N OW READY .

The O’

Ne i l ls of Ulster.

JAMES MATHEWS.

Wi th i ntroduction by F. J. B IGGER,

In Three Vo lumes .

P rofuse ly I l l ustrated.

A work g i vi ng th e m i n utes t l a

form ati on of th i s g rea t fam i ly ;

wh ose s tory i s so remark ably

i nterwoven i n to th e h i s tory of

Ire l and.

Crown 8vo. Cl oth.

JUST ISS UED.

POflom

For the Man in the Street.

IL LUSTRATED BY

THE REV. E. A. SEL L EY,

Crow n 800, Cloth 5/ net.

One reads and is interested i h,even fascinated

by the author ’s account of the lowe r heavens and

the ‘ clearness and simpl ic i ty of explanat ion,

’

which he c l aims are w i l l ingl y conceded .—]r z

'

siz

Times.

A splendid compendium of reasoned common

sense .— N ew I rel and Revi ew .

The author clothes his sc ienti fic facts and

theories in language and in garb so int erest ing as

to make the book one which w i l l be perused with

keen enjoyment.

)3 )

)J )

jw

o J 3n

Q Q

A P O E M,

I N F I V E B O O K S .

BY

SI SAMUEL FERGUSON .

TH IRD EDITIO N .

D u b l i n‘

IL on b onSEALY , BRYERS WALKER

, G. BELL SON S,

94, 95, 96 M i ddle Abbey York House , P ort ugalStreet. Street .

ATHREE MUCH - P R I Z ED FR IEN D S

he MARGARET STOKE!

WHITLEY STOKES,

FREDERICWILLIAM BURTON;

I D ED I C ATE

TH IS P OEM .

THE ARGUMEN T.

Ambztz’

on, Ang er, Terror, Stn'

fe and

Izen ’

, 275 B ook i n Cong a l 3 story i zat/z.

PAGE

I . Ki ng Conga], feast-ward bent, i s turned asi de.

Bard Ardan’s arts of spleenfu l Song are tri ed.

The Royal Feast . The unintended Sl i ght .

Ha l t Ke l l ach’s Counse l and the Ai ds for fight.

I I I . The Ridng -out of Erin’s guardian Ghosts.

Conan’

s reso l ve and te-encouraged Hosts .

IV. Ki ng Domnal’

s Muster, ere thefight proceeds.

Mad Sweeny 's flight;and N orthern Conal ’s deeds. 95- 139

V. The Shrew the FOO1 the final Overthrow .

What e lse remains, the verse, i tself, w i l l show . 140-174

E D I T O R ’ S P R E F A C E

TO THE

SECOND EDITION .

IN preparing for the press this,the sixth volume of the

cheap edi tion of Si r Samuel Ferguson’s works

,recen tly

gi ven to the public,i t has been thought desirab l e to

prefix to each of the five books of“ Congal ” an

argument, orprécz

'

s of the subj ect,and al so to add

table of the principal characters, in l ieu of the learned

and voluminous “ Notes,

” which i llustrate the fi rst

ed ition . To include these would have doubled the

s ize of th is small and handy book,and seemed u h

necessary,as the original large volume is not out of

pmnt

The bitter quarrel between Congal C laen, provinc ial King of Ulster

,and Domnal

,King of I re l and, in

the seventh century of our era, i s the theme of the

poem . I t had its origin,ostensibly

,i n an insult offered

to Congal at a royal banquet ; but i t was st il l more theresul t of previous injuries . The Monarch had evaded

his promise to restore to Congal the whole of his

Ulster patrimony in reward for the services of the hero

P REFACE. vi i

and h is friends in assuring to King Domnal the supreme

power. I t was also the expiring effort of the Pagan

and Bardic party in Ireland, against the newly consol i

dated power of Church and Crown .

King Domnal triumphed on the bat tle- field of Moyra,where

,after a brave conflict, Congal and his foreign

all ies were utterly defeated,and the provi ncial King

of Ulster m et with his tragic fate .

Although supernatural beings"

were held to have

mingled in the s trife,and some of the characters in

the Epic are mythical,yet

,i n the main

,the incidents

i t records are historical ly true. In the topography o i

the dis tric t names and pl aces even now preserve the

local tradition and the forts which were the residences

of some of the heroes who fought at Moyra, are s til l

s tanding,and are l ikely to stand

,i t may be for another

thousand years or more . on their ancient s i tes .

N ot far from the town of Antrim are the remains of

the earthen fort of Congal C laen, from which he

marched to the hmal confli ct. Sir Samuel Ferguson,

who knew w el l that d is trict of Antr’im and Down,some

2 4 years before he published h i s Epic of “ Congal,

”

thus describes Rathmore -Moy- Linny.

Enough remains of the ramparts of Rathmore toshow the former exten t of th is o l d residence of the

kings of Dal aradia. I t must have been a great andstrong fort, and has witnessed events that in any other

country would have long Si nce been made the subjectof heroic story. Here dwel t the proud

,unhappy

Conga] Claen , and here we may picture to ours el ves

P REFACE.

old Ceal lagh Mac Fi achna, carried out upon his brazen

tolg , to meet his nephew return ing from the di sastrous

feast of Dun -na-n’

gedh and as Congal enumerates

the i ndignities put upon him at the royal banquet,handling under hi s gown the sword which none til l

then suspected the bedridden sen ior of carrying. We

may imag ine i ts wall s resounding to the songs of bards,enumerating the former possess ions of the kings of

Ulster and the former priv ileges of the poets,before

the statutes of Dromceat transferred their ren ts and

honours to the Chris tian clergy , and s ent twelve hun

dred of them adrift on Ulster with nothing but thei r

harps and burning words to depend on for l ife or

vengeance til l Conga],at length maddened by a sense

of his own wrongs,and by the ins tiga tions of the

outraged poets, undertakes the fatal expedit ion which

terminated in hi s defeat and death at M oyra .

”

That battl efie ld l ies south—east of Lough Neagh,not

far from the modern town of the same name,which is

a s tation on the Northern Railway; and thither Conga]C l aen ,

with his fore ign alli es,m arched to encounter the

’

royal forces,A.D . 637. The strife was deadly . I t was a

hand - to-hand confli ct of the opposed troops and their

leaders . These duel s are depicted in the fourth and

fifth Books of the Epic,which closes wi th the death of

Conga]. Of the scene of th is confli ct,Ferguson,

i n

an art icle reviewing Reeves ’ Eccles iastical Anti

qu i ties,”wrote as fol lows

We are here upon the borders of the heroic fie ldof Moyra, the scene of the greatest battle, whether we

P REFACE. ix

regard the numbers engaged, the duration of the

combat,or the stake at issue

,ever fought within the

bounds of Ireland . For beyond question, i f Congal

Claen and his Genti le al l ies had been Victorious in

that battle,the te-establishment of old bardic paganism

would have ensued . There appears reason to believe

that the fight l as ted a week 5 and on the seventh day

Con g al himsel f is said to have been slain by an idiot

youth,whom he passed by in the battl e

,in scorn of h i s

imbecil i ty . All local memory of the event is now

gone,save that one or two locali ties preserve names

connected wi th i t. Thus,beside the Rath of Moyra, on

the east,i s the hill Cairn-Albanach, the burial-p l ace of

the Scottish princes,_Congal’s uncles and a pi llar- stone,

with a rude cross,and some circles engraved Oh i t

,

formerly marked the site of their rest ing-place. Oh

the other hand,the townland of Aughnafoskar pro ~

bably preserves the name of Knockanchoscar, from

which Congal’s druid surveyed the royal army

,drawn

up in the plain below,on the first morning of the

battle . Ath Orna idh, the ford cro ssed by one of the

armies, i s probably modernized in Thorny—ford, on the

river,at some miles distance . Oh the ascent to Trum

mery,in the direction of the woods of K i l lul tagh, to

which, we are told, the routed army fled, great quan

tities of bones of men and horses were turned up in

excavating the line of the Ulster Railway which passes

close below the o ld church .

”

Ferguson ’s review of the learned work of the late

Bishop of Down and Connor was published in 1 848

P REFACE.

From the pen of thi s d ist inguished archaeol ogist, he

quotes a description of Rath-K e l tar, near Downpatrick,which was the D un of Sweeny

,brother of L afincl a, the

betrothed bride of Congal . I t was from Rath-Kel tar

that the cavalcade i ssued on the bright May morningdescribed in the Open ing l ines of thi s Epic . Dr.Reeves speaks of Rath-K el tar as one of the noble s tremains of a primitive I rish palace which is to be foundin Ireland .

’ No one,

”he adds

,

“ can walk round

these fosses and entrenchments wi thout being forciblystruck by their extent and boldness . Harris

,an

earl ier writer, gives i ts circumference as feet,

i ts heigh t 60 feet, and states that of three ramparts

that surround i t,the most cons iderable i s 30 feet

broad. Rath-Kel tar i s s ti ll a conspicuous obj ect i n

the immediate vicin i ty of Downpatrick .

I t would not be possible for me to review myhusband’s poem in a cri tical sp irit ; yet I may

observe that when the first edition of Conga/

appeared,i t was reviewed by several unknown, and

I assume,therefore

,impartial critics

, one of whom

pronounced i t the productio n of an imaginat ion

of the highest order ;” another

,as “

one of the

works in recent poeti c l i terature worthi es t o f being

known and s tud ied . O thers have adjudged i t tobe the bes t and greatest work that Sir Samuel

Ferguson has left us.

” “We are not aware of any requis ite quali ty o f a great heroic poem which it does not

po ssess .” “As a poem ,Conga ! i s unquestionably one of

the finest products of h ish genius .” “ A noble and

P REFACE.xi

conscientious work which will i l lus trate his country’

s

genius as wel l as hi s own .

” Ah American criti c al so

states : The characteri s tics of Si r Samuel Ferguson’

s

poetry,as ide from i ts national ity, are a remarkable

s trength of rhythm,a happy boldness of epithet, and

broad touches of description . I t i s thoroughly manlyin spirit and express ion , and i ts lyrical facul ty i s fre

quently of the sort that touches the nerves . I wil lnow quote the verdict of two personal friends— themselves admirable poets— Mr. Aubrey de Vere and the

late M r . jus tice O’

Hagan .

Mr. de Vere says of Conga]:“This work belongs

to the ‘ great ’ s tyl e of poetry,that style which i s

characterised by s implici ty,breadth of effect

,a careless

strength full ofmovement. Obviously, its qual itiesare those characteristic of the noble , not the ignoble,poetry, V i z .

,passion

,imag ination, vigour, an epic large

ness of concept ion , wide human sympathies, vivid and

truthful descript ion I ts di ction i s pure,i ts metre

ful l of variety and with these merits, common to all

true poetry, i t uni tes an ins ight which only a man

of genius can p ossess , into the special characteris tics

of those ancient times and manners which are so

requently i ts subj ect.”

In Judge O’Hagan

’

s volume,Tfie P aez‘ry of St?

Samud Ferguson, i ts author w rote of Conga].

“ Nopoem so Homeric i n the march of the narrative

,in the

character 0 1 the heroes, or in the resonant majesty ofthe versificati on has appeared in our t ime . Sir

Samuel Ferguson has achieved a great work for his

xfi P REFACE.

country. If a di stinctive Nat ional I rish Li terature i nthe English tongue i s an achievement of which the

foundations have been already laid, then to Sir Samuel

Ferguson may the greater praise belong. Be this the

pillar of hi s fame.”

Appreciation so sincere,generous

,and jus t

,of my

husband ’s gen i us,has encouraged me to do my utmost

to make his works accessible to al l classes among his

countrymen . He l ived,and wrote, and worked for

Ireland and of him i t may be truly said

He toiled to mak e our S tory stand

As from Time’s reverent,runic hand

I t came,undeck

’d

By fancies false, erect, alone,The monumental arctic stone

Ofages wreck’d.

”

Sir Samuel Ferguson regarded his tory as did the

Roman orator,H i stor i c: l empomm l esl z

'

s, l ux ver i

z‘atz

'

s, m

’

z‘a mewor z

’

w,mag z

'

sl ra vi tae,et m mcia antiqu i

taz‘

z’

s, s o that

,to use his own words men may feel

they are not come into the world strangers,but mem

bers of a fami ly long plan ted in the land before them,

owing reverence to the place and insti tutions of their

forefathers,and by that common sentiment strengthen

ing the social bond among one another.”

Again, i n h is M esgca’

m,this ferven t lover of his

country, laments the too prevalent ignorance of her

History and Tradi tion- ah ignorance that has hindered

P REFACE.

that “strengthen ing of the social bond he so earnestly

desired.

The man aspires

To l ink his present With his country’s past,And l ive anew in knowledge of his s ires

No rootless colonis t of al ien earth,Proud but of patien t lungs and pliant l imb

,

A stranger in the land that gave h im birth

The land a stranger to itself and him .

Believing,as I do, that the study of Sir Samuel

Ferguson’s writings will do much to remove from us

this reproach , and wi l l tend wisely to unite, del ight,and instruct, I add this new edit ion of Conga ! to thevolumes already published.

M . C. FERGUSON .

