"Annals of Clonmacnoise" (a compendium of Irish history of which one copy is in the British Museum), "in the twenty-first year of the age of Abraham, and in the twelfth year of Semiramis, Empress of Assyria." In an old work on the "Antiquities and Origin of Cambridge" it is stated that the ships of "Partholyan" and his followers encountered during their wanderings upon the seas the vessel of a British prince, who gave them a grant of lands in the then unpeopled Ireland. This romance was in Queen Elizabeth's reign made one of the grounds whereby the sovereigns of England laid claim to Ireland.

Partholan was supposed to have resided at one time on an island in the river Erne with his Queen, Elgnatha on Delgnait. Her favorite grayhound, Saimer, was one day slain there by her husband (so at least it is recorded), for which reason the spot received the name "Inish Saimer," which it bears to this day. This colony is also supposed to have been wiped out by pestilence.

Nemedius, the leader of the next band of immigrants, is also called a Greek or a Scythian. It is related that Macha, his wife, was buried near Armagh, which word is a compound of the Gaelic for hill and Macha. Nemedius, or the "Holy One," is, like Partholan, a mythological personage; indeed, he is sometimes represented as a descendant of the latter. He is probably "Dia," the chief deity of the Celts, and Macha is one of the appellatives of "Ana," the mother of the gods. This colony was almost annihilated by the "Fomorians," a race of "African pirates," descendants of Cham. The few Nemedians who escaped divided into three bands, one of which migrated to Northern Europe, while another colonized Britain and the third made its way back to Greece, returning again thence, however, under the name of "Firbolgs" to retake possession of Ireland.

We are told that Achy (or the "Chevalier"), the last King of the Firbolg race, espoused the daughter of Magh Mor, monarch of the Celtiberians (a valiant people of mixed Celtic and Iberian blood), of Spain. Her name was Taillte, a form of which is said to survive in Telltown, the name of a village in Meath, near where her foster son, "Lewy of the Long Hand," who was really a war god of the ancient Irish, was supposed to have instituted national games in her honor. Taillte's husband fell in the battle of South Moytura, near Cong, in Mayo, which, according to the Four Masters, took place A. M. 3303, and of which there are minute accounts in some exceedingly ancient manuscripts, one of which is in the British Museum.

Of course, such descriptions must be imaginary, but several graves of the cremation period have been found on the spot, show

ing that ethnic struggles did undoubtedly take place in the neighborhood.

Probably the Firbolgs were really Iberians, a short, swarthy preCeltic race believed to have come from Egypt or Arabia, and whose descendants yet form part of the population of Connaught.

As mentioned above, another company of the survivors of the Nemedian colony went to Scandinavia. In time they, too, returned to Ireland under the name of "Tuatha de Danaan," or the tribes of De (God) and Ana (the mother of the gods). Modern research has repudiated the notion that these Tuatha de Danaan were a human race, and has proved them to be the divinities of the ancient Celt. Between ten and fourteen centuries before Christ, according to the Irish chronologists, came the Milesians into Ireland. The latest authorities on the subject, however, aver that this immigration took place at a period just preceding the Christian era.

Three Tuatha de Danaan Queens-Eire, Banva and Fiola-are mentioned in the old histories as having fallen in the battle against the new invaders. With them fell their husbands, MacCuill, MacCecht and MacGriene, who were really the gods of the sea, of the plough and of the sun. Each was known under various appellations, and MacCuill, under the name of "Lir," appears undoubtedly to be the prototype of "King Lear," while his son, another Celtic Neptune called "Mananaan MacLir," is yet commemorated in the name of the Isle of "Man."

Many authorities consider that the names of "Ireland" and "Erin” are derived from "Eire," which word is thought to be etymologically connected with "Aryan." In the bardic poems the island is also called "Fiola" and "Banva."

The "Four Masters" and other annalists in describing the struggle between the sons of Milesius, or the "Noble One," and the Tuatha de Danaan mention that in the battle of Slieve Mis (in Kerry) fell Scota, the daughter of Pharoah, wife of Milesius, and tradition still points out her grave in a glen near Tralee.

The legend that Scota was the daughter of a Pharoah received official notice in the fifteenth century. For when Edward I. claimed the overlordship of the Kings of Scotland on the grounds of his descent from the elder son of their common ancestor, Brute the Trojan, the matter was referred to the Papal Court, and the Scotch. commissioner in Rome alleged that his sovereign traced his ancestry back to the Pharoahs through Heremon (son of Milesius and Scota), from whom, or from whose brother Heber, nearly all the Kings of Ireland and Scotland, including those of the House of Stuart, boasted descent.

The story of Scota's Egyptian birth may, however, have easily

grown out of another myth wherein Gadhelus, the eponymous ancestor of the Gaels or Milesians, figures as a contemporary of Moses and as the husband of "Scota," daughter of the Pharoah who was drowned in the Red Sea.

Up to the eleventh century Ireland was called "Scotia," and "Scotia Major" up to even a later date, Scotland being known as "Scotia Minor;" but there seems no satisfactory explanation of the similarity between the words Scota and Scotia, unless Scota, like Britannia, be an allegorical personage.

In the "Dinseancus Mor," a topographical poem by a bard of the sixth century, and in another piece of verse ascribed to the eleventh we learn that Tara, which many authorities claim to have been the oldest royal residence in Europe of whose site we can be certain, was named after "Tea," the cousin and wife of Heremon. This princess, even before landing, obtained a promise from her lord that he would give her "her choice hill of Erinn," where every prince of her race should dwell forever. She chose Drum Cain, or the "beautiful hill," which, although only five hundred feet in height, commanded a view of nearly the whole limestone plain of Ireland.

