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leaving the kingdom of Connaught to another brother, named Auley. Dathi was subsequently killed by lightning at the foot of the Alps, but his body was brought over to Ireland, and interred at Rathcroughan in Roscommon.1

DUAGH GALACH, son of Brian, died A.D. 438.

Brian left, it is said, twenty-four sons; and after the death of Oilil Molt, son of Dathi, who succeeded Auley as King of Connaught, one of these sons, named Duagh Galach, or Duagh the Valorous, became King of Connaught. Duagh was the youngest son of Brian. Before he came to the throne, and whilst it was held by his uncle's family, St. Patrick is stated to have visited Connaught. Of this visit and its results, so far as Duagh is concerned, O'Flaherty, in his History of West Connaught, gives the following account3:

"An old unpublished History of Ireland, preserved in the library of the R.I.A., informs us that St. Patrick arrived in Connaught, A.D. 434; and making towards the twenty-four sons of Brian, Eoghan, the eldest, mounting his horse, set spurs to him, and advised the rest of his brethren to do the same, and not to countenance the blessed man, which they all did, save only Duagh Galach, the youngest, who, staying on foot, courteously saluted St. Patrick, and tendered him respect and obedience. The holy man went still after Eoghan; and having overtaken him, asked him if he was the man, which he denied, but St. Patrick, notwithstanding, cursed him, saying, 'If you be Eoghan, I deprive both you, and all your brethren about you, of all royalty and plenty, except him only who honoured and cherished me for my Lord Jesus Christ's sake.' Then Duagh replied that if he was the eldest son he would have further pleased the holy man. St. Patrick blessed him, saying, 'You and your posterity shall be kings over your brethren;' and so it came to pass, for the future Kings of Connaught were descended from this Duagh."

Duagh subsequently became King of Connaught, and reigned for nineteen years. According to the Annals of the Four Masters, he died in A.D. 438, the chronology here not corresponding with the date given in the above recited legend.

Duagh left one son, named Eoghan, or Owen Shreve.

EOGHAN SHREVE died about A.D. 464. He does not appear to have been King of Connaught. He left a son.

The tombstone of "Dathi" is still shown at Rathcroughan.

Hardiman's O'Flaherty's West Connaught, p. 147.

MUIREDACH MAL, who also never became King of Connaught, the kingship having at this period passed to the family of Oilil Molt, son of Dathi, son of Fiacha, who was, as related above, a brother of Brian. Muiredhach Mal died about the year A.D. 489, leaving two sons, Cathal and Fergus, neither of whom, according to O'Donovan, ever became King of Connaught.

FERGUS, according to some accounts, was, for a time, King of Connaught; but if so he did not retain the kingship for more than a few years, and had relinquished it before his death, which took place A.D. 517. He left two sons, Duagh Teangumha and Eochy Termacherna. Duagh became King of Connaught during his father's lifetime, and was killed in the battle of the Seaghais (the Curlieu Mountains) in the year A.D. 504.

EOCHY TERMACHERNA probably became King of Connaught after the death of Eoghan Bel, descendant of Dathi, who was a most distinguished king, and who died from a wound received in the battle of Sligo, A.D. 537. This battle was fought by the King of Connaught against Fergus and Donnell, sons of the then monarch of Ireland, some days before his death. Finding his end approaching, this Eoghan Bel besought St. Keiran of Cloonmacnoise, to allow his son Ceallagh, who was intended for the priesthood, and who was preparing for holy orders at the monastery, to leave this retreat, and to take on himself the government of Connaught; but it does not appear that St. Keiran consented to this, or that Ceallagh ever reigned for any length of time. Eochy died A.D. 543, a natural death, leaving a son named Aedh.

AEDH, or HUGH, came to the throne of Connaught some time before the year A.D. 554, as in that year1 an occurrence took place which is related in all the old records, and which proves that he was then King of Connaught. It is stated that Curnan, the son of Hugh, son of Eochy Termacherna, King of Connaught, who was a hostage for his father, with Diarmid, monarch of Ireland, was put to death by that monarch, in violation of the guarantee of St. Columbkille. The result of this was a war between Hugh and Diarmid, in which St. Columbkille exercised all his authority and powers against the monarch, and raised up his family adherents in Tirconnell and Tyrone to oppose Diarmid. A battle ensued in the Co. Sligo, in which Diarmid was defeated with great loss. After the battle, Diarmid and Columbkille were

According to some of the Annals, this took place A.D. 562. According to the Annals of Ulster, 560.

reconciled, and a MS., about which Columbkille and St. Finian had been disputing, was handed over to Columbkille.

The following account of this dispute, and of the events which followed it, is given by O'Donovan in his MS., and is stated by him to be taken from O'Donnell's Life of Columbkille1 :—

"St. Finian had a unique MS. of the Psalter, which he lent to Columbkille, who secretly made a copy of it. St. Finian, when he discovered this, claimed the copy as his, but Columbkille resisted. The matter was referred to Diarmid, who decided that as the lamb belonged to the sheep, so did the copy to the book, and that St. Finian, as the owner of the one, was entitled to the other; his judgment being thus against Columbkille.

"At the same time Curnan, son of Aedh, King of Connaught, who was a hostage in the hands of Diarmid, was playing ball in the pomarium of the city with other youths; and a quarrel having arisen in the game, he slew the son of the chief of the household by striking him on the head with his hurlet, and to avoid the anger of the king, he fled to St. Columbkille, whose asylum he thought no man would dare violate; but the king's rage was so great that, regardless of the privileges of the Church, and of the sanctity of Columbkille, he dragged the youth from the very bosom of the saint, and immediately put him to death. Columbkille, who could not brook this insult to the privileges of the Church, threatened revenge, and said to the king, 'I shall expostulate with my brethren and kinsmen concerning thy unjust decision and contempt of me and thy violation of the immunity of the Church, that they may take revenge of thee for so profane deeds.'