20 N ORTH GREATGEORGE’

S STREETJ

DUBL IN , December , 1892 .

P REFACE.

THE l eading incidents of this Poem are derived from

the Irish Bardic romance called CamM zzzg/ze Ra i /z,or

the Battle of Moyra,

” with i ts introductory “ Pre

Tale of the Fl ead/z Dm’

zz -ml n - Ged/z, or Banquet of

Dunangay.

” When these pieces were first given tothe publ ic

,through the patriotic labours of the Irish

Archaeological Society,i n 1 84 2 , they made a strong

and lasting impression on my imaginat ion . They

seemed to possess,in a remarkable degree

,that large

ness of purpose,unity

,and continui ty of action which

are the principal elements of Epic Poetry,and so

l i ci ted me irresis tibly to the endeavour to render them

into some compatible form of English verse. After

some time, however, I found the inheren t repugnanciestoo obstinate for reconcilement

,and

,with some regret,

abandoned that attempt. But the general tenor of the

piece had so strongly impressed itself that I could not

wholly rej ec t i t from my mind ; and the result — long

s ince accomplished— has been this Poem,called

“ Congal ,” from the chief acto r in i t. While growing

out of the Iri sh original, i t has taken, in so many re

spects, an independent ou tl ine and s tructure, that i t

could not with propriety be given the name of i ts pro

totype, although the Battle of Moyra i s the principal

inciden t i n both. This explanation of the parentage

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

C H A R A C TE R S .

DOMN AL ,K ing of Ireland.

— Ri tl ingfrom Dunang ay, on the Boyne .

GARRAB -GAN N .

-Envoy of K i ngDomna l to Cong al C laen

MAL ODHAR—MACHA. P rovincialKing of Ema in-M acha, near Armagh .

ULTAN - LON G-HAN D . Chi ef of

Or i or, Louth .

KEL L ACH, SON OF MAL COVA.

P rov inc ia l K ing of Le inster,

CON AL, SO N OF BAEDAN .— Ch i ef

of Si l - Setna, N orth-W e st U lster .

Chie fs ofCAIRBRE CROM , Le i nster fi g htAUL AY OF THE SH I P S,

at M oyraARGN ADACH,

mg

AIL IL Lon the Si de of

K ing Domna l .

FERGUS,ANGUS,ERRIL , Sons of K ing Domna l .

CARRI L ,COL GU,

CUAN N A .— The idio t son of U ltan

Long-Hand.

SWEENY, Chi efs of Connaugh tAED-ALEN , fighti ng at M oyra on

ABD BU IE, the Si de of K i ngECCAD BREC, Domna l .

CAEN FAL L A 0L L IOL SON .

— A learnedDoctor . Fough t at M oyra on the

s i de of K ing Domna l .

FERCAR F i N N .— Stew ard to Ultan

Long- Hand . Fought at M oyra .

MALDUN .

—Fought a t M oyra on thes ide of K i ng Domnal .

B ISHOP S ERC AN D RONAN FI N N .

Fri ends of K ing Domna l .

DOMN AL BREC,

SWEEN Y,

CON GAL M ENN

FEMAL E CHARACTERS.

LAFIN DA.— Si ster of Sw eeny of Rathke l tar, betrothed to CongalL AVARCAM .

— N urse and a ttendan t on L afinda.

F1N GUAL A.— W i fe of Ultan- Long-Hand.

St. Bri g id of K i ldare , Daughter of Dubtach.

N uns and M onks, Servants of St. Bri g id.

Wives of Domna l Brec and hi s Brothers .

SUP ERN ATURAL BEIN GS.

Ti l e Wasizer of the Ford. M anamzrm Mar M ac L i r

Herdsman Borc/za .

CON GAL CL AEN .— P rovi ncial King

of U lster, son of Scallan BroadSh i e ld. Ruling from RathmoreM oy

—Li nny, near An tr im .

KEL LACH THE HALT.— Ch ief of

M ourne . Uncle to Conga l Cl aen .

CU- CARMODA, Sons of Ke l l ach the

AN DACH, Ha l t. sla in at M oyra .

BRASIL .— Youngest of the seven sons of

K e l lach the Halt, sla i n at M oyra .

S\VEEN Y.— K i ng of Da l aradia , a

di str i ct of Dow n . Brother of L afinda .

Ru l ing from Rathke l tar,near Dow n

p atr ick .

EOCHA ID BUIE .— K ing of the Da l riads

of Scotland. Grandfather to Conga lC laen .

Sons of E0

cha id Bui e .

K ing of the

Da l ri ads of

Alba (Scotland). Foughtat M oyra on

the side of

J Cong al C l aenCON AN RODD .

— Son of the K ing ofBri ta in . Fough t at M oyra on the

side of Conga ! Claen .

CONAN FINN .

— Fought a t M oyra on the

s i de of Conga]Claen .

AED GREEN-MANTL E,

n fl; !Cous ins of Conan F i nn,

Q

REES, slam at M oyra .

FERMORC BEcc .

— Fought at M oyra or:

the s i de of Conga l C laen .

ARDAN .— The Bard.

DROSTAN .— The Druid.

C O N GA L .

B O O K I .

THE ARG UMEN T.

K i ng Conga],feas l -w am’éent

,i s turned as i de.

B a rd A rdan’s arts of s/fil eenfu l song are tr i ed .

[Conga l Cl aen , P rovinc ial Ki ng of Ulster, al though di ssati sfied

at the curtai lment of h i s terri tory by the Supreme K ing ,Domnal , accepts that monarch

'

s invi tat i on to a banquet atDunangay on the Boyne . He rides forth from Rath-Kel tar,near Downpatri ck , the abode of hi s sub-ki ng Sw eeny, towhose si s ter L afinda Conga l w as be tro thed ; and, on hi s

journey so uthwards passes thraugh the mounta ins of Mourne ,a di stri ct ru l ed by Ke l l ach the Hal t , bro ther to Congal

’s

father Sca l lan. Conga]i s m et by the Chi ef Bard Ardan , sen tby hi s uncle to i nv i te him to feast and rest. Ke l l ach, who

i s a pagan, has accorded, i n Mourne, an asy lum to the

ban ished Bards . C artad, envoy of Domnal , who i s aecompany ing Congal, protests, but w i thout success. Ardan,

referri ng to the anc i en t tale of “The Sons of Usnach,” of“ Cuchu l l i n ,

”and of o thers, succeeds i n detain ing Conga l .

He i s w e lcomed by Ke l l ach, who dwe l ls angri ly on the w rongsinfli cted by King Dom nal . He i s answ ered by tha t k ing

’

s

envoy Garrad. Kel lach’

s Bards, after the feast si ng of the

earl y co lon i z at i on of I reland, o f the ri chness and w ide ex tentofUls ter, the pa trimony ofConga l

’

s ances to rs now dim i n ished

by the arbi tram en t of Domna l . Conga l bestow s on the Bard

a go lden torque, but refuses to break h i s treaty of peace w i ththe monarch

HE Hosting here of Congal Glaen .

’Twasloud- lark—caroll ing May

When Conga],as the lark elate

,and radiant

as the day,

Rode forth from steep Rath-Kel tar gate : nor marvelthat the King

)

Should share the solace of the skies , and g ladness of

the spring,

CON GAL .

For from her high sun-harbouring bower the fortressgate above

The lovel iest lady of the N orth looked down on himW i th love .

Adieu,sweet heart ; a short adieu i n seven days

hence,

”he cried

,

Expect me at your portals back to claim my promisedbride .

My heart at las t has full content : my love ’s acceptance heals

All wounds of Fortune : what although Mal odhar

Macha s teals,

By Domnal’

s false arbitrament,my tributes and my

land,

Nor he nor sovereign Domnal’

s self can stealL afinda

’

s hand .

‘Then forw ard,youths

,for Dunangay3 th is royal

banquet sped

That binds our truce , remains no more but s traightway back, and wed.

”

On went the royal cavalcade,a goodly s ight to

see,

As wes tward, o’er the Land of Light

,they swept the

flowery leaEach shining hoof of every steed upcasting high

behindThe gay green turf in thymy tufts that scented all the

wind ,While, crossing at the coursers

’ heads wi th intersectingbounds

As swift as skimming swallows played the joyousbarking hounds .

Fi rst of the fleet resplendent band,the hero Congal

rode ;Dark shone the mighty- chested steed his shape ly thigh

bestrode

CONGAL. 3

Dark,too at times

,hi s own brow showed that a l l his

lover 5 airBut mantled with a passing light the gloom of inward

care .

Beside him , on a bay-bright s teed,i n yellow garb

arrayed,

Rode Sweeny,K ing of B alaray, the brother of the

maidAttendant on his other hand , with eye that never

ceasedObsequious watch

,came Garrad Gann

,the envoy of

the feas tA troop of gallant youths behind :

’twas gl orious tobehold

The coursers ’ motions and the how of graceful formsand gold .

So rode they,t il l

,the flowery pl ain and bushy

Upland pass’

d,They came at noon where

, o’

er the woods,Ben

Borcha’

s barriers vas tRose in mid- sky : here, where the road divided, at the

bourneThat meared the country of the Lord of gloomy

mountai n’

d Mourne,

Ke l lach the Halt,the heroes met

,in middle of the

w ay,The Master of the Schools of Mourne

,the Arch -Bard

Ardan theyAlighting made him reverence meet and Ardan from

hi s carDescending, kissed the King and said,

Dear youths , ye welcome areTo Ke l l ach’s country . Congal C laen, thine uncle

’sherald

,I

In virtue of the Red-Branch bond,beseech thy

courtesy

CONGAL .

This day to rest and feast with him .

From knight to knight,repl ied

King Congal,

“ ’t is a just request,and ill to be

den ied .

”

Worse to be granted, Garrad said : to Domnal

reconcil ed,

Behoves thee that thou rather shun one not theChurch’s child 3

And,for hi s bond of brotherhood, a l ike requ est

was madeOnce

,with small good to guest or hos t

,when

fraudful Barach stayedWith fatal feas ts the son of Roy

,and from his

plighted chargeDetained him i n Dunseverick hall

,while Conor

,

left at largeTo deal as lust or hate might prompt w i th thosewho on the fai th

Of weak MacRoy’s safe - conduct cam e

, did Usnach’s

sons to death .

Conor Mac Nessa,said the Bard, when first he

sent to spyClan Usnach

,w here they sat at chess i n Creeve

Roe ’s sanctuary,Chose for hi s messenger a nurse, who, s traight

returning, toldThe p iou s fal sehood that the Queen was fadedgrown

,and old

When,hot with wine

,a second time the lustful

tyran t sentTo see if Deirdre’s beauty sti ll l ived on her, hisin ten t

Being to break hi s guaran tees;he for that errandbase

Chose,as the fittest man of al l his minions there in

place,

CONGAL. 5

A Northman herald and that spy brought back thewicked word

Of Deirdre’s beauty unimpaired,which hearing at

hi s board,

The King, despite his bard’s rebuke

,from doomed

Eman ia’

s hallWent forth and di d the sacri lege that wrought hi skingdom ’s fall .

Wherefore i t seems to me thi s tale of Usnach ’schi ldren now

Sounds not we l l- t imed to such as we,from such a

one as thou,

Oh N orthman herald : but, oh King,I lay thee as

beforeIn knighthood

’s bonds,thou pass not by thy father’s

brother’

s door.”

Said Congal : “ If the son of Roy to this constrainingt ie

Yielded , though charged w i th mighty cares,great

blame it were if I,

Who,unlike Fergus , j ourney forth with neither

charge nor care,

Should shun my knightly kin sman ’s cheer with loyalmind to share .

And,climbing by the Po et’s side

,they took the left

hand road,

And through the gap of mountain sought the agedChief ’s abode .

Far on the steep gap’s further s ide

,a rugged tract

they found,

With barren breasts of murky h il l s and crags encom

passed roundA hollow sound ofblustering winds was from the margin

sent,A river down the middle space w i th mighty tumult

went

6 CONGAL.

And s till, as further on they fared, the torrent sw ifterflowed,

And mightier and murkier sti l l the circli ng mountai nsshowed

A dreadful desert as i t seemed : t il l Congal wasaware

Of divers goodly-Vi saged men and youths resortingthere.

Some by the flood—s ide lonely walked and other somewe re seen

Who rapt apart in s ilent thought paced each hisseveral green

And stretched in dell and dark ravine,were some that

lay supine,

And some in posture prone that lay,and conn

’

d the

written line .

Then to the King’s enquiring gaze,where

,mounted by

his s ide,

He sat and eyed the silent throng , the grey Arch-Bardrepl iedSee i n despite the Clerics ’ hate

,where Ke l lach

’

s

care awardsRough though i t be

,a sanctuary to Erin

’s banishedBards .

A life - time now is well—nigh spen t s ince first ourwandering feet

,

Compelled by that unjust decree enacted at Drumkeat,

Left home and pres idential seat by plenteous boardand fire

To sate the rage of impious Aed,ungrateful Domnal ’s

Si re .

Twelve hundred men,with one consent

,from Erin ’s

utmost ends,We sought the hills where ruled the Bard ’s heredi taryfriends

,

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8CONGAL.

