IRELAN D; 
286 
remon, a foil of the imaginary Milefius, king of Spain, to 
Laogaire, in whofe reign Chriftianity was here eftabiilhed. 
All thefe, with very few exceptions, are represented as 
having fallen by the hands of their refpeftive fucceffors : 
but, though moll of the ftories concerning them are doubt- 
lefs fictitious, yet fome circumftances are related which 
feem to be founded on real faffs. Thus we are told that in 
the fecond century, when the Scandinavians are fuppofed 
to have formed Settlements in the ifland, Cairbre Caitcan, 
of the Damnonian race, fiaughtered the reigning family 
and ufurped the fupreme power, but that after a few years 
the native princes recovered their former rank. 
Tuathal Teachtmar, the fecond in fuccefiion from Cair¬ 
bre Caitcan, is faid to have experienced a domeltic mif- 
fortune which entailed a punifhment on a confiderable 
portion of the ifland. Eochaid, king of Leinller, married 
to a daughter of this monarch, contrived to gain her Af¬ 
ter to the indulgence of his criminal paflion, on which 
both thefe ladies died of grief. Their exafperated father 
bad recourfe to arms, and irnpofed upon the country of 
Leinller a perpetual fine, called the Baromean tribute, to 
be paid every fecond year, and toconfill of a certain num¬ 
ber of cattle, three (and according to others fix) thoufand 
ounces of Silver, and other articles. 
■ The Scandinavian tribes in Ireland are related to have been 
divided into twodaflions or clans, named after two great 
leaders, Morne and Boifkene. The latter was one of the 
ancellors of Fin Mac Comhal, the hero of Oflian’s poems; 
who appears to have been a formidable chieftain, to have 
married a daughter of Cormac Longbeard, king of Ireland, 
and to have railed fortreffes for the defence or fubjedlion 
of the natives in the latter part of the third century. He 
is alfo fuppofed to, have prevailed on the two parties to 
fufpend their animofities, and to join with the natives in 
repelling new' invaders. On his death, his countrymen, 
under his fon Ofliin, aided byfrelh bands of Scandinavian 
adventurers, renewed the war with the Irilh. Thefe hos¬ 
tilities continued till in the fourth century ; the forces of 
the two parties, the Scandinavians under Ofcar fon of 
Olhin, and the Irilh under a prince of Leinller, met in the 
{ ilains of Ardratho, where victory declared in favour of the 
after. The former, however, ltill retained poffefiion of 
the ports and coalls, though the native princes appear to 
have regained confiderable power in the interior. One of 
them, from his fuccefs in Subduing hollile chieftains, is 
faid to have acquired the appellation of Nial of the Nine 
Hollages. 
The introduction of Chriftianity into this ifland, which 
appears to have taken place at leaft as early as the fourth 
century, formed a grand epoch in its hiftory, as the Irilh 
were at the fame time inltrudted in the ufe of letters. Of 
the exaCt time orthe inftruments of this revolution, no au¬ 
thentic information can be obtained. We find the names, 
probably fictitious, of Several precurfors of St. Patrick, 
the reputed apoftle of the Irilh, who is faid to have come 
among them in 432, and accorhplilhed the great work of 
their converlion. The accounts of the aCts of this faint, 
tvho is not mentioned in any writing of authentic date 
anterior to the 9th century, bear all the marks of legen¬ 
dary fictions, fabricated long after the period of his 
imaginary exiftence. However early this Salutary revolu¬ 
tion may have commenced, it is certain that till the end 
of the iixth century paganiliu fubfilted in this country. 
Soon after that period, however, a general adoption of 
the Chriftian rites took place throughout Ireland, where 
So many monafteries and Seminaries-of learning w'ere Soon 
founded, that it acquired and long retained the title of 
the Ifland of Saints and Scholars. 
