GwYNN — The Liber Fiarus Fergmionm. 



21 



the sechnap. " What if we threshed your bull ?" they ask. " You 

 may," says he: so they threshed the bull with their flails till they 

 killed him : hence the saying " Martin's bull." Ends — 

 conadh(d)e sin aderur tarb Martan osin a leith. 



f. 13 [65] a — Bai briughaidh cetach amra irdraicc. 



A Life of St. Moling. Foelan finn, son of Eeradach, fell in love 

 with his sister-in-law, Emnait : being with child, she escaped home- 

 ward to the Cenel Setnai ; on the way she was caught in a snowstorm, 

 and, in her misery, gave birth to a son, whom she wished to kill, but 

 a dove from heaven protected him. Brendan mac Finnlogha finds 

 her, and takes the child under his protection. He is baptised by 

 Collanach, a priest of Brendan's household, by the name of 

 Tairchell. He is brought up by Collanach ; and when seven years 

 old asks to be allowed to go forth as a mendicant — tiag for a druim 7 

 tiadh for a ucM..,.gran 7 aran isin darateigh^ 7 mcethla 7 im 7 saill isin 

 teigli aile, 7 hallan dornn ina laimh cU — ' ' one wallet on his back 

 and another on his breast . . . grain and bread in the second wallet, and 

 biestings, butter, and bacon in the other wallet, and a small (?) cup in 

 his left hand." After sixteen years of this life, he meets one day, in 

 Luachair, a faath angeda with his wife, his gillie, his dog, and nine 

 of his household. The fiiath threatens Tairchell with his spear, and 

 Tairchell promises to lay his staff across his head. Then Tairchell 

 asks a boon : to be allowed to take three strides. This is granted : 

 and at his first leap — nirho mo leo he nafiach for heinn cnuicc: an leim 

 tanaise roling ni facadar etir he : an treas leim vero roling is ann dorala 

 he, for caiseal na cilli. — " he seemed to them no bigger than a 

 raven on a hill-top — at the second leap he took, they lost sight 

 of him altogether : but at the third leap he lit right on the 

 church-wall." The spectral crew give chase, but the scolaide takes 

 refuge in the church where Collanach is finishing Mass. On 

 Tairchell' s telling his adventures, the priest declares that his three 

 leaps are the fulfilment of a prophecy, and that from them he shall 

 be called 2Ioling of Luachair. The story goes back to tell how 

 Brendan had wished to settle on the Berba [Barrow], but had been 

 warned by the angel Victor that the site was reserved for Moling. 

 Moling' s mother now reveals to him the story of his birth. He 

 receives tonsure, and is conducted by Collanach to Moedoc of Ferns, 

 with whom he leaves a blessing, and goes on to Cashel, to visit 

 Fingin mac Aeda : he wishes to settle here, but is warned by an 

 angel to go to Ross Bruic on the Barrow. 