"The saint proceeded into Ulster, and induced his kinsmen of the races of Eoghan and Connell to challenge the monarch to a pitched battle, at a place called Cuil-Dreimhne, in the territory of Carbury, north of Sligo. There they were joined by Aedh, King of Connaught, who was glad to avail himself of their aid, to take revenge for the death of his son. They mustered their forces to the number of 3,000 men, and the monarch met them with a force of 2,300 men, consisting of charioteers, cavalry, and pedestrians. The monarch was defeated with great slaughter, in consequence, it is said, of the efficacy of the prayers of St. Columb, who knelt and prayed on a neighbouring hill during the battle."

After the battle, Diarmid and Columb were reconciled, and the copy of the book made by him from St. Finian's MS., was left to him.

' O'Donnell's Life of Columbkille, Lib. II., Trias. Thaum., p. 409.

"This identical MS., in an ancient reliquary, called the Cathach or Caah of Columbkille, is still in existence, and has been deposited in the Museum of the Irish Academy by its present owner, Sir Richard O'Donnell."

The MS. here referred to had been preserved for generations in the O'Donnell family, and one of its possessors, Brigadier Daniel O'Donnell, in 1723, caused a solid silver rim to be placed round the shrine. Some years later he left this important heirloom of his family in a monastery in Belgium, with an injunction that it should be delivered to whoever could. prove himself to be the representative, or head, of the O'Donnell family. In this monastery the relic remained, until the late Sir Neal O'Donnell of Newport, having received from Sir W. Betham the necessary certificate, claimed and obtained it. From him it passed to his son, the late Sir Richard O'Donnell, who placed it in the care of the Royal Irish Academy.1

Although successful in the contest with the monarch Diarmid, the King of Connaught, does not appear to have gained much by his victory; and little more is recorded regarding him until his death, which took place in the year 577

UADA, son of Hugh, died A.D. 599 or 601.

Hugh, the late King of Connaught, was succeeded by a cousin, who reigned seven years, and was followed by another cousin, who also reigned seven years, after which the government reverted to his son Uada. He reigned for nine years, and died a natural death, according to the Annals of the Four Masters, in 601, and according to other accounts, in 599. After the death of Uada, the sovereignty of Connaught again passed to the descendants of Dathi, until Roghallach, son of Uada, recovered it after the battle of CeannGabha, in which the then King Colman was slain.

ROGHALLACH, son of Uada, died A.D. 645 or 648.

Roghallach, having wrested the sovereignty from his rival, reigned twentyfive years. According to the Annals of the Four Masters, he was killed in 645. In the Annals of Ulster his death is placed in 648, and O'Donovan accepts this date as correct, whilst Charles O'Conor adopts the date fixed by the Four Masters.

Roghallach was a great warrior, and his exploits formed the subjectmatter of many ancient lays. He was killed whilst on horseback by a

1 1 O'Curry's Lectures, p. 331.

'This discrepancy of three or four years between the dates in the Annals of the Four Masters and other records exists in regard to almost every event recorded, but as the dates usually vary in exactly the same ratio, the discrepancy really rather strengthens than weakens the authority of these records.

E

chieftain named Moyle Bride. The Annals of the Four Masters thus record his death :

"Roghallach, son of Uatach, was pierced on the back of a white steed;

Muireann (his wife) hath well lamented him, Cathal (his son) hath well avenged him ;
Cathal is this day in battle, though he is bound (to peace) in the presence of kings;
Though Cathal is without a father, his father is not without being well revenged.
Estimate his terrible revenge from the account of it related;

He slew six men and fifty, he committed sixteen devastations;

I had my share like another in the revenge of Roghallach;

I have the grey beard in my hand of Maelbride, son of Mothlachen."

FERGUS, son of Roghallach, died A.D. 649 or 654.

Roghallach left three sons, Cathal, Ceallagh, and Fergus, all of whom appear to have held for a time the sovereignty of Connaught. Fergus did not reign for a long term. He was killed in battle, in the Co. Galway, A.D. 649 or 654.1 After his death the sovereignty passed to other branches of the descendants of Brian, and for a short period was held by his brother Cellagh. Eventually it reverted to Fergus's son, Muired hach.

MUIREDHACH MUILETHAN, died A.D. 700 or 702.

Muiredhach Muilethan, or "Murray of the Broad Crown," was elected King of Connaught about the year 696,2 and died in 700 or 702. He was called also Muiredhach of the Maghery or plains of Connaught; and the race which descended from him, and which became very numerous, was called the Sil Muiredhach or Siol Murray. Amongst the families belonging to this race were the O'Conors, M'Dermots, M'Donoughs, O'Beirnes, O'Flanagans, Magheraghtys, and Ò'Feenaghtys. Muiredhach left three sons, Conway, Innrechtach, and Cathal. From the first are descended the O'Feenaghtys of the valley of the Suck, from the second the O'Conors, and from the third the O'Flahertys. The eldest son, Conway, never obtained the sovereignty, which was bestowed on the second son, Innrechtach, or Enright; but in consequence of his seniority, his descendants were granted great privileges over the other chieftains.

"O'Feenaghty," says Duald M'Firbis, " was called the Royal Chieftain of 'Clann' Conway, and possessed before the English invasion forty 'ballys,' lying along both sides of the river Suck; but the Burkes drove him from his patrimonial territory."

The Annals of the Four Masters, p. 301; Chronicum Scotorum, p. 115. 'O'Donovan MS. O'Donovan MS.