1-14 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



was more common than to divide a god so as to adapt him to the Triad 

 formula. Brigid is triple, " of the smiths," " of the poets," and " of the 

 doctors " ;' " Erin, Fotla, and Banha are Ireland ; MacCuil, MacCecht, and 

 MacGreine, her husband : Macha, Neman, and Bodb, the war goddesses, are 

 interchangeable; 3 while triads of separate gods were worshipped every- 

 where, as "Alldai, Buada, and Buan " ; or " Oengus, Boadan, and Elcmair," 

 at the great Boyne Tumuli ; " Sinann, Dairine, and Macha," at the Shannon ; 

 " Eogabal, 'Aine, and Fer Fi," at Knockainey;' and "Nuada, Nechtan, and 

 |: idan," on < larbery Hill, above Trinity Well, the source of the Boyne. This 

 well may have been so dedicated to conciliate those who worshipped the old 

 divine triad, in order that, like Patrick, they might " bind themselves to the 

 Trinity." fertility of the Irish mind in inventing genealogies is 



berant. Even Bunyan, with his convincing parentage and biographies 



of personified vices, pales before the riches of Irish allegory. We meet 



endless characters like " Violent, Bon of Extinction, son of Darkness, son of 



Ailment" (in the Dind Senchas of Carman); " Scrutiny, son of Cogitation, 



Knowledge, son of Enquiry " (in Cormac's Glossary) ; "Yellow, 



son of Fair," and "Terror, 8 f Great Fear" (in Fled Bricrenn); the 



D gda's wivi Lie, Guile, and I 1 ijrace," and the druid's three sons, 

 " Prophecy, Knowledge, and Truth " (in the Battle oi Magh Leana).' This 

 uition in receiving ■ vidence for the non-identity 



of the Nuada nai Chi nologj proves it as little. The Nuadas are dated 



B.C. 1711 l |! o7 160, 112, or 50; but then aw) the Milesian invasion 



the dates b.c. 1569, L229, 1066, 1071 554 and 831 ; Queen Medb's 

 father, Eochu, 137,56 ind 27 ; Eochu Mumho, eponymous King 



of Monster, who fell in t'liu at B.c. It:".' 1275, and 776. Endless othei 



Dchronisms " Bhow that, so far from being " authorities," the chronologei - 



could ii' 11 the sa story.' Such systems are lese authentic than 



the very myths of the gods! and it must be remembered that the ever- 

 living gods naturally appeared in different ages in which, when 



• Ir. Mytl 210 218; II Lect., iv, p. 579 ; Rev. Celt., vii, p. 283. 



■ W. M. II .i. p. 33 ; IV- R.I ■•., i>. 425. 



r. Din.) S, 

 1 . id., vol. ii. p 678 

 Fled Bricrenn," p. !» : "Sanaa Choruaic," pp. ill 5 \ " Magh Leana," |>. 155. 

 example of duplication is in the <> - l>riscoll pedigree ; (57 I aid, *..n ..f 

 ."■'• Daire, grandson of 54) Siothbolg, son of 53 Daire, son ol 52) Siothbolg, (Keating, 

 iv, p. 115), and in the Eoghanacht pedigree three recurrences of the '.""1 Nuadhn an 

 DOticeablo, evidently independent document- (Boob of Lecan, f. 64b). In fact, th 

 pedigrees are hi i nt.s stuck together. 



• Th M i is most variant. Ir. Myth. 



Cycle, p. I i 



