NOTES TO FINGAL.

DUAN I.

P. 4. v. 1. CUCHULLIN. Cuthullin the son of Semo, and grandson to Caithbat, a druid celebrated in tradition for his wisdom and valour. Cuthullin when very young married Bragela the daughter of Sorglan, and passing over into Ireland, lived for some time with Connal, grandson by a daughter to Congal the petty king of Ulster. His wisdom and valour in a short time gained him such reputation, that in the minority of Cormac, the supreme king of Ireland, he was chosen guardian to the young king, and sole manager of the war against Swaran king of Lochlin. After a series of great actions he was killed in battle somewhere in Connaught, in the twenty-seventh year of his age. He was so remarkable for his strength, that to describe a strong man it has passed into a proverb, "He has the strength of Cuthullin." They shew the remains of his palace at Dunscaich in the Isle of Skye; and a stone, to which he bound his dog Luath, goes still by his name.

P. 4. v. 5. Cairbar or Cairbre, signifies a fierce strong man.

P. 4. v. 7. 'Nuair thainig fear coimheid a chuain,] Cuthullin having previous intelligence of the invasion intended by Swaran, sent scouts all over the coast of Ullin, or Ulster, to give early notice of the first appearance of the enemy, at the same time that he sent Munan the son of Stirmal to implore the assistance of Fingal. He himself collected the flower of the Irish youth to Tura, a castle on the coast, to stop the progress of the enemy till Fingal should arrive from Scotland. We may conclude from Cuthullin's applying so early for foreign aid, that the Irish were not then so numerous as they have since been; which is a great presumption against the high antiquities of that people. We have the testimony of Tacitus, that one legion only was thought sufficient, in the time of Agricola, to reduce the whole island under the Roman yoke; which would not probably have been the case had the island been inhabited for any number of centuries before.

P. 4. v. 8. Fithil.] Fithil, or rather Fili, an inferior bard.

P. 4. v. 13. Moran.] Signifies many, or the great one.

P. 4. v. 16. Fionnghal.] Fingal the son of Comhal and Morna the daughter of Thaddu. His grandfather was Trathal, and great grandfather Trenmor, both of whom are often mentioned in the poem.

P. 6. v. 37. Meallmor] Signifies a great hill.

P. 8. v. 52. Buail sgiath Sheuma,] Cabait, or rather Cathbait, grandfather to the hero, was so remarkable for his valour, that his shield was made use of to alarm his posterity to the battles of the family. We find Fingal making the same use of his own shield in the 4th book. A horn was the most common instrument to call the army together.

P. 8. v. 61. Curtha.] Signifies the madness of battle.

P. 8. v. 64. Cruth-geal,] Fair complexion.

P. 10. v. 95. Cromleac.] Signified a place of worship among the Druids. It is here the proper name of a hill on the coast of Ullin or Ulster.

P. 12. v. 109. Conal.] The friend of Cuthullin, was the son of Caithbait prince of the Tongorma, or the island of blue waves, probably one of the Hebrides. His mother was Fioncoma the daughter of Congal. He had a son by Foba of Conacharnessar, who was afterwards petty king of Ulster. For his services in the war against Swaran he had lands conferred on him, which, from his name, were called Tir-chonnuil or Tir-connel, i. e. the land of Connal.

P. 12. v. 118. Eirin.] A name of Ireland; from ear or iar West, and in an island. This name was not always confined to Ireland, for there is the highest probability that the Ierne of the ancients was Britain to the North of the Forth. For Ierne is said to be to the North of Britain, which could not be meant of Ireland.-Strabo, 1. 1, 2, and 4, Causab. 1. 1.

P. 14. v. 133. Calmar.] Calmar, or Calmear, a strong man.

P. 14. v. 141. Lochlin.] Lochlin, or Lochlan, the Gaelic name of Scandinavia in general.

P. 14. v. 145. Innis-torc.] The Orkney Islands.

P. 16. v. 178. Dubhchomar.] A black well-made man.

P. 16. v. 179. Fearguis.] Fearguis, or Fearguith, the man of the word;

or a commander of an army.

