16 Proceedings of the Roj/al Irish Aca 



the first half of the fifth centiory, mentions the forts of Eathcorbrv, Rath 

 Broecain, a cathair at Mungafet,. SangaP (Singland). and Dimoacfene,. near 

 Donaghmore. Whatever doubt may lie on the missionary travels of 

 St. Patrick in Munster, the record is at least of minute topc^raphical 

 accuracy, and, in its relation to Co. Clare, gives an early state of affairs. At 

 least such sections as the conversion of Carthann at Singland seem accurate 

 in chronology and probable, for (as I said the low-water mark of the 

 Dal gCais territory, during the encroachments of Connacht, lay at Camarry 

 (Cam Fhearadaigh),' while the conquests across the Shannon made it almost 

 necessary to the conquering princes to move up from their forts at Dunclaire, 

 Duntrileague, and Brughrigh, nearer to the centre of their extended realm. 

 Again, whoever wrote the account of St. Patrick blessing Corcavaskin from 

 Fiunine to the west of Donaghpatrick, visualized the view from the summit of 

 Knockpatrick northward in the blessing.^ There is no trace of late tribal 

 or monastic arrangements or attempts to exalt the Dal gCais, or make 

 St. Patrick convert Limerick (such as the late writers made him do for 

 Dublin^, by gi\'ing them any special attention from the saint. Also Brecan 

 or Bresail, the son of the then baptized Eochaidh, was an enthusiastic 

 missionary north of the Shannon in the later Thomond and Aran, about 

 .^.D. 480, with no hint that his parents were pagans or semi-pagans, such as 

 we find elsewhere told of other early saints. The Tripartite Life also falls in 

 with that lapse in the Daleassiau princes (from Eanna, circa 400, to Dioma, 

 circa A.D. 630) in which their territory, at least in central Co. Clare, was 

 so little under control that at last it was ruled by a petty prince, Forannan 

 (of a junior branch), and a mere creature of Guaire, the King of Ui 

 Fiachrach Aidhne* 



We seem to have an authentic contemporary stanza^ on the two Aedhs of 

 Cashel and Cragliath (in 571). brief, but very instructive as to the breaking 

 away of the " Killaloe line " from the older territory — a move attributed by 

 the later writers to the election of Aedh to the kingship of Cashel, which 

 is not recorded in any reliable early source. It is noteworthy that no 



'Was it one of the "hillocks" ('■ Chnoccanaib SaingU ") on which O'Rourke's 

 head was displayed in 1088 ? (Fragment of Tigemach, Revue Celtique, vol. .xviii, p. 9.) 



- ODonovan places it on the south border, where some person has marked its imaginary 

 site on the Ordnance Surrey maps 'which are full of such imagination in this region). It 

 was on the other border, and Camarry was originally Cam Fearadhaig till abont 1530. 

 See the De Burgo Rental, &c. 



^ He points to the Barren Hills and Echtghe, and to "yon green island in the mouth 

 of the sea" (Iniscatha). All are just visible from the church site, none from any spot 

 near Donaghmore, where some local and other writers have located the place of blessing. 



< See Life of St. Mochidla ; cf. Tract on the Dal gCais. 



• Cited before. It Ls attributed to St. Brendan of Birrha in 571. 



