Irish Archceology. 8t 



beasts, without food or shelter. Is it to be wondered at if they 

 were taunted by being called savages ? The state of Munster after 

 the wars of Desmond, and of Ulster after those of O'Neill, show 

 to what depths of suffering and misery the mass of the people were 

 reduced — as tillage had been totally neglected, and no security 

 for property existed. A thorough knowledge of the manners 

 and customs of the Irish people, as well as an aquaintance with 

 the code of laws by which Ireland was governed for such a 

 lengthened period, would have been invaluable to English states- 

 men legislating for this country. It has been to the utter want 

 of such knowledge in the past that Ireland has not been 

 assimilated more thoroughly with England. Whilst the words 

 of many Continental languages have been absorbed into English, 

 it is remarkable how Irish words have kept coldly aloof, or have 

 not formed any portion of that tongue. We need not push 

 these ideas further than to express an opinion that archaeology 

 and legislation could have been associated with advantage to the 

 nation. No European nation can show so many ancient 

 manuscripts relating to remote times as Ireland. These deal 

 with every possible subject. There are copies of the Brehon 

 Laws, innumerable tales and poems of the early heroic ages, 

 written in the Homeric style, together with such works as the 

 " Annals of Donegal," by the Four Masters ; '' Annals of Ulster,'' 

 of "Innisfallen,"of " Clonmacnois," the "Chronicum Scotorum," 

 &c. These works were written by professional historians, to 

 whom the severest penalities would attach if they falsified them 

 in the slightest degree. No people, with the exception of the 

 Jews, were more careful to transmit accurately their genealogies 

 and history. The oUamh, or historian, did not receive his 

 degree until a period of from nine to twelve years had passed 

 in the closest study and the most severe tests. The French 

 Government in the year 1881 despatched an eminent professor 

 of Celtic to this country to examine and report on our ancient 

 manuscripts. In his report, published afterwards, he stated there 

 are fully 1,000 Irish manuscripts still existing, many of them of 

 great bulk, and very many which had not yet been translated. 

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