AN GAOḊAL.
941
O'Curry's Lectures.
ON THE
MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL OF ANCIENT IRISH HIS¬
TORY.
Lecture III.
Delivered March 20, 1855.
(Continued)
We may also observe that there is reason to
think, from some few facts exclusively mentioned
by him, that he had before him at the time of com¬
piling his annals, ancient records not available to
subsequent writers, as is shown by his account of
the manner of Conor Mac Nessa's death, and his
notice of the battle of Cruanah (O'Conor, Annals,
A. D. 33).
Tighernach undoubtedly takes the succession of
of the kings of Amania from Eochaidh O'Flinn's
poem, which enumerates them from Cimbaoth to
Fergus Fogha. A fine copy of this curious poem
is preserved in the Book of Leinster (fol. 11.), and
two in the Book of Lecan. These different copies
give us an important instance of the irregularities
which must, almost of necessity, creep into dates
and records which depend on irresponsible trans¬
cription, where the smallest departure from accu¬
racy, particularly in the enumeration of dates, will
lead to confusion and inconsistency. In the copy
of this poem preserved in the Book of Leinster, —
a compilation of the middle of the twelfth century
— the duration of the Ulster dynasty, from Cim¬
baoth to Conor Mac Nassa, is set down at 400 years
and the duration from Cimbaoth to the final over¬
throw of the Ulster sovereignty by the Three Col¬
las, at 900 years. Now the destruction of this pow¬
er by the Collas in the Battle of Achaidh Leith¬
derg, in Farney, took place in A. D. 331, which
number, added to the 400 years from Cimbaoth to
Conor, would make but 731 years instead of 900.
Again, in each of the copies of the Book of Lec¬
ain, the space from Cimbaoth to Conor is set down
as 450 years, and still they give the entire duration
as 900 years.
Indeed the dangers of error in transcription are
admitted in a very ancient poem in the Book of
Leinster itself (fol. 104), in which many matters of
actual occurrence but raised to fabulous importance
though not affecting chronology, are explained a¬
way. This poem consists of 111 stanzas, and its
authorship is ascribed to Gilla-na-Chomdech Ua
Cormaic, of whom I know nothing more. It begins
"O, King of Heaven, clear my way."
However laboriously Tighernach may have wor¬
ked to fix a date for Irish chronology, it is quite
evident that the materials from which he drew
were those records, poems, and other compositions
of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries in which
the length of reigns of the kings of Tara and Ema¬
nia are set out. For, having once fixed, say, the
date of the foundation of Emania, and the Roman
era, and the corresponding king of Tara he seems
to have done little more, and indeed to have occa¬
sion to do little more, than to correct the error of
dates, chiefly given in round numbers, which any
considerable lapse of time must have led to errors
in computation and false chronology. But as far as
we can judge, Tighernach had not put the finish¬
ing hand to his work at the time of his death, and,
his observations on the ante-Emanian period being
lost, we are left very much in the dark as to the
grounds of his views.
From all that has been said, I think it is not un¬
reasonable to conclude, that this great annalist
was surprised by the end of death, when he had
but laid down the broad outlines, the skeleton as
it were, of his annals; and that the work was nev¬
er finished.
The founding of the palace of Emania, taking
as the starting point of credible Irish history by
Tighernach, is an event of such importance as to
warrant a digression here, and to require of us to
give some account of the circumstances which led
to the erection of this seat of royalty in the north.
The following is a nearly literal account of the e¬
vent, from a tract in the Book of Leinster. —
"What is the origin of the name Emhain Mac¬
ha?" begins the writer. "Three kings that were
upon Erinn in co-sovereignty. They were of the
Ulstermen, namely, Dithorba, the son of Diman,
from Uisnech, in Meath; Aedh Ruadh, the son of
Badurn, son of Airgetmar, of Tir Aedh [now Tir-
Hugh, in Donegal]; and Cimbaoth, the son of
Fintan, son of Argetmar, from Finnabair, of Magh
Inis."
These kings made a compact that each should
reign seven years in turn, and this compact was
confirmed by the guarantee of seven druids, seven
files, and seven young chiefs (or champions): the
seven druids to crush them by their incantations,
the seven files to lacerate them by their satires.
and the seven young champions to slay and burn
them, should the proper man of them not receive
the sovereignty at the end of each seventh year.
The righteousness of their sovereignty was to be
made manifest by the usual accompaniments of a
just government, namely, abundance of the fruits
of the earth, an abundance of dye-stuffs for all
colouring, and that women should not die in child
birth.
They lived until each reigned three years in turn,
that is, sixty-three years. Aedh Ruadh was the
first of them that died, having been drowned in
the the great cataract called after him Eas Ruadh
(or Easroe), Ballyshannon, near Sligo, and his bo¬
dy was carried to the hill there; hence Aedh's
Hill, and Easruadh. Aedh left no sons and but
one daughter, who was named Macha Mangruadh
(or Macha the red haired), who after her father's
death claimed his place in the sovereignty; but
Dithorba and Cimbaoth said that they would not
allow a woman to have any share in the govern¬
ment.
Macha thereupon raised an army among her
friends, marched against the two kings, gave them
battle and defeated them, and then took her turn
of seven years of the monarchy.
Dithorba was killed in battle soon after, but
left five sons who also claimed their turn of the
sovereignty. Macha said she would not admit them
as it was not under the former guarantee that she
had obtained the sovereignty, but by right of bat¬
tle. The young princes therefore raised an army
and engaged the queen in battle, in which they
were defeated with the loss of all their followers.
Macha then banished them into the wilds of Con¬
nacht, after which she Married her co-sovereign,
Cimbaoth, to whom she resigned the command of
the national, or perhaps more correctly, the prov¬
incial army.