Hearing which lay,Malcova, son of Deman, s tand i ngby,

Was moved with pity and desire to leave his memoryLinked with Cuchu l l in

’

s. Three fu l l years Ma l cova

spread our boardThere , by the Yewry. After him

,from bounteous

lord to lordRoamed w e the shel tering Land of Song 5 and so

,

from year to yearLived

,sp i te of angry Domnal

’

s hate,til l generous

Ke l l ach hereAssigned us

,— small the remnant now of tha t

i llustrious bandWho at Mal cova

’

s tables sat5— thi s tract of ruggedland 5

And ever in hi s own good fort, with hospitablecare,

For bard and pupil at our will provides us daily fare .

Yes,though the Clerics ’ grasp on all our frui tful landsbe set,

The poet-peopled desert teems with inspiration yetAnd here

,despi te their bell s and books

,st il l ’mid our

wilds we teachThe better Bardic utterance and sacred Poetspeech,

Yet to be heard , some happier day when ’mid theshock of spears

The shout of Freedom shal l be heard 5 and blest behe who hears . ”

Said Congal,Deem not that the Bards by am ’

voice of oursAre of the ir lawful rights debarred 5 or that thelaw l ess powers

The Clerks u surp were gained of me ; I love themnot 5 but now

To royal Domnal reconciled,’ tis fi tti ng that I bow

CONGAL. 9

With will ing reverence to the laws .Said Ardan

,Laws in Mourne

Agai ns t the law of God decreed, we reverence not,but scorn .

”

Fear not,

” said Congal 5 while I reign o’er Ulster,none shall dare

D isturb the seats assigned you here by generousKel lach

’

s care .

”

We fear not for our seats,oh King these rocks are

not the soilThat Clerics choose

,when feeble chiefs divide the

Church her spoil .Yet even ’mid these wind-whirling vales, these desertsdumb and dead

,

Their Saints invade us. Raise thine eyes to yondermountain head

That ’twixt us and the eastern sky uplifts its gl itteringcone

There, where thou seest the cairn at top, dwelt in h iscave of stone

Their hermi t Domangart, ten years the tempestsfrom the sea

Oh one side dashed him,and on one the wet west

blanched him : heDaily, or from his driving cloud or mountain al tarbare

,

Loosed ’gainst the nation’s ancient gods hi s searchingshafts of prayer 5

And, daily, from the rocky crest of B ingian here,hard by,

Alone l ike him,and rai sed l ike him

,midway ’ twixt

earth and sky,

The red Bard Irial,i n reply

,launched from his rival

chairAthwart the empty fie lds of space

,the deadlier poet ’s

Aez'

r ;

I 0 CONGAL.

Till,when the struggle had endured the tenth year,in his pride

Of prayer and fasting, Domangart sank’neath the

Aez’

r and died .

For God imparts the Bardic gift in tripl icate degree,The power to charm

,the power to blight, the power

to prophesy 5But to the second grade but few, and to the last but

one

M ay i n a generation ris e 5 and Aidan’s mighty son

Had to the second degree attained 5 and with hissong could rhyme

Crops to decay,and men to death 5 as in the olden

tun eBard Neyi d blotched his uncle Gaier, and from both

“

throne and bedExpelled him . Love me

,Lord of Song

,

’ incestuousAthna said .

But N eyid would not. Love me,Lord of Con

naught,

’ said the dame 5

Then Neyid from his burn ing heart, fi red with the

double flameOf lu s t and of ambition

,sped the baleful words of

scornThat made the king a blemished man : he

,wretch

,

at early morn,

When to the heal ing fount he went, his fevered browto lave

,

Beheld on ei ther evi l l ed cheek,reflected i n the wave

,

The hideous boil incurable 5 from sight othuman eyesAbashed he fled

,and one year’s space in mendicant

disguiseLurked in Dun- Kermna

,with the son of Edersgo l 5

meantimeN eyid enjoyed his Queen and crown ; but thatenormous crime

CONGAL . I I

Passed not unpunished when the year in guil ty joywas spent,

Mounted in Caier’s own royal car the Queen andPoet went

To claim the ir captive from the son of Edersgo l 5and

5bound

To N eyid’

s be l t,to aid their quest

,brought Ca ier’s

favori te hound .

‘ Then,through his rags and scars

5the King a moment

stood eal ed 5He s i ts within my seat

,he Ci iecl 5 and snatched a

warrior’5 shield ;But in the buck l er’s pol ished disk beholding onceagain

His ruined visage , and the dire , disqual ifying stain ,Shame- s truck

,leaped headlong o’er the rocks that

from the fortress moundStoop to the sea ; and, after him , draggcred by theeager hound

,

Went N eyi d o’

er the sl ippery brink ; at whosedespairing cry

,

As dow n the airy vo id ‘

he whirl ed,the chariot- steeds

hard byFled 5 and, cast forward where the reins entangl ingtrai led the road,

Her broken l imbs for many a mile the rocks ofB earra strowed .

Such power of o ld a Bard hath owned 5 and suchtremendous power

For evil or for good on thee depending,at th is

hour,Here

,round us, these, the remnant left of those Whom

Aetl’

s decree,Made at Drumkeat, expelled their chairs , reserve i n

trust for thee,Their only rightful Lord and King .

I 2 CONGAL.

Said Conga] Say not soTis Domnal now to whom we al l a one allegiance owe.

By this they reached the fort, and found the ChieftainKel lach there

Before the outer gate he sat, and took the fresher airA very aged senior he 5his hearing well - nigh gone,N or walked he longer on h i s fee t, but sat a to/g uponA brazen - footed bench i t was

,whereon his serving train

Could bear him gently i n and out.

My love to Congal C laen,

He said. D isabled of my limbs thou find’

st me ,nephew, stil l 5

But not yet crippl ed aught i n heart or in the loyal W i l lI hear my brother Scal l an’s son 5 and much my hearti s grieved

At hearing of the shameful wrongs thou hast of latereceived

At hands of thi s ungrateful King.

D ear kinsman,grieve no more

,

Conga] returned ;“ the se wrongs are al l forgotten

,

smee we sworeThe oaths of peace ; for peace is made, and will be

rati fied

By taking of th e princess fair, Lahnda, for my bride 5And

,ere the nuptial knot be tied

,on duty ’s urgent

wmgEt en now to Dunangay I ride to banquet with theKing.

”

Said Ke l l ach 5“ Smal l the good wil l spring ftom any

banque t spreadAt Dunangay, where coward Kings, from spaciousTara fled,

At threat of imprecat ing Clerks,crouch in their

narrow den.

But these are not the days of Kings,nor days of

mighty men .

”

CONGAL. 13

Said Garrad Gann 5" A servant here of Domnal

and I sayNo narrow house

,oh aged Sire

,i s that of Dunangay.

But when Sain t Ruan,because the King

,Brown

Dermid, had profanedHis s anctuary

,and his ward

,thence ravished, s till

detainedAt Tara contumaciously

,denounced by book and bell

His curse agains t the royal seat5— which righteous

j udgment wel lDid Derm id meri t 5 for he pressed his fugit ive

’spursui t

With Stcri l eg ious fury to the very al tar footOf L orrah 5 and, when Ruan himself s tood in thenarrow door

That led to where his ward was hid beneath thechancel fl oor

,

And Dermi d feared to pluck him thence, with pickand iron crow

D id break the floor before his feet, and from the cryptbelow

Dug out Aed Guara5— afterwards

,no King at Tara

dareLonger reside 5but each with in his patrimonial shareOrdained the royal seat elsewhere— as sou th Hy-N i all,

who choseLoch-Leyne-Fort 5 or as north Hy

-N iall, FortA i i each 5 and l ike those

Did Domnal choose,wh en Erin ’s voice gave him the

sovere ign s way,By salmon- ful l abounding Boyne, the hous e ofI)unangay.

"There,fol lowing royal Tara’s plan, with dyke and

mound he castSeven mighty ramparts round about, to make themansion fast 5

1 4 CONGAL.

And ,after the same pattern

,did build withi n

the fortFor him and for his household

‘ train,

’

a timberedmiddle-court 5

Also for each Provincial King a fair assembly hall,

A prison a nd a Poet ’s lodge, and, fairest workof all

,

A single-pillared chamber,l ike as Cormac

,learned son

OfArt, at desert Tara in former t imes had done.

In which capacious mansion,thou and all thy Bards,

o l d man ,Could lodge

,and no man ’s room be less so answers

Garrad Gann.

Herald,I hear thy words but il l

,said Kel lach ;

“ bu t ’twere wellFor Erin

,i f Derm i d Dun, that day he broke the

Cleric ’s cell,

As justly by the law he might,his fugitive to w in

,

Had,where he took Aed Guara out

,put Ruan of

L orrah i h .

So should our laws have reverence meet ; nor lawlessClerks exa l t

Their crooked staves above the wand of Justice,

through the faultOf such as Derm id. But, oh youths, behold the opengates

Where mountain fare on homely boards your courtesyawai ts .”

They entered : i n the hal l within abundant boardswere spread

,

Bard,Brehon

,Smith, i n order set, each at his table

’shead 5

But no Pries t sat to bless the meat : now,when the

feas t was done,Said Kel lach

,from his middle place

,

Oh, learned harmonious one,

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1 6 CONGAL.

Forgotten P artho lan h imself, ~ l ies ’neath his royalmound

On green Moynal ty, hushed at eve by drowsy ocean’s

sound,a nd clangorous song of flocks, by night, When through

the wintry airThe wide-winged wild geese to their pools by Liffey

s ide repair :But promised Slanga, tombed aloft on that great

mountain’s head,Which now,

s ince Domangart hath used the chamberof the dead

For Cleric rites,no longer owns i ts name of old

renown,Slieve-Slanga, but Sl ieve-Donard sounds, awaits hi s

call ing—down 5At whose return, when time has brought Fate

’s preappointed hour,

Long, long withheld, return the days of U ls ter’s pride

and power.And many a day, the poet said,

“ I ’ve raised to

Slanga’

s cairnThese eyes of mine, with longing gaze, expecting todiscern

Sign of his coming 5 and methought, as I th isvery day

Lay high on B ingian’s s ide

,and watched the piled

stones s tem and grey,“They seemed to stir : a sudden l ight o ’er all thelandscape spread

,

A j oyous sound of song burst forth around andoverhead 5

The wasteful void of air between,that i n a l ifeless

tranceLay wrapped but now, seemed sudden fi l l ed wi thvoice and utterance

CONGAL. 1 7

Strong in me rose des ire of song 5a thousand thoughtsand tones

Melodious thril led me 5 stil l I gazed 5 and stil l thesullen s tones

Ope ’d not 5 but even as I gazed, I saw the sunshineflame

Oh Congal’

s crest,and knew in him our promised

Slanga came .

”

He sat ; and smiles and plaudits marked the lay’ s

appropriate closeThen at the Brehon ’ s sen ior board another bard

arose.Of Herdsman Borcha was his song : how he

,in

ancient days ,Used s it on craggy Bingian

’s top to vi ew his bestial

graze 5Till from his herding- seat disturbed

,when to that craggy

steepCame Goban with his mason train to bu ild a treasure

keepFor mighty Finn . In living layers the j ointed rampart

roseA spear’ s l ength thick 5 but when the wall shou ld now

wel l-nigh encloseThe central summit

,Borcha came

,by night, and with

his s taffScattered the one half of the work ; but left the other

halfEnt ire

,that l ike a bristl ing crest on warrior’s helmet

set,

Looks toward Orgal l ia and the west with front defiant

yet.

In shade whereof,

the poet said,

“ as from thesultry beam

Of May-day noon,withdrawn I lay, I slept and

dreamt a d ream .

1 8 CONGAL .

Above me on his ancient seat,obscuring half the

skies,

I saw the giant herdsman si t,his mis t-grey meteor

eyesSearching the north : ‘

Gigantic youth, what do’ st

thou there ? ’ I cried .

I keep the score of Ulster’ s kine,’ the great N eate

Herd replied .

To keep the score of Ulster’ s kine, oh Borcha,’

answered 1,

There needs not now, since Scal lan’

s day, a herdseat hal f s o high .

’

He turned and gazing south and west, where oncethe dun droves ranged

Orgal l ia, saw the al ien brands, and all his aspectchanged .

He rose i n wrath,and cal led his dogs

,and down the

moun tain s trode,

And , at his parting, with his staff such bu ffet hebes towed

Oh Finn ’s rock—rampart that the earth rebounded atthe stroke 5

For, 10 the bol t of heaven had fallen hard-by, andI awoke

Mid rolling thunder and the smoke of shatteredcrag s 5 but still

Could hear his whistl e and h is call from distan t hil lto hil l .

And, as the Mas ter-Poet’

s car,said he, went by

to-day,Bearing King Conga]through the glen where rapt i nthought I lay

,

I looked and saw him once again,busy on B ingi an

’

s

b rowReckoning his kine 5 but west and south he turnedh i s glances now ,

CONGAL. 1 9

And smiled to find the tale complete, as, changinghand and hand

,

With fingers swift he told the score for each reconquered land .

