Ireland: Its Ancient Civilisation and Social Customs. 43 



human bones are frequently found in every part of Ireland ; 

 nor is there any reference to the bow and arrow until the 5th 

 century, though such large quantities of flint arrow heads and 

 spear heads are found. The shooting of Niall of the Hostages 

 by a Leinster Prince with an arrow on the banks of the Loire 

 is the first reference to this weapon in Irish history. The 

 Fribolg and Danaan tribes succeeded the men of the Stone 

 Age ; they built raths, duns, and cashels, in which stood their 

 wattled huts. They were a pastoral people mainly, and pro- 

 bably tilled the soil a little. Their weapons were bronze, and 

 are accurately described in the annals. The Danaans were the 

 more skilled, had better and sharper weapons than the Fribolgs, 

 whom they conquered. They are supposed to have come from 

 North Europe or Scandanavia, The Milesian race came from 

 the south ; their ornaments were Egyptian in charactc, both 

 in shape and ornament. It is said they came from Spain, where 

 they would have been in touch with North Africa and Egyptian 

 influ-^nce. The religion of these tribes was Druidical ; they 

 worshipped the sun, moon, and stars, and the forces of nature, 

 as the wind and lightning. They had groves on the hills sacred 

 to Baal ; their brehons, or judges, held their courts in the open 

 air in the eye of the sun, where it was supposed no magic spell 

 could influence their judgments. The Danes did not reach 

 Ireland till the 8th century, and the Anglo-Normans in the 

 1 2th century, and the Irish of to-day are the descendants of all 

 these various races. We do not include the Scots of the 

 plantation, as they were our own kith and kin, who emigrated 

 to Scotland in the 5th, and returned to the old land again in 

 the 17th century. It may be interesting to inquire as to what 

 stage of civilisation was attained in Ireland before the intro- 

 duction of Christianity. A number of families closely related 

 or descended from a common ancestor formed a tribe or clan, 

 which was ruled over by a chief The clans occupying a large 

 territory, equivalent to a province, owed allegiance to a higher 

 chief, or Provincial King. There were five of these kings, one 

 of whom was elected Ardrigh, or High King. The Provincial 



