366 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



literature.' The older writers were more candid. " Although we enumerate 

 them, we do not worship them," says an ancient poem on the Tuatha De in 

 the Leabhar Gabhala.' Cormac's Glossary and the older sources never scruple 

 to tell us that the beings were (jods of the old Irish ; and till our writers \vA\e 

 the courage to assess the " revision " at its true value, progress in knowledge 

 of the genuine mythology of the Celts must remain at a standstill. 



Another Asal was a pei-sonage of great importance to early tradition, but 

 blurred and vague in its later recensions. We have a settlement of the 

 Fir Bolg (apart from the Mac Liac story) at a Magh Asail m Meath; the 

 Feara Asail in West Meath ; and this group of names, Druim Asail, Magh 

 Asail, Sid nAsail, and Sidau Maige Asail, in Co. Limerick. The Book of 

 Eights marks the importance of Asail by claiming it as a " king-fort " for 

 the Kings of Cashel.' 



Magh Life and Magh Asail interchange in the Mog mac Nuadat story 

 as Ailinn, Almu, and Magh Fcimhin do in the fort-building tale of Nuada 

 and Eogan " Mog Nuadat " in the " Battle of Magh Leana " and " Coir 

 Anmann." 



One notices a very curious and intimate relation between Meath and 

 mid-Mnnster in many of these traditions,' so strong as to suggest that the 

 tales are the same legend with a cliange of locality, and I think the 

 probaViilities are greatly in favour of the Magh Asail of these tales being in 

 north Munster. Eogan " Mog Nuadat," King of southern Co. Tipperary, 

 at Magh Femt-n, defeats the Ernai, and then turns his arms against Conn, 

 King of Tara, in the mid-second century. Two of his successive battles were 

 at ( Pallas) Grian fabout fourteen miles eastward from Tory Hill) and Asal. 

 The Dergthene, with their fair hair and blue eyes, were clearly, as their 

 tradition claimed, of like blood to the folk at Tara, among the dark Ivernian 

 or Fir Bolg tribes, so we can believe thai these two conquering races met, 

 fought, and patched up some agreement as to " spheres of influence " which 

 was never foi^otten, but met the fate of more formal written treaties when 

 temptation and opportunity met. I cannot but think the Magh Asail was 



1 Supra, xixiv, pp. 136, 139, 14», 161, and 169 ; note 'Aine's poisonous blood, Coir 

 Anmann (Ir. Text«, iii, pp. ;W5-7). 



=" Loc. cU., p. 103. A favourite recipe was to add a "redeeming verse," see Uhys, 

 Journal R. Soc. Antt., \\. p. G52 ; Metr. Dind S. x, pp. 25, 66, 183, 205, .'US, 347, 375, 

 399, 431, 449, and 467 ; and the "geasa poem," Leabhar na gCcart, pp. 1, 25; Celtic 

 Review, x, p. 6:5, etc. Gods are made into foster-fathers, as with Net and Mog Neit 

 (Coir Anm., p. 299), and " Nuada and Mog Nuadat" (" Battle of Magh Leana." p. 3). 



'Magh Asail, see p. 89 ; the "Eric of Fearghus Scannal" has Aenach Cairpre, 

 p. 91. 



* The tales of Crimthann Nia Nair. Mog Nuadat, Asal, and the sons of Umor, Mog 

 Corb, and Far Corb, and " Battle of Drom Darahgaire," for example. 



