502 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



however married to Duiseach, daughter of the King of 

 Connaught. 



In 524, Murtogh fought the men of Leinster, and in the 

 battle killed Sigh, son of Dian, and his sons. He took the 

 daughter, Sheena, and she employed all her blandishments to 

 gain his love. She was successful, and he banished his wife, 

 who took refuge with S. Cairnech, and was joined by the Hy 

 Conailland the Hy Eoghair. Cairnech, who now hated Murtogh 

 with all his heart, espoused the cause of the queen, cursed 

 Murtogh, his palace, and all that belonged to him, and promised 

 his aid against the King. But Sheena had all the while nursed 

 her hatred of the man into whose arms she had cast herself, and 

 had quietly awaited her opportunity, which occurred on 

 Samhain, All Hallowe'en, a time of great revelry. The king 

 was at Cletty on the Boyne. When all were drunk, Sheena had 

 the hall surrounded and ignited. Murtogh was roused when the 

 fire had caught his garments, and in an agony of pain, he 

 plunged into a vat of wine to extinguish the flames, and so 

 perished. Some verses on the occasion were composed by S. 

 Cairnech. 



All the remainder of the legend is a farrago of impossibilities, 

 piled up by the composer so as to attribute to his hero every 

 dignity, and give to him every honour, even that of martyrdom. 

 But this portion does not deprive the legend of its value as a 

 picture of the half -savage condition of the people, the vindictive 

 character of some of the Celtic Saints, and as affording also some 

 light on the invasions of Britain by the Irish. 



It is not easy to reconcile dates, — but then we cannot 

 implicitly rely on those given in the Irish Annals. It is not 

 possible to reconcile 513, the date of the murder of Loarn by 

 Murtogh, with the rest of the story, and it is much more likely 

 that 503 is the correct date. 



"We know that, about the time represented in this legend, 

 the Welsh records state that great trouble was caused by Irish 

 invasions. The Scots (Irish Q-aels) occupied Anglesey and the 

 Western Coast of Wales. Caswallon Llawhir, father of Mael- 

 gwn Q-wynedd defeated them under their leader Serigi who may 

 be the Luirig of the legend. According to Triad 8, series 3, 



