156
AN GAOḊAL.
own race. There is in the library of Trinity Col¬
lege, Dublin, a large and important volume of
fragments of various ancient manuscripts (classed
H. 2.16), part of which professes to have been
written by Donogh Mac Firbis in the year 1391:
and in another place, in a more modern hand, it is
written, that it is the Yellow Book of Lecain.
Dudhaltach Mac Firbis in his introduction to
his great genealogical book. states that his family
were poets, historians, and genealogist to the great
families of the following ancient Connacht chief¬
taincies, viz. Lower Connacht. Ui Fiachrach of the
Moy, Ui Amhalgaidh, Cera. Ui Fiachrach of Aid¬
hne, and Eachtgha, and to the Mac Donnells of
Scotland.
The Mac Firbis, in right of being the hereditary
poet and historian of his native territory of Ui
Fiachrach of the Moy (in the present county of
Sligo), took an important part in the inauguration
of the O'Dowda, the hereditary chief of that coun¬
try. The following curious account of this cere¬
mony will more clearly show the position of the
Mac Firbis on these great occasions; it is transla¬
ted from a litte tract in the Book of Lecain, in the
library of the Royal Irish Academy.
"The privilege of the first drink [at all assem¬
blies] was given to O'Caomhain by O'Dowda, and
O'Caomhain was not to drink until he first presen¬
ted it [the drink] to the poet, that is to Mac Fir¬
bis; also the arms and battle steed of the O'Dow¬
da, after his proclamation, were given to O'Caom¬
hain, and the arms and dress of O'Caomhain to
Mac Firbis: and it is not competent ever to call
him the O'Dowda until O'Caomhain and Mac Fir¬
bis have first called the name, and until Mac Fir¬
bis carries the body of the wand over O'Dowda;
and every clergyman, and every representative of
a church, and every bishop, and every chief of a
territory present, all are to pronounce the name
after O'Caomhain and Mac Firbis. And there is
one circumstance, should O'Dowda happen to be in
Tir Ambalghaidh (Tirawley), he is to go to Amh¬
alghaidh's Carn to be proclaimed, so as that all
the chiefs be about him; but should he happen
to be at the Carn of the Daughter of Brian, he is
not to go over (to Amhalghaidh's Carn) to be pro¬
claimed: neither is he to come over from Amhal¬
ghaidh's Carn, for it was Amhalghaidh, the son of
Fiachra Ealgach, that raised that Carn for himself,
in order that he himself, and all those that should
attain to the chieftainship after him, might be pro¬
claimed by the name of lord upon it. And it is in
this Carn that Amhalghaidh himself is buried, and
it is from him it is named. And every king from
the race of Fiachra that shall not be thus proclaim¬
ed, shall have shortness of life, and his seed and
generation shall not be illustrions, and he shall
never see the kingdom of God."
This curious little tract, with topographical ill¬
strations, will be found in the volume on the
Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, among the
important publications of the Irish Archӕlogical
Society.
So much, then, for the compiler of the chronicle
which I am now about to describe, the value of
which, as a historical document, has only, of late
years, come to be properly understood.
The Chronicum Scotorum, which, as I have al¬
ready stated, is written on paper, begins with the
following title and short preface, by the compiler
"The Chronicle of the Scots (or Irish) begins
here. —
"Understand, O reader, that it is for a certain
reason, and, particularly, to avoid tediousness that
our intention is to make only a short abstract and
compendium of the history of the Scots in this
book, omitting the lengthened details of the histori¬
cal books: wherefore it is that we beg of you not
to criticize us on that account as we know that it
is an exceedingly great dificiency."
The compiler passes then rapidly over the first
three ages of the world, the earlier colonizations
of Ireland, the death of the Partholanian colon¬
ists at Tallaght (in this county of Dublin): and
the visit of Niul, the son of Fenius Farsaidh, to
Egypt, to teach the languages after the confusion
of Babel: giving the years of the world according
to the Hebrews and the Septuagint.
This sketch extends to near the end of the first
column of the third page, where the following cu¬
rious note in the original hand occurs —
"Ya have heard from me, O readers, that I do
not like to have the labour of writing this copy,
and it is therefore that I beseech you, through your
friendship, not to reproach me with it (if you un¬
derstand what causes me to be so); for it is certain
that the Mac Firbises are not in fault."
What it was that caused Mac Firbis's reluctance
to make this abridged copy of the old book or books
before him, at this time, it is now difficult to ima¬
gine. The writing is identical with that in his
book of genealogies, which was made by him in
the year 1650: and this copy must have been made
about the same disastrous period of our history.
when the relentless rage of Oliver Cromwell spread
ruin and desolation over all that was noble, honor¬
able, and virtuous in our land. It is very probable
that it was about this time that Sir James Ware
conceived the idea of availing of Mac Firbis's ex¬
tensive and profound antiquarian learning; and as
that learned, and, I must say, well intentioned
writer, was then concerned only with what related
to the ecclesiastical history of Ireland, this was
probably the reason that Mac Firbis offers those
warm apologies for having been compelled to pass
over the "long and tedious" account of the early
colonization of this country, and pass at one step
to our Christian era. (We know that Ware quotes
many of our old annals as sterling authorities in
his work As these are all in the Gaedhlic language
and as Ware had no acquaintance with that lang¬
uage, it follows clealy enough, that he must have
some competent person to assist him to read those
annals, and whose business it was doubtless to se¬
lect and translate for him such parts of them as
were deemed essential by him to his design). Ex¬
cepting for some such purpose as this, I can see no
reason whatever why Mac Firbis should apply
himself, and with such apparent reluctance, to
make this compendium from some ancient book or
books of annals belonging to his family. It ap¬
pears, indeed, from his own words, that it was po¬
verty or distress that caused him to pass over the
record of what he deemed the ancient glory of his
country, and to draw up a mere utilitarian abstract
for some person whose patronage he was compell¬
ed to look for support in his declining years: and it
is gratifying to observe the care he takes to record
the difficulties were not caused by any neglect on
the part of his family, who were, as we know, to¬
tally ruined and despoiled of their ancestral prop¬
erty by the tide of robbers and murderers which
the commonwealth of England poured over de¬
fenseless Erinn at this period.
(To be continued)
