86 Irish Archceology. 



everyone does according to his will." I cannot afford space to 

 give any more of Cuellar's narrative, which is of great interest. 

 Reference was next made to the various orders or grades of 

 society in Ireland, marriage and other customs. The musical 

 culture of the Irish, the old airs, and different instruments of 

 music were mentioned. In Celtic Ireland a harper's person was 

 sacred wherever he went. They had peculiar priveleges and 

 immunities, which were recognised over the whole island, were 

 received and treated with the greatest hospitality wherever they 

 went by all classes of society. Every king and chief had his 

 bard. On the 12th of July, 1792, the last meeting of Irish 

 harpers was held in Belfast. At this meeting only ten harpers 

 could be collected in all Ireland. They played all the old airs 

 as they had been handed down to them from time immemorial. 

 The music was written down by Edmund Bunting, and thus 

 saved from being totally lost. A great social function in ancient 

 Ireland was the Aenachs, or fairs. Here the people met from 

 every district in great numbers. They were somewhat like the 

 Grecian games, and lasted in some instances for several weeks. 

 They were originally instituted in memory of the death of some 

 great king or chief, and were held to commorate his memery. 

 Horse racing, chariot racing, running, wrestling, and various 

 games were celebrated before the assembled people of the district. 

 Prizes were given to the successful competitors. These games 

 in later periods had become known as patterns, but owing to the 

 drunkenness and other causes, the clergy have almost sup- 

 pressed them. It was at these fairs that the boys and girls met 

 and matches were made, and they were looked forward to with 

 the greatest possible interest. It would be impossible to condense 

 in a small space anything but the merest outline of our ancient 

 social customs, the laws relating to the various classes of society, 

 their duties and privileges. Each grade of society had their 

 rights and privileges regulated by law, from the king to the 

 labourer ; laws regulating the settlement of the land between 

 the various tribes ana families ; laws concerning gifts, aliens, 

 loans, pledges, and securities ; for instance, any tool by which a 



