,
As kings were of old.
Refuse to accept quarters
During the oonflict with the king of Eire ;
Overpower and cut through them.
Be victorious, thou son of the Fenian king.
Thou of the mild countenance,
Arise in the front of battle ;
Through the wrath of my voice,
O banner of the deepest red.
Make heavy slaughter.
Be merciful to the vanquished ;
Be superior over enemies,
Since Fionn is not by thee.
Victory attend the Fenians,
They are thine, stand by them ;
Raise the war-cry in Temor,
As delay may be unpropitious.
Let thy march be successful.
Place thy battalions in order.
Deprive princes of power.
As thou art well-shaped and handsome,
Be sweet-miened and cheerful ;
Thou friend of Eire's maidens,
Place thine hand on thy gentle forehead.
'• A mountain ash with berries red.
That raised in brilliant hues its head,
Was by the gallant Oscur borne,
Still first to lead the hope forlorn."
3 3»vn Pionn as soitte. — Since Fionn is not by you. This assertion is
furtlier proof, if proof were needed, that Fionn was dead before the battle of
Gabhra was fought.
160
Cu]]l C01tlDA1)1) bo bflACAC,
"pAp n)ó|t 5A1) bocfiAC.
p|tAoc 5éi|te bo lA]we,
O c|vé]i)e bo bu|Ue;
'S bo luACAf ]*eAC 5AC bU]t)<^,
LuACfA piv t)A s-cu^ppe.
■CAbAjjl ]:|tAfA C|téAt)A,
^<\b c|tei|*e A r)-3Ab|t<v ;
"Ci^jb p]A1)T)A BAi;bA,
OflC A5 ]A|t|lA6 CAb|lA.
21 pjú]X A]|i beA5-Tt)olA6,
21 f^]i caIitja, a cii|ia6 ;
21 5lóift Bift^oub uile,
TAbAiii lé|rf) A|i 'ph]^VV UIa8.
21 fl^]i t)A flcAg |-OCftAC,
2t)A]C bo lúc A]|i eAC|tAC ;
Be]ft leAC bo f5]Ac co|tc|tAC,
21 fift i)^]t c]t&]3 Aicfio.
i)o floAS 50 r^r^A T1ÍV1UI5,
to b-^3 feo n)0|i-TbeAt)n)<M)i) ;
<t)o clo|6eAii) i)iv bibcAi),
i)o clA0]6e ^eA]t i)-6||iioi)b.
i>0 jeAjt-lAtji) b'iv íD-buAlAÓ ;
<t)&Ai) cat)a6 b'í^ b-pjAijuA^b ;
i)0 3Air3G l)iV ^UA]tA6,
PlteAfbAil A'r ei|i5i6!
1 Place thy hand on thy gentle forehead,
Oscur, who never told a Calsehoood,
Hence, it appears that this is another manner of taking a solemn oath used
hy the I'agan Irish. There is an expression still used in some parts of Ireland,
to this day, when one party requires another to tell the simple trnth, which
161
Oscur, who never told a falsehood,
Nor slaughter ever shunned ;
Raise the terror of thy standard,
Be potent without cruelty.
Envenom the keenness of thy sword,
From the potency of thy blow ;
And thy expertness above all others,
Hasten to meet them.
Make daring charges.
Be victorious in Gabhra ;
The Fians of Banba
Look to thee for succour.
Thou of the benevolent countenance,
Thou the valorous man, thou the hero;
Thou the glory of all Eire,
Rush upon the Fenians of Ulster.
O prince of the spears of freedom.
Great is thy vigour on a steed ;
Take thy gore-stained shield.
Thou who never forsookest thy fathers.
Thy spear has been adapted.
To suit thy superior prowess ;
Sheath not thy sword
From slaying the men of Eire.
Let thy keen-edged sword hew them,
Thin the ranks of their Fenians ;
Let not thy valour grow cool,
Prepare, and march forward !
may be analogous in some respect with the old one, namely, Cu]n »o Umi)
A)tt so éAnAf), A5ur Aii^Afic Ajft AH Ti-5né]ri. — i. e., Place your hand on your
forehead, and look at the sun. This really appears tantamount to swearing
by the sun, and must necessarily have originated from some Pagan ceremonial.
