[ 127 ] 



VIII. 



THE EARTHWORKS, TRADITIONS, AND THE GODS OF SOUTH- 

 EASTERN CO. LIMERICK, ESPECIALLY FROM KNOCKLONG Ti I 

 TEMAIR ERANN. 



By THOMAS JOHNSON WESTROPP, M.A. 



Ro.1,1 February 25. Published August '29, 1918. 



Plate VI. 



CONTENTS. 



(A) — The Borderland before 



History, . . . .129 



(B)— The Gods in Cli'u, . . 135 



(C)— Litkrary Traces of the Gods, 138 



(D) — Local Cultus : Lugh ; Nuada 



and Manamuin, . . . 141 



(E)— The Tribal Gods : Bodbh 

 Dearg ; Cairbre Muse ; Cli'u ; 

 Cuil ; Nechtan ; Deda, Gar- 

 ban, and Febra ; Dergthene ; 

 Donn ; Edaein ; Ferfl and 

 the Knockainey legends, 



(F)— The Earthworks: Knocklong, 

 Aghadoon, Atheneasy, Bal- 

 linscanla, Temair Erann, 

 Appendix — Temair Luachra, . 



151 



170 

 181 



The subject of Irish local mythology 1 has never, up to the present time, been 

 studied on scientific lines. Save the great sanctuaries, 2 no attempt lias been 

 made to localize the centres of the worship of the Celtic gods. In Ireland, the 

 usual method has been to bring together a crude heap of legends of all periods 

 and districts, and try to bring order out of the chaos as it exists. Naturally 

 no consistent results emerged from so unscientific a process ; there was 

 always a large waste product, as in an abortive chemical experiment, and 



1 I use the following abbreviations among more obvious ones: — R. Soc. Antt. Ir. 

 = Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, under its successive names ; Dind S. = Dind 

 Senchas (Rennes and Metr., metrical) ; Hib. Lect. iv = " Celtic Heathendom," J. Rhys, 

 Hibbert Lectures, iv, 1886 ; Ir. Myth. Cyc. = " Irish Mythological Cycle," II. D'Arboia 

 de Jubainville (tt. Ric. Best, 1903); Encyc. Rolig., Professor MacCulloch, on Celtic 

 Religion, Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, vol. iii ; " Leab. Gabh " = Leabhar 

 Gabhala i, MacNeill and Macalister ; "Silva Gad." = " Silva Gadelica" (far. S. H. 

 O'Grady) ; "Keating Hist." = "History of Ireland" (Ir. Texts edition) j "Agall" 

 = Agallamh na Senorach (version in Silva Gadelica) ii. "Holder," Alfred, "Alt- 

 celtischer Sprachschatz." 



2 Since this paper was written, Professor Macalister's important monograph on Tara 

 has been read. 



R.I. A. PROC, VOL. XXXIV, SECT. C. [20] 