The introduction of Chriftianity Seems however to have 
produced but little improvement in the political or locial 
ftate of Ireland. Of thirty kings reigning in fuccefiion, 
from Laogaire, the firlt Chriftian monarch, to the invafion 
of the Danes, very little is recorded, except the violent 
death of each in his turn. The fame wars between the 
chiefs continued, and the fame murders and treacheries 
& 
were perpetrated by their fubje&s. Laogaire, who entered 
on the regal function, was defeated and taken prifoner by 
the people of Leinller in an attempt to enforce the Baro- 
msan tax. Though releafed on his renunciation of that 
claim for ever under a folemn oath, he violated this en¬ 
gagement, and fell in another battle by the fwords of the 
enemy, or, as others report, by lightning. In 568 Hugh 
Mac Ainmer convoked an affembly of the princes, nobles* 
and clergy, to confider of a remedy againft the increafing 
numbers and exactions of the bards. In this defign he 
was oppofed by a celebrated monk named Columb-cill, 
who found means to prevent any more fevere meafures 
than the reduction of their number. Though it may be 
inferred from this occurrence that moll of the bards had 
become converts to Chriftianity, yet its doctrines were 
by no means univerfally eftablilhed ; for Congall, who 
reigned in the beginning of the 7th century, is faid to 
have perlecuted the minifters of the Chriftian faith with 
fuch fury as to commit to the flames the clergy, both re¬ 
gular and fecular, who had the misfortune to fall into liis 
power. 
The firft recorded vifit of the Danes, Norwegians, Oil¬ 
men, or Eafterlings, to the coafts of Ireland, was in 795. 
At this time, we are told, that the -monarchical power 
was weak, by reafon of the fa<Stions and affuming difpofi- 
tion of the inferior dynafties ; but that the evils of the 
political conftitution had confiderably fubfided by the re- 
Ipedt paid to religion and learning. The firft invafions 
of the Danes were made in fmall parties for the fake of 
plunder, and were repelled by the chieftain whofe domi¬ 
nions were invaded. Other parties appeared in different 
quarters of the ifland, and terrified the inhabitants by the 
havoc they committed. Thefe were in like manner put 
to flight, but never failed to return in a Ikort time ; and 
in this manner was Ireland haraffed for the fpace of twenty 
years, before the inhabitants thought of putting an end 
to their inteftine conteils, and uniting againft the common 
enemy. The northern pirates, either by force or treaty, 
gradually obtained fome fmall fettlements on the iiland ; 
till at length Turges, or Turgefius, a warlike Norwegian, 
landed with a powerful armament in the year 815. He 
divided his fleet and army, in order to ftrike terror in dif¬ 
ferent quarters. His followers plundered, burned, and 
maifacred, without mercy, and perlecuted the clergy in a 
dreadful manner on account of their religion. The Danes 
alre .dy fettled in Ireland flocked to the llandard of Tur- 
gefius, who was thus enabled to feat himfelf in Armagh, 
from which he expelled the clergy, and leized their lands. 
The I villi, in the mean time, were infatuated by their pri¬ 
vate quarrels; till at la ft, after fome ill-conduCted and 
unluccefsful efforts, they funk into a ftate of abjett fub- 
miflion ; and Turgefius was proclaimed monarch of the 
whole ifland in 845. 
The new king proved fuch a tyrant, that he foon be¬ 
came intolerable. A confpiracy was formed againft him; 
and he was feized by Malachlyn prince of Meath, in a 
time of apparent peace. An univerfal infurreCtion enfued; 
the Danes were maifacred or difperfed ; their leader con¬ 
demned to death for his cruelties, and drowned in a lake. 
The foreigners, however, were not exterminated, but the 
remains of them were allowed to continue on the ifland 
as fubjeCts or tributaries to fome particular chieftains. A 
new colony foon arrived, but under pretence of peaceable 
intentions, and a defign of enriching the country by com¬ 
merce. The Irilh, through an infatuated policy, fuffered 
them to become mailers of Dublin, Limeric, Waterford, 
and other maritime places, which they enlarged and for¬ 
tified with fuch works as had til) then been unknown in 
Ireland. The Danes did not fail to make ufe of every 
opportunity of enlarging their territories, and new wars 
quickly enfued. The Irilh were fometimes victorious, and 
fometimes not; but were never able to drive out their 
enemies, fo that they continued to be a very diftinguilhed 
and powerful fept, or tribe, in Ireland. The wars with 
the Danes were no fooner at an end, than the natives, as 
3 ulual, 
