382 SALMON 



sometime in the end of the eighteenth century, by the strict work- 

 ing of the salmon acts making it illegal. This dyke was built out 

 into the sea at the mouth of a river, or where salmon frequented, 

 and then along the coast for a certain distance, the salmon being left 

 high and dry at ebb-tide in the bend of the dyke, which they were 

 unable to surmount by leaping. A weir or wicker net was another 

 old mode, the battle of Clontarf having been called "Cath coradh," 

 or the battle of the weir, from "coradh," about which it is believed 

 the battle originated. Cora or coradh uisg' signifies a fishing 

 weir, and the jiame Cora Linn is just the linn of the weir changed 

 into a proper name. The phrase "ore breac broinnfhionn," 

 speckled, white-bellied salmon, is used by O'Clery. A "Shath- 

 mont's length," or a salmon's length, was, as Scott in the Antiquary 

 informs us, the space allowed for the passage of a salmon through 

 a weir. Salmon leaping is well known and familiar to many, but 

 it may not be so well known that the word or term " summersault " 

 is neither less nor more than " salmon-sault " corrupted, a champion 

 feat of this nature of old being called "Cuir 'n iach 'n erred 

 (earraid), the put or elastic leap of the salmon." In O'Donovan's 

 Annals of Ireland the salmon is termed "Brecc baoi," in the 

 following lines : — 



" Ue iar fir on the gabhta is in lin 

 He brecc baoi i ra-Boinn. " 



This is from a song by Fedelim on the death of Columcille in the 

 seventy-sixth year of his age, in the year a.d. 594. Elsewhere we find 

 the expression " bradana taidlecha tairrghela," irridescent, white- 

 tailed salmon. Bradan taidhleach, tarra-gheal means literally 

 splendid white-tailed. That famous Irish monarch "King 

 Cormac mac Art" is said to have come to his end by 

 choking on a salmon bone which he attempted to swallow ; this 

 was supposed to be the devil's revenge for his (Cormac) having 

 become a convert to Christianity. The singular term runs " Cnaimh 

 inn iach snamha," the bone of a swimming salmon! 



Aon de thriuir marbh 's boidh'che air bith, breac geal. 



One of the three prettiest dead, a salmon — lit., a white 

 trout. 

 Bidh sar-bhreac srutha a sior leum. 



The prime stream salmon ever leaps. Elsewhere we find 

 this given as glas-bhreac. 

 Cha *n 'eil bradan gun a leth-bhreac. 



There's no salmon without peer. Salmon fishers would do 

 well to remember this. 

 Breac thig bho 'n t-sail', agus bradan nan dearrs-bhallan 



dluth. 



A trout from the sea, and a salmon with close shining 

 spots. Both the best of their kind. 



