Conwell — On the Cemetery of Taillten. 73 



The wild legend that a witch had scattered these great heaps of 

 stones out of her apron has been doing duty in this locality, from time 

 immemorial, for the real name and history of the place ; and probably 

 would have continued for many a day longer to perpetuate the fanci- 

 ful story, had not James Fergusson, Esq., D.C.L., F.R.S., &c, on 

 16th of August, 1870, carefully gone over the hills under our guidance. 



This practised explorer, acute observer, and clear-minded author 

 has just published* a large volume, entitled "Rude Stone Monu- 

 ments in all Countries : their Age and Uses" — in our opinion the 

 most sensible, best written, and best arranged book ever published 

 upon the subject of which it treats. In this profusely illustrated Work 

 he has the honour of being the first to suggest, and he deserves the 

 hearty thanks of every Irish Archaeologist for having done so, that these 

 earns must be the remains of the cemetery of Taillten, thus affording 

 the means of restoring a name and history to the great and forgotten 

 " city of the dead" on the heights now called the Loughcrew Hills. 



In a case such as this, we think it would be unfair to paraphrase 

 the author's account of his original attempt to identify the place ; and, 

 therefore, we quote Mr. Fergusson's opinions in his own words. 



After giving some account of the examination of these earns by us 

 during the summer of 1865, and the various objects found there, he 

 then proceeds : — 



"It now only remains to try to ascertain who those were who 

 were buried in these tumuli, and when they were laid there to their rest. 

 So far as the evidence at present stands it hardly seems to me to admit 

 of doubt but that this is the cemetery of Talten, so celebrated in Irish 

 legend and poetry : — 



'The host of Great Meath are buried, 

 In the middle of the Lordly Brugh ; 

 The Great TJltonians used to bury 

 At Talten with pomp. 

 4 The true Ultonians, before Conchobor, 

 "Were ever buried at Talten, 

 Until the death of that triumphant man, 

 Through which they lost their glory. 'f 



" The distance of the spot from Telltown, the modern representa- 

 tive of Talten, is twelve miles, which to some might appear an objec- 

 tion ; but it must be remembered that Brugh is ten miles from Tara, 

 where all the kings resided, who were buried there ; and as Dathi and 

 others of them were buried at Rath Croghan, sixty-five miles off, 

 distance seems hardly to be an objection. Indeed, among a people 

 who, as evidenced by their monuments, paid so much attention to 

 funeral rites and ceremonious honours to their dead, as the pagan 

 Irish evidently did, it must have mattered little whether the last rest- 

 ing place of one of their kings was a few miles nearer or farther from 

 his residence. 



* John Murray, Albemarle-street, London, 1872. 

 f Petrie's "Bound Towers, p. 105. 



11. I. A. PKOC. — VOL. II., BER. II., POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. M 



