Ka^e— The Black Fig's Dyke. 327 



At Eoosky in Leitrim, where the ancient Dyke runs into the Shannon, an 

 old man said to me (a propos of nothing, but apparently repeating a traditional 

 phrase) : " If the great war arose, we should have to cross the Shannon at once 

 before the bridge [i.e., Eoosky bridge] would be broken down, or we would all 

 be killed." 



Elsewhere the same story is repeated, namely, that St. Columbkille 

 prophesied of a great and bloody war arising in Ireland, whereupon all that 

 would save themselves from massacre should forthwith retire south of the 

 Valley of the Black Pig. Now, since all Leitrim, as well as Longford, is. 

 included in the present province of Connaught, and since, if my contention is- 

 right, all the country included in and north of the Black Pig's trench was 

 ancient Ulster, a Leitrim man crossing the entrenchment, or that part of the 

 Shannon which formed part of the old boundary between the provinces, 

 would be taking refuge in ancient Connaught — out of modern Connaught. 

 It would therefore seem that not only did many native Irish in last century 

 fear to stay in Ulster, or north of the Boyne, but even those parts of 

 Connaught which were once included in the Province of Ulster were considered 

 unsafe for them — who would be unharmed if they crossed the Black Pig's. 

 Dyke, or the Shannon about L. Boderg, to the territory of ancient 

 Connaught. 



This survival of a traditional boundary of such antiquity to the present 

 day is surprising. In a Paper^ by Mr. L. J. Murray, containing references 

 to some of these legends, it is stated that " nowhere is the story of the Black 

 Pig told with such vividness, and believed in so firmly, as in the barony 

 of Farney, Co. Monaghan, The children of Parney used to mark out for 

 themselves the places in which they would take refuge on the night of 

 the terrible massacre." 



In the west of Monaghan county, and in the district of Slut Mulrooney, 

 near Eoslea, the country people have a tradition that when the great war 

 arises they must escape west of the Cuilcagh mountain beyond the " Shannon 

 Pot," i.e., the source of the Shannon. In the south of the county they say 

 they must go south across the Boyne to be in safety. In both cases the 

 ancient boundary of Uladh is evidently referred to ; but, curiously enough, 

 though the Black Pig's Dyke is to be the scene of the slaughter, yet in South 

 Monaghan the legend preserves the record of the Ulster frontier as it 

 originally existed 'previous to the time of Tuatlud, namely, the Boyne ! 



In a volume by Lady Gregory, entitled " Book of Saints and Wonders," 

 p. 51, it is stated that the inhabitants of Slieve Echte (Aughty), a hilly region 



- Louth Arcbseologiciil Society's Journal, 1905. 



