35° [Proc. B. N. F. C, 



ever, is an admirable one ; but what adds great value to this 

 work is the number of explanatory notes which the translator 

 has added. He has given us the benefit of his wonderful know- 

 ledge of the topography of Ireland, and has drawn at every point 

 on his rich stores of historical lore. There is hardly a district 

 or spot in Ireland respecting which we cannot get information 

 either in the Annals or in O'Donovan's notes. As regards the 

 doings of people, here we may learn about the deaths of emi- 

 nent people, the battles, and the accidents of all kinds that 

 happen in countries, the dress and weapons and ornaments of 

 the people, their diseases, superstitions, and ways of thought, 

 along with an infinite number of other matters. As regards 

 what we may call the records of scientific facts, we find men- 

 tion of eclipses of the sun and moon, of comets and meteors, of 

 severe frosts and snow, of storms, of persons killed by lightning, 

 of the eruptions of lakes and of rivers (this is a very curious 

 matter), of great plagues, and also of seasons of great fertility or 

 seasons of scarcity. The erection is recorded of many ancient 

 forts. We find notices also in the Annals of the introduction 

 of certain arts and artistic productions into Ireland. For 

 instance, in the year of the world 3656, that is, more than 1,500 

 years before the Christian era, it is recorded that it was 

 Tighearnmas, the King of Ireland, who first had gold smelted 

 in Ireland. The artificer was Uchadan, of the Feara-Cualann. 

 " It was by him that goblets and brooches were first covered 

 with gold and silver in Ireland ; it was by him that clothes 

 were dyed purple, blue, and green ;" and in Macgeoghegan's 

 translation of the Annals of Clonmacnoise it is further stated 

 concerning this same monarch — " It was he who first caused 

 standing cups to be made, the refining of gold and silver, and 

 procured his goldsmith (named Ugden), who dwelt near the 

 LifFey, to make gold and silver pins to put in men's and 

 women's garments about their necks, and he was the first that 

 invented the dyeing of parti-coloured clothes in Ireland." 

 Keating says that Tighearnmas was the first Irish king who 

 established the custom ol distinguishing the rank of his sub- 



