482 



the meeting — possesses a very great historical interest. Owing to a 

 variety of causes, among which a chief place is assigned hy Hardiman^ 

 to the desire on. the part of English grantors of land in Ireland to destroy 

 all evidence of previous right and possession on the part of natives, 

 the number of deeds, covenants, assignments, and other legal docu- 

 ments, in the Irish language, is exceedingly small. In the learned Essay 

 on the subject read by him before the Academy, and published in its 

 " Transactions," he was able to refer to but thirty-nine such instruments, 

 all, or nearly all, relating to the territory of Thomond or North Mun- 

 ster ; nor am I aware that since Hardiman's time the additions to this 

 class of documents have been very considerable. The mere circumstance 

 of its language, therefore, would give to the Agreement now before me 

 a certain amount of interest. But it will be seen that it possesses for its 

 own sake an interest entirely independent, and, I may almost venture to 

 say, unique. Not one of Hardiman's deeds, although they present a great 

 similarity of form and language, at all resemble it in purport or in tenor. 

 As the original contains many contractions, I have had a literal tran- 

 script of it made, which, together with a translation, is here subjoined. 



IS h-e po cimpab agup bemcum aca ecip gepoit) Iliac 5 ea P _ 

 ailc lapla cilli-bapa a^up TTIa^pabnaill, .1. peblnu mac 

 Concobaip mic "TOupcab, a^im TTIaelpuaona& mac 605am mic 

 "Uilliaim, agup lp unc topiam mic Uaicne, agup Semap mac 

 TTIaelpuabnab mic pep^ail, bo cet> a^up t>o coil a ceile a^up 

 maice cloin TTlaileaclam 50 h-imlon .1. pcilling ap an cap- 

 cun ma pml cm 05 h-Ua TCuaipc a^up ac TTIaspatmaill 

 t)on lapla ^aca bliaona 051m a tc ^aca Sanma, bo cmn a 

 copanca ma copaib aip 50c aen ba m-biaib pa cumacbaib 

 an lapla. Slana be a^up minna na h-eclaipe aip Tilaspabnaill 

 a^up aip na bamib maici pm pa comall bon lapla. 5 ea ^ at) 

 a 5 u F pipmne m lapla pip pm bo comall boib-pen. lp lac na 

 piabna bo bi bo lacaip m cimnapca pm .i. m c-lapla pern 

 a^up LMliam bailip agup Semap boaip agup Uilliam Diuib a^up 

 Concobap mac Culpuaib. "Na bame maice a bubpamap pemamn 

 bo eacbaig m cimpab pm 051m TTIailm 05 mac TTTarlin h-i 

 ITlailconaipe bo p^pib h-e ma piabnupe pern m cuiceb 

 la bo tnl Houimbep a ma§ "Nuabac. In c-occmab cine "hannpi 

 pa pi Sacpan m mbaib pm, ann6 Domini TTlillepimo cum- 

 ^encepimo ^cpisepimo. "Ni poibo pela 05 TCla^pabnaill agup 

 bo opbai§ pe pela Coldipbe TDuig "Nuabab ap m bemnenm-po. 

 Cpt mapc bo pern 05 m lapla ap m bume ap a m-biaib piaca 

 bacpap sell bon maep, .i. Concobap mac Culpuaib. a 

 Lech pm 05 llla^pa&na.ll agup 05 na bamib maici bo pinne m 

 cunnpab-pa, agup a Let eli 05 m lapla. f 



* " Ancient Irish Deeds," p. 3. 



f By the kind permission of his Grace the Duke of Leinster, a lithographed fac-simile 

 of the Deed, after an exact and beautiful copy from the accomplished pen of Mr. 

 O'Longan, accompanies the present paper. See PI. xl. 