INDEX.
Aedlia, clan of, 115, n.
Affane, 135, n.
Alba, Fians of, 74, 75, 75, n., 78, 79,
Albanian Scots, 9.
Almliuin (Allen), Fians of, 84, 85, 85,
n., 112, 113.
Alvernus, Gulielmus, 106, n.
Amalgaidh, 15.
Araergin, the bard, 15.
Ancient Irish poem, on the deaths of
Osciir and Cairbre Lifeachair at
Gabhra, 49, 50, 51.
Aodh Beag, 146, 147.
Aodh Caomh, commander of the
Clanna Moirne, 48.
Aothan, 74, 74, n., 75.
Ardghoill, Benebhigh Ni, 127, n.
Ard Macha (Armagh), bishop of, 90,
91.
Armagh, see Ard Macha,
Arphiinn, son of, 101, n.
Art, 72, 72, «., 73, 150, 151.
Art Aenfhir, his reign and deatJi, 56,
57, 111, n. His curse, 130, 131.
Arts and sciences cultivated by the
ancient Irish, 30.
Ath-Brea, death of Fionn at, 11.
Athdara, battle of, 102, n.
Atha-tuaithe, their privileges, 115, n.
Bacachs (Beggars), 106, n. Skilled
in medicine, 122, n.
Bachall, meaning of the term, 68, n.
Ballvmote, book of, 11, 14.
Banba, king of, 62, 92, 93, 116, 117.
Baoisgne, 55, 98, n., HI, «.
Barr Buadh, a Fenian musical instru-
ment, 138, 139.
Bathing practised bv the Fenian ladies,
41.
Battle of Ath-dara, 102, w. Of Castle-
knock, 15, 42, 47. Of Cindebrat,
56. OfCnoca(Castleknock),51. Of
Gabhra, 20, 31, 40, 48, 58, 59, 60,
61, 62, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82,
83, 86, 87. 92,»., 94,95, 112, 113,
131,71 , 132, 133. 134, n. Of Magh
Carn, 54. Of Magh Muchruime,
56, 57, 111, n. Of Magh Muir-
theimne, 20, 118, n. Of Magh
Tualaing, 54. Of the Sixteen Chiefs,
40. Scene, 142, 143, 146, 147.
Gory chief of, 103, n.
Bean sighes, who they are, 127, n.
Belanagare, 69, n.
Bell of St. Patrick, 100, n.
Bellew, Lord of Dundealgain, 127, n.
Maire Ruadh, 127, n.
Bene of Britain, 50.
Benean, 115, n.
Beria, her marriage with Eoghan Mor,
55.
Binn Eadair (Hill of Howth), 74, n.
Boinn (Borne), fish of the, 118, n.
Boinne, son of Breasal, 80, 81, 81, n.
Book of Leinster, 48.
Bodleian library, manuscripts in, 16.
Boyle, Annals of, 56, 110, u.
Boyne (see Boinn), 11.
Bran (Fionn's hound), 130, 131.
Braganza, tower of, 22.
Brazil, descent of, 81, n.
Breacht, son of Brian, 150, 151,
Breasal, 80, 81.
Bregia, 11. Lands of, 53.
Breifne, king of, 146, 147.
Brendan, 101, n.
Bridge of one hair, 29.
Brigh Leithe, heath-fruit of, 118, n.
British ladies remarkable for their fair
hair, 114, n.
Brooke (Miss), 10.
Brosnach, crosses of, 119, n.
Brugh-righ, king of, 115, n.
Buadh (Enchantment), its significa-
tion, 118, n.
Budh Dearg. 107, n.
Caicher, the druid. his prophecy of
the Clanna Milidh, 22.
Cailce, daughter of the king of Tir-
na-n-Og, 20.
Cairbre. the monarch, 47, 78, 79, 88,
164
89, 111, «., 134, 135, 14C, 117.
Marriage of his daughter, 134, n.
Summoned to pay tril)utc, 136, 137.
Of the red spears, 80,87, 110,111.
From Liathdruim, 112, n. Baoisgne,
53. Liffeachair, why so called, 48,
76, 77. His death, 48. Musg, 53,
Riada, 53.
