144 Proceedings of the Roijal Irish Academy. 



The duration of the Ulidian dynasty is from 307 B.C. to a.d. 24 — 331 years. 

 This at once suggests the date of Alexander's world-kingdom, 331 B.C. AVe 

 conjecture that a shifting of 24 years has been made, perhaps by a redactor 

 who had the doctrine of Z before him and desired to give the priority to the 

 sons of Mil.' There was some shifting of dates, certainly, for the foundation 

 of Emain is first placed in the 18th year of Ptolemy, 24 years after 

 Alexander became king of the world, and again " 33 years from the beginning 

 of the sovereignty of the Greeks." When we turn to B, we find our 

 conjecture amply confirmed ; B says : " Alexander, first king of the Greeks, 

 5 years, and Cimbaeth, sou of Fintau, m his time." 



A says that Conchobar reigned 60 years ; but the terminal dates assigned, 

 from the 15th year of Octavius to (he 10th of Tiberius, allow only 50 or 51 

 years. Here is the same tliflbrence as in tlie foregoing paragraph, 9 years, 

 indicating an emendation interpolated aud not strictly carried out. A poem 

 on the Ulidian d)'nasty (LL 21/3) gives 50 B.C. as the date of Couchobor's 

 accession : 



Cutliri chC't bliadna brossa ad fut each sili sencliassa ; 



fot a flathn na for iigiicth u Choncobur co Cimbaeth. 

 Cethri cliC-t coicu bliW«a ad fet each sui sacrchialla 



cia nus fC-gaid fri gniai gactb cor gOnair Qrist iai' Cimhaelh. 



" Four hundred lively years each master of antiquity tells, 



the length of the wise men's rule from Conchobor [up] to Cimbaeth. 

 Four hundred and fifty years every master of liberal mind tells, 

 if ye look to a wise work, tUl Christ was born after Cimbaeth." 



Thus there is good evidence of an early doctrine which made the Ulidian 

 djTiasty, from Cimbaeth to Conchobor, exactly fill up the 331 years from 

 Alexander's conquest of the Peraians to the commencement of the Christian 

 era. Since A presents a much less developed legend than Z, I think it must 

 be earlier in origin, and that in its original form it must have suggested the 

 plan of equating world-periods with Irish periods, which Z preserves in a 

 modified form. The original of A may therefore well have been drawn up in 

 the sixth or early seventh centuiy. 



8. Z THB Foundation of Later Chkonological Schemes. 



Irish historians did not long remain content with the view that the 

 Gaelic occupation of Ireland was no more ancient than 331 B.C. The dates 

 assigned grew gradually more aud more remote. Dr. MacCarthy quotes a 

 number of them (p. 246): 544, 1066 (?), 1071, 1229, 1569. The Four 

 Masters will have it that the Gaedhil reached Ireland as early as 1700 B.C. 

 As a rule, the later the historian, the earlier his date for this event. 