”

He sat : and Congal also sat i n si lence and in gloom ,

While plaudits fi erce and unrestrained rose round thecrowded room .

Third, Ardan sang. To God who made theelements , I rai se

First praises humbly as is meet,and Him I lastly praise5Who sea and land hath meted ou t beneath the amplesky

For man ’ s inhabi tation, and set each familyTo dwell within his proper bounds 5who for the racerenowned

Of Rury from old time prepared the fair U l tonianground,

Grecn - val l ey’d clear - s treamed

, fi shy bay’

d, withmountain -m irroring lakes

Belted,with deer- abounding woods and fox

frequented brakesMade apt for al l brave exercise5that, till the end oftime,Each true Rudri c ian fair-hai r’d son might from hishills subl ime

Look forth and say,

‘ Lo,on the left

,from where

tumultuous MoyleHeaves at Benmore

’

s foot—fettering rocks withceaseless surging toil

,

And, half escap ing from the clasp of that s tarkchain of stone

,

The soaring Foreland5poised aloft

,as eagle newly

flown,

Hangs awful on the morn ing’s brow,or rouses

armed Cantyre,Red kindl ing

’neath the star of eve the Dal riad’swarning fi re 5

2 0 L ONGAL.

South to the sal t,sheep - fatten ing marsh and long

resounding bayWhere young Cuchu l l in camped his las t on dreadM u i rthevn e

’

s day 5And southward stil l to where the weird De Danaankings l ie h id

,

High over Boyne, i n cavern’

d cairn and mountainpyramid 5And on the right hand from the rocks where Balor’sbel lowing caves

Up through the funnelled sea- c l iffs shoot forth theexploding waves

,

South to where lone Gweebarra la ves the siftedsands that s trow

Dark Boyl agh’s banks 5and southward stil l to where

abrupt Eas-RoeIn many a tawny heap and whirl

,by glancing

salmon track ’t,

Casts down to ocean’s oozy gul fs the great seacataract

,

The land is ours —from earth to sea, from hell toheaven above

,

I t and i ts increase,and the crown and dignity

thereofTherefore to God

,who gave the land into our hand,

I s ingFirst praises

,as the law commands ; next to my

lawful King,

Image of God, with voice and string I chaunt theloyal s train

,

Though well n igh landless here to-day I see thee,

Congal C l aen 5Spoiled of Orga l l ia

’

s green domain,of wide Tir

Owen ’s woods,

Of high Tir—Conal ’ s herdfu l hill s and fishy- teemingfloods ;

CONGAL. 2 I

Of all the warm vales,rich in goods of glebe

manuring men,

That bask against the morning sun along the RoyalGlen .

“ These are no longer ours : the brood of Baedan ’

s

sons in theseShoot proudly forth their lawless barques

,and sweep

unhostaged seasThrough all the swift-keel - clasping gulfs of oceanthat enfold

Deep-bay ’d Moy Inneray and the shores of Dath i’

s

land of gold .

In l aw ~defying conscious strength aloft inDunamai n

Rude Ultan Long-hand owns no l ord on Ori or’spleasan t plain 5

Whil e o’er Ardsal l agh

’

s sacred height, and CreeveRoe ’s flowery meads,

Mal odhar Macha reigns alone in Emai n of thesteeds .

But come 5 resound the noble deeds and swell thechant of prai se

In memory of the men who did the deeds of otherdays ;

The old bard-honoring,fearless days

,exulting U ls ter

saw,

When to great Rury’

s fair-haired race tall Scal langave the law 5

When,from Troy-Rury to Ardstraw was n either fort

nor fi e ld,But yielded tribute to the king that bore the el lbroad shield .

Hark what a shout Ben Evenagh pealed how flashfrom sea to shore

The chariot s ides,the shielded prows, bright blade

and dripping oar ;

2 2 CONGAL.

How smoke their causeways to our tramp beneathour oarsmen

’

s toi lHow; round the Dal aradian prows

,foam down the

waves of FoyleCome forth

, ye proud ones of Tir-Hugh,you r

eastern masters wantTo take their tribu te - rights anew at broad - stonedAi l each

’

s gate 5A hundred steeds

,a hundred foals

,each foal beside

his dam,

A hundred pieces of fine gold , each broad as

Scal l an’s palm

,

And thick as thumb -nail of a man of churli sh birthwho now

The seventh successw e seed time holds a fallowfurrow ing plough

Three hundred mantles ; thirty slaves, all females,young and fair

,

Each carrying her s ilver cup,each cup a poet ’s

share5

Who s ings an ode i naugural . — Alas ! I fondlyrave

Dead,tribu te- levying Scal lan l ies ; and dead in

Scal l an’s grave

Glory and might and prosp erous days . The veryheavens that pour

’

d

Abundance on our fields and streams, while thatvictorious lord

“ Of righteous j udgments ruled the land ; the s tarsthat

,as they ranged

The bounteous heaven s,shed heal th and weal th .

above our heads are changed .

N or marvel that the sickening skies are altered o’er

our heads,N or that from heaven’s d is tempered heights maligncontagion spreads

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2 4 CONGAL.

Wi th flushing cheek, contracted brow, and restl ess ,angry eye

,

Sat Congal til l the lay was closed then with a mightys igh

He breathed his heart 5 and standing, spoke 5 and,speaking

,he unbent

The golden to rque that clasped his neck,and by a

butler sentThe splendid guerdon to the Bard .

For what thy lay doth soundIn praise of B ury’s glorious race and U ladh ’

s realmrenowned

,

Take,Bard this gift 5 but for so much of this untimely

songAs sounds i n strife betwixt myself and sovereignDomna l , long

And far from me,his foster—son

,be that disastrous

dayWou ld break the peace we late have sworn : andtherefore for thy l ay

'

I thank thee and I thank thee not.Then round the tables ran

Much murmuring through the Poet- throng : and thu sspoke Garrad GannThe lay is easy that a Bard chaunts at h is pat ron ’sboard

,

With none in presence to repay lewd word withsaucier word .

See how a boy who spends his t ime playing alone atbal l

,

Loitering, bel ike, from school,bes ide some lofty

smooth - faced wall,

Strikes softly that the ball may fall conven ient to hi sblow

,

And keeps his private game on foot with easyeffort so .

CONGAL. 2 5

“ But, say, two pairs of players arrive, and join an

earnes t game 5L o, a l l the easy- taken balls, that late high-curvingcame,

Now struck by prompt rebutting hands fly past, shotin and out,

Direct and rapid , hard to hit, missed once at everybout 5

The players at s tretch of every l imb, l ike flickeri ngbats that ply

The ir dumb quest on a summer’s eve,to balk each

other,fly

H i ther and thither 5 all their chests heave ; and onevery brow

The sweat- drops gl i s ten . So ,me seems

,oh King

,

this minstrel now,

Much l ike a Cleric i n his desk,having none to strive

withal,

His game being wholly wi th h imself,keeps up the

easy ballOf safe disloyal ty but, let this song of his be heardBy Domnal

’

s Bards,in Domnal

’s hall

,and take a

true man ’s wordOur angry Master here should give his day 01

harvest-workEre from the hel d of fair debate he ’d bear his goldentorque.Enough, said Kel lach . N ow to rest and withthe earl iest ray

Of dawn, my k insm sn -king is free to j ourney on hisway.

”

C O N GA L .

0

B O O K I I .

THE ARGUMEN T.

Tfze Roya l Feast. Tfie um’

m’emz’ed sl zgfiz

‘.

Ha l f K el l ac/z’

s Counsel ; and flze Aidsfor fig/zz‘.

[Conga] continues hi s journey southwards. He encoun ters at

the fords of the Boyne , the herm i t Erc, w hose goose eggs

have been carri ed off by the purveyors of Domna l . Erc

curses feast and guests . Arri ved at Dunangay, Congal i s

cordia l ly w e lcom ed by the K ing . Domna l asks as a favour,and i n token of reconci liation

,that Conga l w i l l si t at the

banquet on h i s left hand, nex t hi s heart. Conga l consen ts,a l though the righ t hand w as h i s pri v i leged p lace , bu t i si ndignan t When he sees th i s assumed by h i s ri va l , Mal odhar,to Whom Armagh and the surrounding te rri tory, formerly h is,had been assi gned by Domna l . A further insul t— the handingto h im of the goose egg on a w ooden di sh

,whi le the o ther

prov i nc ial Ki ngs w ere served on si lver— increases Congal’

s

w rath . He rises, and angri ly recoun ts hi s gri evan ces ; thenleaves the banque t Wi th h i s fo l lowers. At th e fords of the

Boyne Congal aga i n meets the hermi t Erc, who had cursedthe feast and h im . He i s pushed aside , and stumbl i ng,fa l ls i n to the ri ver, and i s swept down by the curren t . K i ngDomnal sends i n vain to en trea t the re t urn of Conga], and to

assure him that no insul t w as i n tended. Conga] sends giftsto the poets, and con t inues hi s j o urney to Mourne. He

recoun ts h i s i nj uries to h i s uncle. Ke l l ach g i ves hi s vo i ce forw ar ; prom i ses hi s aid, and tha t o f h i s sons ; and advi sesConga l to pro ceed to Sco t land and seek the he lp of hi s

grandfather, King Eochaid Bu i e . Conga l first v i si ts L ahnda ;on h is w ay to Rath -Ke l tar has a visi on of the Herdsman

Borcha. He finds h i s be tro thed w i th her maidens by a

runn i ng stream ful ling a Splendid cloak ; and te l ls her tha tthe i r marriage mus t be postponed. He sai ls for Sco t land,visi ts h i s grandsire, who consen ts to send forces under command of hi s sons. These princes, Domnal Bree, CongalMenn, Sweeny, and Aed, w i th their w i ves, con tend for thehonour of entertaining Conga l. The Bard Drostan predi cts

CONGAL . 2 7

di saster. Congal sails fo r Bri ta i n, arri ves at Caer L eon andfinds i ts K ing and Queen, w hose he i r has long been absen tperplexed by the cla im s of three candi da tes to be the i r l ong;tlost son . These have been sen t to trythe ordea l of the StoneMaen Amber, w hi ch m oved on ly to tne touch of Truth .

Conga] i s deputed to test the i r pre tens i ons . He decides i nfavour of Conan Rodd, who i s recogn i sed as P rince , and

undertakes to lead the Bri t i sh warriors to the aid of Conga lGlaen .]

T early blush of morn,the King of Ulster

and his trainAssumed the ir sou thern Meath-Ward routethrough craggy Mourne again .

Herd Borcha ’

s peaks behind them left,by Narrow ‘

Water sideThey rode, and by the Yews that shade Kin-Troya

’s

refluent tide.

Thence,l ifted lightly on their s teeds

,up through the

desert lone,

Where gloomy Gullion overlooks hi s realm of quagand s tone,

Passed Brig id’ s cel l 5 and, i ssuing forth high o ’er

Mu i rthevne’

s plain,Where Fochard tak es the morning sun , passed Brigid

’sce l l again .

Go where you will, their Sain ts intrude, saidCongal .

N ay5’twas here

,

Sweeny returned, L afinda, she to both of u s so clear,

In all her ma1d~beseem i ng arts was nurtured in heryouth

By Brigid’s maids, and learned from them the lore

of Heavenly truth .

”

And for so dear a pup il ’s sake, said Conga],

shal l their schoolsHave favor 5 and a waari or

’

s arm protect the piousfools .”

2 8 CONGAL.

Thence by Dun Dea lga’

s be l ted mound,safe in

whose triple wardsCuchu l l in i n the days of old caroused his banished

Bards,

Abashed in awe the warriors rode : nor drew theybridle- rein

Till on the woodland height they reached the sacredwalls of Slane 5

And from the verdant Hill of Heal th,outspread at

large beneathOn all sides to the bounding sky, beheld illustrious

Meath,

Cattle and crop,and homes of men

,commingl ing gold

and greenRefulgent in the noontide ray, and sparkl ing Boyne

between .

As down the hill the warriors rode, to reach the levelfords

,

A woman met them by the way . She saidOh

,gentle lords

,

Be witness of the shameful wrong the King’s purveyors

hereHave done against our hermit, Erc 5he, holy manaustere,

Eats not of flesh nor viand else that breath of l ifei nforms ;

But when the winter season comes , amid the northerns torms

The wild-geese vis i t him 5 and here, around hisguardian cell,

In safety leave their s il ly nes ts and store of eggs aswell

And all our hermit’

s hoarded store these proudpurveyors now

Have taken for the King’s repast be witness,warrior,

thou .

”

CONGAL. 2 9

Good woman, said the courteous King,wrong of thine transcends

My power to help : myself a gues t, can make theeno amends.”

And onward passed to reach the fords : here by therushing flood

The aged, angry Ere himself i n middle causeway stood .

His head was bare,his brow was black

,his l ips wi th

rage were wan 5As stone crop on a storm - bleached ro

‘

ck s tood on therugged rnan

The hard grey beard,and with a voice as winter shri ll

and strongHe cried

,

Oh,hear my prayer ; oh God ! avenge thy

servant'

s wrong.

