THE IRISH WOLFHOUND 107 



their theory from the existing evidence. They pick out such 

 passages as suit their views, with more or less of misquotation, 

 draw their own inferences from them, and totally ignore all the 

 authorities that are opposed to them. 



No doubt what first suggested the identification of the Irish 

 Wolfdog with the Deerhound was Macpherson's ' Ossian,' and the 

 accounts in the Fingalian legends of the marvellous doings of 

 the hero's * white-breasted,' * hairy-footed ' Bran, and others. As 

 Ireland claimed some common property in this legend, Irish 

 amour propre seized the idea of associating with their already 

 extinct and almost mythological Wolfdog as harmonising with his 

 traditional gigantic size all the glamour and poetical colouring 

 belonging to the dogs of ' Ossian.' But as it is a matter of doubt 

 with some 'if as Gibbon says 'we can with safety indulge 

 the pleasing supposition that Fingal lived and Ossian sung,' there 

 is no value in such an argument ; and even granting that there is 

 foundation for those legends, it is absurd to draw any conclusions 

 as to the gigantic character of the dogs from the poetical exaggera- 

 tions of mere legends ; whilst their rough coats would only be an 

 instance of the 'local colouring' supplied by the bards from the 

 dogs they were accustomed to, as no one disputes that the Deer- 

 hound, or rough Greyhound, was a common dog enough in olden 

 times. The Ossianic argument may therefore be put aside." 



Having given some opinions of the two principal modern writers 

 upon the early history of the Irish Wolfhound, the one a supporter of 

 the theory that the ancient dog survives in a modified form in the 

 Scottish Deerhound, and the other a great opponent of such a 

 theory, we now pass on to the writings of a still more recent date 

 1897. In that year an Irishman, the Rev. E. Hogan, issued an 

 interesting little work entitled "The Irish Wolfdog."* This gentle- 

 man's opinions in the main coincide with those of Captain Graham, 

 though the arguments in support of them are not always very con- 

 clusive. In tracing the descent of the modern Wolfdog, he writes : 



" Friend and foe say he has the Highland Deerhound strain. 

 Now, the Deerhound has the old Irish Wolfdog blood. Therefore 

 the modern Wolfdog has it also. . . . Taking for granted that the 

 Irish Wolfdogs and Scotch Deerhounds were the largest, most 

 notable, and among the most ancient dogs of their respective 

 countries, I say, whereas it is certain (i) that the Irish conquered 

 Scotland centuries ago, and (2) that they took their wolf, boar, and 

 deer-hunting Greyhounds with them, it follows that the Scotch Deer- 

 hounds are descended from these Irish dogs. . . . Centuries ago 

 Irish warriors, then called Scots, conquered and colonised Caledonia, 

 gave their name and language and its kings to that country, and 



* "The History of the Irish Wolfdog," by the Rev. Edmund Hogan, S.T. 

 (Dublin : M. H. Gill & Son). 