P. 18 v. 188. A Chuchullin, tha ceithir chlachan

Air Caithbaid taisgte 'san uaigh.] This passage alludes

to the manner of burial among the ancient Scots. They opened a grave six or eight feet deep; the bottom was lined with fine clay: and on this they laid the body of the deceased, and, if a warrior, his sword, and the heads of twelve arrows by his side. Above they laid another stratum of clay, in which they placed the horn of a deer, the symbol of hunting. The whole was covered with a fine mould, and four stones placed on end to mark the extent of the grave. These are the four stones alluded to here.

P. 18. v. 211. Muirne.] A woman beloved by all.

P. 24. v. 269. 'S dorcha Dubhchomar na fheirg.] She alludes to his name, the dark man.

P. 24. v. 281. Moina] Signifies soft in temper and person.

P. 26. v. 297. Siubh' ladh iad mu m' charbad mòr,

Faiceam an scleo air neoil nan gleann.] It was the opinion then, as indeed it is to this day, of some of the Highlanders, that the souls of the deceased hovered round their living friends; and sometimes appeared to them when they were about to enter on any great undertaking.

P. 36. v. 439. Sithaluinn.] Sithaluinn, or rather Suidh-aluinn, signifies a gay handsome man.

P. 36. v. 440. Ardan] Signifies pride.

P. 36. v. 455. Dubh-srongheal.] One of Cuthullin's horses.

P. 36. v. 456. Sithfada.] i. e. a long stride, another of Cuthullin's horses.

P. 36. v. 462. Nighean uasal Innis nan long, &c.] The noble maid of of the Island of Ships, was the daughter of Gorlo king of Inistore or Orkney islands. Trenar was brother to the king of Iniscon, supposed to be one of the islands of Shetland. The Orkneys and Shetland were at that time subject to the king of Lochlin. We find that the dogs of the Trenar are sensible at home of the death of their master, he is killed. It was the opinion of the times, that the souls of heroes went immediately after death to the hills of their country, and the scenes they frequented the most happy time of their life. It was thought too that dogs and horses saw the ghosts of the deceased.

P. 40. v. 504. Air a bheinn air fad an fhraoich

very

instant

Charnadh le Daorghlas an tsealg, &c.] The ancient manner of preparing feasts after hunting, is handed down by tradition.

A pit lined with smooth stones was made; and near it stood a heap of smooth flat stones of the flint kind. The stones as well as the pit were properly heated with heath. Then they laid some venison in the bottom, and a stratum of the stones above it; and thus they did alternately till the pit was full. The whole was covered over with heath to confine the steam. Whether this is probable I cannot say; but some pits are shewn, which the vulgar say, were used in that manner.

P. 44. v. 576. Sruth Chòna nan toirm mall.] The Cona here mentioned is that small river that runs through Glenco in Argyleshire. One of the hills which environ that romantic valley is still called Scornafena, or the hill of Fingal's people.

P. 44. v. 577. Thuirt Carull, "san àm o shean &c.] This episode is introduced with propriety. Calmar and Connal, two of the Irish heroes, had disputed warmly before the battle about engaging the enemy. Carril endeavours to reconcile them with the story of Cairbar and Grudar; who, though enemies before, fought side by side in the war. The poet obtained his aim, for we find Calmar and Connal perfectly reconciled in the third book.

P. 46. v. 586. Gulbuinn.] Gulbuinn, or rather Gulbeinn, signifies a crooked hill.

P. 46. v. 597. Lubar.] A river in Ulster. Labhar, loud, noisy. P. 48. v. 614. Braigh-soluis] Signifies a woman with a white breast.

P. 52. v. 665. Tannas churaidh thuit 'sa 'bhlàr, &c.] It was long the opinion of the ancient Scots, that a ghost was heard shrieking near the place where a death was to happen soon after. The accounts given, to this day, among the vulgar, of this extraordinary matter, are very poetical. The ghost comes mounted on a meteor, and surrounds twice or thrice the place destined for the person to die; and then goes along the road through which the funeral is to pass, shrieking at intervals; at last, the meteor and ghost disappear above the burial place.