NOTES. 83 



Macha, as the hfimtbrascad, or wrcstling, the cluche puill, or game of thc Iiolc, oiie 

 party trying to throw balls into a holc, thc othcr, placed bcfore this hole, trying not 

 to let any get in; \.\\q foimmtharruiig n-etaig, or mutual pulling ofF of clothes, in 

 which Cuchulaind so much exccls his conirades, that he takes ofF his adversaries' 

 whole dechelt, or double garment, whilst thcy are unable to detach even his brooch 

 from his mantle. 



562. mac Eimin. There are several instances of men being named only by their 

 patronymics. Thus mac Roth in the T. B. C, tnac Lugach, mac Cnissi, Chron. Scot. 

 p. 37, &c. 



ib. amail luas, &c. Cf. is and sain atracht Cuchulaind il-luas na gaithi 7 i n-athlaimi 

 na fandli, LL. p. 86 b, and the description of Cuchulaind's steeds, LL. p. iSpa: at iat 

 redgcaig bedgaich bolgsroin bruinnideirg col-luas amle no chliabaig dar cetrbi no side gaethe 

 dar cend machaire, and LU. p. 80 a: co luas faindle no gaithe no chliabaig dar roe maige. 

 LL. p. 83^: ba samalta ra sidi repgaithi erraig il-lo Martai dar muni machairi. LL. 

 p. 2 5 5 b : ba iaru ar athlaimi. 



576. do bhean a cumdaighi dib. Weapons were generally while not in use kept in 

 coverings of leather. Compare LL. p. 108 a, 43 : 

 Sciath aca ar lar a ethair 

 cona thugi dublethair. 



' A shield with him on the floor of the boat, 

 With its covert of black leather,' 

 Hcnce the use of the term oslucud for unsheathing a weapon, e.g. ' Oslaic go troit tuaga, 

 a gillai! ' LL. p, 102 b. 



570. briigh Thaidhg mic Nuadhad. This Tadg, the father of Finn's mother IMurni 

 INIunchaem, was mac Achi, and the druid of Cathair Mor (CCn. i). In the later 

 romantic tales he appears as a sorcerer gifted with supernatural powers. LL. p. 379 a, 

 in the pedigree of Finn repeatedly referred to, makes him one of the Tuatha De 

 Danand : Muirni Munchaem ingen Taidhg mic Nuadat do Tuathaib De Danand matbair 

 Finn. 



578. tainic truin do ghal, &c, Cf, ro sceind da ttrian einigh ocus engnama laochaibh 

 na hErenn le cloistecht an sceoil sin, &c., Cog. G. p. 204. dochuaidh da ttrian lachta 

 ceitbraibb fos don scel sin, ib. p, 206, 



631, driiim re sdegal, 'back towards life,' to denote a hopeless case. Proverbial sayings 

 of this kind recur in ancient Irish literature as in the conversation of the modern Irishman, 

 and might well be collectcd and classified undcr general points of view. Thus, to denote 

 the apparent futility of an undertaking we find the sayings, all of them in Tog. Tr. 

 629 and 630 : gat im ganem, ' a withc round gravel,' also LL. p. 88 a, 17 ; snam i n-agid 

 srbtba, 'swimming against a stream ;' luafri borb, ' a. kick against a boor ;' beim cind fri 

 >&//, 'striking a head against a rock,' essarcain cind fri ballib, LL. p. 176^; saiget i 

 corthi, 'a.n arrow into a pillar stone,' LL. p. 176 b; ucht ra mbrdi/ind, 'hrea.st against a 

 grcat deluge,' ib. 1 he first of these sayings, gat im ganem, still lives in the Highlands of 

 Scotland in the phrase, 'deanamb gad den gbainimb. See Nicolson, Gaclic Proverbs, 

 p, 163. Stories of thc sort he alludcs to are still told in Ireland at the present day, 



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