And still great Gaul more furious grew,
Until the warrior bold he slew,

And bore in triumph from the strand,

The severed visage in his hand.

OSSIAN.

XII.

"O Patrick! may not pity weep
To think how fierce the combat burned;
How many warriors crossed the deep,
How few to home returned,

All doomed to Erin's arms to yield,
All left upon the battle-field?"

able, as they were not equal to them in number. The English pursued; but not overtaking them, returned. O'Donnell being informed of this, he determined to lay a snare for the foreigners on the same passage. He selected 100 of the best horsemen of his army, and 300 infantry, with their bows and quivers. He ordered them to lie in ambush within a mile of Sligo, and to send a small squadron of horse to the banks of the river to decoy the English army, and, if pursued, not to wait for an engagement, until they should have come beyond the place where the ambuscade was laid. This was accordingly done. When Captain Marten perceived the small squadron of cavalry on the bank of the river, he advanced directly with a numerous body of cavalry, to wreak his vengeance upon them. The others at first moved slowly and leisurely before them; but these young heroes were soon obliged to incite their horses forward, the English having pursued them with such speed and vehemence. One of them, namely, Felim Reagh Mac Devit," was, however, compelled to remain behind, in consequence of the slowness of his horse, and, being unable to accompany his own people, he was obliged to disobey the orders of his lord, that is, to fight the English before he had passed the ambuscade. As he was certain of being immediately slain, he turned his face to the nearest of his pursuers, who was Captain Marten; and as he (Captain Marten) raised his arm to strike his antagonist with his weapon, Felim placed his finger on the string of his javelin, which he had in readiness to discharge, so that he struck Captain Marten directly in the arm pit, and pierced his heart in his breast. was covered with mail except in the spot where he was wounded. The English seeing their champion mortally wounded, returned back, carrying him in the agonies of death to the town, where he died that night. O'Donnell was greatly enraged at the failure of his ambuscade, till he heard of the cause, and that the captain died the following day."

He

The region around Cean Teileann, the scene of the preceding Lay, was also the scene of other events which might claim the notice of the historian as well as of the bard. The following is one which is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters, A.D. 1590:

"The son of O'Donnell attempted to depose his father, after he had

"Felim Reagh Mac Devit is still vividly remembered in the traditions of the barony of Inishowen, in the county of Donegal. He was the head of the Mac Devits of Inishowen, who are a branch of the O'Dohertys, and the very man who afterwards burned the town of Derry, from which circumstance the Mac Devits are, even to this day, called Burnderrys by their Presbyterian neighbours. They are at present a very numerous sept in the neighbourhood of Londonderry, and throughout the barony of Inishowen."- Note, p. 1979.

Partes rimatur apertas

Qua vulnus letale ferat.-VIRG., En. xi, 748.

grown weak and feeble (from age), and after his other son had been imprisoned in Dublin. It was cause of great anguish and sickness of mind to Ineenduv, the daughter of James M'Donnell, that Donnell should make such an attempt, lest he might attain the chieftainship of Tirconnell in preference to her son Hugh Roe, who was confined in Dublin; she therefore assembled all the Kinel Connell who were obedient to her husband, viz., O'Dogherty, Mac Sweeny, and others, with their forces, and a great number of Scots. On receiving intelligence of their muster, he assembled his forces to meet them, at Doirc-leathan, the broad derry or oak wood, to the west of Gleann Cholium Cille. The other party did not halt till they came to that place; and a battle ensued between them which was fiercely fought on both sides. The Scots discharged a shower of arrows from their elastic bows, by which they pierced and wounded great numbers, and among them the son of O'Donnell himself, who, being unable to display prowess or defend himself, was slain at Doirc-leathan, on one side of the harbour of Telinn, on the 14th of September, 1590. Around him were slain the three sons of Owen of Mulmurry, with two hundred others."—Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, p. 1893.

THE LAY

OF THE

DEFENCE OF THE PALACE OF TARA.

THE Irish original of the following poem, with a literal translation inte English, was once kindly lent to the author by James Hardiman, Esq. It was entitled Laoi an buadais-Poem of Victory. But as that title has no particular correspondence with its subject, he has given it a name expressive of the principal fact which it records; and which is thus noticed in the catalogue of the Irish MSS. in the Royal Irish Academy, vol. ii. :-Finn Mac Cumhail, "in his early youth, went to Tarah, to attend the annual feast given by the monarch, who received the youth with great kindness and distinction. At this time Conn was much annoyed at a circumstance of annual occurrence, the burning of the palace of Tara, by a fairy chief from Sliabh Fuaid, whose custom it was to set all the company at Tara to sleep by the sweetness of his music, and while they were in that condition to burn the palace. On the present occasion Conn arose and said to the assembly, that he who would guard Tara and prevent its being burned that night should get all his inheritance guaranteed to him freely for ever, and if he had been deprived of any part of it before, that it should be restored to him; and to this the monarch bound himself in the usual way. The youthful Finn immediately accepted the conditions, and killed the fairy chief, whose name was Aillen Mac Midhna."

