MacNkill — Early Irish Population- Groups. 91 



95. The Papraige here mentioned and the Partraige are the only known 

 instances of peoples in Ireland whose name has P for initial. Note that the 

 Miigdoirn were of unknown race. The Partraige, too, were regarded as 

 aborigines. " Dona Partraigib annso. Partra.ige in Loclia forsata Mag 

 Tlmdreadh Cunga 7 Pff/'traige Cheara 7 Prt?-traige Clainde FiacJivach 7 

 Paj'traige Sleibhe .i. Cruaith co Loch nOirlsen 7 Partraige Midlic f<yrsavibi 

 Oilill 7 Meadhhh 7 do claind Genainrt doib." H. 3.17, p. 724. A poem on the 

 same page, already quoted, pretends that they were descended from Art son 

 of Oengus, king of Cashel in the fifth century, but no son of the name is 

 assigned to Oengus in the genealogies. " Partraidi Cera, cid re Gloinn Diallaid 

 (la Claind Fiachrach ?), ni dib doib, acht is do Sen-Chondachtaib .i. do Chloind 

 Genainn maic Deala maic Loith. Partraidi in Locha, ait ita Mag Tuivead 7 

 Cunga, do Cloind Sreing maic Sengaind doib. Partraidi Slebi .i. Cruaich co 

 Loch nOirpsen, 7 do Cloind Conaill Airisin maicBriain doib. Genelach 

 Partraidi annso. Radnall m. Aeda m. Mail iSwawada m. Conaill in. Echach m. 

 Diarmada in Lacha m, Domnaill na Tri Tuath .i. na tri Partraidi m. Setna otait 

 Hi Setna .i. taisich Partraidi 111. Conaill Oirisin m. Briain in. Echajch 

 Muidmedeoin." Lecan 458 a. This genealogy is not authentic. Brian 

 (Brion), being a brother of Niall Noigiallach, must have lived about a.d. 400. 

 Eagnall would accordingly have lived about a.d. 700; but since he bore a name 

 adopted from the Norse, this date is out of the question. Accordingly it 

 is natural to find that the XJi Briuin genealogies, though they mention 

 Conall Oirisen, do not give the pedigree quoted above and do not include the 

 Partraige or their chiefs among the Ui Briuin. 



96. In the following passage the tuafh is regarded as a chief subdivision of 

 a people whose early name was remembered in the plural formula : " Attiadso 

 na tuatha asa fail an Gaileoin hi cuigiud Lagen Tuath-Gabair. Tcora fodln 

 foraib .i. Tuath Egdha ocus Tttath Ochmain ocus Tuath Aithechda." " These are 

 the tuatha whereof the G-aileoin in the Fifth of Leinster North of Gabair consist, 

 Tuath Fidga and Tuath Ochmain and Tuath Aithechda." (H. 3. 17, p. 740.) 



97. For variants in the foregoing quotation see Duanaire Finn, Intro- 

 duction, p. Ivii. That Lagin Tuath-Gabair and Lagin Des-Gabair constituted 

 two of the ancient " Five Fifths of Ireland " is clearly the ancient Ulidian 

 tradition as told in Cath Euis na Ptig, p. 22. The dividing locality was 

 perhaps Gabair Lagen, which seems to be tlie valley between Sliab Mairge and 

 the Wicklow Mountains, i.e. the southern part of Go. Kildare. Osraige, part 

 of Lagin Des Gabair, anciently extended westward of the Suir. Airmuma, 

 Ormond, i.e. Fast Munster, lay to the west of the Suir. Ancient Munster, 

 bounded on the east by the Suir and on the north by the Shannon estuary, 

 was much too small to have included two of the "Fifths," and the Da 



K.I.A. PROC, VOL. XXIX., SECT. (J. [14J 



