Kelly — Bruighean da CJwga. 255 



the Clan Liamnaigh ; 2, Cairbve, a quo the Eoganaehts of Loch Lein ; and 

 3, Cronan, a quo the Cuircneans of Westmeath. Seven tribes of the 

 race of Cronan are at Breendachoga." 



M'Eirbis also, in his Gabhaltas Gall (conquest of the Saxons), 

 has this notice of the Dillons Lords of Cuircne. " When Colman mor, 

 the great grandson of jSTiall of the Nine Hostages, was slain by Locan 

 t)iolmain (Logan Dillon or the destroyer), Logan passed over into Eng- 

 land and his descendants remained there till Robert Sassanach Dillon 

 came to Ireland, with the Saxons, to aid Dermod MacMorogh; and he 

 (Robert) fought along with the King of Meath to recover his country. 

 Moreover, he told O'Melaghlin, OMulloy, and M'Geoghaghan, that he 

 was of the same stock with themselves, being the descendant of the 

 aforesaid Loccm Tholmam, and he afterwai'ds got Machaire Cuircne as 

 the hereditary principality of his ancestors." 



" Colman T?imit>, KIT. was slain by his brother Loccm Oiolmam, 

 (or Dillon), A. D. 600." Ord. Survey Extracts. 



In Aaron Crossley's old Peerage of Ireland, p. 40, this account is 

 said to have been given him by Counsellor Garret Dillon, A. D. 1 772 : — 



"Premier Dillon, first Baron of Dillon's country in Ireland. Sir 

 Henry, descendant of Thomas the great Duke of Aquitaine, temp. 

 Hemy II., when he, with his brother Thomas, were brought, infants, 

 into England, recovered from. Duke Delion their father, by Henry II. 

 of England, in right of his mother, the elder brother of Acquitaine's 

 daughter, whom he had espoused ; " and this statement, is also mentioned 

 by Lodge, in his notes on the Dillon Peerage, Viscounts Dillon. 



But of the fact there can be no reasonable doubt, that Lochan the 

 brother of Colman TCimiO, KU., had a duel with his brother the King, 

 about A. D. 600; and that, in this duel, he slew him ; that he had to 

 fly, in consequence, into Scotland, where he was hospitably received 

 by its King, who gave him his daughter in marriage. That his de- 

 scendant, subsequently, migrated into Erance, where he espoused a 

 daughter of the great Duke of Aquitaine, whose elder daughter, Eleanor, 

 was wife to Henry II., King of England, that Henry, in her right, 

 seized on Aquitaine ; and it is highly probable that he brought her 

 infant Dillon nephews to England, to obviate any claim by them upon 

 that Dukedom; it is equally probable that the young princes remained 

 there till the time of Strongbow's enterprise, and that a penurious 

 Sovereign like Henry would be glad that one of them, if not both, 

 .should seek fortune under Pembroke, instead of being a drag upon him. 



However this may be, it appears, that Robert Sappcmac Dillon 

 was amongst the followers of Strongbow ; that he laid claim to Cuircne 

 as his paternal territory ; that his claim was allowed, and he was formally 

 reinstated therein ; that he erected his castle in the upper earth circle 

 of the Breen da Choga, and that seven tribes or generations of the race 

 are at the Breen da Choga. The Dillons continued to hold Cuircne till 

 the times of Cromwell, when they were confiscated, and their lands 

 granted, and sold. Of this noble race are, the Earls of Roscommon, the 

 Viscounts Dillon, the Barons Clonbrock, the Dillons of Lismullen, Barts., 

 of Belegarde, and of Mount Dillon, and their correlatives. 



SER. IT., VOL. I., POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. 2 O 