ARGUMENT.-Patrick requests Ossian to inform him of the cause of the enmity between the Clanna Boisgne and the Clanna Morni, intimating that the latter were superior in valour to the former. This supposition is felt by Ossian as an indignity; and he proceeds to tell how Cumhall had sent the tribe of Morni into exile, for which injury he was slain by Gaul; but if Nuagadh Neacht, king of Tara, from whom Finn was descended, had been living, he would have gained the victory which Cumhall lost. He then informs Patrick that at the great annual festival of Samhain, the palace of Tara was regularly burned, in defiance of Gaul and all his tribe. To prevent such a catastrophe in future, the monarch Conn despatched a messenger to Finn and the Fenians, requiring their immediate services. On their arrival the monarch asked

* Macpherson informs us that "it was usual with Fingal, when he returned from his expeditions, to send his bards singing before him. This species of triumph is called by Ossian, the Song of Victory."

who would undertake to defend the palace against the threatened calamity. Finn replied by asking what reward would be given to its defender, and Conn promises the possession of a fortress, a princely estate, and all the titles enjoyed by his father. Finn acknowledges such rewards to be great, and worthy of a monarch to bestow. On his expression of some doubt as to the fulfilment of the promise, Conn solemnly protests that it shall be performed, and if not, his honour would be forfeited with the privilege of ever contending against a foe in arms. Finn then requests, since the task is arduous, that he may have the aid of some brave warrior, and particularly of Gaul. Finn, having received a gracious answer, that he shall have all the aid he asks, desires those under his command to be properly equipped. Gaul promises to pay all arrears of tribute for the Fenians, and Finn goes forth to oppose the besiegers, whose assault he vigorously repels. Next morning he was seen bearing the head of the principal assailant high on the shaft of his spear. Gaul extols the valour of Finn, whom he desires to retain as one of his champions. Finn then informs Gaul that he was the son of Cumhall, who fell before his birth, but that now he is a warrior not unworthy to be associated with the chiefs of Clanna Morni. He then proposes to go with him to Tailtean, where the games were about to be celebrated. The two chiefs become closely united in friendship, and the rewards promised by the monarch are shared between them. The Lay concludes by stating, that though Erin could boast of many gallant warriors, they were unable to defend the palace of Teamor from being burned by Aillen, the son of Midhna, and that Finn was the only one ever found successfully to oppose him.

O hospitable Ossian tell,

I.

What woes the Fenian host befel;
And whence the dismal strife arose
That made the sons of Boisgne foes
To Morni's race; though braver far
Than Finn's, in all the deeds of war.

OSSIAN.-Let not thy erring words defame
My noble sire's illustrious name.
What! must thou yet, O sage, be told

How Cumhall into exile sent

The tribes of Morni fierce and bold,
Their daring to repent?

How Gaul to vengeance quickly flew,
And Cumhall in his fury slew?

The battle of the hills too well,
Alas! can faithful memory tell.
And how, on Lena's fatal ground,*
He stood with bloody victory crowned.
Had Nuagadh† lived-of men the flower—
The day of Foala he had won;

His chace and game, with hand of power,
Had borne from Morni's shielded son.

On Lena's fatal ground

He stood with bloody victory crowned.

A dispute having arisen between Eugenius, king of Munster, and Conn of the hundred battles, respecting the profits of the ship-duties and fisheries of the bay of Dublin, they determined to decide their controversy by the sword. Accordingly, as O'Flaherty informs us (Ogygia, vol. ii., p. 212), their respective armies met (A. D. 192), "in the plain of Moy-Lena in Ferakelly, in the King's county. Conn, being inferior in point of forces, had recourse to stratagem; having attacked the improvident enemy very early in the morning, he obtained a very signal victory. Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat? Goll, the son of Morna, killed Eugenius, who, not apprehending any attack from the enemy, was asleep."

Were there any truth in this statement, it would be fatal to the honour of Gaul as a brave and chivalrous knight, and in express contradiction to the following record by O'Halloran, vol. i., p. 238 :—

"On the day prior to the conflict, it was proposed in a council of war, held by Conn, that on account of the superior numbers of the enemy, they should be attacked by surprise, at night, or before daybreak next morning. To all this the council agreed, except Goll Mac Morni, the monarch's general and chief of the knights of Connaught, who, rising up, said :-' On the day that my first arms were put into my hands, I solemnly vowed never to attack an enemy at night, by surprise, or under any kind of disadvantage; to this day I have religiously adhered to this promise, nor shall I now break it. The attack was, however, agreed on, but Goll declared he would not be in the field before daylight.' The assailants met with a fierce resistance. The armies on both sides fought

With such a brave delight
As Erin's warriors ever fight.

"Conn being hard pressed, as the clear day appeared, called on Gaul and his knights to make a charge on the king of Munster, who, being already dangerously wounded, soon fell, and with him, his brother-in-law, the prince of Spain. The body of Eogan, pierced by a thousand wounds, was raised up on the shields of the soldiery, and exposed to the view of both armies; which Goll perceiving, cried out-Lay down the body of the king of Munster, for he died as a hero should die."""

O'Flaherty says "there are yet to be seen at this place two hills, in one of which we are informed the corpse of Eugenius was interred; and the corpse of Fræch, the Spaniard, who was also slain there, was interred in the other. Conn, after this engagement, being proclaimed monarch of Ireland, reigned twenty years in uninterrupted peace and tranquillity."

† Finn Mac Cumhall was descended from NUAGADH NEACHT, king of Tara.

* Mac Curtin says in Connaught. See the prefatory note to Illan, p. 239.