56 Mr. PETRIE'S Inquiry into the Origin and 



Thus Colgan, also, translates the passage of the Annals of the Four Masters, 

 which were compiled chiefly for his use, and which it would be folly to suppose 

 he did not thoroughly understand : 



" A. D. 995. Ardmacha cum Basilicis, turribus, aliisque omnibus cedificiis incendio ex flumine 

 [fuhnine] generate, tota vastatur, $c." Trias. Thaum. p. 297. 



Dr. O'Conor, however, who defends his hypothesis with all sorts of weapons, 

 objects to Colgan's version of this passage, as being neither literal, nor explana- 

 tory of the words, nor reconcileable with what is written in the Annals about other 

 belfries, as regards either the form or construction of the ancient Round Towers 

 (Proleg. ubi supra, p. 49); but these assertions are not borne out. Colgan, who 

 had no fine-spun theory to uphold, gave what he knew to be the general mean- 

 ing of the passage in the Annals of the Four Masters, as far as he considered it 

 necessary to his purpose, which was to record the destruction of the sacred 

 edifices of Armagh; and he leaves the word pibneiriub untranslated, because, 

 as I shall presently prove, it was not a building of any kind. If then, bearing 

 this in mind, we analyze his translation, it will be as follows. For the words 

 Gptmiacha DO loyxxcD t>o rene pai^nen, he gives us very correctly, leaving 

 the verb to close the sense at the end, ArdmacJia incendio e.r fulmine generate; 

 he then inverts the order of the words of the annalists, to bring the buildings 

 into their proper place, according to their relative importance, and translates 

 ecciji Oorhuliacc, bycwm Basilicis; next cloicreacha, or belfries, by turribus; 

 and lastly cijjib, or houses, which he thought of the least importance, by aliis 

 omnibus (edificiis ; then, passing over the word pibneimef), as unnecessary to 

 his purpose, he translates oo h-uile DilgenD, by tota vastatur. 



That the preceding analysis is the true one will appear incontrovertible, 

 when I have shown hereafter the true meaning of the word pforeirheb, and that 

 Dr. O'Conor himself knew he was attempting an imposition on his readers by 

 giving a different meaning to Colgan's words, would almost appear certain, 

 from our finding him elsewhere actually falsifying the text of this very passage 

 in Colgan, to support his hypothesis. Thus, in a note on the original passage 

 in the Annals of the Four Masters, he writes : 



"Notanda est distinctio inter Cloicteacka (campanilia) et Fidneimftedh (tuires,) vox derivata &fiad 

 (index sen testimonium,) et neimhedh (coelorum.) Colganus, ad hunc textum referens, destructionem 

 enarrat Ecdesice, Campanilium, et Twrium Ardmachfe, anno hoc, unde sequitur turres non campa- 

 nilia fuisse, sed potius indicia ccelestia ad Solstitia, ^Equinoctia, et Ccelorum motus iridicandos I" 



