190 Proceedincfs of the Royal Irish Academy. 



agus Desi in Tuaiscirt" ("The descendants of Eber throughout Erin are," &c.). 

 The scribe repeats a former error by separating Dal Cais and the Northern 

 Deis into two peoples. Probably he failed first to recognize their identity, 

 and then added "Dal Cais " to supply the supposed omission, for in the Book 

 of LecaUj p. 455, in a paragraph commencing " Se maic Milead," the list is 

 given without the word Dal Cais — "Eber, now from him descended the 

 Eoghanacht of Munster and the Northern D^is." In another passage 

 (174610), " This is the covenant of Dal Cais among themselves, i.e. the 

 Northern Deis and the Southern Deis." Deis means a vassal community ; 

 Deisius equals rent ; Aire Desa, chief of vassals. The Desi of the Annals 

 were, perhaps, ancient (pre-Celtic) vassal communities under Celtic lords. I 

 am convinced that the genealogical connexion between Dal Cais and the 

 Eoghanacht of Munster is fictitious, or rather symbolical, expressing the fact 

 that the Dal Cais was a free state, like the Eoghanacht states of Munster, not 

 being tributary to Cashel. This identification explains some entries in the 

 Annals of Ulster, where Dal Cais is not mentioned before 1053. a.d. 712, 

 " The battle of Carn Eeradaig, ubi cecidit Cormac mac Maenaig, King of 

 Munster [in battle], with the Northern Deis." 743, " Overthrow of Corcu 

 Mu Druad by the Deis." 835, " Carnage in battle [inflicted] on the Northern 

 Deis by the Pagans [Norse]." 896, " Plann mac Lonain, descendant of Guaire^ 

 [was] slain by the Deis of Munster."' 940, " Muirchertach [of the Leather 

 Cloaks] ravaged the Deis." The dates are corrected by adding one year. 



It is very probable that the local Annals and documents of the Bruree 

 monarch s perished in the unexpected, irresistible swoop of the Norsemen on 

 the plains of Limerick after A.D. 800. 



This identification, to some extent, breaks the silence that most of our 

 Annals keep with regard to the powerful and warlike tribe of the Dal gCais 

 before 800. 



I have only to add that I venture to give these papers with long 

 collections of field notes to the Academy, from the belief that the culpable 

 negligence of our local authorities, and their refusal to vest and preserve our 

 ancient monuments, are already leading to the wholesale destruction of 

 invaluable lesser antiquities. What avails it if an abbey or occasional castle 

 or church be preserved if hundreds of forts, tumuli, dolmens, and pillars are 

 swept away to the detriment not only of Irish but of European archaeology ? 



'The Annals of Inisfallen only mention (under 882) his mortal wound. The " Chronicon 

 Scotonim" (under 896) tells of his death by the Ui Cuirrhuidhe, viz., by the Ui Fotbaidh of Loch 

 Dacaech in the Deisi of Mumhain. Care must, however, be taken that the later " Deisi Mumhaiii " 

 or Desmond entries be kept distinct from those of the northern Deis. The Deisbeg tribes in eastern 

 Limerick about 1200 must also be distinguished from other Deis. 



