349 



The verdure of its sward, and the shouts of its assemblies,, are also men- 

 tioned, as well as the curious condition which seems to have been im- 

 posed by custom on any celebrated stranger visiting the Curragh, which 

 consisted in his having to perform a " cor," turn, or circuit round it. 

 Prom this word " cor," or circuit, some persons might be inclined to de- 

 rive the name of " Curragh;" and it is true that the old road leading 

 from the Priory, or graveyard, of Kildare, towards the Curragh, is still 

 called Bohereen-na-gcor," or " the little road of the turns (or circuits) 

 but the very ancient authorities of Erogan Claen and Cormac forbid our 

 setting aside their explanation of the word Curragh. 



Local tradition assigns the honour of making the Curragh a common to 

 St. Brigid, who is represented as having received from the King of Lein- 

 ster, for removing a deformity under which he laboured, as much land as 

 her mantle would cover; and it is added that but for a rent made in the 

 garment, through the avarice of one of her female companions, the entire 

 surface of Ireland would have been embraced in its folds. There is no 

 reference to this alleged grant in any of her lives. In most of them, how- 

 ever, she is stated to have had pastures on the Curragh, to which she 

 never prevented the neighbouring people sending their cattle. Both 

 history and tradition here plainly point to the fact of the Curragh hav- 

 ing been a common from the year 484, when Brigid founded her little 

 church of wattles beside the old oak of Druim Criadh (" Bidge of Clay"), 

 as Kildare was anciently called. It is probable, also, that St. Brigid 

 did not interfere with the races, whatever may have been the case as 

 regards the other Pagan celebrations ; for, although she is represented by 

 her biographers as " never for one moment diverting her attention from 

 holy contemplation, but in constant converse with God by meditation in 

 heart and mind," her ancient lives prove that she was not averse from 

 riding in her chariot over the Curragh, or opposed to the exercise of 

 legitimate amusement being practised there ; and indeed the li faitche," 

 or " green," formed an adjunct to the old church or monastery, as well 

 as to the Dun, or residence of the chieftain. Nor were the races dis- 

 countenanced, apparently, by her successors, some of whom are occa- 

 sionally dignified by their biographers with the agnomen " Ouirre- 

 thach," or "the racing," as the Abbot Cobhthach, who died in the year 

 868, and a fragment of whose elegy is preserved by the Pour Masters, 

 in which he is called " Cobhthach Cuirrigh Cuirrethach" — i.e., " the 

 racing Cobhthach (or Coffey) of the Curragh." Besides, we have it on 

 record that kings were sometimes accompanied by the "chiefs of the 

 clergy and laity," when celebrating the Aenach, or games. 



It appears from the most ancient Irish MSS., that from a very re- 

 mote period every province in Ireland possessed an Aenach, "fair green," 

 or arena, where the men of the province, old and young, assembled at 

 stated times, under the leadership of the king, to celebrate their festival 

 games. And such was the regularity with which these celebrations 

 were held, that whenever intermitted on account of wars or other inevi- 

 able causes, the Annalists deplore the circumstance in feeling terms. 

 In the old list of Irish Triads, contained in a stave of the "Book of Lecan" 



K. I. a, proc. — VOL. ix. 3 A 



