110 cow 



forgiven, as we read of malluidh iia horumha. Thus the province 

 of Leinster was relieved of it by the intercession of St Moling of 

 Luachair, albeit in a somewhat ecjuivocal manner. The particular 

 fine remitted shows that although primarily meaning a tax of 

 cows, other animals, probably valued at so many cows, entered 

 into the composition, as it consisted, iiiter a/ia, of three score 

 hundred or six thousand of the fattest cows, the same of the 

 fattest hogs, and the same of the largest sheep every second 

 year during the reign of forty monarchs of Ireland after Tuathal, 

 who first imposed it. In Si/va Gadclica we are told that the 

 borumha was levied first under said King Tuathal in 106, till 

 remitted as above in 596. "Thrice fifty times an hundred cows" 

 was another way of stating part thereof. In the Uevue Celtique 

 we read that the Boroma was a tribute imposed in the second 

 century on Leinster by a king of Ireland as a ransom for the 

 death of his two daughters. It is there described as being "Thrice 

 five thousand cows, swine, mantles, chains of silver, wethers and 

 caldrons of brass ; a caldron of brass to hold twelve swine and 

 twelve cows, thirty white red-eared cows and calves ; ties and 

 tethers and milk-pails (J) of bronze." The etymology of the word 

 Boroma or borumha, is thought to be primarily derived from "bo" 

 morrigain (bo ro mhor.^). In the Annals of Tigernach, circa 683- 

 694 A.D., a record is found of the death of one Finachta who 

 forgave this tribute. Moling of Luachair singing. ..." Rombe 

 le firu Neme, undilgud na boraime. May he be with the men 

 of Heaven, for forgiving the tribute " ; the amount thereof is 

 here specified by one Adhomnan, who sings — 



Finachta Mac Dunchada 

 Romaith mor don naem, 

 Tri coecait cet bo-slabraidh. 

 Is gach bo cona laegh. 



Finachta son of Dunchad 



Remitted much to the Saint, 



A hundred and fifty hundreds of dower-kin e. 



And every cow with her calf. 



{Rev. Celt., Tome xvii.). 



Borumha is also a name for persons and places. We have the 

 famous Irish chief (whose descendant has lately made good his 

 title), in the person of Brian Borumha or Boroimhe, and the 

 modern Pass of Borumna is Beal' or Bealach Borumha. There it 

 also even an Irish book or tract (historical), called the Borumha. 



Names of places derived from cows are so numerous as to be 

 out of place here to detail beyond merely referring to one or two, 

 Between Applecross and Kishorn a famous pass is called Bealach- 

 nam-bo, but one has only to glance over the Ordnance Survey 

 maps to find many more ; we have also Beal-atha-na-bo-uidhre, 



