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earliest dawn of authentic history, we find sucli an intercourse in 

 peace and war between the northern province and the Highlands 

 and Isles of Scotland, as must have effectually contaminated the 

 Milesian blood, if any existed there. During- the eighth and ninth 

 centuries the whole island was in possession of Danes, Norwegians, 

 and other tribes of Ostmen. They were known by the general 

 name of Galls ; and a district near Dublin is still occupied by Fin- 

 galls. Long after their overthrow at Clontarf by Brian Boiromhe, 

 they were masters of Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, and other ma- 

 ritime places ; and were powerful allies of Strongbow. The inva- 

 sion under Henry IL introduced a new description of colonists into 

 Leinster and Munster ; and territories in Ulster were assigned to De 

 Courcy and De Lacy. Two baronies in Wexford are still inha- 

 bited by the posterity of the first invaders ; and from their time till 

 the Reformation, a period of four hundred years, there was a regu- 

 lar influx of English Catholics, and among them the ancestors of 

 the principal families of that communion. The Irish statutes and 

 the complaints of historians, confirmed by Spenser, who resided in 

 Ireland in several official situations, and lived on his estate in the 

 county of Cork, all bear testimony, that the English were prone to 

 mix with the Irish, and adopt their manners ; insomuch that, as 

 there was no difference in religion, neither was there any distinction 

 in customs and language. The English by descent took part with 

 the natives against the English by birth ; and coalesced into one 

 undistinguishable mass. The failure of Elizabeth's attempts to 

 strengthen the English interest in Munster and Down obliged many 

 of the adventurers to follow the same course. Lastly, the plantation 

 of Ulster by James, and the partition of Munster among the Crom- 

 wellian officers, let in a stream of foreign blood, which has conti- 

 nued to mingle with these various tribes for two hundred years, a 