Tw ice twenty years in pinching fast and was t ing vi gilhere

I ’ve served thine al tar l et my prayer now reach thyfavoring ear

Cursed be the hands that robbed my store,accursed

the board that bears,

The roof that shel ters the repas t,the bidden guest

that shares .”

A nd rai sed, to ring, his altar hell : but wi th hisriding—wand

5

King Congal s truck the empty brass from Erc ’s upliftedhan d 5

And said,

For shame,old wickedman5th is impotence ofrage

Ah angry woman would demean 5 and il l beseemsa sage .

”

And pushed him from his path aside, and wen t uponhis way,

Regardless, through the flashing fords and up toI)unangay.

30 CONGAL .

Up to the royal gates from all the fords of Boynethat morn

Was concourse great of bidden ghest on car andcourser borne .

And many a chief,as Congal rode the crowded ranks

between,

n

'

ould check his s teeds and pause to mark the hero’snoble mien .

Within the courtyard of the fort,and at the open gate

That to the spacious wine -hall led,did Domna l ’s self

awai tthe festive throngs 5 and, when the troop of Congal

Claen drew near,

Ad vanced before the threshold—s tep,and with such

gracious chee rAs father might returning son, received him 5ki ss

’

d

his cheek,

And said,

Dear Congal , of thy love the boon I first bespeakIs this 5 that, as my foster- son, o n this ausp ic i ousday

,

Wh ich reunites affection ’ s bonds no more to part, Ipray

Thou wil t,i n token to the world of mutual love

resto red,

Upon my left hand,next my heart

,s i t at the banquet

board .

”

Sa id Conga],Royal Sire

,al though the l aw of seats

be thu s ,i‘

hat when the monarch boas ts, as thou , the racei l lustrio s s

O i North Hy-N 1all5the privi lege of Ulster in that

caseI s nex t the king, o n his right hand, at banquet tohave place 5

Yet be i t as thy love would prompt .

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32 CONGAL.

And Domnal from his room came forth : his heraldwi th him came

,

Proclaiming,

Erin ’s Domnal here 5 the one son dear to fameOi Aed, the son of Ainm iry5 which Ainm iry for s ireHad Setna

,son of Fergus he, his race if ye require,

Was son of Conal Gu lban, son of N ial l the Hostagefamed

,

(N ine Kings h e held i n hostage, and hence was hesurnamed)5

And up from N ial l N ine -Hostager we know we mayascend

From King to King to Adam,up to the very end .

But Adam i s the primal root of every spreading treeAnd branch - abounding underwood of genealogy 5In whom “ 11 increase of mankind

,of every tribe and

nameThat has been since the earth rece ived her elementalframe,

And shal l be henceforth, ti l l on all the final doom bepassed

Of the Redeeming Judge’s word, do meet and m ix atlast .

Sprung from which great progenitors i s Domnal,for

whose sakeBeseech you all with j oyous hearts these viands topartake.”

The herald ceased,and Domnal

,stil l upstanding by

his chair,Motioned to Bishop Ronan Finn to give the blessing

prayer.The blessing given

,King Domnal sat ; and, smil ing

courteous, spoke,My love to all , both King and Prince 5 high Chiefsand humble folk

OfErin, welcome ! now to all, ye noble butlers, bringTheEggofAppeti te ,

andplace for each Provincial King

CONGAL. 33

An Egg of Honor, that our feast— all th ings beingduly done

,

From egg to appl e m happ i l y be ended as begun .

With ready speed the serving men the King’s behests

obeyed,And wild- goose eggs before the Kings on s ilver dishes

laid,

Cave only before Conga]C laen : by fate, or by m i s

chance,

Dr cook ’s defaul t, or butler’s haste

,or steward’s ignor

ance,Through transposi t ion ofhis seat not rightly understood,The egg of many ill s for him was served on dish of

wood .

Which, when the men of Ulster saw, they did not deeml t meet

That sons ofRury at that board should longer s i t or eat ;And Da laradian Sweeny said

,Thon eatest o i thy

shame,

Meat sen t thee on a platter from a King who hatesthy name

Methought no 1 of Orial l , with Kinel -Owen toboon

And Kine l -Con at his back,should si t without

d isputeIn Conga l

’

s p e at banquet. I end as I beganThou eatest d ishonor.

”

Again said Garrad GannHush ! e cook ’s or steward ’s defaul t : mar

’

s repose .

”

But Con said, Be s i lent,dog and from the table

what mighty i lls we see from small begi nni ngs ri se

Ieook how a spark consumes the wood a palace-rootsuppl ies .

34 CONGAL.

How smallest sounds cal l greatest forth ; as when a

s inger drawsA long clear-warbled note to end , the tl i eatre

’s applause

Follows tempestuous 5 and again the artist must beginWi th nice throat—fingering dexterous his thread of sound

to spinFiner and finer 5 then the crowd enraptured more and

imoreThunder back plaudits

,and the roof re- echoes to the

roar.

Or as a pilgrim,lone and poor, withou t a guide who

goesThrough an Alp ’s gap

,where hang aloof the s i lence

balanced snows,

Deeming himself alone with God, will break the aerialpoise

Wi th quavering hymn 5 the shaken bulks sliding withdreadful noise

Sheer from their rock- shelved slippery lofts,descend in

ruinous sweep,

And spil l their loud i ce -cataracts down al l the rattlingsteep .

The horrid rumble heard remote by shepherd on hislawn

,

He looks, and from the naked peak sees that the snowsare gone

Then sighs, and says , Perchance but now ’ twas some

poor traveherh hapTo journey in the pass beneath . He meanwhile

,in

h is gap ,

Lies l ifeless undernea th h is load of ruin heavy and bare,

And awful si lence once again possesses all the ai r.

And as the heaping—up of snows in mountain sidesapart

By w inds of many wintry years, so heaped in Congal’

s

heart

CONGAL . 35

Wrong lay on wrong ; and now at last in wrath ’s resis tless flood

The long—pent misch ief burs t its bounds . Up at theboard he stood

And spurned the table with h is foot, and from hisshoulders drew

The festal robe,and at h is feet the robe and viands

threw.

Rose also eager Garrad Gann . Oh, King, I praythee s it

,

And thou shal t have attendance due and hon or as i sfit.

”

But angry Congal,turning in the middle of the hal l ,

Dashed down Gann Garrad to the ground . Amazement seized on al l

,

And terror many . But he stood and spoke themHave no fear ;

For grievous though my wrongs have been,I do not

right them here.

'

B ut here,before this company of Kings and noble

Lords,

I shall recount my wrongs , oh King 5 and mark yeall my words .

Thy royal predecessor,oh King, was Sweeny Menn 5

And him thou dids t rebel against 5 and into Ulsterthen

Came,seeking our allegiance

,and leagued With us,

and IWas given thee in fosterage to bind our amity 5And w i th thee here was nurtured

,t il l thou before the

nnght

Of Sweeny Menn,thy rightful King

,wast torced to

take thy fli ghtToIfi l ba

’s hospitable shore where generous Eochaid

me,

Mymother’ s father,for her sake, and for his love of me,

36 CONGAL.

Did enterta i n thee and thy train ti ll summers sevenwere flown

,

When I,a you thful warrior and aged Sweeny grown

N o longer at the lance expert , nor on the whirlingcar

,

Wi th bent bow able as of old to ride the ridge ofwar

,

As when through Moin- an -Catha’s pools, wa is t- deepin shameful m i r

He chased thee o n O l larva’

s bank s,

—thou of mymother’s s ire

D ids t crave and dids t obta in a barque,and with thy

slender bandSett

‘

st sai l for Erin secre tly 5and where we fi rst madeland

Was at Troy Rury : there we held a council 5 and’ twas there

,

“Standing on those brown- rippl ed sands,thou didst

protes t and swear,

I f I by any daring feat that warrior—laws allowO i force or s tra tagem

,shou ld slay King Sweeny

Menn , and thouThereby attain the sovereign ty

,thou s traightway

woulds t restoreAll that my royal fo refathers were seized of theretofore .

Re lying on which promise to have my kingdomback,

I left thee at Troy Rury ; nor turned I on my trackTill I came to broad—stoned Ai l each . There5 on the

sunny swardBefore the fort, sat Sweeny Menn

,amid his royal

guard,

He and his nobles chess -playing . Right through themiddle band

I wen t,and no man ’s l icen se asked

,Garr—Congai l i n

my hand,

CONGAL. 37

‘

And ou t through Sweeny ’ s body,where he sat against

the wall,

‘

Twas I that sent Garr-Congai l in presence of them all .And ou t through Sweeny

’

s body till the stone gaveback the blow

,

Twas I that dayatAi l each m ade keen Garr-Conga i l go .

But they, conce i v ing from my ery— for

, ere theirbounds I brok e,

I gave the warni ng warri or~ shou t that justi fied the

s trokeBy warri or- law — that Eocha id Buie and Alba’s hosthad come

,

Fled to their fortress,and I sped safe and triumph

ant home .

Then thou becamest Sovereign 5 and , Scallan BroadShield dead

,

I claimed thy promise to be made King in myfather’s stead 5

Not o ’

er the fragm ent of my rights regained by him,

alone,B ut o’er the whole Rudrician realm

,as ers t i ts

bounds were known,

Ere Fergus Fogha sank before the Collas’ robber

sword ;T/zcz ! thou ha f l

’

st promi sed 5 and to I claimed tobe res tored .

But thou kept’

st not thy promise ; but i n th is did’st

break the same,

That thou yi el l ed’

st not Ti r-Conal nor Ti r-Owen tomy claim 5

And the nine cantreds of Orial l to Mal odhar Macha,

hWho now s its at thy shoulde r, thou gaye s t, and not

to me .

And him to day thou givest my royal place and seat,And viands on a S i lver dish thou gives t him to eat,

38 CONGAL.

And me,upon a wooden dish, mean food which I

disdainWherefore upon this quarrel, 011 King, said CongalGlaen,

I here denounce thee battle.Therewi th he left the hall,

And with him,in tumultuous w ise, went U ls ter one

and al l,

And leaped in has te upon their steeds,and northward

rode ama i n,

Till ’ tw ixt them and the m en of Meath they left thfords of Slane.

That morn,on thirsty Bregi a

’

s breast abundantheaven had poured

Much rain,and now with risen Boyne red ran the

flooded ford .

There, sti l l beside the sl ippery brink, indenting al l theground

With res tless s tampings to and fro,the angry Ere they

Ah, wretch, cri ed Sweeny, stand aside ! : avoidthy vic t im ’s way

Thine eggs have hatched us i lls enough for one

disas trous day.

”

I thank thee, God, cried aged Erc5 that through

the wastes of a i rMy voice has reached thy throne

,and thou hast

heard thy servant ’s prayer.Go thank the fi end thou cal l

’

st thy God , whereonly hends abide,

Cried Sweeny ; and wi th furious hand dashed agedErc aside

The to ttering sen ior s tumbled back,and from the

slippery vergeBoyne caught him in an onward whirl ; thence through

the ba ttl ing surge

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40 CONGAL.

Thou hast thine answer,Congal sai d .

Said Ronan F i nn,Beware ;

Contempt of these may wake the wrath God’s priestsby these declare .

”

Said Congal, Ra ther have a care,thou ; les t by

s taff or he l lThou earn such fate as even now thy brother Erebefel l 5

Lo,where fo r curses so denounced wi th l ike assumption

,he

Rewarded by a bath in Boyne,floats swiftly to the

sea.

Then Ronan,knowing that ’ twas Ere whose body

down the floodWent seaward , ra ised his Voice and said, This murder

,

men of blood,

Shal l God in battle ’s dreadful hour upon the murderer’shead

In dire unheard - o fwise requite,and turned his s teeds

and fled.

While yet the U l t i n ians stood, to w atch if Ronans til l shou ld dare.

When out of reach of missi les,s tand

,to make the

menaced prayer,

P repared to foll ow and mak e good what Co ngal’

s wordsim pl ied

mother goodly cava lcade advancing they descried .

Then sai d the King,

"P i t as wel l , oh youths, that

here we made our hal t,Else haply had U l tonia’s name been tarnished throughmy fau

i t5

‘Who have left a hal l of banqueting , where Poets werein place

Without bestow ing goblets : now they come in shamefulchase

To upbraid me for a niggard .

CONGAL. 4 1

The Poets then drew n igh,And after noble gifts received , disclosed their embassy .

But Congal bade them tel l the Ki ng that,fight alone

except,

His wrong admitted no amends 5 and much the Poetswept

As leav ing them with kind farewells, upon their northernway

The angry Ulster warriors wen t.By early noon n ext day

They stood again at Kel lach’

s gates . While yet aj ave l in fl ight

From where the sen ior sat,he reached both hands with

stem de lightTo clasp the hand of Congal Glaen . Thank God

,

he cried, m ine eyesHave seen my brother Scal lan ’

s son at last i n such a

guiseAs hts a tight Rudri cian King 5Wi th back to Slavery

’ sdoor

And face to Fortune : come,s i t near ; recount me

o’er and o ’er

Theknave’

s in si di ous overtures;for wel l I knowhis w i les,And wel l I guessed his feas t was dressed w i th snaredisguis ing smiles

Then Congal on the brazen bench sat, and i nK e l l ach

’

s ear

Disc losed his grounds ofwra th at large in accents loudand clear.

