MacNkill — Early Irish Population- Groups. 89 



nearly all the free, i.e., nou-tributary, states are known by the names of septs or 

 families, and nearly all the tributary states by collective names or the older 

 plurals. 



83. In Munster, the free states are Eoganacht Chaisil, Ui liiath^in, Eaithliu 

 = Ui Echach Muman, Eoganacht Locha L^in = Ui Coirpri Chruithnechain, 

 Ui Chonaill Gabra, Ui Coirpri Aebda, Eoganacht Grlennamnach,i Dal Cais. The 

 tributary states are Desi Muman= T)k\ Fiaehach, Muscraige, Dairine or Corcu 

 Loegde, Ciarraige, Corcu Baiscinn, Aral, Uaithui, Eli, Corcumruad, Corcu 

 Duibne, Orbraige, tlie Sechtmad. 



84. In Connacht the free states are : Ui Fiachrach, Ui Briuin, and their 

 subdivisions. The tributary states are : Umall, Grecraige, Conmaicne, Ciarraige, 

 Luigne, na Corca, Delbna, Ui Maine. 



85. It is to the older groups especially that the term tuath is applied in 

 early usage. Used with the name of a sept, e.g., Tuath Ua uAengusa, as the 

 majority of the instances in Onomasticon Goedelicum clearly show, tuath denotes 

 no longer a people, but a territory. In the list of vassal-communities 

 aithechtuafha (BB 255 a Lecan 354), only two instances, Tuath Ua Cathbarr 

 and Tuath Ua Carra, contain names of septs, and there are alternative readings 

 which omit Ua, perhaps correctly, since Cathbarr seems to be genitive plural. 

 In most of the rest, tuath is followed by a collective name, in some by a plural 

 people-name. 



86. In Gaul 44 civitates are named by Caesar. Subdivisions of these, or 

 of certain of them, existed and are called by him jMgi. He speaks of 

 the pagi of the Helvetii, the Morini, and the Arverni. The Helvetii 

 consisted of four pagi, of which Caesar names two, the pagus Tigurinus and 

 the pagtis Verhigenus. He also uses the plural Tigtirini of the people of the 

 pag^ls. 



87. The fourfold subdivision of a Celtic people is also exemplified by the 

 Galati of Asia Minor. Each of the three nations which formed the con- 

 federate republic of the Galati contained four subdivisions which the Greeks 

 called Ttrpapxiat, and each of these was separately administered under its 

 own chief or tetrarch. Instances occur in Ireland. The Lagin comprise cethri 

 priimloinnte, Dal Niad Corb, Dal Messe Corb, Dal Corbmaic, and Dal Coirbbri, 

 the four eponymous ancestors being sons of Cu Corb.^ The Ajrai comprise 

 four divisions na cethri hAraid .i. Tratraidi (recte Toeccraige) 7 Artraidi 7 

 Descert Cliach 7 H%i,i Fidban, Lecan 45 1«. 



' Wrongly printed gleann Ambnach by O'Donovan. Tlie nora. is Glennamain. 



" Possibly there was but one ancestor commemorated under all five names. The various divisions 

 of the Erainn descend from three ancestors all named Coirbbre ; those of the Airgialla from three 

 ancestors all named Connla (CoUa). 



