123 



I came to Ireland, and were vanquished by J^evvy in three battles, viz , 

 the battle of Slievbloom, the battle of Eossfrsehan, in Conacht, wherein 

 fell Gonn and Gannan the two leaders of the Eomorians ; and the battle 

 of Murvolg, in Dalriada, or Euta, where Starn, son of ISTevvy, fell by 

 Coning, son of Tsevar, in Lehidlactmoy ; he also fought the battle of 

 Cnavross, in Leinster, where there was slaughter of the Irish, led on 

 ^ by 1^'evvy's own son Arthur, born to him in Ireland, and by Ivcon, son 

 of Starn, son of J^evvy. 



" After this E^evvy died of a plague in the island of N'evvy's grave, 

 -in Leehan's county, in Munster, now called the Island of Barrymore, 

 and with him two thousand of his people, men and women. 



" After I^evvy's death, great tyranny and oppression was exercised 

 over his followers in Ireland by the Fomorians, in vengeance of those 

 defeats by ISTevvy, which we have just related." — Ih. vol. i. p. 179. 



The Fomorians of More and Coning, of Tory Island (or, as some call 

 it, Tor Conning), in the north of Ireland, entirely subdued the old in- 

 habitants, and made them tributaries. The Fomorian conquerors, hav- 

 ing fitted out several ships, and collected large bodies of soldiers, began 

 to oppress the unfortunate I^'emedians, obliging them at a fixed period 

 every year to pay a heavy tribute, and -to deliver up not only contribu- 

 tions of cattle and prod ace, but even of their children. 



The mode of levying and collecting contributions, described by 

 Keating, might serve for an account of the same system of imposing and 

 enforcing tribute in many parts of i^orthern Africa in much later times. 

 The E'emedians, at length, unable to bear the rapacity of their tyrants, 

 . made a vigorous and nearly successful effort to drive them out of the 

 countrj^ 



" These people," says Keating, ''were denominated Fomorians, i. e. 

 sea robbers or pirates | for the term signifies powerful at sea, or sea- 

 faring men." — Ih. vol. i. p. 181. 



The ISTemedians at length made a formidable resistance, were suc- 

 cessful for some time, and in their turn oppressed the Fomorians. 



On the news of the disasters sustained by the latter reaching their 

 -countrymen in Africa, as it would appear, the latter fitted out a fleet, 

 set sail from an African port, and landed on the Irish coast. How strongly 

 lis the reader of the wars of Grenada reminded of the several expeditions 

 \ attempted or undertaken in E'orthern Africa for the relief of the Moors 

 in the various settlements on the shores of Andalusia ! 



The fleet from Africa, of sixty sail, with a numerous force, arrived 

 on the northern coast of Ireland. Another fierce battle was fought, in 

 which the T^emedians were entirely defeated. Most of the survivors of 

 this colony contrived to escape from the country ; and the remnant of 

 them, who were left in servitude, continued to exist in this miserable 

 state till the arrival of the Firbolg invaders in Ireland, 216 years after 

 !N^emedius first arrived upon the coast. 



* Keating, vol i. p. 187. 



