Clare Island Survey — History and Archaeology. 2 13 



families living in nine raths and soon exterminated by the Tara warriors ; but 

 there is much reason for holding the contrary view, for the Clann Uathniur 

 was no mean opponent of the Nemedians, and appears in many early 

 records of Co. Mayo. 



Having recently discussed the Munster legend preserved in the Dind 

 Seanchus and the poem on it by Mac Liac, it is enough to give, after passing 

 over the settlements identified as at Galway Bay, those probably intended as 

 dwelling farther north. " They fixed Mod at Moidluin . . . Cing obtained the 

 district of Oigle. At Laidlinni (Laiglinde), I do assert, were Bairnech and 

 Baraimbel" (or Bairnech, or Bairnde Batanbel), 1 and even of these Irgas 

 (Eeerish of Caherdooueerish) on Ceann Boirne (Black Head) is placed between 

 and not far from Mod's alleged settlement. Petty marks in 1683 a " Moyluiu " 

 in Burren near Turlough and its huge hdl fort. Were there an Oigle on 

 Galway Bay, it should be preferred as the place meant by Mac Liac. 

 O'Donovan considers the Islands of Mod as in Clew Bay, but he wavers as to 

 Modh's settlement, even suggesting that it lay as far north as Dunnamo, 

 " Dun modh." When, however, we find a Tragh Murbhaigh near Killala, a 

 Tawinlough on Clare Island, Cathair Tamun at Castlehill, and a place-name 

 DaeL in North Connacht, 3 we more than suspect the original settlements 

 of the Clann Uathnior (Murbech, Taman, and Dael) to have been there, and 

 not as located by Mac Liac in Co. Clare, Galway, and Aran. We may 

 accordingly pass from this unsatisfactory legend. 



In more historic times the islands were joined to the district in which the 

 Ui Mhailles 4 held sway, which, on that account, was called Umail (OoaiL, 

 whence in Tudor times the name " the Owles." This from an ignorant con- 

 fusion with ubhall (pomum) led to some overlearned writer giving to its chief 

 the unexpected title of " Omaley de porno." 5 The last trace of the name is 

 found in Burrishoole or Burgheis umhaill, Ui Mhaille's burgage. Umail covered 

 the barony of Murrisk, and seems to have included Achill and certainly Cliara, 

 Bofin, Inishturk, Shark, and Caher. Bofin and Shark were formerly part of 

 hlar Connacht, but were won by the O'Mailles about 1370. 6 Nothing seems 



1 Onomasticon Goedelicurn, p. 474, but Loch Laiglinne, named after a son of Partholan, was in 

 Ua mac Uais Breagh, i.e. in Moygoish, "Westmeath (Keating, book i, sect, vi, Ir. Text ed., p. 165). 



2 Daol. 0. S. Letters, vol i, p. 97. 



3 For full text see MacLiac's poem in Ossianic Society, vol. v, p. 2S7, the prose text in the 

 Dind Seanchus (ed. Whitley Stokes) in Revue Celtique, vol. xv, 1894, pp. 478-480 ; also Journal 

 Roy. Soc. Antiq. Ir., vol xxvi, p. 142. 



4 They claimed descent from the High King Eouhaidh Muighmheadhain through his son Conall 

 Orison. Local legend derived them from the ' • god " Crom-dubh. 



5 See Customs, Tribes, and Genealogies of Hy Fiachrach, J. O'Donovan, Ir. Archaeol. Soc, 

 1814, p. 499. 



Roderick O'Flaherty, "hlar Connaught," p. 115. 