Cairrioll, 72, 72 h., 73, 78, 79, 80,
81. Ceadach, 82, 83.
Caiseal (Cashel), where situated, 102,
n. King of, 115, w.
Callan, mountain of, 99, n.
Calpliurn, son of, 96, 97, 104, 105.
110, HI, 112, 113.
Caoilte Mac Ronain, 14,42,122,123,
126,127. His death, 20. Weeping
over his sons, 150, 151. Ceadach,
90, 91. The son of Seathoir Finn,
12, 13.
Cappoquin, 135, n.
Cashel, psalter of, 15. Dr. Lawrence,
archbishop of, 26.
Castlcknock, battle of, 15, 4 7.
Castlemaine, bay of, 33.
Cathaeir Mor (or the Great), 47, 55.
CathalCrobhdhearg,kingofConnacht,
103, n.
Ceannbagair, Conall, 138, 139.
Ceasair, her landing in Ireland, 27.
Celtic notions of another world, 22,
23. Mythology, 29.
Charm-mongers, their occupation,
102, w.
Cian, mother of, 12, 13.
Cills, their use, 63.
Cindebrat, battle of, 50.
Cineal Aedha, king of, 113, n. His
prerogatives, 114, n. Free tribes
of, 115, n.
Ciochmain, 11, 12.
Cionnbagair, Conall, 136, 137.
Clanna Baoisgne, II, 33, 46, 47, 57,
78, «., 98, 99, 126, 127.
Clanna Deaghaidh, their origin, .33.
Their death, 90, 91.
Clann Gibbon, 100, n.
Clanna Moirne, 40, 48, Rughraidlie,
33. Trenmhoir, 78, n.
Clare, clans of, 33. County of, 99, n.
Clonmacnoise, book of, 14.
Clonmcl, 81, n.
Cluain loclUair, II, 12.
Ciioca (Castleknock), 30, »i., 4 7. Battle
of, 15, 42, .'■)1.
Cock-crowing, its effect upon demons,
101, n.
Colla, mother of, 12, 13.
Collins, John, the Irish poet, 54.
Conacians, 144, 145, 148, 149.
Conaire, 53. His marriage with
Maoin, 53. Forced to abdicate the
throne, 53. Father of the three
Cairbres, 53. Retires to Tara for
protection, 53. His victory, 57.
Conall Cearnach, 32. ,
Conan. 70. 70, w.. 71. 74. 75. God of 1
' discord, 98, n. Not at the battle of I
Gabhra, 98, n. His bitter invec- I
lives, 98, n. Hisfoul-raouthedness, >
98, 98, n., 99. And Fuath, lay of ',
the combat of, 98, n. Verses re- ,
cording his death, 99, n. When l>
killed, 98, n. His supernatural I
powers, 98, w. '
Connaught, forces of, when composed,
32,54,55. Fenians of, 70, «. An-
cient palace of the kings of, 69, n.
King of, 76, 77, 88, 89. Familv of,
98, n., 115, n. Men of, 138, 139.
Conn, 150, 151. Family of, 55. Where
slain, 55. The race of, 136, 137.
Accepts Eoghan Mor's challenge,
53. Ceadchathach, 42.
Conn of the Hundred Battles, 47, 51,
53, 57, 78, n., Ill, w., 134, 135, »i.
His death, 56.
Core, mother of, 12, 13.
Cork, king of, 148, 149.
Cormac Cas, 33, 48.
Cormac, son of Art, his prosperous
reign, 103, n., 110 n. Ulfhada,
monarch of Ireland, 41. Grandson
of Conn, 135, n.
Cosgarthach Mac Criomthan, 1 12,
143, 144, 145.
Credan Head, 135, n.
Croagh Patrick, 104, n. 106, n.
Crom, lake of, 105, n.
Croziers, 118, 119.
Crnachain, stipends and chieftainrics
of the king of, 69, n.
Crunilin, 104, 105. Etymology of the
term. 105, «.
Cualan of Ciochmain, 11, 12.
Cuchullainn, 32. Where slain, 20.
Cuire Ceadghoincach, 144, 145.
Culbhuidhe, Criomthan, 130, 137,
138, 139, 140, 141.
Cunihall, where slain, and by whom,
165
15,42,-17,51. His post, 47. Fol-
lowers of, 136, 137. Son of Tren-
nior, 11, 12, 72, 73.
