148 Proceedings of the Royal Iri*li Academy. 



is commemorated in an inscription at Bath as " wife of Mars " ;' in Ireland 

 she was identical with Macha, Badbh, Dairfhine, and Sinann. Now beside 

 the last great river, called from the goddess, towers the lofty Craglea ; there 

 the Dal Cais venerated their war goddess Aibinn (the " Fair " or " Pleasant "). 

 Could she have been their ancestress called Macha, Net, and Dairine T~ 



In Ireland Nuada Silver Hand was also a great warrior god ; rider of the 

 Tuatha De, and their leader in the battle of Magh lured : there he lost his 

 hand, which was replaced by a magic silver one. The Welsh have lost the 



ml, hut Nudd's epithet " Lud Law Ereint " shows that it existed. In 

 Ireland, as in Britain, he was a wealthy god, with great herds of cattle, a 

 builder of forts from London to Cliu, and a god of rivets — the Thames, the 

 S em, and the Boyne ; lie was at least venerated beside the Suir. He and 

 his wife, Boand, are distinguished by epithets implying " white " or "silver." 

 F iy even refer to the Fail, the whih pillar or slab, rounded at each 



end, which formerly lay beside the mound of h _ i 



a certain w. ;i it not identical with the wargods 



N with Dairfhine. The Dergthene 1 tribes, 



the latei Eoj rthys O'Donovans, O'Callaghans, 



O'Briens MacNama were all descended from him and 



i _ stor was son (Mog Mac oi Bervant 



(M . of Nuada; bis father was M gNi servaul • l Eoganachta 



were called 1 N \ their ancestor wa NnSegamain 



unpion of Segomo, a Gaolisb w u i Etterlamh, son of Nuada Argetlamh, 



* 

 1 It tii not, however, pal ap n, but l>y ;i nan-., i Treves. 



E ■. i. 



In I . jrow to its injured Limb. 



■■ ttii i lie hand. 

 ' It : .1 thai i( was little over is feet long, 



l>r. B 1. 1 in Inscriptions. N •■-. 131 ill Hib. Leot., 



iv, p -■ Squire defines Nuada one. 



Net, '. . ... was "uly one » >r god : perhaps he had at one time in 



Ireland rivals in hi? 



Ilomm, suggesting his descendant's epithet 

 ■ 



7S Neacht and Neacht Eogan 



•• '■ ! divine Fosterers note Manannan as Co Ohulaind's fi 



father, and Deda that of Duaoh. For another M i idat. the enemy "f St. 



Patrick, see S . p. 5. Oould thi il a contesl with a i»ri. 



ida I A U plundered by Asal; cf. Drom Asail in Co. Limerick. 



Hogn 9 v trains for the storage of food, and presided at fort digging 



(" Magh Leana'*). Another divin i divine) ancestor. Art bnlech, built the forte 



below Slii \niii., p. _ 



nice . V\ u ,il. p. 19, " Eoghanacht la nEocach 



(from Eochaid, son of Cass) I' a Neit." 



