96 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Dun Cermna, the Old Head of Kinsale. and there is uo iudication that this 

 people held any considerable power or territory dming the documentary 

 period. Of the habitat of Dal Cete, Dr. Hogan has only been able to find 

 that it was somewhere in ^lunster, and I am unable to supplement his 

 information. The latest e^"idence of the contemporary existence of Dal Cete 

 is the name of To Channu mocu Fir C'etea mentioned by St. Adamnan. All 

 this tends to show that the list of twelve free tvjitlia is of gi-eat antiquity, 

 probably not later than the eighth century, possibly even earlier. 



113. Traditional corroboration of the early celebrity of these two peoples 

 is aflbrded by the fact that, in the genealogies of the Erainn (the race of 

 Conaire Mor BB 139), which occupy lOi pages of the Book of Ballymote, 

 the first place is given to the Erainn of Dun Cermna, Dal Barddeni, and 

 Dal Cete. The pedigrees give only three or four generations of the 

 descendants of " Gather by whom Dun Gemma was made." The accompanying 

 legend says : — 



En aicmc dec do Bail Bairrdcne .i. Sil AengiLsa meic Eclincli meic Bairrdene 

 meic Righaird ditat Martene iarna ndUgiund do Leith C'ldiid ar ha letlirann 

 da Dal Cede 7 do Bal Bairrdene co sin ar is .x. catlia romebaig re nErnaihfor 

 Ulltu 7 .wiii. catlia fri hUlltu for Emu. "Dal Bardeni (i.e. the race of 

 Aengus son of Eochu s. 0. Bairrdene s. 0. Eigbard, from whom are the 

 Alartene) consisted of eleven septs after their extermination fi-om (or by) 

 Conn's Half, for until then it was an equal di\-ision (sc. of Ireland) between 

 Dal Cete and Dal Barrddeni, for it is ten battles that the Erainn won over 

 the Ulaid, and eight battles that the Ulaid won over the Eraiun." 



114. " Bctl Aiaidi qui et Cruithnig. Bal Fiatach qui ct Vlaid." Cp. BB 

 170 b 15 : "...«« liAirgialla, Bail nAraigi fri suide anair, ainm ele doib 

 Cnithnich. Hnlaith fri suide anair. Ind Ulaich seo ira ashertar Bal Fiatach 

 indsin, do cloind Con Rai ma.\c Bairc ma.ic Beadad a, Coiccd Con Rai la Mumain, 

 is as a mhunadin Bal Fiatach so qui et Ulaith hodic dicuntur. Is dih Aed Ron 

 0CU.S Fiachna." "The Airgialla; Dal Araidi to the east of these, another name 

 for them is Cruthnich. The Ulaid to the east of these. These Ulaid, 

 Dal Fiatach they are called, of the posterity of Cu Eui son of Daire 

 son of Dedu from Cu Eui's Fifth in Munster, thence is then- origin, this 

 Dal Fiatach qui et Ulaith hodie dieimtur. Of them are Aed Eoin and 

 Fiachna." 



115. The foregoing passage is from a brief general description of the ruling 

 races of northern Ireland, obviously written by a southern writer. It probably 

 dates from a time not long subsequent to the reigns of Aed Eoin and Fiachna 

 his son, who were kings of the Ulaid, and whose pedigree is given under 