Currach, 14.
Curoi Mac Daire, his fortress, 33.
Curry, Mr., 14, 48. His knowledge
of ancient Irish manuscripts, 49, n.
D.
Dairfhine, clans of, 51.
Dalcassians, why so called, 33.
Dalgas (or Daolgas), 12, 13.
Daly, John, his great age, 135, n.
Danes, 110, n.
Daolchiabh, 142, 143, 144, 145.
Darfhinne, wife of Mac Cumhaill, 12,
13.
Deagbadh, an Ultonian chief, expul-
sion of, 33.
Deaniliain aedhair (evil spirits), 29.
Dearg, 11, 12, 10.
Dearg Damlisa, the druid, 52. His
funeral dirge on the death of Mogha
Neid, 54, 55.
Decies, son of the Iting of, 58. King
of the, 138, 139, 140, 141. Lord
of the, 134, 135. In VVaterford,
135, n. Within Drum, barony of,
135, n. Without Drum, baronv of,
135, n.
Deece, barony of, 135, n.
Deirgthine, clans of, 51, 53.
Deise Teamhrach, territory of, 135, n.
From whom descended, 135, n.
Demons of the air, 107, n. Expelled
by the crowing of a cock, 101, n.
Devil's-bit herb, 80, n.
Dialogue of the sages, 13.
Diarmuid Mor, king of Cork, 148, 149,
150, 151. The monarch, his reign,
15, 72. 73.
Dinnseanchus, book of, 15, 18.
Diorraing, 70, 71.
Dolar of Sidhe Fionnchathaidh, 12,
13.
Donegal, 113, n.
Drom Cliabh, Sith of Mor of, 122,
123.
Druids, where their paradise is situ-
ated, 23. Seminaries, where held,
31. Doctrine of metempsychosis,
28. Monotheism of the, 122, n.
Doctrine of transmigration of souls,
132, n., 133, n.
Druimsneachta, book of, 14.
Drummond (Rev. Dr.), 10, 70, n., 74,
n., 98, n., 158, n.
Dubhailne, daughter of Dubhdath,
12, 13.
Dubhdath, 12, 13.
Dublin, 51, 112, n.
Dumha Dubhailinn, 12, 13.
Dundalk (see Dundealgain).
Dundealgain (Dundalk), 127. ».
Dungarvan, coast of, 135, n.
E.
Eamhuin (Emania), 80, 81.
Eamhain Macha, king of, 115, n.
Eastern notions of another world, 21,
Eile, district of, 54.
Eire, king of, 1 1 5, h.
i Elysium of the Pagan Irish, 21, 23.
j Emania, 56.
j Enchantress, expulsion of an, 107, n.
i Eoghan Mor, brief history of, 51.
I Mother of, 52. His portion of Ire-
land, 52. Challenge to Conn, 53.
j Flight to Spain, 55. Seeks protec-
I tion from Heber the Great, king of
Spain, 55. His marriage with Heria,
I the king's daughter, 55. Aided by
! Spain, returns to Ireland, and forces
Conn to divide the kingdom, 55.
Eoghan Og, 41.
Erin, king of, 76, 77.
Erris, Gamhanraidhe of, 32.
! Fail, Fians of, 100, 101, 126, 127.
Faolan, 72, 72, n., 73, 82, 83, 142.
143.
FathaConain, 116, 117.
Feara Ceall, 51.
Feargus the poet, 82, 83.
Fenian poetry, antiquity of, 9. Chiefs,
record of their relatives, 13. Mili-
tary glory of, related, 14. Poems,
where recited, 19. Raths and duns,
21. Their various pursuits and pri-
vileges, 32. Arms, 40. Banners,
40. Warlike representations on, 40,
41. Military dress of, 41. Privi-
leges of, in the reign of Cormac
Ulfbada, 41. Hired soldiers, 41.
Not of Milesian origin, 46. Tyranni-
cal bearing of, 40. Rivalry of, 47.
166
Slavish exactions of, -16,47. Their
character, 75, ?/. Their tyranny,
111, ti. Their treachery, 112, 113.
Their slavery, and its extent, 113, n.
Their expulsion, 136, 137. Chief-
tains, summoned to Gabhra, 138,
139.
