BuKY — The Itinerarij of Patrick in Coniiaught. 163 



Yet it remains strange that the close proximity of Alofind to 

 Imbliuch Honon is not more clearly brought out, and also that the 

 foundation of the Ecclesia there is not formally mentioned. 



§ 5. In any case, Alofind gives a fixed point in the territoiy of the 

 Corcu-chonluain ; and for the purpose of marking the itinerary, it is 

 enough to determine that, from Kilmore, Patrick, having crossed 

 Sliav Baune, proceeded south-westward to Elphin. Vrom there he 

 passed on to Diimecha in the country of the Hy Ailello, and founded 

 the church called Senella Cella. The ' land of Ailill ' has survived in 

 the name of a portion of western Sligo ; but the barony called Tir- 

 errill corresponds only to a part of the original territory, and the 

 present passage has topographical importance in proving the southern 

 extension of the territory of that tribe. ^ For it is clearly right to 

 seek the Senella Cella to vrhich Patrick passed from Alofind, in the 

 district of Shankill, which is close to Elphin. Thus the territories of 

 the Hy Ailello and the Corcu-chonluain would have adjoined close to 

 Alofind. 



But the church which Patrick founded here at Dumecha cannot 

 have borne the name of ' Old Church ' when it was newly founded by 

 him. Ti'rechan speaks as if it were so called from its very foundation ; 

 but it must have been in contrast to some newer establishment that 

 the cell of Dumecha was distinguished as old. We are here in 

 presence of the same kind of problem that is puxzling Roman 

 archaeologists in regard to the name of that early church of which 

 the plan has recently been discovered in the Forum. But S. Maria 

 Antica is more baffling than the Cella Senella of Dumecha. The 

 clue seems to lie in the close vicinity to Alofind. If we suppose that 

 the church was situated on ecclesiastical ground near the cemetery at 

 the Shankill crossroads, a mile from Elphin, then the natural con- 

 jecture would be that the foundation of Dumecha was earlier than 

 that at Alofind, and that, when the newer church was planted, the 

 earlier came to be distinguished from it as the ' Old Cell.' 



The obvious objection to this conjecture is that it contradicts the 

 narrative of Ti'rechan, who represents the foundation at Dumecha 

 as subsequent to that at Imbliuch Honon, or Alofind. This objection, 

 however, is not fatal. In fact, we come here into close quarters 

 with a problem of great importance regarding Tirechan's itinerary. 

 He tells us himself that 'Saixick peruenit per Sinonam, that is, visited 



1 U'Donovan, Lealihar na g-Ceart, p. 101. 



