561 



we possess of the very curious Regulse, or religious Rules of 

 the principal founders of religious houses in Ireland, such as the 

 Rule of Eachtgus O'Cuanain of the Abbey of Roscrea, the 

 Rule of Columbkille, the Rule of St. Ailbhe of Emly, the 

 Rule of Cormac Mac Cuillenain of Cashel, the Rule of St. 

 Cornhgall of Bangor, &c. These rules are, for the most part, 

 in metre, and along with them are several curious poems attri- 

 buted to the principal saints of Ireland, throwing very great 

 light on the religious opinions, manners, and customs of the 

 Irish Church, from the fifth to the twelfth century. This por- 

 tion of the volume, the writer tells us, was transcribed from an- 

 cient MSS., partly in the Abbey of Quin, county Clare, in 

 1634, partly at Drobhaois, now Bundroose, county Sligo, in 

 1630. The remainder of the volume is occupied by the Fei- 

 lire, or Martyrology, of St. Aenghus the Culdee, the Martyr- 

 ology of Marianus Gorman, the Martyrology of Tallaght, and 

 the Naoimhgenealach, or Genealogy of the Saints. Of this 

 last there are two different transcripts ; it is a long poem con- 

 taining the history of the saints of Ireland, and has been attri- 

 buted to Sealbhach, the secretary of King Cormac Mac Cuil- 

 lenan, who flourished at the end of the ninth and beginning of 

 the tenth century. One of these copies was transcribed at the 

 Convent of Donegal, on the 25th of April, 1636, out of the 

 parchment book of Maurice Mac Torna O'Mulconry ; the other 

 was copied on the 28th of the same month and year, and at 

 the same place, out of the book of Leacain of Mac Firbis. The 

 Feilire of Aenghus was transcribed 9th February, 1630, from 

 a copy made in the year 1534, by Jeremiah O'Mulconry. The 

 Martyrology of O' Gorman and the Martyrology of Tallaght 

 appear to have been copied from a much more ancient MS., 

 which is frequently called by our author, " the old parchment 

 MS.," although its precise age is not specified. Neither is 

 the date of the present transcript particularly given, although 

 the attestation prefixed to it, subscribed by Fearfeasa O'Mul- 