AsCongal’s tale proceeded t

’

rom injurious word to wordOld K el l ach underneath his gown kept handling wi th

hi s sword,

His sword which none suspected that the bed- rid seniorwore

,

But which displaying from its sheath,now when the

tale was o'

er,

42 CONGAL.

He held i t up, and, Take,” said he

,a Warr ior’ s word

in pledge ,I f thou take other recompense than reckoning atsword - edge

For these affronts5thi s sword of mine which

,many a

time beforeI’

ve sheathed in valiant breasts, shal l hnd a bloodysheath once more

Here i n this breas t : for l ife for me has long whi lelos t i ts grace,

By pals ied l imbs debarred the joy of combat and ofchase

,

And a l l my later vears I ’ve l ived for that great daywhich now

Seems surely coming : for ful l cause and warran t goodhast thou

For war wi th Domnal . Far less cause had BroadShield when he slew

Cuan of Clech,and set his head on the wall- top to

V i ew,

For calling him ‘ Shrunk Scallan ’: less cause than

this by far,Though Mordred

’s Queen had slapped the cheek of

Bri tish Gwynevar,Had Arthur when he fought Cam lan 5 from whichpernicious fray

Where j oined thrice twenty thousand men, but threem en came away.

What cause had Pictish Gwendolen , compared withthi s of ours

5

When,for hi s broken apple-branch

,he summoned al l

the powersOf Caledonia, dale and fell, and, on Arderidd

’s

he ight,Made theme perpetual for the Bards in Merl i n Wil t’saffright

,

CONGAL. 43

Who los t h is reason in that fight, and ever after ranWild i n the woods

,a sacred seer

,and vis ion-gifted

man PWhat ! and the great breach of Goddeu, was i t notalso fought

In recompense of an affront contemptible, i f broughtI 1to eompari sonw ith thine ? Yet there, ofBritain

’s bes tFell fu l l ten thousand , in amends of one poor fiel dfare ’s nest.

No ! warran t good for war thou has t,and cause 01

strife to spare,

And kindly-wel l beseems us all thine enterprise toshare.

Go, summon me my seven good sonS5my young menbrave and strong

Shal l with their royal kinsman in this Hosting goalong.

And if my limbs would hear me, as they bore me likethe wind

,

When once I fought by Scal lan ’

s side,I would not

stay behind .

N or wil l I , far as men are found to bear me in the

fi onhDecl ine the face of battle ye t, when comes the finalbrunt .

But for so great a strife as this , cl ear nephew,thou ’l t

have needOfother fri ends and councillors

,and other aids indeed .

So get thee hence to Alba 5 to thy grandsire Eocha i dBuie

Thy mother was his daughter5and thy mother

’smother

,she

Was d aughter, one and well - beloved,of other

Eochai d kingOf Bri ta in . C la im

'

the help of each,and here to

Erin bring

4 4 CONGAL

Such aids as they wil l gran t to thee 5meantime’twill

be my careOur own fraternal warrior tribes for combat toprepare .

This counsel to the King seemed good 5 but, ere he

5

sought the aidO i Alban Eochaid, he devi sed to speak the royal maid .

As through the desert of the Bards,at com i ng close

of day,

On th i s design intent . the King ofUlster took h i s way 5Where fel l the shadows vast

,and grey from e i ag and

spike of s toneThe curl ing mis ts began to rise , tidings before him

flown

Of war denounced,had fi l l ed the waste w i th bat tle

gl onyi ng songs ,And through the dusky glens the Bards

,in loud exul ting

throngs,

Oh each side ran,with augury of conques t and renown

Crowning their champion ; and when now untime lyn ight came down ,

Wi th blazing l inks they l i t the way5when l o, a rushingsound

,

As of imm easurable herds a~cl rovi ng a l l atound,Was heard

,and pres ent ly was heard to fi l l the mountain

hallWi th hollow clamour far and wide

,a whi stle and

a call .Borcha

,cried Congal, if ’ ti s thou art Drover of

the night,

Be patien t : thou shalt have agai n,ere long

,the

overs ightOf all thy herds . A sound as though the mountain

’sshingly s ide

Shook down a sheet of rattl ing stone5 through night’

s

expanse repl ied .

CONGAL. 45

He cl imbs his Herd - seat as of o ld, cried ArdanOh ye Powers

‘ Unseen that round us l ive and move, grant, i n thiss trife of ours

,

Your favour to the Poets ’ cause ! Like u s apart yedwel l

In woods and wild55 l ike us,th ey say , from happier

state ye fell .”

Exclaimed King Conga l,

’Tis not wel l Whileground beneath me stands

,

Succour or counse l will not I at any demon ’ s hands .But whether victor

,as I hope

,or whether overthrown

,

I in this contest l ive or d i e i n manly arms alone .

”

The red round moon o ’er Sl anga’

s cairn ascendingsoon dispelled

The darkness,and by moon and stars attended

,Congal

hel dHis course to Sweeny ’s friendly fort 5 a sleepless while

he stayedIn Sweeny

’s hall s ; then journeyed on t o speak theroyal ma id.

The Princess with her women—trai n w i thou t the forthe found

,

Beside a limpid running s tream,upon the primrose

ground,

In two ranks seated oppos ite,w i th soft al ternate

strokeOf bare

,white

,counter—thrusting feet, full ing a spl endid

c l oakFresh fi om the loom incessant . rolled athwart the

fluted boardThe thick web fretted, while two maids

,with a i ms

upl ifted,poured

Pure water on it dil ige ntly 5 and to thei r movi ng feetI n answering verse they sang a chaunt of cadence c l ear

and sw eet.

46 CONGAL.

Princess Lahnda stood beside 5 her feet in daintyshoesLaced softly5and her graceful l imbs in robes of radiant

huesClad delicately, keeping the time : on boss of rushes

madeOld nurse L evaream near them sat

,beneath the haw

thorn shade.A grave experienced woman she

,of reverend years, to

whmn'

Well known were both the ends of l ife,the cradle and

the tomb 5Whose withered hands had often smoothed the wounded

warrior’s bed 5Bathed many new -born babes, and closed the eyes of

many dead.

The merry maidens when they spied the warlike kingin view

,

Beneath their robes in modest has te their gleaming feetwithdrew

,

And laughing all surceased their task . L afinda blushing s tood

Elate with conscious j oy to see so soon again renewedA converse, ah, how sweet, compared with that of nurse

or maidBut soon her j oy met cruel check .

“ Lahnda,Conga]said ,

And led her by the hand apart ;“ th is banquet of the

King’s

Has had an il l resul t. His feast has been of farewh ich brings

Hindrance to all fes tivity. Great insul t has beenshown

Me by King Domnal 5 such affront as has not yetbeen known

By any other royal guest in Erin 5 therefore nowI come not

,as I thought to come. to ratify the vow

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48 CONGAL .

For rash word from unguarded lips,for fancied

scornful eye,

“ That put yo ur l ives and hopes of them you l ove,in

j eopardy‘ Yet deem not I

,a Princess

,sprung myself from

warri or Si res,

Repine at augh t in thy behoot'

that Honor’s l awrequires .

Nor ask I what affront,or how offended

,neither

whereBlame first may l ie . Judge thou of these these area warri or’s care.

Yet,oh

,bethink thee

,Congal

,ere war kindles, of

the t i esOf nurture

,fri endship

,fosterage 5 think of the woful

s ighsO i widows , of poor orphans

’ cries 5 of al l the painsand griefs

That plague a people i n the path of battle -wageringchiefs .

See5holy men are

’mongst us come with messages weet of peace

From God himself,and promis e sure that sin and

strife shal l ceas5

Else wherefore,i f wi th fear and fo rce mankind must

ever dwell,

Raise we the pardon - spreading cross and peaceproclaiming cel l ? ”

Raise what w e may,Preceptress fair

,the sullen

King repl ied,

Wars were and will be to the end . And from hi s

promised brideTook hurried parting 5 for he feared to trust a lover ’s

l ipsW i th all his secret heart designed . Beal farsad of the

ships

CONGAL. 49

That night received him 5 and, from thence, across thenorthern sea

Went Congal C l aen to seek the aid of Alban EochaidBuie .

Druid Drostan , on the Alban shore, come forth toview the day

,

Beheld the swift ship from the sou th sweep up theshining bay

,

And hailed the stranger-warriors as they leaped uponthe strand .

My love be to the goodly barque,and to the

gallant bandSay courteous sons, whence come ye

Conga]said, From Erin weCome

,seeking aid and counsel of my grands ire,

Eochaid B u ie.

”

Dear Congal,

” cried the Druid,

“ thou art statelygrown and tall

Since first I nursed thee on my knee in Ye llowEochaid

’

s hall .”

And embraced him and caressed him , and conductedhim where sate

Alban Eochaid at the chess - tables before Dun-Moneygate.

He told the King his errand : When the tale of

wrongs was done,Said Eochaid

,

“I t shal l ne ’er be said that Alba’s

daughter’s sonTook affi ont of Eri n ’s Domnal without reckoning atsword - etlge

Had duly upon stricken fie ld 5 and, though myancient pledge

Forbids that I should raise the spear ’gainst one who’neath my roof

"In former times had shel ter, not the 16 35 in thybehoof

50 CONGAL.

Shall Alba’s hosts be forward . Four princely sonsare ours

, 5

Thy mother’ s brothers 5 they shall lead thine all iedAlban powers ;

Domnal,Sweeny

,Aed

,and Congal. Thou shal t

tarry here to dayTo -morrow

,sail for B ri tain .

Then said Congal Menn,I pray

My nephew—namesake Congal that to-day he feastwith me .

”

N ay, rather, answered Domnal Bree, I, by

seniori ty,Have better right to feast the King.

For me,

” said Sweeny, then,Though younger I than ei ther

, yet neither Brec nor

MennTakes Congal Cl aen

’

s indignity to heart wi th warmermind .

”

And I,

said Aed Green -Mantle, will not fall farbeh i nd

,

I f by that l ine ye measure.Peace

,Princes

,said the King :

Your wives are presen t 5 and meseems i t were aseem l ier thing

That they before your nephew should advance yourkindly claims 5

For good men ’ s praises worthier sound on l ips oflovely dames .

Then said the w i fe of Domnal Bree, There has not

yet been found‘ A man so bountiful as mine on Erse or Albanground.

‘ It green Sl ieve Money were of gold, Sl ieve Moneyin a day

From Freckl ed Domnal ’s hand would pass : wherefore ,

oh King , I pray,

CONGAL. 51

In virtue of the open hand,that thou to-day decree

The feasting of the royal gues t to Domnal and tome .

”

The wife of Congal Menn spoke next. Of plundering lords is none

Who knows to turn unlawful spoi l to l awful5l ike the son

Oi Yellow Eochai d,Congal 5 he who s e sword con

verts the preyTo lawful riches i n his house

,to keep or g ive away

As best his proper mind may prompt, i s he, oh King,whose plea

Should stand al ike in suit of arms and hospital i ty .

Said Sweeny’s wife What gold and gems ye hndi n Sweeny ’s hal l

Adorn his drink ing- cups,whereof one hundred serve

the callO i daily guests : what other weal th his l iberal handprovides

Smok es daily on his open board he makes no claimbesides .”

Aed Green-Cloak’s fair—faced blooming wife spokelast. “ Let Congal feast

Wi th whom his own free will inclines . In breast ofAed at least

Twill breed no grudge nor envy. Aed’s pleasure i sthe same

,

Feasting,or feasted by his friends .” So spoke the

prudent dame .

Then said the King , “ Good reasons have you given,my daughters dear ;

But royal Conga],for to-day

,feasts with his grandsire

hereAnd here let Domnal come with gifts

,and Conga]

Menn w ith prey,

And Sweeny wi th his hundred guests invitedyesterday 5

52 CONGAL

And here com e Aed Green -Mantle,with his free

ungrudging mind ,Better than cups a nd cattle- spoil and hundred guestscombined .

”

So there the banquet - board was spread. Across thetabl es w ide

Gazing, the fit on Drostan fell. He stood andprophes ied .

I see a held of carnage . I see eagles in the a ir.

Grey wolves from all the mountains . Sons of

Eo cha id Buie,beware .

A fair grey warrior see I the re . B efore him,east and

west,

A mighty host lies scattered .

But Domnal and the res tOfEochai d

’

s sons and courtiers made l igh t of what hesaid

,

Saying , See us happ1er V is i ons5or we ’ l l get us

,in

thy stead,A clerk of Co l umb

’

s p eop l e fi om Iona’s friendly cell

,

Who wil l cast u s be tter to rtu u es with hi s Ioook and

sacre ing be ll .’

And made the 1r banquet merri ly,from j ewelled cup

and horn,

Quaffing t i ll sunset .Soon as light sufficed

,at coming m orn

,

For sharp- eyed husbandman to note,upon hi s fa i m

ward way,

The d i fference twixt the asp en leaf and feathery ashenspray

,

Impat i ent Congal,and the you ths ofUlster

,once again,

Wi th sal ient smge compress ing prow,launched on the

dusky mai n .

