Kane — Additional Researches on Black Piy'-v Di/kc. 559 



army into the territory of Dithorba, drove him into Connacht, where he 

 was slain at Corann, and carried his sons captive into Ulster, and compelled 

 them to erect Emain Macha. What was the extent of territory thns acquired 

 for Ulster we cannot tell; but the barony of Eathconrath, in which the 

 famous Hill of Uisnech is situated, formed a part of the district which we 

 find Fergus MacEoy of the Tainquest claiming as within the confines of 

 Ulster at that epoch. Jt is true that the Book of Leinster states that on 

 the decease of Macha, who survived her husband Cimbaeth, "the Ulster 

 supremacy over the land of Temair," i.e. Bregia, " was crushed." 



Nevertheless, a few years after we find their foster-son Ugaine Mor in 

 4567 A.M. ruling all Ireland with a strong hand from Tara, so much so that 

 he sub-divided all Ireland into principalities, and appointed each of his 

 twenty-five children severally rulers of the territories in question. But it is 

 notable that the integrity of the northern province, roughly indicated by a 

 line drawn from Sligo Bay to Newry, was not interfered with, excepting a 

 portion of Antrim corresponding nearly to the two baronies of Upper and 

 Lower Glenarm, Latharna being seated in the lower portion called after him 

 Larne, and Laegh, in the upper division, called Magh Lene. We may, perhaps, 

 draw the inference that Ugaine Mor did not wish to interfere with the ruling 

 chieftains of his own province, and also desired to secure that the power of 

 the other four provincial kings should be emasculated. The provincial 

 Pentarchy accordingly became suppressed until Eochaid Aimreamh restored 

 it about the commencement of the Christian era, and the territories of the 

 provinces, of which Ulster alone had escaped disintegration (except in two 

 Antrim districts), were again reconstituted. 



From the foregoing outline of its early history, which, though traditional, 

 may be considered more or less reliable in its general features, we may 

 certainly gather that in very early times Ulster held first rank as a military 

 power, with fluctuations, as compared with the provinces of Leinster and 

 Conuaught; and that its southern boundaries were not permanently encroached 

 on until the Milesians gradually extended their rule northwards. 



After the publication of my former paper on the Black Pig"s Dyke, which 

 only dealt with Frontier ISTo. 3, Miss Dobbs, in an interesting communication 

 to the " Zeitschrift fiir Celtische Philologie," pointed out that the direct 

 march of Medb from Cruaghan would lead across South Leitrim, Cavan, and 

 so to Louth. But the itinerary followed by the Connaught army was 

 through Moytra, and past Granard (Teffia), in the county Longford. She 

 suggests that this was probably done to avoid any contest when crossing 

 the entrenched frontier at the initial stage of the journey, and therefore 

 that we may infer the ramparts of Duncladh, &c., to have been in existence 

 at that date. 



