350 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Here we are introduced to an extraordinary feature of the Eoth Eamach — 

 its adaptation to Christian eschatology. But before we examine the texts 

 which display this side of its manifold activities, we must look at a very 

 important entry in Cormac's Glossary. Here the Wheel is actually alluded to 

 under the name of Roth Fail— the Wheel of Fal. This passage will be found 

 in tli>' Glossary under the heading F&i. It is extremely difficult to under- 

 stand : here is the original passage — 



FOI, .i. Cnamchaill, tit dixit Grdibne fili fri Core mac Lugdhach, "in fess f6 

 Foi," .i. ba fessach Cnainchoille. Item " Mog Ruith peribit quod Roth Fail per- 

 veniet, dieens co ri Durluis Find ' iar Fhol,' " .i. iar Cnamohaill. 



The purpose of this entry is to Bhow by illustration that Foi is another 

 name t'"i Cnamchoill— a Fact also stated by O'Clery in his Glossary (Mevue 



ye., iv,p.421). The reference t" Durlas (Thurles) indicates that the 

 Cnamchoill intended is the place now called Cleghile in Tipperary. In 

 support of this explanation of Foi, two passages are quoted: one of them an 

 obscure line, with which we are not now concerned, from Grdibne the poet; 

 the other a : i ■ ■ i j i Borne Latin writing t" the effect that Mug Ruith 



will perish because the Wheel of Fal will arrive, Baying to the king of White 

 Durlas "aft* I that is, "after Cnamchoill." 1 In the absence of tie' 



context of the Latin extract, it i^ impossible to mak il its meaning fully ; 



but tie- association of Mug Ruith and Cnamchoill with the Roth Fail makes 



it quite clear that the " Wl 1 of F&I " is one and the same thine as the 



Paddle-wheel." We have already Been that the writer of the tract Stt 

 Chonairi .I/.. that Fal emitted it< noise against « wluel, which lie 



natuiall i to In- the wl 1 of the chariot. If we can cornet him in 



this, it is have the Australian aborigines at our disposal, to show 



us the right way to interpret it 



It will not • i thai tie- warning that everj \ who hears the 



h becomes deaf shows that it is something capable of emitting a 



e. 



We have now found the following let- hidden in the confused mass of 

 details about the 1 tnacb : — 



i. A is said t' ■ wheel. 



ii. Tic trument called the " wheel " of that stone. 



iii. It was .-.'. a "a paddle-wheel"; ju-t a- the Australians, on 



occasion, call the " bull 



1 A translation in which some of the words ft] i differently will be found in 



Rhys, Hibbtrt Ltd., p. 21'.'. Without the context it ii impossible to decide which is 

 t. Init tlie question 1- bere of minor imi 