Fergus Mac Roigh, 32. The poet,
83, n. Finnbheil, 148, 149.
Ferraoy, book of, 41.
Fiachadh, 33.
Fiacha, Suighdhe, 135, n.
Fiachra, 52, 82, 83.
Fionn, 10,128, 129, 130,131, 144, 145.
Fionn Mac Cumhaill, 48, 70, n., 80,
81, 85, «.,92, 93. His origin, 11.
Genealogy of, where found, 1 7. His
death, 20. Ghost of, 130, n.
Fionnghuala, 101, n.
Firbolg notions of another world, 26.
Seafaring men, 31. Inhabitants of
our lakes, 31. Elysium of, where
situated, 31. Race of, 32.
Flaithbheart, a lady of great power,
11, 12.
Flaith-Inis, paradise of the Pagan
Irish, 22, 23, 30.
Flann, 52.
Fodhla, 116, 117.
Fodhla,Banba, Eire, names for Ireland,
117, n.
Foghla, meaning of the term, 92, n.
Fomorian elysium, where situated,
31. Races, seafaring men, 31.
Food, supernatural advantages derived
from, 119, 71.
Foreigners without Irish, their fate,
115, n.
Fiiath and Conan, lay of the combat
of, 98, n.
G.
Gabhra, Battle of, 20, 31, 40, 61, 62,
74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82. 83, 86,
87, 88, 89, 92, 92, «., 93, 94, 95,
98,», 99,«., 112,113,116,«., 131.
«., 134, «., 138, 139, 140, 141, 154,
159, «.
Gair, application of the word, 120, n.
Galway, 51.
Garadh Glundubh, 41,48.60, 72, 72,
«..73, 76, 77, 132, 133.
Garristown, origin of the name, 60, 82.
n. Where situated, 112, n.
Gaul, 113, n.
Geneva, demons expelled by the ring-
ing of the church bell of, 101, «.
Ghosts, as described by Macpherson,
29, 128, n. Old Irish notions of,
127,«.
Giant killed by Oisin, 20.
Gilla Caemhan (the poet), 55.
Glas Mac Aenchearrda, 41.
Gleann-an-Smoil (valley or glen of
the thrush), 21.
Glenahiry mountains, 81, «.
GoU MacMoirne, 11, 15, 32, 42, 47,
51, 53, 54, 72, 72, n, 73,98, «, 140,
141, 146, 147, 155.
Grainne, daughter of Cormac, 70, n.
Her elopement with Diarmuid
O'Duibhne, 58.
Graham, (M. M.) 70, n.
Graves, Rev. James, of Kilkenny, an
indefatigable archaiologist, 67.
Graves described, 64, 05, 132. 133.
Great famine in Ireland, 52, 53.
Greatrakes, Valentine, his extraordi-
nary cures, 135, n.
H.
Happy Islands, 26.
Heath wines, 110, n.
Helebore, its poisonous qualities, 86, n.
Helvick Head, 135, n.
Henoch the prophet, 26.
Hounds, 08, 69, 69, n.
Howth, Hill of, 74, n. Fionn Mac
Cumhaill's prophecy, written at,
74, H. Landing of the first bark
in Ireland at, 74. n.
Hughes of TirAedha, 113,«. Of Con-
nacht, 115. w.
Human bones, discovery of, 112, n.
I.
lar Umhall, 106, n.
Iceland, antiquities of, 110, n.
Idh Breasail (an enchanted island on
the Irish coast), 25.
Imchoin, 11, 12.
Innisfallen, annals of, 110, «,,
Innis Gluairc, 100, n, 101, «.,
Insubordination in the Fenian ranks,
79, n.
Ireland, Pagan nionarchs of, 113, «.,
Colonization of by Ceasair, 27.
Privileges of the monarch of, 118,«.
167
Irish Pagan elysian doctrine, 31. Folli-
lore, 31. Funeral cries, 120, n.,
121, n. Giants, their wars, 18.
Literature neglected, 10. Manu-
scripts, 14, 41. Paper and vellum
copies, 16, 17, 18, 107, n. Pearls,
curious property of, 30. Poem,
giving the names of the Fenian
chiefs, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,
40.
Island of Breasal, 31. Of the living,
31.
