Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 93 



These dates, it will be at once obvious, would very nearly agree with the 

 date of 457, as laid down in the Annals of Ulster, as the year of the death of 

 Sen- Patrick, allowing one hundred and twenty years to his life ; or, what is 

 very remarkable, would agree exactly with the date 461, which is given in the 

 same Annals from other authorities. Dr. O' Conor indeed objects to those dates 

 in Tigheamach, that they are errors of the transcriber in copying the numerals ; 

 but he should have perceived that this was an unsatisfactory mode of accounting 

 for the difficulty, as the entries in the Annals are ranged in strict chronological 

 order, and the entry relative to the captivity of Patrick is made to synchronise 

 with the mission of Julian the apostate into Gaul, and with the first year of 

 the reign of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin. There is, however, the most direct 

 evidence to shew that this was not an error of the transcriber, but, on the con- 

 trary, is in accordance with the ancient records of the Irish, as appears from 

 the following passage in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, formerly in the 

 possession of Archbishop Ussher, and now in the Manuscript Library of Trinity 

 College, Dublin : 



" Scoti de Hibernid sttb rege suo Neill Nceigiallach multum diversas provincias Britannia con- 

 tra Romanum impenum, fegnante Constantio filio Constantini, devastabant : contendere incipientes 

 Aquilonalem plagam Britannitx. Et post tempus, bellis et classibus Hibernienses expulerunt habi- 

 tatores terra illius ; et habitaverunt ipsi ibi. deinde, aliquibus interjectis. Ductus est itaque 

 sanctus Patricius ad Hiberniam captivus, primo anno regni Juliani imperatoris apostates, qui 

 regnavit post Constantium ; anno autem nono regni Neill Nceigiallach regis HibernicB, qui XXVII. 

 annis patenter regnavit ; quique Britanniam et Angliam multum devastavit, ibique in bello 

 cecidit." — Primordia, p. 587. 



In like manner the Annals of Connaught place the nativity of Patrick in 336, 

 and refer his captivity to the year 352. " S. Patricius in Hiberniam captivus 

 ducitur anno Christi CCCLII. et post sex annos d captivate liberatur." And 

 allowing one hundred and twenty years to his age, this would very nearly agree 

 with the date of the death of Sen- Patrick in the same Annals, at the year 457 : 

 " Anno CCCCLVII. dormitatio sancti Senis Patricii Episcopi Glosoniensis 

 EcclesicB." And this is supported by the notice in Tirechan, already given at 

 page 52, that the death of Patrick occurred two or five years before that of 

 Laoghaire. 



It may be objected indeed that the ninth year of the reign of Niall does not, 

 according to Irish chronology, synchronise with the first year of the reign of 