Arrived at Cae 1 Leon,and hi s we ighty errand told ;

Said Brit ish EochaidI myself am waxen s tiff and o ld '

CONGAL. 53

And chief in Eochaid’s stead to lead our warriorswe have none

,

Till,first

,Maen Amber ’s judgment shall in this b

'

ehalfbe known .

For here three youths come claiming , each, to be ourConan Rodd

,

Heir of my crown and kingdom . who, journeyingabroad

Upon a sudden boyish feud these many yearsago ,

We deemed him dead,and mou rned a loss that made

us lasting woe .

T1115 on the sudden , here to-day those youths of

noble mienAre come

,perplexing mighti ly my courtiers and my

Queen :Each ruddy as the rising morn 5each on his bloomingcheek

Bearing the we l l- remembered mole that marks the sonw e seek 5

Each tel l ing tales of former days to Conan onlyknown

Wherefore we take this judgment 5 for the prudent,holy Stone

Stirs not at touch of Falsehood,though an hundred

pushed amain 5But nods at finger- touch ofTruth.

”

Then answered Congal C laenEntrust to me

,oh King,

” said he,

the easy task,to

prove“ For Which of these three candidate s Maen Amber

ought to move .

”

Do as thou wil t, replied the King.

Then Congal i n the gate,

His short spear i n his hand, sat down, the youths’

returnto wait.

54 CONGAL.

First came a ruddy you th,who cried , Make way

The Amber Stone,

Steadfast as Skiddaw to the res t,moved free for me

alone .

”

Said Conga],

“ None may ente r here, t il l fi rst heanswer me

My question : See this gateway wide : now, hero, ifthou be

The royal son thou boast’st thyself 5 resolve me withwhat sort

Of gate wil t thou , when thou art King, make fas t thi sroyal fort PWhen I am King

,rep l ied the youth

,my subjects

shal l beholdMy gates resplendent from afar with plates of yel lowgold .

”

A proud Churl ’s answer,Congal said . Pretender,

stand aside .

If false Maen Amber bowed to thee, the j uggl ingdemon lied .

Next came another ruddier youth,say ing , Although

the StoneMoved but a l i ttle at my touch

,I am the he1r

alone .

”

Then Congal quest ioned him in turn 5 and prompti n turn he spoke

Steel - studded,cross—barr’d , bolted down on nat i ve

heart of oak .

”

That thou art not a Churl, as he,thy prompt

words well ev in ce,”

Said Congal 5 but they also show that nei ther art thouPrince.

Las t came a hero ruddies t and ta l les t of the three,Saying.

“ Although the Amber Stone mo ved not atall for me

,

I not the less am Conan Rodd.

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C O N GA L .

BO O K H L

THE ARG UM EN T.

T113 n'

sz'

fl g-ou t of E r i n ’

s g ua'a’a /z G/zosfs .

Cm an’s Resol ve; and re-ezzcozzm g ed Hosts .

(Conga l hav i ng sought for aids in Frank - land and Saxon - land,re turns w i th them to Ulster. They encounter evi l omens.

The shi ps are burned by l igh tn i ng . K el l ach the Hal taddresses the di scouraged a l l i es . He asserts that the con

flagrati on of the flee t i s a good om en . They march i n landsand encamp. The tramp of gi an t foo tsteps i s heard at n i ght .Conga l leaves the camp ; cha l lenges the Spectre, bu t obtai nsno answ er. He seeks Ardan i n h i s ten t . The Bard pronouncesthe Demon to be Manannan M or M ac L i r, whose othee i t w as

i n P agan days to pro tect from i nvas ion the coasts of Ireland .

Those who had eou i age to i nter i ogate the Demon, learnedfrom him future even ts, but i f unansw ered,

w ere doomed to d1e

w i thin the year. Conga l heroica l ly accepts h is dest iny . N ex t

day the hosts reach hi s Fort of Rathm ore . After res t and

refreshment they prepare to cross the O l larva . In the riverthey enco un ter a horr i ble Spectre ; a w oman steepi ng i n the

w ater bloody man t les and m ut i la ted corpses . She announcesherse lf as the Washer of the Ford, and ho lds aloft to Conga lw ha t seem ed h i s own severed head. The daunt less King,sword in hand , plunges i nto the fo rd and swears he w i l l not

turn back w hi le a s ing le w arri or adheres to h im . Conan Roddfo l low s, and grasps hi s hand. The Spectre van i shes.

K el l ach, contemptuo us of the auguri e'

s, addresses the army .

They cross the r iver, and dejectedly con t inue thei r march . At

earl y daw n , L afinda, at tended by an aged w oman , approachesi n a chario t . She recoun ts to Conga l a vi s i on of St. Brig id of

K i ldare , enjo in i ng her to m ee t the hosts, and te l l them to“ turn back or peri sh .

”Conga] i s i ncredulous. L ahnda

tenderly appeals to h im , but in vain, and intimates tha t she w i l ltake the ve i l . The horses are turned, lashed by the attendan t,who stands revea led as St. Brig id, and w i th L ahnda al l dis

CONGAL . 57

appear w i th i n a wood. Conga]springs after, but i n vain . Thedi spiri ted leaders ho ld counc i l . Som e adv i se retrea t to the

coas t, there to en tren ch themse l ves , t i l l a flee t i s fi tted out to

hear them to the i r homes . Aed, Conan Rodd, and the K ingof L ochl an, adv i se a courageous advance . The Bard Ardan

encourages them . Conga l thank i ng God for the g i ft of suchfri ends, appea ls to the Hosts . They march onward w i threnewed cou rage to the battl efie l d of Moyra.]

HE dusky Dalaradian heights at hand appeari ng now

,

King Congal,as apart he stood

,and from

his galley ’s prowBeheld the sw ift ships far dispersed across the ocean

dark,

As harnessed steers,when

,for a prize

,within some

rich man ’s park,

They cut in clay,with coul ter clean

,the onward

reddening l ine,

With slant keel s ceaseless turning up the white -foam’d

barren brine ,And black, pern i ci ous,wo e-charged sides

,and tall mast s

forward bow ’

d,

Inten t to launch their fatal freight on Erin,groaned

aloud :And Much—loved native hills

,he said

,

“ I grieve thatthus I come

N ot charged w i th cups o r cattl e- spoil,nor carrying

captives home,Nor bearing boast of fri ends re li eved or enemiesconfused

,

As other ship—re turning King s have heretofore beenused: 5

But l aden deep w ith death and woe, of all my race

the first“ To br i ng the hi reh

'

ng stranger i h,I come in hour

accu r t

58 CONGAL.

Exclaimed an aged mariner who by the main-masts tood

O’er al l the Dal aradian hills there hangs a cloud ofblood .

Gore-drops fal l from its edges .Peace , fool, the King retu rned,

‘

Twas but the early morning mist that in the sunriseburned .

”

An d cri ed to thrust the barques ashore where in awinding bay

,

Far camped along the margent foam,the hosts of Ulster

layExpectant. Forth the anchors went ; and shoreward

swinging round,

The lofty poops of all the fleet together took theground

,

Harsh grinding on the pebbly beach : then,l ike as

though a witch,

Brewing her charm i n cauldron black, should chanceat owlet’s scri tch

Hooting athwart the gloom,to turn her head aside, the

whileWinds bellow,

and the fel l contents on all s idesoverboil ;

So, down the steep, dark galley’s s ides leaped they : so,

spuming o’

er,

They crowded from the teeming holds,and spread

al ong the shoreIn blackening streams . The Ulster hosts with acclama

tion loudGave welcome 5 and the ranks were fil l ed.

But while they stood,a cloud

Stood overhead ; and, as the thought a dreaming manconcel ves,

Which he,the while

,some wondrous th ing of import

vast bel ieves5

CONGAL. 59

Grows folly,when his waking mind scans i t ; so, in the

frownOf that immense, sky - nl l i ng cloud the great hil l s

dwindled down 5And all the sable- sided hulks that loomed so large beforeSmall now as poor men ’s fi sher—craft showed on the

darkened shore.Awed in the gathering gloom,

the hosts stood silen t 5t ill there came

A clap of thunder,and therewith a sheet of levin -flame

Dropt i n whi te curtain s traight from heaven betweenthem and the ships

And when the pale day- l ight returned,after that keen

ecl ipse,

In smoke and smouldering flame the ships stoodburning o ’er their s ides

The sailors leaped : while moaning deep, sudden, therefluent t ides

Gave all their dry keel s to the wi nd : the wind whosewaftings fair

Had borne them thither through the deep , thence borethem off through ai r

,

In fire and smoke through a l l the host, l ike flakes ofdriving snow

,

The embers fel l 5 and all their cheeks scorched in thefervid glow .

Then thus exclaimed the Frankish King : Our firststep on this land

Is with no cheering omen,friends '

IOI‘ i f Jehovah ’ s

handI t be that caststhi s thunderbol t5but smal l success , I fearAttends our enterprise 5 but come, give a l l yourlabours here

To quench the galley first that l ies to windward ofthe fleet 5

For ill betides Invader left without way of retreat .

60 CONGAL.

Then many a man with rueful eye looked o’er thenaked main

,

And wished himself,with neither spoil nor glory

,at home

agam .

But Fear n ot,friends

,cried Congal C laen.

have not sought us hereFor stay so short

, ye need repine if porti on of the yearBe spent in fitting forth a fleet5for i n our Ulster portsBoth sh ips we have andarti z ans accompl ished in a l l sortsO i naval workmanship 5strong smiths, and carpenterswhose s troke

To every form man'

s need demands can shape th eknotted oak .

Wherefore keep cheerful hearts . No l oss but timeand care rep l ace .

A stumble at the s tart i s oft the winn ing of the race .

So counsel led Congal ; and the ho sts with bettercourage strove

To quench the flames ; but s til l the flames intenserri s ing drove

Wide through the fleet,from barque to barque then,

i n the mids t,a cry

Was heard from K el l ach

L ift me up, companions 5 rai se me highThat al l may see me

,and my words o f al l be under

s tood .

Sons,hold your hands . Desis t

,he cried .

“ Letburn The omen ’

s good.

Fire is the s ire of Life and Force . The mighty menof yore

Stil l burned the barques that landed them on whatsoever shore

They chose for conquest . Warriors then were men

i ndeed,and scorned

Alike the thought and means of flight . From battlenone re turned

CONGAL . 6 1

Then but the victors . Heroes then, untaught the artto yield,

Ere standing fight would slay the steeds that borethem to the fi e ld 5

Ere j oining battle by a bridge, would leave the bridgebehind

Broken,les t l ightest thought of fl igh t should enter

any mind.

“ Thus when,i n Gaulish galleys borne , i n vading

Ase l epid

Had passed the guardian Bri tish ships, i n mistymantle hid

,

And landed Caesar’s hosts . for march direct on startledThames ,

His fortunes to the Gods he gave, his galleys to theflames.

Twas in Constanti us’ days, When,’gainst the Imperial

rule rebel led,

Al l ectus,in Carausi us’ room,

the throne of Bri tainheld .

Thus Nuad of the Silver-Hand from Dovar settingsail

,

Charged with the King- discerning might of vocal LiaFail

,

When h i st for Erin ’ s coasts he steered, and madethe sacred strand

,

Waited for 110 chance l ightning-fiash,but w i th his

proper handFired a l l h i s long- ships

,till the smoke that from that

burning roseWent up betote him

5herald - l ike

,denouncing to hi s

foesDeath and despair : they deeming him a necromancerclad

In magic mists,stood not

,but fled : wherefore be

rather glad

6 2 CONGAL.

That what your own irresolute hands thi s day havefailed to do

Heaven’s in terposing hand hath done : and bravelydone i t

,too

Since even so this roll ing cloud wi th all its embersred,

That l ike a mighty Spangled flag now waves above myhead,

Announces to that coward King of Tara that,once

more,

The heroes of the North have burned their barqueson Erin ’ s shore.

He ended, and from gown and he ard shook forth thefall ing fire,

While al l the hos ts with loud acclaim approved thesentence di re 5

And leaving there their blackening barques consumingby the wave

,

Marched inland,and thei r camp at eve pitched by

King Teuthal’s grave

,

Twixt U l lar’s and O l l arva’s founts .

Around the Mound of SighsThey fi l l ed th e woody sided vale 5 but no sweet sleep

their eyesRefr eshed that night : for all the night, around their

echo in 1 camp,

Was heard continuous from the hills, a sound as of thetramp

Of giant footsteps ; bu t so thick the white mist layaround

None saw the Walker save the King. He,s tarting at

the sound,Called to hi s foot his herce red hound 5 athwart his

shoulders castA shaggy mantle

,grasped his spear, and through the

moonlight passed

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64 CONGAL.

Came up,and through the parting haze a th ird. time

huge and dimRose out the Shape

,the valiant hound sprang forth and

challenged him .

And forth,di sdaining that a dog should put him so to

shame ,Sprang Congal

,and essayed to speak .