Keating (Dr.), on the ancient mode
of interment in Ireland, 63, 64, 65,
60.
Keens, funeral, described, 121, n.
Keeners, a lucrative profession, 21, n.
Kerry, 33.
Kildare, 14, 85, n.
Killarney, lakes and legends of, 20, 2 1.
King's evil, how cured, 135, n.
Knights of the Red Branch, 32.
Lagenians, 78, «., 102, «., 146, 147.
Laoghaire Mac Neill, 102, n. Viola-
tion of his oath to the Lagenians,
occasions his death, 102, n. Where
slain, 102, n.
Leabhar na h-Uidhre, 14.
Leacan, book of, 11, 14, 27.
Leath Chuinn (Conn's half), 51.
Mogha (Moghas half), 51.
Leinster, 11, 33, 47, 54, 55, 76, 77,
82, 83, 90, 91, 136, 137,138, 139,
140, 141.
Leyden, 86, n.
Liathdruim, 112, n.
Liffey, (river), currach of, where situ-
ated, 14, 48.
Limerick, clans of, 33.
Lir, children of, 100, n. Metamor-
phosed into swans, 100, n. Nep-
tune of the Pagan Irish, 100, «.,
101, H., 107, n.
Lismore, book of, 13, 135, w. Bishop
of, 135, n.
Lisroe, 135, n.
Lochlann, king of, 132, 133.
Lochlin, Fians of, 76, 77, 84, 85.
Lochlonnachs, 136, 137.
Loch Lene (lakes of Killarney). 20.
Log na n-deamhan, a stronghold for
demons, 104, n.
Louth, 20. Defeat of the Picts on the
coast of, 110, n.
Lughadh Lamha, 42. Kills Art Aen-
fhir, 56, m,n.
Lughaidh Mac Con, his reign, 56, 57.
Luibneach, the deer of, 118, n.
M.
Mac Conn, Cormac, 110, 111. Why
so called, 57. Lughaidh, 111, n.,
116, 117.
Mac Coy, Abram, a reciter of Fenian
poetry, 19. Fejim, a noted nor-
thern charm-monger, 103, n. His
spells for healing cattle, 103, n.
Mac Coireall, Tuan, curious legend of,
27.
Mac Cumhaill, his wife, 12, 13, 14,
94, 95, 96, 97, 126, 127. His
pedigree where recorded, 11. His
courtship, 16. Tributes paid to,
112, 113. His ghost, 126, n.
Mac Dubhain, his death, 90, 91.
Mac Duibhne, 70, 71,
Mac Firbis, the antiquary, 11.
Mac Garraidh, 78, 79,84, 85, 86, 87,
88, 89.
Mac Hugh, clan of, 110, n., 115, n.
Mac Lughaidh, 132, 133.
Mac Luigheach, 71, w., 72, 73.
Mac Niadh, his marriage with
Sabia, 53 Forced to abdicate the
throne, 53. Retires to Tara for
protection, 53.
Macpherson, refuted, 10, 20. On
ghosts, 29, 1 27, n. His forgeries, 30.
Mac Ronain, Caoilte, 11. War cry
of, 90, 91.
Maecomog, sound of the hell of , 1 0 1 , «.
Maedan, 74, 74, n., 75.
Magh Carn, battle of, 54.
Magh Life (Moy Liffey), 47.
Magh Muchroime, battle of, 56, 57,
111, n.
Magh Tualaing, battle of, 54.
Maighneas, 41.
Maoin, her marriage with Conaire, 53.
Mamelukes, 46.
Manann (Man), fruit of, 118, n.
Mavo, Firdouihnain of, 32 Natives
of, 104, n., lOG, n.
1C8
Meath, 11, 33, 112,»., 135,«.
Milesians, 115, n.
Mis, mountain of, 33.
Modeligo, parish of, 135, n.
Mogha Corb, 48.
Mogha Lamha, abdication of, 53.
Mogha Neid, 52, 53. His death by
Goll, 54. Funeral dirge of, 54, 55.
Interment of, on Magh Tualaing,
65, n.
Moymuirtheimne, battle of, 20.
Moirean, 11, 12.
Moirne,55,98,H.,128, 129, 146, 147.
Momonians, 47, 51, 140, 141, 14Ú,
147.
