188 



delivered by King Dermot mac Carvall, in the dispute between SS. Co- 

 lumb Cille and Finian of Magh Bile respecting tbe copy of St. Finian' s 

 Gospel, which Columb Cille had made without the knowledge of its 

 owner, and which the king therefore adjudged to St. Finian. 



[The Tract ends here, incomplete.] 

 JS T o. II. 



The second Tract contains an alphabetical list of 270 places reputed 

 as Bishops' Sees in ancient times, appended to which are the names of 

 some of the principal ecclesiastics or bishops who ruled therein. 



The entries correspond very generally with the records of the " Four 

 Masters," and with the " Martyrology of Donegal ;" but there are some 

 . discrepancies, chiefly chronological, which, although of no great im- 

 portance, afford sufficient proof that Mac Firbis compiled his treatise 

 from other authorities than those that the O'Clerys made use of. 



Under the head of Ara, or the " Great Aran Island," in the Bay of 

 Galway, he gives some interesting particulars regarding Aelchu, called 

 the Pupa, or Pope of Aran, who is stated to have for some time filled 

 the chair of Gregory the Great, after the latter had resigned it for a quiet 

 retreat in Ara of the Saints. 



And, speaking of St. Brecan, the compiler makes a statement which, 

 if it has been rightly interpreted, renders the alleged interment of that 

 saint in the Isle of Aran a matter of some uncertainty. The entry runs 

 thus : — 



" Brecan [or Bracan] Bishop [this may be the Brecan of Aran] in 



Killlrichen, in Thomond" 



According to the idiom used by Irish scribes, the expression " in 

 Killbricken" would mean " buried in Killbrickm."- 



The entry in the printed text of the " Martyrology of Donegal" is 

 nearly similar ; but, owing apparently to a slight defect in the manu- 

 script from which the text has been taken, the sense is not so clearly 

 evident as in the present statement. 



The note following Cill Inst is also interesting, as furnishing the site 

 of that church, which was in Inis Sgoreobhuin (now probably Iniscrone, 

 in Tireragh, county of Sligo) ; and the compiler adds, " that the walls 

 of the church were standing in his time." 



The entry at Gill Sgandail is very valuable, as identifying that 

 chnrch with Gill Bian, the situation of which has hitherto escaped dis- 

 covery. Possibly our indefatigable Secretary, with this datum, may be 

 enabled to add one more to the long list of places which he has iden- 

 tified. 



Kill Cuana is here identified with Cill Tuama, and Cill Tidil with 

 Drum Tidil. At Druim Urchaille the following note occurs, namely, 

 the Seven Bishops of Druim Urchaille, 



N, B. — 143 are the number of churches or places in which seven li- 



