The Triads Of Ireland Part 20

32. .i. leime tara do tugsat.

33. .i. bailte bodaich.

34. tri clothra .i. coimhthineoil cluacha no uirdherca.

36. Dun Sobairchi and Dun Cermna are, according to tradition, the oldest stone forts in Ireland, having been built by Sobairche and Cermna, who divided Ireland between them, about 1500 B.C., the former placing his dun in the extreme north, the latter in the extreme south on the Old Head of Kinsale.

37. Sliab Cua (or, by eclipse after the neuter _sliab_, Gua), 'the hollow mountain,' or 'mountain of hollows' (_cua_ = Lat. _cavus_), the native name for the Knockmealdown mountains on the borders of Tipperary and Waterford.

42. Dercc Ferna was demolished by the Norse in 930. Hennessy, in a note on the entry in the AU., says that it is supposed to be the cave of Dunmore, not far from the city of Kilkenny, but adds "apparently on insufficient evidence."

44. i. ionadha dona no nemhchonaig. Here we get the only gloss in L.

Bangor is said to be unlucky, "because of its having been destroyed so often." It was frequently plundered by the Norse during the ninth century. As to the kings.h.i.+p of Mugdorn Maigen (now Cremorne barony, Co.

Monaghan), it certainly was an ill-fated dynasty. Of the sixteen kings of this tribe who are mentioned in the Annals of Ulster, ten were put to death, of whom one (Suibne) was slain by his own brothers, while two brothers, Gilla Ciarain and Maelmuaid, were slain within the same year (1020), the latter after having been king for but one day.

45. Beyond the fact that the three tribes here mentioned belonged to the _aithech-thuatha_ or rent-paying tribes, I know nothing to throw light on the triad.

51. In Harl. 5280, p. 75a, marg. inf., Druimm nDrobeoil is said to derive its name from a horse called Drobel. (Ech Dedad. i. Drobel a ainm diata Druim nDrob_eoil_.)

56. Here H. has the absurd etymological gloss futhairbhe .i. fothirbhe .i. tir mhaith na mbeo, no ferann maith.

60. Leim Congcoluinn i gcondae in Chlair.

64. .i. miodhchonach duine. Suighe c.u.mhang .i. deireoil.

65. iarmar cleithe .i. salchar na cleithe d'f.a.gbhail a bferann.

drithlennach .i. ferthain anuas no linn thrid.

66. The first two items occur also in the list of proverbial sayings addressed by the Wizard Doctor to Mac Conglinne (_Aisl. Maic C._, p.

73), with the significant variation that 'a veteran in the abbots.h.i.+p'

has become 'a veteran in the bishop's chair,' showing that the 'Vision of Mac Conglinne' was composed at a time when the diocese had superseded the old monastic const.i.tution. As to the 'drop upon the altar,' though O'Neachtain's gloss explains it as 'rain' (bainne .i. fer[th]uinn anuas), the Rev. Mr. O'Sullivan has furnished me with a much more likely explanation. He thinks it refers to the spilling of the consecrated wine from the chalice, which is considered a most unfortunate accident. No one but a priest is allowed to touch or remove it.

71. .i. tri donais mhic bodaigh. re oigthigerna .i. re duine uasal. for thascar righ .i. ceimionnadh mora do ghlacadh air (!) .i. do thabhairt uaidhe do striopach (!) .i. do thocaidhibh no ar son gatuigechtadh.

72. targha .i. tineol no cruinnugadh .i. malairt [.f]erainn mhaith ar dhrochferonn.

74. haonaighe nesairte .i. eisert .i. bochtain lag. gan airdhe .i. gan comhartha no arra aige le gcennocha ni.

75. caol srithide a foilleirb .i. an sreab bainne da chru .i. soidech.

.i. fochan an gheamhair. for tuinn .i. faoi an cennar chroichin .i. ag denamh druithnechuis.

76. dorn daimh .i. cos ag treabhath.

77. mes .i. o laimh. tomharas .i. o [.s]uil. cubhus .i. ona coimhesa .i.

coimhfiosa.

79. eadruidh .i. adhaltraigh. cluithe .i. clesuighes. ceilighe .i.

cuairt.

80. maoin .i. tabhartus d'f.a.ghail uaide.

81. dognas .i. nemhghnas. diomaoinche .i. dith maoine .i. do chuid do bhuain dhiod.

83. troich .i. do gerr[.s]aoghul. Cp. _Aisl. Maic Conglinne_, p. 71, 20.

84. aine la daor .i. saidhbrios ag daor neimhnidh .i. aithioch no fer gan senchus. doidheilbh .i. duine gran[n]amh.

85. bo bennach gan eas .i. sreibh no bainne. tothacht .i. gan tabhacht faoithe .i. tochus.

86. aibhle .i. splangca lasta gradha. aladh .i. hesa maith.

87. .i. tri ni curthar a ttaisge ara ccurtar caithemh. mna .i. taisge.

88. teidhe (_sic_) .i. aonaigh.

89. Seghaine .i. caomha no seimhe. fathrann .i. rann fathach. adhbhann tri ciuil do [.s]einimh duine eile. berradh .i. eolus berr[th]a no do bherrath go des. These three accomplishments were united in the person of Mac Dichoeme, the barber of King Eochaid with horse's ears (_Otia Merseiana_, III., p. 47), and in Donnbo (_Three Fragments_, p. 34, and Rev. Celt. 24, p. 44).

90. cluiche tenn .i. sugradh ten[n]. abhacht go n-aithis .i. sugradh le masla do thabairt.

91. .i. iar n-ealo ona fer fein. foileimnighe .i. chum do gerrtha .i.

iar leigion sealga uaithe.

92. foghladha .i. gadaighe.

93. .i. tri haonarain is ferr iona iomad. .i. began do chaint mhaith.

.i. ag ol fleadha no sec[h]na imresain.

94 brona .i. hamghaire. .i. deglaoch nach saiseocha cach. .i. ga nderna ina ainim munath sasaigh[th]e e.

95. .i. faoi ndentar magaid. lonn .i. fergach. eataigh .i. eudmhar.

dibhach .i. doichleach.

99. gretha .i. garrtha. .i. gair ag fodhail a mbidh. grith suidhe .i.

chuman[n] bhidh. .i. ag eirghe on mbiadh.

101. .i. postaidhe fir boigechta .i. boiggniomh. imgellad .i.

sior-c[h]ur geallta. iomarbhaigh .i. comortas. imresain .i.

conspoidedha.

103. luirge .i. a bhata no a mhna (lorg .i. ben, abhall, laoch, leo, arg).

104. da maoidhemh air fein gan nech da chur cuige.

105. os focherd a congan .i. fiadh chuires de a benna.

106. sceinbh .i. ionadha baoghlacha dochum sceinm do chur i neach no ionada sccunamhla.

107. allabair .i. mac-alla no iollabhar is gnath a bhfod o neach.