According to the bardic tale Tea had a sepulchre prepared for herself outside the fortress modeled on the pattern of one of a British Queen of Spanish birth, whose body was taken back to her native land for burial. Tea is supposed to have seen this tomb before coming to Ireland, and she marked out from memory with the pin of her brooch the proportions of a similar grave mound on Drum Cain. Hence the hill acquired the name of "Tea-mur," or Tea's mound, which through the Latinized form of the word became Tara. It seems a pity to spoil this pretty story by confessing that "Teamur" is really an archaic Gaelic term for a balcony or a place commanding a wide view.

It is difficult to find even such legendary accounts of the consorts of the other more or less mythical Irish Kings who reigned before the Christian era. We read, however, that "Hugony the Great" married Ceasair, daughter to a King of the Gauls. The "Four Masters" state that Hugony ruled over the whole of Western Europe as far as "Muir Torrian," which means either the Mediterranean or the Tyrrhean Sea, and died A. M. 4606, that is about B. C. 633.

Ugony's great-grandson, "Lavra of the Ships," King of Ireland about B. C. 550, married Moriath, daughter of the King of West Munster, and the tale of their courtship, found in the "Yellow Book of Lecain," is full of that charm peculiar to the old Celtic compositions. Larva's father and grandfather were treacherously slain by

his uncle, "Coffey the Slender," and he himself was so cruelly treated that he lost in early childhood the power of speech; but it returned to him suddenly one day after he had reached man's estate, whereupon his uncle, who had usurped the throne, endeavored to drive him out of the country. But he only fled, accompanied by his faithful harper, Craftine, into West Munster, where Scoriath, a petty sovereign, took them under his particular protection. Now, Scoriath had a beautiful daughter, whose heart Lavra won, but he could find no opportunity to declare his love for her, as her parents never trusted her out of their sight. One evening, however, Craftine played so exquisitely on his harp that the King and Queen became fascinated and inadvertently withdrew their attention from the princess, whom Lavra hastily persuaded to follow him to a more retired spot. As soon as the lovers were out of hearing Craftine proceeded to lull the whole company to sleep by the power of music, nor suffered them to awake until his master and Lady Moriath had plighted their vows and reappeared in the hall. Nevertheless, the Queen's suspicions were soon aroused by the demeanor of her daughter, and presently the story of the ruse had to be confessed. At first Scoriath was infuriated, but quickly calmed down and bestowed the maiden's hand on the royal exile. Shortly afterwards Lavra made a voyage to Gaul and induced his cousin, the King of that country, to supply him with a band of 2,200 warriors, by whose aid he defeated and slew Coffey. These Gaulish troops were armed with broad-headed green spears called "Leighlin," from which word the name of Leinster has been derived.

At a period which the eleventh century annalist Tigernach (copies of whose works are in the Bodleian Library and the British Museum) considered the beginning of authentic Irish history, "Macha of the Golden Tressses" reigned in Ireland. Although modern authorities regard her as a mythological personage, she figures in her romantic story, which is to be found in the "Book of Leinster" and other manuscripts, as a mortal Queen. Her father, Hugh the Red, was one of three Kings "who were upon Erin in co-sovereignty," and who made a compact whereby each should reign seven years in turn. This arrangement lasted for sixty-three years, when Hugh was accidentally drowned in the river Erne. The two other princes, Dithorba and Kimbay, considered now that the kingship lay between them, and refused to recognize the rights of Hugh's heiress on the grounds of her sex, whereupon Macha got together an army, vanquished and slew Dithorba and drove his sons into exile. She then made peace with Kimbay, who presently married her. Finding herself now securely seated on the throne, this energetic princess journeyed into Connaught to seek the banished off

spring of her dead rival, and having discovered their retreat she enslaved them and made them build her a palace called Emania, from "Eo-Muin," a breastpin, for it was with such an implement she traced out the plan.

The remains of this celebrated residence of the Ulster Kings cover a space of twelve acres close to Armagh City. It was called "Emania the Golden," in allusion to its magnificence, although the buildings must have been only of wood, since merely earthworks and ramparts and no traces of stonework have survived. It was destroyed in the fourth century of our era. Some of the annalists state that Macha flourished some four centuries before Christ, but the "Four Masters" date her reign three centuries earlier, and mention that she was foster-mother to Hugony the Great.

About the time that the Romans conquered Britain there reigned in Ulster a King Fachtna, who was wedded to a beautiful lady named Nessa, by whom he had a son called Conor. While Conor was still a child Fachtna died and the sovereignty of Ulster devolved on a prince named Fergus MacRossa, probably because he was judged more fit to govern, having reached man's estate. This was quite in accordance with the ancient Irish laws of succession, whereby the fittest ruler among the late King's kinsfolk was considered his rightful heir.

Fergus sought Nessa in marriage, but she would accept his proposal only on condition that he would resign the throne for a year in favor of the fifteen-year-old Conor, so that the latter's children. should be called "the children of a King." Fergus agreed to do this, and Nessa at once set about winning over the principal chiefs to support her son. She also surrounded him with wise counsellors, and consequently the boy's administration of affairs gave such satisfaction that the Ultonians insisted on retaining him as their permanent monarch. He is the hero of many legends under the name of "Conor MacNessa."

The most famous of all the Irish Queens was Maev of Connaught, daughter of Achy the Sigher, King of Ireland, whom the eleventh century historian, "Flann of the Monastery," synchronized with Julius Cæsar. This princess was first married to Conor MacNessa, but, notwithstanding his mental and physical perfections, she soon left him to return to Tara. About the same time Achy's three sons fell in a rebellion against him. They had been assisted during the insurrection by the people of Connaught, and to reduce the province to submission the monarch set up his beautiful strongminded daughter as Queen of the West, providing her from among the native chiefs with a consort named Aillil. Maev was, however, soon left a widow, whereupon she journeyed in state to Naas, the