AN GAOḊAL.
845
Emine, the grandson of Ninede and Murgen,
Senchan's own son, volunteered to go to the east
for that purpose.
Having set out on their journey, it happened
that the first place to which they came was the
grave of the celebrated chief Fergus Mac Roigh, in
Connacht: and Murgen sat at the grave while
Emine went in search of a house of hospitality,
While Murgen was thus seated he composed and
spoke a laidh, or lay, for the gravestone of Fergus,
as if it had been Fergus himself he was addressing.
Suddenly, as the story runs, there came a great
mist which enveloped him so that he could not be
discovered for three days: and during that time
Fergus himself appeared to him in beautiful form,
— for he is described as adorned with brown hair,
clad in a green cloak, and wearing a collared gold
ribbed shirt, a gold hilted sword, and sandals of
bronze ; and it is said that this apparition related
Murgen the whole tale of the Tain, from beginn¬
ing to end, — the tale which he was sent to seek
in a foreign land.
This Fergus Mac Roigh was a great Ulster
prince, who had gone into voluntary exile, into
Connacht, through feelings of dislike and hostil¬
ity to Conor Mac Nessa, the king of Ulster, for his
treacherously putting to death the sons of Uisnech
for whose safety Fergus had pledged his faith ac¬
cording to the knightly customs of the time. And
afterwards when the Tain Bo Chuailgne occurred,
Fergus was the great guide and director of the
expedition on the side of the Connacht men a¬
gainst that of Conor Mac Nessa, and as it would
appear, he was himself also the historian of the
war.
This version of the story is from the Book of
Leinster. However, according to another account
it was at a meeting of the Files, and some of the
Saints of Erinn, which was held near the Carn, or
grave that Fergus appeared to them and related
the tale: and St. Ciaran thereupon wrote down the
tale at his dictation, in a book which he had made
from the hide of his pet cow. This cow from its
color was called the Odhar, or dark gray: and from
this circumstance the book was ever after known
as Leabhar na h-Uidhre (pron. nearly Levvar, or
Lowr na heer-a), or the "Book of the dark gray
(Cow)," — the form Uidhre being the genitive case
of the word Odhar.
According to this account (which is that given
in the ancient tale called Imthecht na trom da-mhe
or the Adventures of the Great Company i.e., the
following of Senchan), after the election of Sen¬
chan to the position of Chief File, he paid a visit
to Guaire the Hospitable, King of Connacht, at his
palace of Durlus, accompanied by a large retinue
of attendants, or subordinate files, and pupils, as
well as women, and servants and dogs; so that
their sojourn there was so oppressive, that at their
going away, Marbhan, King Guaire's wise brother
imposed it as an obligation on Senchan to recover
the Tale of the Tain Bo Chuailgne. Senchan ac¬
cordingly went into Scotland to search for it, but
having found no trace of it there, he returned
home again; and then Marbhan advised him to
invite the saints of Ireland to meet him at the
grave of Fergus, where they were to fast three days
and three nights to God, praying that he would
send them Fergus to relate to them the history of
the Tain. The story goes on to say that St. Cail¬
lin of Fiodhnacha (in the present county of Lei¬
trim), who was Senchan's brother by his mother,
undertook to invite the saints; and that the fol¬
lowing distinguished saints came to the meeting,
namely, St. Colum Cille, St. Caillin himself, St.
Ciaran of Clonmacnois, St. Brendan of Birra, and
St. Brendan the son of Finnlogha. And after their
fast and prayer, Fergus did appear to them, and
related the story, and St. Ciaran of Clonmacnois,
and St. Caillin of Fiodhnacha wrote it down.
This ancient tale is referred to in the book of
Leinster, a MS. of the earlier half of the 12th cen¬
tury, though it remains to us only in the form
preserved in copies of a much more modern date,
one of which is in my possession.
The next notice of a Cuilmenn, as I have al¬
ready shortly stated, is to be found in an ancient
glossary, where the "seven Orders of Wisdom," —
i.e., the seven degrees in a literary college, inclu¬
ding the student on his first entrance, — are dis¬
tinguished by name and qualifications. The high¬
est degree was Druimeli, who, as it is stated, had
knowledge of all wisdom, from the greatest book
which is called Cuilmenn to the smallest book
which is called Deich m-Breithir, in which is well
arranged the good Testament which God made un¬
to Moses.
What the Cuilmenn mentioned here was, we
have no positive means of knowing: but as an ac¬
quaintance with both profane and sacred writings
is set down amongst the qualification of each de¬
gree or order of Wisdom, it may be assumed that
the Cuilmenn embraced profane, as the Deich m¬
Breithir did sacred learning; since it appears that
the Drumeli was versed in all profane and sacred
knowledge.
Another instance of the occurrence of the word
Cuilmenn is found in the lower margin of a page
of the book now called the Leabhar Breac, the
proper name of which was Leabhar Mor Duna
Doighre, i.e., the Great Book of Dun Doighre (a
place on the Connacht side of the Shannon, some
miles below the town of Athlone.) In this book,
which is preserved in the Library of the Royal I¬
rish Academy, the following words appear in a
hand three hundred years old, — "A trying of his
pen by Fergal, son of William, on the great Cuil¬
mend." This "great Cuilmend" was of course the
book on which he wrote these words, viz., the Lea¬
bhar Duna Doighre just mentioned, and this pas¬
sage establishes the use of the word to designate a
book, generally. It may be also observed that the
word (Cuilmenn) in its original meaning literally
signifies the skin of a cow,
To return to the Tain Bo Chuailgne.
This tale belongs to a period of considerable an¬
tiquity, and in it we find introduced in the course
of the narration the names of several personages
who acted a very important part in our history, and
whose deeds are recorded by most of our annalists.
As the tale is itself curious and interesting, and be¬
sides supplies a pretty good view of the customs
and manners of the times, it will be interesting to
give you here a brief sketch of it.
When the Argonautic Expedition, the Seige of
Troy, or any others of notable occurrences of the
very old periods of the world’s history, are brought
under consideration, not the least interesting and
and valuable features which they present are the
illustrations they furnish us of the habits and life
of the various people to whom they relate, and it is
of little moment to attempt to fix the precise year
of the world’s age in which they actually happen¬
ed.