Muilleathan, Fiacha, 136, 137, 138,
139, 140, 141.
Munchaomh, Muirne, Fionn's mother,
11, 12.
Munster, 33, 51, 53, 76, 77, 88, 89,
136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141.
Murresk, barony of, 106, n.
Murtheimne, battle of, 118, n.
Music,its eflfect upon evil spirits, 104,«.
N.
Nas (Naas), king of, 115, n. Venison
of, 119, M.
Niadh Mac Lughaidh, 53.
Niall of the Nine Hostages, 113, n.
Niamh chinn oir(Niamh of the golden
hair), 20, 21.
Nightmares, 107. n.
North Munster, 33.
Noted places in Ireland, 15.
Nuadha Neacht, monarch of Ireland,
77.
0.
O'Baoisgne, Fionn, his death, 11.
O'Brien, Dr., 115, n.
O'Bruin, Patrick Buidhe, a funeral
keener, 121, n.
O'Byrne, Patrick, the yellow, a kee-
ner, 121, n.
O'Cathail, Finlaech, 18, 19.
O'Conor (Dr.), 9, 15, 16. His erro-
neoua opinion respecting Fenian
poetry, 18. His ojiinion on Fenian
poetry discussed, 19. On Tuan
Mac Coireall's spirit, 28, GO, 67,
102, n.
O'Daly, John, 68, n.
O'Donovan, Dr., 106, n.
O'Duibhne (Diarrauid),his gallantry,
70, n.
O'FaoIain, Domhnall, 138, 139, 140,
141. Maolsheachlainn, 134, 135.
O'Farrell, 106, n.
O'Flaherty, 46, 58, 60.
O'Flanagan, 98, n, 99, n.
O'Neill, Sir Phelim, 155.
O'Reilly, (Edward), 10.
O'Rody, Dr. Brian, 86, n.
Ogham Inscriptions, antiquity of, 49,
50. Not of Christian origin, 50,
n., 98. n.
Ognian, son Fiachach Fina, 56.
Oilioll Olum, 56. His seven sons, 57.
Oisin, his pedigree, where recorded,
11. Where born, 11, 12. His
wife. 11, 12. Seven years under
draoidheaht (druidism), 11, 12.
Poems, ancient and modern, 18.
Romantic legend of, 20. Return
from Tir-na-n-Og, 21. His descrip-
tion of Tir-na-n-Og, 23, 24, 25. In
a dilemma, 21. Fate after the
battle of Gabhra, 31. On the
death of his son Oscur. 66. His
niggardliness, 96, n., 97, n. Ex-
cited by St. Patrick, 98, w. Threat-
ens St. Patrick, 108, 109. His
death, 20.
Osgar, his mother, 11, 12. Where
born, 11. 12. Of Eamhuin, 80,
81. Of Baoisgne, extent of his
grave, 132, 133. Last moments of,
on the field of Gabhra, 30. His
death 20.
Ossory, King of, his death, 90, 91.
Pagan, Irish, paradise of the, 20*
Their notions of paradise, 28, 29-
Custom of lamenting the dead in
Ireland, 62. Their funeral obse-
quies, 124, n. Mode of interment
in Ireland, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66.
Oaths, 160, n.
Paradise of the Pagan Irish, 20.
Parran, 74, 74, n., 75.
Picts, defeat of, on the coast of Louth,
110, n.
Pilgrimages, 106, n. Discountenanced
by the clergy, 106, n.
Plieian, origin of the name, 135, «.
169
Phoenicians, 32.
Pliny on druids, 28.
Poisoned weapons, 86, 87.
Polytheism, by whom introduced into
Ireland, 122, n.
Pool of demons, 106, 107. Where
situated, 106, n.
Privilege of the Fenian chiefs, 42, 43.
Qualifications necessary for entering
the Fenian army, 44, 45, 46.
R.
Rae (the moon), its influence on the
human frame, 36, n.
Rafinesque (Professor) on departed
spirits, 22.
Rath, 132, 133.
Ralhcroghan, 69, n.
Rath Cruachan, 68. 69.
Rath Cruaghain, 68, n.
Red Branch, Knights of the, 32.
Red wind of the hills, 103, n. Its
evil effects upon corn, 103, n.
