Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 251 



XXXVII. — Ox the Time and Topography oe the Bruighean da 

 Choga. By Denis H. Kelly, Esq., M. K. I. A. 



[Read November 30, 1872.] 



This historic tale is not only valuable as a narrative of very remote 

 facts, but also as a specimen of very ancient Irish language. Of this 

 tract there are two copies, differing in some respects, but mutually 

 elucidating one another. One copy is in Manuscript, H. 3. 18., in the 

 Library of Trinity College, Dublin, and of which there is a good 

 transcript in the O'Beilly MSS., in the Library of the Royal Irish 

 Academy. This narrative is fragmentary, with frequent breaks ; but 

 is more elegant in diction, and contains, amongst other matters, a 

 copy of Forgall Manach's Boem, commencing thus: " Se tjpui&ne 

 Openn 5011 oil," — " The six Bruigheans of Erin without reproach," 

 — which is omitted in the other. The other copy is in the Book of 

 Leinster, (H. 2. 18, Lib. Trin. Coll.), and this is a much more conse- 

 cutive narrative. 



The period of this tract is that of the triumphant return of the 

 Connacian army from the Tain Bo Cuailgne, and its date is fixed by 

 the death of Conor mac Fachtna king of IJlladh of which the curious 

 narrative is given in Keating. This king (as the story runs), on seeing 

 the eclipse that occurred at the Crucifixion of the Saviour, was much 

 amazed, and, on being informed by his Druids that it was caused bv 

 the Jewish people's crucifying the Son of God, he became so excited 

 that he seized his arms, rushed into the wood of Lamhrigh near 

 Emania, and began cutting down the willows, exclaiming, " Tnus 

 would I do to these miscreants," and, in his excitement, the brain ball 

 of Mesgedhra, that had been imbedded in the back of his skull, fell out, 

 and he at once expired. This would fix the date of our narrative at 

 about A. D. 33. 



The most prominent personages in this narrative are, Medbh, the 

 Amazon queen of Connaught, and her husband Ailill ; Fergus the ex- 

 king of Ulladh ; and Cormac Conloingeas, (or the exile), son of Conor 

 mac Fachtna, together with the usual heroes of Fenian story ; but 

 as there is much confusion in the correlation of the above-named 

 personages, I think it better to elucidate the matter by a short 

 resume. 



Medbh, then, was daughter of Eochy Feidlioch, king of Erin, and 

 was married to Conor man. Fachtna, king of Ulladh ; but the marriage 

 not proving a happy one, she left him, and was wedded, by her father, 

 to Ailill, whom the monarch confirmed in the throne of Connaught, to 

 which he had himself independent pretensions, and they kept a very 



