The first page of the book is nearly illegible,
but it was restored on inserted paper in very good
hand, at Carn Oilltriallaigh in Connacht, on the
1st of November, 1698. by S. Mac Conmhidhe.
The account of the Battle of Clontarf just allu¬
eded to, is especially interesting because it con¬
tains many details not to be found in any of the
other annals now remaining to us.
In chronology as well as the general character,
the Annals of Loch Ce resemble the Annals of
Tighernach, the Annals of Ulster, and the Chron¬
icum Scotorum; but are much more copious in
details of the affairs of Connacht than any of our
other Annals, not excepting, even, perhaps, the
Chronicle now known as the Annals of Connacht,
a collection which will presently engage our att¬
ention. And as all these additional affairs involve
much of family history and topography, every it¬
em of them will be deemed valuable by the dilig¬
ent investigator of our history and antiquities.
The dates are always written in the original
hand, and in Roman numerals, represented by I¬
rish letters.
The text is all in the ancient * Gaedhilic charac¬
ters, and mainly in the Gaedhlic language, but
occasionally with Latin, particularly in recording
births and deaths, when sometimes a sentence is
given partly in both languages, as at A.D. 1087,
which runs thus — 'The Battle of Connchail in the
territory of Corann (in Sligo), was gained by Ror¬
y O'Connor of the yellow hound, son of Hugh of
the gapped spear, over Hugh the son of Art O'¬
Ruairc; and the best men of Conmaicne were
slaughtered and slain.
'In this year was born Torloch O'Conor.'
The following specimen of the style and copio¬
usness of the Annals of Loch Ce, may be appro¬
priately introduced. The same events are given
but a few lines in the Annals of the Four Masters,
A.D. 1256. It is the account of the celebrated
Battle of Magh Slecht (the Plain of Genuflexion).
'A great army was raised by Walter Mac Rick¬
ard Mac William Burke, against Fedhlim, the son
of Cathal Craobhdhearg [or Cathal O'Connor of
the red hand], and against Aedh [or Hugh the son
of Feidhlim; and against the son of Tighernan O'¬
Ruairc. And it was a long time before this period
since a host so numerous as this was collected in
Erinn, for their number was counted as twenty
thousand to a man. And these great hosts march¬
ed to Magh-Eo [Mayo] of the Saxons, and from
that to Balla, and from that all over Luighne [Ley¬
ney], and they ravaged Luighne in all directions
around them. And they came to Achadh Conaire
[Achonry], and sent messengers thence to the O'¬
Radhallaigh [O'Reillys], calling upon them to
come to meet them at Cros-Doire-Chaoin, upon
the south end of Brat-Shlabh in Tir-Tuathal. And
the O'Reillys came to Clochan Mucadha on Sliabh
an-Iarainn, but they turned back without having
obtained a meeting from the English.
'It was on that very day, Friday precisely, and
the day of the festival of the Cross, above all days
that Conchobar the son of Tighernan O'Ruairc,
assembled the men of Breifne and Conmaicne,
and all others whom he could, under the com¬
mand of Aedh O'Conor, as were also the best men
of Connacht, and the Siol Muireadhaigh [the O'¬
Conors].
(To be continued)
* Here is something to show the antiquity of
the Irish letter.
THE IRISH UNIVERSITY.
At a late meeting of the Catholic bishops of Ire¬
land they, as usual, formulated their immemorial
complaint and protest against the system of edu¬
cation, primary, intermediate and university at pre¬
sent existing in that interesting island. On this
matter the bishops have done little else within the
memory of man but complain. In the first place
they neglected the primary education of the people
until the Protestant archbishop Wheatley founded
the National Schools and handed over the child¬
ren of Catholic Ireland for ever and ever to the
State for their schooling. In course of time, as
this system was seen to be effective in destroying
the Irish language and the true ancient Irish na¬
tional sentiment, the majority of the bishops ac¬
epted it and had Rome to approve their choice.
They founded a few colleges for the training of the
the children of the wealthier Catholics, and made
them, as Mrs. Sullivan of Chicago boasts in a re¬
ent magazine article, more English than the Eng¬
lish themselves — if, as Thomas Davis said, it is
English to value nothing but money and what mo¬
ney can buy, to deem nothing on earth below or
heaven above of value but pelf, to selfish and sor¬
didly super-selfish, then the Irish who had the be¬
nefit of that English-making system of higher Ca¬
tholic education are truly more English than the
English themselves. But Englishmen have a coun¬
try which they love and serve while loving and ser¬
ving themselves; the anglicized Irish, however, of
the Keogh, Sadlier and O'Flaherty type had a
country only to barter and betray — so after all re¬
negade Irish are not for that reason superfine En¬
glishmen. As far as the bishops had control in
the past of Irish higher education they made no
very great success of it, except in keeping it clear
of all that would give it an Irish tone or coloring.
Now it is becoming apparent to all that this
precious system of strangulation of everything I¬
rish has utterly destroy the genius of the Irish
people. They have no great poet, novelist or hu¬
morist, Justin McCarthy remarks. They have no
great scientists, historian or inventor, for Tyndall
and Leckey though born in Ireland are as English
as Wellington or Canning. The Irish certainly
had great artistic, musical and poetical talents,
and in humor as a people they were once supreme
but all this has gone with the Irish tongue. Some
of the most national of the Irish journals admit
that it is hard to make the Irish people enthusias¬
tic over this University grogramme of the pishops.
We should not forget that not long ago they were
nearly growing quite suddenly very enthusiastic
against it. When we search the bishops' prog¬
ramme of improvements for anything Irish, we
look in vain. There is no suggestion as to the
teaching the Irish language in the schools, colle¬
ges and University, that is a disideratum — the na¬
tionalist members of parlament are not instructed
to obstruct the government until full and adeq¬
uate provision is made for publishing the most
important Irish national MSS. and for teaching
the Irish national literature. Such an Irish edu¬
catinal heresy would not dare lift its audacious
face in their lordships' presence. For years and
generations the patient, trampled Irish people
longed and hoped that their beloved language and
literature would yet be taught in the schools.
They did so much to obtain for the bishops and
clergy everything that their hearts could desire,
and would not they who alone had the power, do
