28 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The Agallamh na Senorach, or Colloquy with the Ancients, trans- 

 lated by Mr. Standish H. 0' Grady, from the Booh of Lismore, a ms. of 

 the 15th century, is a topographical tract somewhat after the manner 

 of the Dindsenchus, but cast'in narrative form. It is, like the Dind- 

 senchus, an invaluable store of ancient lore concerning glens, hills, 

 lochs, raths, and burial mounds. In some instances the opening of 

 grave-mounds and taking therefrom of weapons and gold is recounted. 



The following story, which I extract in full (page 236), is of 

 especial interest, as direct evidence of a tradition of the erection of 

 cenotaphs in the heroic age in Ireland : — 



" ' Caeilte,' said the King of Munster, * what are these two great 

 graves that we see ? ' ' The three 6glaechs that, as above, took 

 service with Finn at rditMn na n-ingnadh and had the wonderful 

 hound ; it was they that slew the two warriors whose graves those are : 

 Donn and Dubhan, the King of TJlidia's two sons out of the North.' 

 'How perished they?' asked the king. 'The three lay in a place 

 apart from the Fianna,' Caeilte replied, 'with their hound centrally 

 between them ; and when once night came, there used a wall of fire 

 to surround them so that none might dare even to look at them. On 

 the night in question, the King of TJlidia's sons kept watch for Ireland's 

 and Scotland's Fianna, and thrice made the circuit of the camp. The 

 third time, however, they saw the fiery wall, and Donn said : ' 'Tis a 

 strange thing how these three oglaechs are for now a year past, and their 

 hound amongst them ; for they have proclaimed that after nightfall 

 none must go look at them !' Then the King of TJlidia's sons passed 

 inside through the fire-wall ; when they were there they got their arms 

 ready to their hands, and so scanned both men and dog. But the huge 

 hound which daily they had in the chase was at this instant no 

 greater than a lap-dog such as a great lady or man of high estate may 

 keep ; one man moreover with his keen sword naked in his hand 

 standing sentry over the animal, while to the mouth of the same 

 another held a cuach of fair silver; and the choicest of every kind of 

 liquor which any individual of the three might require of him, that is 

 what the hound kept on ejecting from his mouth into the cuach. 



" Then to the hound, an dglaech of them said : ' It is well, thou 

 noble and righteous and high-couraged ! give heed now to the 

 treachery wrought thee by Finn ! ' At this the hound wagged his 

 tail hard, whereby was created a factitious magic wind that made their 

 shields to fall from our men's hands, their swords from their sides, and 

 to be cast before their faces into the fiery wall. Hereat the three 

 killed the King of TJlidia's two sons ; which being effected, the dog 