Reid, Mr. John, 112, n.
Roca, 74, 74. n., 75.
Rome, 74, 75.
Rosscarberry, 54.
Roscommon, 32, 69, n.
Rosg-catha, or war ode, 154, 155. Sig-
nification of the term, 154.
Sabia, her marriage with Mac Niadh,
53. Her elopement with Oilioll
Oium, 57.
Sadhbh, daughter of Eoghan Og, 41.
Saints, oppression of, 69, n.
Sarahair, daughter of Fionn, 48.
Scots of Alba, 29.
Seanchaidhes (Fenian storv-tellers),
16,19.
Seathoir Finn, 12, 1'3.
Segadius the bishop, 100, 101.
Sgeimh Sholas, daughter of Cairbre,
58. Her marriage, 58.
Sidhe Fionnchathaidh, 12, 13.
Siodna, mother of Eoghan Mor, 52.
Her extraordinary vision, 52.
Siol Muireadhaigh, 115, n.
Slane, book of, 14.
Slaves, 113, w., 114, n.
Sliabh Cua, parish of, 135, n,
St.Finghin.the back orridgeof, 135,«.
St. Patrick, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21,
27,28,32,61,70,«. Staff of, 70,«.
Excites Oisin's anger, 98, n. His
bell, 100, n. Its great powers,
100, n. Demons expelled by its
sound, 100, n., 101, n. Baptismal
name of, 1 00, n. Tradition respec-
ting his bell, 104, w. Description
of the bell, 104, n. How rung,
105, n. EflFects produced by the
ringing of, 105, n. Legends con-
cerning it, 106, n. Rebukes Oisin
for his ill manners, 108, 109.
St. Mocomog's bell, 100, n.
South Munster, forces of, 32.
Succoth,significationoftheterm,100,n
Sudden surprise of the Fenian ladies
while bathing, 42.
Suir, the river, 135, n.
Tailgin, 114, 115. Meaning of the
term, 115, n.
Tallow, 135, n.
Tara, psalter of, 1 5. Lughaidh Lamha
takes refuge at, 56. Ancient name
of, 112,«.
Teabhtha, men of, 138, 139.
Teamhair (Tara), king of, 119.
Teige the druid, 11.
Tipperary, clans of, 33.
Tirhugh, barony of, 113, n.
Tir-na-n-Og (land of youth), 20, 21,
23, 27, 30, 31.
Tir-na-m-Beo (land of the living), 20.
Tlachtgha, water of the well of, 119,».
TobarPhadruig( Patrick's well), 104,«.
Todd, Rev. Dr., patron of Irish litera-
ture, 48.
Tourin (in Waterford), 135, n.
Tralee, bay of, 33.
Transmigration of souls, Pagan doc-
trine of, 22.
Treanmor, 78, 79, 126, 127.
Tribes of Ireland, 106, n.
Trinity College, Board and Provost
of, 48.
Tuadamar, place of Conn's death, 55.
Tuatha de Danann power of prolong-
13
170
ing human life, 30 Civil and mi-
litary pursuits of, 31.
Tuathal Teachtmar, 33, 55, 5G.
Tubbergragan, 112, n.
Tulachs, 68, 69. Their signification,
68, n., 128. 129.
Turlogh an Fhuinn, 127, n.
U.
Ui Bruin, 115,«.
Ui Fiachrach, 115, n.
Uihh Faolain, country of, 103, n.
Uladh (Ulster), men of, 76, 77, 88,
89. In the last century, 19. Forces,
bravery of, 32.
Ulster, King of, 136, 137, 138, 139,
150, 151.
Ultonians, 142, 143, 146, 147, 148,
149, 150, 151.
W.
Waking the dead, custom of, 125, n.
Wars of the Irish giants, 18.
Waterford, 81, n., 135, n.
Whelan, origin of the name, 135, «.
White Islands, 26.
Wilford, on the paradise of the an-
cient Irish, 23.
Wilson (C), 10.
Wind, its baneful effect upon crops,
102, n.
Whines, importation of, by the ancient
Irish, 1 08, n. Made from the top-
pings of heath, 110, n.
Wolfdogs, 68, 69, 69, n.
Yewberry plant, its poisonous quality,
MEMBERS.
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