Irish ArchcBologv. 83 



and finally reached Greece. He was a bard, and from his great 

 ability was elected to be professor of rhetoric at Athens. Here 

 he became acquainted with a Christian priest called Macedonius, 

 who converted him to Christianity. He afterwards wrote a 

 beautiful Christian epic called " Carmen Pasquel," an Easter 

 ode. Many copies of this poem were made until the art of 

 printing was invented, when it was first printed at Leipsic, 

 and since that time fifty-one editions of it have been printed. 

 This is a very striking illustation of the learning of the Bardic 

 order in Ireland before Christianity became the religion of the 

 State. He could multiply instances of Irishmen attaining high 

 positions for their learning on the Continent. The Emperor 

 Charlemagne appointed two Irishmen to take charge, one of 

 the great school in Paris and the other in North Italy. The 

 writer who records this refers to them as '' two Scots of 

 Hibernia" incomparably skilled in human and divine literature. 

 An Irishman named Feargall about the year 748 taught a 

 school in Bavaria. He held the opinions that the earth was 

 a sphere, the existence of the antipodes, and diuranal motion 

 of the earth on its axis. I need scarcely say these views 

 were quite unknown on the Continent at the time, and he was 

 reprimanded by the Pope for holding such views. Previous to 

 the introduction of the present system of National education 

 there was scattered over Ireland, even in remote districts, good 

 classical and mathematical teachers, and it was no uncommon 

 experience to find a barefooted boy whilst herding cattle reading 

 Latin. The lecturer next described the kind of houses the people 

 dwelt in, the earliest form being circular, with cup-shaped roof, 

 and the fire in the centre of the floor. The people were pastoral, 

 living mainly by flocks and herds, not tilling much of the ground. 

 The dress and weapons were referred to, as well as the mode of 

 living of the chiefs and people in the middle ages. The houses 

 of the chiefs during the Tudor period were constructed of huge 

 frameworks of timber, filled in with clay, and covered with thatch. 

 Later again, during the reign of James the First, what were 

 called bawns were built — a stone house or castle, and attached a 



