238 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



the sentence which contains this information (Mdirisiu dono, bantrebthach 

 bat i comre fri Cor mac) is no part of the original text, but a marginal gloss 

 which has become incorporated with the passage at an early stage of the 

 history of Dirtd-shenchas Erenn. It breaks awkwardly into the sense of the 

 passage in which it is inserted. In any case, the statement that Mairisiu 

 was a widow of the time of Cormac is insufficient to account for the pecu- 

 liarity of construction of her house, for its very singular situation in the 

 middle of a sacred circle and beside a ghost-haunted tumulus, and for the 

 luck said to attend bouses similarly built. We ait- probably to see here 

 eitber a confusion, or an evasion, on the part oi the author or of his glossator. 

 In the former case, the writer of the must have had in his mind 



another widow of Temair, who figures conspicuously in the legends of 

 oac — namely Cainech Bennaid), the owner of the sheep which 



mac tended while exiled from his kingdom. 1 But it is more probable 

 thai The conscientious Christian who wrote 



the note was doubtful as to the desirability, or the legitimacy, of perpetuating 

 unalloyed tl • . 5up] se that Maimiu was, in the ancient 



creed. Bometbing more than human — her i; hoice of a dwelling-place 



would accord with this—: . well fed a hesitation in recording 



the heathen beliefs about her. So, instead of saying that she was a goddess, 

 he put down the 6rsl tiling ti into bis head, possibly suggested by a 



_ 



Mairisiu was fcei nuderstand why her 



house, '.•.. her temp - iver a tumulus, besidi ed well, 



and within • W erstand the com] struc- 



• merely of the ghl n of wood, and 1. 



• i. but also of the sid, which would 



ithout ii e. For the conscience 



of t! glossator, would hardly have 



:i troubli jiu had wholly • nd bad 



. bis time. 3 There were 



"house of < the road running westward 



..* — is called T ie of protection of Ireland," 



in tlie Triads (Todd Lect., \iii, p. 2). What may be meant by " In. use of protection " is not 

 • |uite clear : hardly, perhapa, a sanctuary in the mediaeval sense of a place where refugees 

 are | -re is clearly a oonfui I | Oainecb, r2> Cairnech, 



and (3) MAiriai ie hand, and tectaon-honae "f t'airnech and (b) the 



luck-brir>. )ier. The situations of the two houses are 



incompatible- I "< and her mill are part of the entanglement. 



e. It is often said - ■iilhcult to diaeoret the 



►.■nt Ireland from the literature, because they have Keen purged out 



