MacNeilt. — Earl;/ Irish Population- Groups. 99 



Guind oeus it forthuatha'^ Sil Guind acht sin nama. Ac Gathair Mar m3,o 

 Feidliviid Fhir Urglais fodlas sacrdanda Laigen uili ucus it fortuatha Laigin 

 acht sin tiama iecas. Ag Ailill Glum mac Moga Nucidad fodailter saerclanda. 

 na Mmnan ecus it forthuathci^ acht sin. 



125. In the lists of aichechtuatha,' by far the larger part of the names are 

 collectives in Dal, etc. The remainder are in various forms, e.g., Tuath Eaisen 

 or Euisen, Tuath Fer More, Tuath mac nUmoir. Two, T. Ua Cathbarr and 

 T. Ua Carra, exhibit the later nomenclature of septs, but even these have 

 variants omitting Ua. 



126. Instances occur of the application of the term tuath to population- 

 groups with plural names, not in a vague and general way like tiiath Hirenn 

 = the Irish, tuath Bi = God's people, the Israelites, but apparently as a 

 customary and appropriated designation of local groups. 



127. Bolgthuath : There are two groups so named. Bolgthuath Badbgna 

 of Sliab Badbgna or Bodbgna (" Slieve Baune," co. Eoscommon), and Bolgthuath 

 Echtge of Sliab Echtge (" SI. Aughty," co. Galway). Cp. Bolgraige, an 

 aithechtuath in Tir Gonaill. Mac Fir Bhisigh (Genealogies, p. 54) quotes among 

 the branches of the Fir Bolg, besides " Bolgthuath Bagna for airther Gonnacht " 

 and " Bolgraighe for criochaibh Gonaill," " Fir Bolg for Mhagh Nia Benntraighe " 

 and " Fir Bolg ar Mhagh Luirg." As all these names occur in what is evidently 

 a consecutive list of the aitheehtuatha of Gonnacht, the Magh Nia in question 

 is the plain also called Mag Tuired Gunga, at Cong, co. Mayo. It is evident 

 that Fir Bolg (= Bolgthuath, Bolgraige) was the name of a known historical 

 population existing in various parts of Gonnacht and in north-western Ulster. 

 Its location and its vassal status, importing early conquest, as well as the 

 traditions of its existence in Ireland before the Goedil, show clearly that the 

 Fir Bolg must not be equated with the historical Belgae. The name was 

 extended in the Irish history-legend at an early period so as to denote the 

 whole or main population of Ireland before the Goedil.' 



128. Gruithentuath : This seems to be a general name for the Picts in 

 Ireland and in Scotland. But it is also used as a special name for the Picts of 

 Dkl Araidi, " Ca Chuardin ri Ulad 7 Gruthentuaithe," (Onom. Goed., p. 312 ; for 

 Cu Cuardin see § 116), and for Tuath Ghruithneeh, a Pietish vassal people 

 " round Gruachain," the old capital of the Gonnachta. There was also a vassal 

 people or rather a scattered population so named " in the country of the Ulaid 

 and in Mag Cobo " and " between Sldan Sl^be in Ghairn and Loch Febal and 

 between Bernas Tire Aeda and the Bann " (Onom. Goed. 650), these four places 



' Read fortuatha. 



- Lecan 350, BB 255,256, MacFir Bisigli, genealogies (E.I.A. copy) 54, etc. 



3 See my account of " An Irish Hiatorical Tract dated a.d. 721." Proceedings E..I.A., vol. xxviii. 



E.I.A. PROC, VOL. XXtX., SBCT. 0. [15j 



