387 



The legend itself is of that simple, archaic, and expressive form 

 usual on very ancient monuments, and is quite consistent with 

 the genius and feeling of our people. That this monolith should have 

 been erected over the grave of an arch- chief or king is also consistent 

 with the great size of the stone, and the accuracy with which the 

 characters are cut. The formula, " Warrior King," is found in our 

 ancient MSS. Thus, in the "Wars of the Gaedhil with the Gaill," 

 as edited by the Rev. Dr. Todd, we have the following passage : — 

 " Now, this Cathal was the king-soldier and champion of Erinn 

 during his career in his own time" (p. 75). 



The same epithet is also applied to this warrior at p. 83 of the 

 same work : — " Great spoils and plunders and ravages were now 

 committed by Mathgamhain in Mumhan. By him great spoils were 

 taken from the TJi Enna of Ane, and there it was that Cathal, son of 

 Eeradach, the king-soldier of Erinn, was killed." 



A far more ancient example of the same formula is given by Eaw- 

 linson from the concluding portion of the inscription on the tomb of 

 Midas, the Phrygian — 



"To Midas the Warrior Xing." 



We must also observe, that the four concluding characters of this 

 inscription form the name of an ancient chieftain of this immediate 

 district, and whose Caher, or Dun, looks down dark and grim from the 

 lofty summit of Caher Con-righ mountain, on the very spot where lies 

 the great pillar stone. I allude to Curi, or Curoi Mac Daire, of the 

 race of Eremon, who was king of Iar Mumhan about the time of the 

 Incarnation. The following account of the family of Curoi Mac Daire 

 is given by the late Mr. John Windele, in a privately printed paper, en- 

 titled " Cahir Conri" : — " He was the head of the Milesian Ernains of 

 Munster; so called from their original settlement in Brefny, beside the 

 shores of Lough Erne, whence they had dispossessed a Belgic tribe, 

 also denominated Ernains, from the same vicinity. It is curious to 

 observe that, when this Belgic tribe was expelled from Brefny, it located 

 itself in that part of Kerry, from which it was again driven forth by the 

 same Milesian tribe, themselves now exiled from Ulster by the Clanna 

 Ruraidhe, of the race of Ir. This expulsion took place in or about 

 A. M. 3920, under Deaghaidhe, the son of Suin, descended from Olild 

 Erann, of the line of Eiacha Eer Mara, son of Aengus Turmach, king 

 of Ireland, 150 years B.C. The reigning monarch at this time was 

 Duach, of the race of Heber, known in history by the name of Dalta, 

 or the fostered of Deaghaidhe, who had adopted him. This prince 

 bestowed upon his foster-father possessions in Luachra, the then general 

 name of Kerry, a large portion of which received from him the name 

 of Luachair Deagaidh The descendants of Deaghaidh gra- 

 dually extended their power and authority over West Munster, and 

 several of them obtained the sovereignty of the whole province, to the 

 exclusion of the Heberian line. As the Ua Deagaidh, or Degadii, they 

 were noticed by Ptolemy, in the second century, in their proper ter- 



