256 



It struck the writer that he had perhaps alighted on the stone that 

 may have marked the grave of Dubhtach mac ua Lugair, the chief 

 Druid of Leinster, and St. Patrick's first convert at Tara, "when opening 

 his mission there before King Laoghaire, when he called to mind Dubh- 

 tach' s connexion with St. Fiaec of Sleibte (Sletty), which is in a ter- 

 ritory adjoining Killeen, which is itself in the very locality of Dubhtach' s 

 literary labours ; the plain in which Killeen is situated being mentioned 

 in his third poem on Enna Kinsellagh, who is there called " The Hero 

 of Magh Fhine."* In the same poem Mugna (or Moon Columbkile), and 

 Mais den (llullaghmast), are named, and are in the vicinity of the loca- 

 lity under notice. These coincidences were supposed to give a cine to 

 the identification of the personage commemorated in the Roman inscrip- 

 tion on this very ancient monument ; and more recently the publication 

 of the Senchus Mor appears to add another link to the chain of evidence, 

 by the fact of Dubhtach mac ua Lugair being there spoken of as Dubh- 

 tach doctor of literature, the Irish being Oubcach pen Licpi. 



The River Griese that flows by this ancient cemetery is called, in 

 the poem of Meabth, daughter of Conan, Glaissi Crichi, or the boundary 

 stream. Mr. 0' Curry refers this poem to a very remote period, so that 

 we may conclude that this locality was one of importance at an early 

 period of Irish history.f 



Returning now to the description of the other pillar stones, and 

 going to the western end of this mound, under the moat on the first 



* Vide O'Curry's " Lectures," App. III., p. 486, note 45. 



f It would appear from an extract from the " Book of Lecain,"fol. 95 a, kindly sup- 

 plied by Mr. William M. Hennessy, that the territory in -which Killeen Cormac is situ- 

 ated belonged to a branch of the tribe of Messincorb, called the Ui Cormaic, or Fine 

 Cormaic, whose possessions with those of their correlatives are thus minutely described : — - 



"Ice.panba "h. ngabla -\ b Copmaic la bai^mb .i. na ngebche h. 

 n(5abla pine uili, -j Cuchnmsi, -j b. (5 Q bla paineno, oca 01ch culcmseb co 

 bub acnaib TClaipcen, ocha film? Chpichi 1 Cluanaib co uabo ppi laisip, 

 co clanbcaip, co bach Ceachnochc oc Sleibcib, co ceic m Llpci ppi buib 

 mbaippchi, ~\ anan^ebchi .h. Grrpena-] .b. Chmpccip la .b. Chopmaic uili. 

 lp bib Gbbari mac .b. Copmaic. lp uabib machaip Choluim mic Cpim- 

 chamri .1. TTImcloch m^en Cenanbam, mic Cepi, mic Lugbach, mic 

 Labpaba. lp bib Copmaic rn ba Smell .i. Smell mac Cenanbam, mic 

 TTlacha, mic Chpuaich, mic Ouilgi, mic Imchaba, mic bpolais, mic 

 Lusbach, mic Labpaba ; ocup Smell pean mac CopcpOm, mic epc, mic 

 Chpuaich, mic Ouilgi, i apaile." 



" Tliese are the divisions of Ui Gabhla and Ui Cormaic in Leinster, viz., where the 

 Ui Gabhla all are found, and Cuthraighi.and Ui Gabhla of Rairend (Mullach Reelan) ; 

 from Ath-Culchinged to the Black Fords of Maisten (Mullachmast) ; from Glas 

 Crichi in Cluana to Vado toward Laighis (Leix), to Clanties, to Ath-Leathnocht at 

 Sleibhti (Sletty), until it goes into Usci (hill ofUsk), towards Ui Bairchi ; and wherever 

 are found Ui Threna, and Ui Chuirc, all belongs to Ui Cormaic. Of them is Abban Mac 

 Ui Cormaic. From them was the mother of Colum mac Crimthann, viz. Mincloth, 



daughter of Cenanan Of the Ui Cormaic are the two Sinells, viz., Sinell son 



of Cenanan .... and old Sinell, son of Corcran, &c." 



