132 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



west from the " Genann " tribes at the Shannon mouth ; the middle is held 

 by the Muscraige ; above them lie the Mairtene ; above these again the 

 Uaithne and Arada, north of the Saiiner or Morningstar Paver. So far the 

 arrangements in the Taiu bo Cualnge persist, but a new tribe has come into 

 sight in Femen. If its tribal genealogies may be trusted, it is a branch of 

 that archaic tribe, living between the Brigantes and the Ernai, which called 

 its chiefs " Maqi mucoi Netasegamonas," and recalled Nia Segamain, a great 

 king's name 1 and little else, in the past, before Cuehulaind was born. This 

 may suggest a British origin, for there seems no other trace of the war god 

 in Ireland: perhaps they passed up the Blackwater valley from 

 Ardmore 1 to Seskinan, where their monuments are found, or by the great 

 ancient road, the Rian 1><'>. up the losses between the Knockmeildons and 

 Comeraghs, into the Slievenaman footplains.' They were a feeble folk, under 

 their chief, Mog Neid, and suffered from the might of the Ernai; but E'ogan 

 tiog Nuadat, probably by alliances or foreign weapons, asserted himself. He 

 was believed i" have divided [reland with Conn, the King of Tara; at least 

 1 inn's Half" and M ll.di were so explained; at most a nominal 



question ol Bpheres ol interest was touched between the " fair races." In the 

 tale, he and bis father fell in battle, and bis tribe was pitifully overthrown, 

 liis son Oilioll Aulom' was more fortunate (the alternative succession of the 

 I 1 iif bine and Dergthene is probably as mythical as that of the Eoganachta 

 and Dal I i he appears as closely allied with the Dairfhine and fosterer 



of their prince Lugaid. lie outrages the sanctuary of the Mairtene of 

 Knockainey, 8 j"ius the land between it and the hills to ( tenn Febrat, where be 

 makes I)im I ibove which he is buried, at the opposite side to the 



cemetery ol the Ernai at Temair Erann. As bis bod Cormac was buried at 

 Duntrileague, this may imply that the great cemetery of his race, 'Oenach L't'ilf' 

 "i Ulochair, was founded later perhaps by Fiacha. 1 Oilioll and the Ernai go 



"Of thi S 'untied chronology runs from about b.c. 160 to 50. lit 



appears in all the Dergthene Pedigrees, though elsewhere very variant. 



Imore is in Decies ; if (as seems established) the Dal Caia were "the northern 



D B. oi Leinster, f. S19c6j B. of Ballymote, L71b39; B. of Lecan, 174b LO), 



this is -.> remarkable coincidence that both people of the Deis were Maqimucoi Neta 



imonaa. The Eoghanacht prince in i.d. 630 is " Bong ol the Deifli of Magh Femen" 



^nu, v. p 



■ Battle ol M igh I. tana tr. B. • . p. 1. 



- pro, xxxiii, p. -17'a. 



- >pr<i, xixiv, p. .">o. 



\ •■ rritory had a right t.> establish an 6enach (Ancient Laws "f [reland, v, p. 4.S4). 

 An denach was marked by i dadh [ibid., iv, p. 221). For Irish kin.'- priestly functions 

 see Rev. Celt., vi. p 



•ii Maillethan appears in one legend as a northern Kin.', it it be not another of 

 the same name. 



