"3 



The colour [of her diin] is like the colour of lime : 



Within it are couches and green rushes ; 



Within it are silks and blue mantles ; 



Within it are red gold and crystal cups. 

 J. conglomerates — Common rush. Gaelic and Irish: luachair, a 

 general name for all the rushes, meaning splendour, brightness. 

 Manx : leagher. Latin : lux. Sanscrit : louk, light. The pith of 

 this and the next species was commonly used to make rush-lights. 

 The rushes were stripped of their outer green skin, all except one 

 narrow stripe, and then they were drawn through melted grease 

 and laid across a stool to set. "The title Luachra was given to- 

 the chief Druid and magician, considered by the pagan Irish as a 

 deity, who opposed St. Patrick at Tarra in the presence of the 

 king and the nobility, who composed the convention." — ' Life of 

 St. Patrick ' Brbg braidhe (O'Reilly) — brbg, a shoe ; but here it 

 should be brbdh, straw ; braidhe, a mountain, the mountain straw 

 or stem. 



J. effusus — Soft rush. Gaelic : luachair bhog, soft rush. Irish :: 

 feath, a bog. It grows best in boggy places. Fead, which seems 

 to be the same name, is given also to the bulrush. Fead, a 

 whistle, a bustle. 



'"S llonmhor _/eaa?a» caol, 

 Air an eirich guoth." — Macintyre. 



Doubtless suggested by the whistling of the wind among the 

 rushes and reeds. The common rush and the soft rush were 

 much used in ancient times as bed-stuffs; they served for strewing 

 floors, making rough couches, &c, and for thatching houses. 

 Glas-tugha, green thatch, iir luachair (ur, fresh, green). (See 

 Bryace^e. ) 



J. articulatus — Jointed rush. Gaelic : lochan nan damh. This 

 name is given by Lightfoot in his 'Flora Scotica,' but it should 

 have been lachan nan damh. Lachan, a reed, the ox or the hart's reed. 

 J. squarrosus — Heath-rush, stool-bent. Gaelic: bru-chorcan,. 

 bruth-chorcan, bru, a deer, and corcan, oats, "deers' oats" (Macbain). 

 bru-chorcur (Macalpine) — bru-chorachd. 



" Bru-chorachd is clob, 1 

 Lusan am bi brlgh,'' &c. 



— Macintyre in ' Ben Doran.* 

 Heath-rush and deer's hair, 

 Plants nuitritious they are, &c. 

 1 See Scirpus ccespitosus. 



H 



