AN GAOḊAL
263
da air an n-giodairne.
Gaċ croḃaire ciallṁar, cáillġlin, cáiḋ-
ċeart de ċinne Scuit,
'S gaċ seangḟear siansaċ, 2 sáiṁġlic
do cráḋaḋ le na Fuigeana,
Sin am an ġliaiṫ le gáirdeas a's áṫas
go miotalaċ,
Ċum complaċt ċiar na cránaċ do
ṫnáiṫfios an giodairne.
Sin am an ḟiaḋaiġ gan spás aig gaċ
rá báire cumasaċ.
A's complaċt fiall go h-áluin ó'n Spái¬
neaċ ċúgainn le tiomargaḋ, 3
Beiḋ daṁsa a's riar gaċ lá againn air
árd ṗuic 'sa g-cuideaċdain,
'Sis teann, gan ċiaċ le h-átas do ṡáiṫ¬
fiom an giodairne.
Ní'l greann dá riar air ḋántaiḃ mar
buḋ ġnáṫaċ a n-Innis Luirc,
Aċd cantlaṁ, ciaċ a's cráiḋteaċt a's
cránas fá uireasbaḋ,
Aig plannda an triaṫḟuil ársaiḋ muna
n-dáilfiḋ 4 mac Ṁuire anois,
Beiḋ breall a m-bliaḋna a's báire a's
beárna air an n-giodaire
An Ceangal.
Ní giodairne béiṫe maorḋa ná báin-
ċnis suaḋaċ,
Ná giodairne méirdriġ ċéasfaḋ táinte
sluaḋ,
Do ċuirim am' réim 5 déanta 'nna d¬
traċdaim buan,
Aig gaċ giodairne claon méirliġ noċ
d'ḟág mé duairc.
Tomás D. de Norraḋ.
Notes.
1 traiṫ, n. m. a king, a lord, a noble.
2 siansaċ, adj. wise; melodious, har¬
monious.
3 tiomargaḋ, v, to collect, to gather.
4 dailfiḋ, v., from dail, to decree, to
delay.
5 réim, n. f., a list or catalogue.
O’Faherty' Siamsa an Ġeiṁriḋ, re¬
viewed in the Gaoḋal, recently is for
sale by Mr P. O’Brien, 46 Cuffe St.
Dublin The price in cloth is 2s: in
wrapper, 1s 6d.
O'Curry's Lectures.
ON THE
MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL OF ANCIENT IRISH HIS¬
TORY.
LECTURE VII.
[Delivered July 3, 1856.]
The name of O'Donnell of Donegall, I find, ap¬
pears with Christian names 210 times, and under
the general name of O'Donnell only 78 times, ma¬
king an aggregate 288 times.
Now the O’Briens (the rival race of Oilioll Oil¬
uim), appear with Christian names 233 times, and
under the general name of O'Briens 21 times, ma¬
king an aggregate of 254 times in every way; so
that, even as the annals stand, there is no great
difference in this respect. And it is certain that
if the O'Clerys had swelled their Annals with en¬
tries from Mac Grath's Wars of Thomond, from
the year 1272 to 1320, as they have filled them
from the local history, with the achievements of
the O'Donnells from the year 1472 to the year
1600, the names of the O'Briens would be found
far to outnumber those of the O'Donnells. Besides
this, the O'Donnells had no pretension to extreme
jealousy with the race of Oilioll Oluim, as the for¬
mer only became known as chiefs of Tirconnell on
the decay or extinction of the more direct line of
Conall Gulban in the year 1200, whereas the Mac
Carthys represented the line of Eoghan Mor, the
eldest son of Oilioll Oluim, from the year 1043;
and the O'Briens represented Cormac Cas, the se¬
cond son of Oilioll Oluim, from the battle of Clon¬
tart, in the year 1014. But what is somewhat sin¬
gular, in reference to Dr. O'Donovan's remark,
and as shown by these statistics, is, that the O'
Gara represents Cian, another son of Oilioll Oluim
in their ancient principality of Luighne or Leyney
in Sligo, from a period so far back as the year 932,
that is, the name of the O'Gara is older even than
that of MacCarthy by more than 100 years ; than
that of O'Brien by about 80 years ; and than that
of O'Donnell by about 300 years.
As a small tribute of respect, then, fairly, I think,
due to the O'Gara family as the patrons of the
splendid O'Clery works, it may be permitted me
to insert here from these Annals the succession of
their chiefs, from the year 932 to the year 1495,
after which (and it is rather singular), they disap¬
pear from the work. [See Appendix 69.]
I have devoted the entire of the present lecture
to a very summary account of the greatest body of
Annals in existence relating to Irish history. The
immense extent of the work would indeed render
it impossible for me to include in one lecture, or
even in two or three lectures, anything like an ad¬
equate analysis of the vast mass and comprehen¬
sive scope of the history contained in it. I have,
therefore, confined myself to some explanation of
the nature and plan of the labours of the Four
Masters, that you may understand at least what it
was they undertook to do, and that you may know
why it is that this magnificent compilation has e¬
ver since been regarded by true scholars, and
doubtless will ever be looked up to, as of the most
certain and unimpeachable authority, and as aff¬
ording a safe and solid foundation for the labors of
future historians. It is fortunate, however, that
the Annals of the Four Masters are no longer like
