51 



must relate to a posterior age ; when the Belgae, according to 

 Ossian, had waged numerous and successive wars with the Gaoill 

 or Scoti of Richard. 



With regard to the river Ovoca of Ptolemy, in the territory of 

 the Cauci, being called lumhar Domnan, or the harbo\n- of the Dam- 

 nonii, it may be said, that the Gaoill were always in the habit of includ- 

 ing particular tribes under general appellations. ^ 2^'- Pirates or sea 

 robbers were denommated Foghmhoraig ;^^'^- the Danes or Norwe- 

 gians Gheinte^-''- and Lochlannicc ;'-*• not, as writers wildly as- 

 sert, from any geographical knowledge of Scandinavia, which the 

 Irish possessed ; but from the circumstance of fleeing for safety to 

 their vessels, which were drawn inland upon our lakes, to secure 

 their prey and avoid the fury of our despoiled natives.'^^- And 

 these foreigners Avere distmguished from each other only by the 

 epithets of diihh and iionn, which signify men with dark complex-' 

 ion and with fair. Some tribes were knoviai by their expertness at 

 shooting or using poisoned arrows ; hence the name of Tuatha 

 Fiodhgha :^^°- several by peculiarity of situation, as the Tuatha 

 Fiodhbhuidhe,^^^- &c. And hence the various names given in Gaul, 



125. Antiq. Hib. c. 6. Jac. War. ' Hiberni veteres, externos, praeseitim vicinos Europa?os, 

 cujuscunque fuerint nationis, non raro Gallos promiscue appellabant.' 



126. Vrom Jbgh, plundering ; mor or muir, the sea. 



127. Offspring; from o-e/n/m, to engender. 



128. Loch, a lake; lann, Gothic fur land ; lake-landers. 



129. L'hist. d'Irl Tom. 1. p. 37S. ' II n'y avoit pas encore de place forte, ni dc ville 

 fortifiee, en Irlande : le general Normand (Turgesius) voyant la necessite d'avoir des places 

 de retraite, pour se mettre a convert en cas de besoin, & assurer le butin, supplea au defiiut 

 en dislribuant sa flotte — dans les differens lacs du pays ; il en pla^a une partie sur le lac 

 Neagh, une autre sur le lac Ree dans le Shannon; il envoya le reste a Lughmiagh.' 



130. Pronounced Fa ; the arrow nation. 



131. The wood-land nation. 



H 2 