Dread Shadow,stand . Proclaim

What would ’st thou , that thou thus al l night aroundmy camp should’s t keep

Thy troublous vigil 5 banishing the wholesome gift ofsleep

From all our eyes, who, though inured to dreadfulsounds and sights

Bv land and sea, have never yet in all our perilousn ights

Lain i n the ward of such a guard .

The Shape made answer none 5But with stem wafture of i ts hand5 went angrier s triding

on,

Shaking the earth with heav1er steps . Then Congalon his track

Sprang fearless .“ Answer me

,thou Churl

,he cried .

“ I bid theeback I

But while he spoke, the giant’ s cloak around his

shoulders grewLike to a black bulged thunder-cloud ; and sudden

out there flewFrom all i ts angry swell ing folds,with uproar unconfined,Direct agains t the King

’ s pursuit,a mighty blast of

wind °

L oud flapped the mantle tempes t - l ined,while fluttering

down the gale,

As leaves in Autumn, man and hound were swept intothe vale,

CONGAL. 65

And, heard o’er al l the huge uproar

,through startled

B alarayThe giant went, with stamp and clash, departing south

away .

The King sought Ardan in his tent 5 and to thewakeful Bard,

Panting and pale,disclosed at length what he had seen

and heard 5Considering which a l ittle time

5the Master sighed and

spoke .

Ki ng, thou describest by his bulk and by hisclapping c l oak

A mighty demon of the old time,who with much

dread and fearOnce fi l l ed the race of P artho lan 5 Manannan Mor

Mac L ir,

Son of the Sea. In former times there l ived not onthe face

OfErin a sprite of bigger bulk or potenter to raiseThe powers of air by land and sea in l ightning

,tempest

,

hail,Or magical th ick mist, than he 5 albei t i n woody FailDwelt many demons at that time but being so huge

of l imb,

Manannan had the overward of the coast allotted him,

To stride i t round, from cape to cape, daily 5 and ifa fleet

Hove in to sight,to shake them down a sea-fog from

his feet 5Or with a wafture of his cloak fla i) forth a tempe sts traight

Would drive them off a hundred leagues 5 and so hekept his s tate

In churlish sort about our bays and forelands, t il l at las tGreat Spanish M i ledh ’s mighty sons

,for all he was

so vast

66 CONGAL.

And fell a churl5'

in spite of him,by din t of blows .

made goodTheir land ing

,and brought in their Druids : from

which time forth,the brood

Of Goblin people shun the l ight 5 som e in the hol lowsides

Of hills l i e hid 5 some hide beneath the brackishocean- t ides 5

Some underneath the sweet-wel l springs . Manannan,Poets say

,

Fled to the i sl e wh i ch bears his name,that eas tward

l ies halfwaySai ling to Bri tain 5 whence at t imes he wades thenarrow seas

,

Revisi t ing his old domain,when evil destini es

Impend o ’er Erin : but his force and magic mightare gone

And at such times ’ti s said that he who

,

’tw ixt twilightand dawn

,

Meets him and speaks him,safely learns a year ’s

events to be .

”

But he who speaks him,Congal said

,

“ and gainsno answer— he ?

W1th i n the year,the Seers agree

,said Ardan , he

must die 5For death and s ilence

,we may see, bear constant

company.”

Be i t so, Bard, repl ied the King. To die issoon or late

For every being born al ive the equal doom of Fate .

Nor grieve I much 5 nor would I grieve if Heavenhad so been pleased

That ei ther I had not been born,or had al ready ceased,Being born, to breathe 5but while I breathe so let myl ife be spent

As in renown of noble deeds to hnd a monument.”

CONGAL . 67

By this the moonlight paled in dawn 5and onward toRathmore

O i green Moy-Linny marched the hosts,and round

King Congal’s door

Pitched camp again5 where c0pi ous feasts, by Kel lach’s

care prepared,

Refreshed them,and the gift of sleep their weary eye

Bids shared .

And now,at dawn, to cross the fords, hard-by the

royal town,

The fresh,well -ordered

, Vigorous bands in gallant ranksdrew down

When,10

,a Spectre horrible

,of more than human

Si ze,

Ful l in the middle of the ford took all their wonderingeyes

A ghastly woman i t appeared,with grey dishevelled

hairBlood draggled

,and with sharp-boned arms

,and fingers

crook’

d and spareDabbling and washing in the ford

,where mid leg deep

she stoodBeside a heap of heads and limbs that swam in oozing

blood,Whereon and on a gl it tering heap of raiment rich and

braveWi th swift

,pernicious hands she scooped and pour

’

d

the crimson’d wave .

And though the stream approaching her ran tranquil,clear and bright,

Sand-

gleaming between verdan t banks, a fair and peaceful sight

,

Downward the blood-pollu ted flood rode turbid, strongand proud

,

With heady- eddying dangerous whir l s and surges dashing loud .

68 CONGAL.

Al l stood aghast. But Kel lach cried,“Advance me

to the bank5

I ’ll speak the Hag .

But back,ins tead

,his trembl ing bearers shrank .

Then Congal from the foremost rank a spear-castforward strode,

And saidWho art thou

,hideous one 5 and from what

curs t abodeComest thou thus in open day the hearts of men tofreeze 5

And whose l opp’

d heads and severed l imbs andbloody vests are theseI am the Washer of the Ford,

” she answered 5“ and my race

Is of the Tuath de Danaan line of Magi 5 and myplace

For toi l i s in the runn i ng streams of Erin5and mycaveFor sleep is i n the middle of the shel l-heaped Cairn

of Maev,

High up on haunted Knocknarea 5 and this huecarnage-heap

Before me,and these s ilken vests and mantles whi ch

I steepThus i n the running water

,are the severed heads and

handsAnd spear- torn scarfs and tunics of these gay- dressed

,

gallant bandsWhom thou

,oh Congal, leades t to death . And this

,

the Fury said,

Uplifting by the clotted locks what seemed a deadman ’s head

,

I s thine own head,oh Congal.

Therewith she rose i n air,

And vani shed from the warriors ’ view,leaving the river

bare

CONGAL. 69

Of all but running water. But Congal drewsword

And w i th a loud defying shout, plunged madly inford,

Probing the empty pools 5 then stood, and fromm iddle flood

ExclaimedHere stand I , and here swear that til l thetide of blood

Thus laves my knees,I W i l l not turn for threat of

Devil or Ghost,Fairy or ly ing Spiri t accurs t, while one of all this hostFollows my leading.

”

Conan Rodd Sprang k i ndling forth and cri ed,I fai l thee not, for one , my K i ng : - and stood byCongal

’

s side,

Grasping his hand . Halt Kel lach wept,and cried

,

A115recreant ones,

Great Rury’

s cheek is red for shame,to see Ulton ian

sonsLike goblin-daunted children small

,scared at a

nurse’s lay,

Thu s hanging back on Honor ’ s track,while Britons

lead the 11 ay.

Fear not the Hag 5 I know her well,accurst one !

She appearsTo battle-entering warriors once in every sevenyears5

And seven and seven years,exact

,i t i s s ince last

beforeI saw her foul i l l—favoured face

,the day that Domnal

hIor

And Scal lan B road-Shield gave the breach on royalSweeny Menn

At red Troy-Brena ’twas at dawn 5and i n the cressy

70 CONGAL.

By the loch - s ide,where afterwards

,cross ing the

treacherou s quag,So many of us sank engulfed

,we saw the hideous

Had

“ Stoop’dat her wash ing. Not a man of all the gaz ing

hostBut shook to see the carnage -pile before the gri z lyghost

Each deeming that his own l opp’d head

,conspicuous

’mid the pile,

Lay glaring 5and this very head, gathering defi l ementy 1l e,

Saw I among them 5 yet I came from that fightscatheless forth 5

And therefore hold her prophecies are but of l ittleworth .

But,would to God, these limbs had then been stiffas now they are

,

Ere I for thankless Domnal’s sake had part in such

a war ;Or now were strong and supple- swift as then indeedthey were

,

So should ye never see me here, and British Conanthere .

So Ke l l ach spoke ; and al l their hearts grew greatwi th manly shame 5

And as a flood flows through a flood, up through thefords they came

,

Raising O l larva : al l their shields and shining bel tswere wet

With clear, cold, fi shy- s treaming floods against thestrong bar set

Of l imbs heroic and deep chests . But when the fordswere pass

’d

And the long columns drew their strength forth on thechampaign vast

,

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72 CONGAL .

And said,

‘Awake ari se go forth thy nurse,

L avarcam , waitsWith car and ready-harnessed s teeds without thefortress gatesMount by her s ide

,and northward forth ri de fearless

til l the dawnShow thee an army on i ts march across the uplandmwh ;Then to the King who leads that hos t say thus, Ohmigh ty King,From Duftach

’

s daughter of Kildare I thee thismessage bringTurn back or peri sh thou and all thy Hosting : forthe path

From hence to Moyra on both sides is hedged aboutwith wrath

,

And paved for foot of every man who in thy conduct treadsWith sl ippery

,horror- s taring floor of slaughtered

heroes ’ heads . ’

So spoke she 5 I by s trong constrain t drawn to the

gate s,obeyed ;

And here , through shadows of the n ight,as in a

d ream conveyed,N ow find myself

,but in no d ream ; and, horror-fi l led

,

I seeThese mighty -marching, death - devoted heroes led bythee ,

Oh Conga l .Conga]

,answering

,said :

“Dear maid,

thou art dece i ved :These visi ons ofthefeve ri sh n ight are no tto be bel ieved .

But come ; such poor refreshment now as warriors’

tents afford,

Take ; and when seasonable rest thy strength shallhave restored,

CONGAL.

A noble escort shall attend thy h ome- returning car,Such as befits thy father

’s child and when this shortl ived war

I s ended— for this host shall soon abate the tyrant ’ spride

Wi th Erin f01 thine escort, thou, a crowned and royalbu de

,

I5 crowned and happy, by thy s ide, kings by our

bridle-re in,

Shall up to fair Rath-Kel tar ride, never to part again .

Congal ,”the Princess pale repl ied,

“ no bridalpomp for m e

I s destined,i f thou harkenest not to Brigid

’s embassy 5Save haply such a bridal pomp as

,entering Brigid

’scell

,

A handmaiden of Chris t may hope .

Said he,

“The powers of hellHave sought to turn me, and have failed 5 andthough in thee I find

My only heaven,yet nei ther thou shal t bend my

steadfast mind .

Ah m e,

” she cried . What fate i s mine ! Thedaughter o f a King,

Wooed by a King,and well con ten t to wear the

m arriage ring 5Who never knew the chi ld1sh want no t granted

,nor

des ireOi ma iden bosom

,but good saints and angels would

conspireTo bring the innocent wish to pass : who with thestreams and flowers

,

So happy was I , turned to joy the very pass ing hours,From flowery earth and fragrant air

,and all sweet

sounds and s ightsf i ll i ng my heart, from morn to eve, w i th fresh andpure delights

,

74 CONGAL.

Jus t when, in bloom of l ife, I said,‘ th is world is

wondrous fair,

’

N ow i n one hour see nothing left,to l ive for

,but

despair .”

Dam'

sel5” said Kel lach from his chair

,

“ thesedream s that haun t the bed

Of timorous virgins van ish all when once the maidsare wed .

And royally thou shal t be w ed, and gallantly bebrought

Home to a dream -defying bed when once th i s breachi s fought.

”

Ah, aged Scorner, cried the Nurse, who by thePrincess s tood

,

Thou never wanted’st ribald taunt for aught was pureor good.

Beware,les t on both soul and l imb God ’s angry

judgments fall,

For to thy crooked counsell ings we owe these mischiefs all .”

Said Ke l lach : I f a withered Hag,with prophecies

of death,

Had power to turn sword—girded men back uponHonor’s path

,

Thou hads t no need to waste thy breath on us who,even now

Are here despi te the menaces of ugl ier witch thanthoufi

’

Wre tch,

tr i ed the dame,

“abide thy fate 5 and car

and coursers wheeled,Her aspect chang ing awfully5 and, as she swept the

field,

B rigid,they thought , s tood plain revealed : and steeds

and car becameBright in her presence as in glow of forge—exci ted

CON GAL. 75

But with a greyhound ’s bound,the King leaped to

the reins,and cried ,

Daughter of Duftach,s tay thy steeds : turn back

restore my brideBut Brigid lashed the spurning steeds : they bythe sharp

whip stung,Off, with a foam-dispersing snort

,the batfled hero

flungBut back again herce Congal sprung, wi th l ion

’s leapand roar

Terri fic, shouting as he ran ,Thou robber Saint

,restore

My bride I”

And at the wide-maned s teeds, where s ide by sidethey flew

Wi th earth-and -heaven-defying hand his mortal javel inthrew.

But Brigid motioned with her hand,and from the

chariot seat,Glancing oblique

,the spear returned innocuous to his

feet .The eyes of all the astonished hos t Garr-Congai l

’

s high tpursued 5

And,when they looked again

,the car was lost wi thin

the wood .

Mute stood the hosts,i n aw e subd11ed 5 and fear

blanched many a cheek,Ruddy til l then 5then thus began the Frank ish K ing to

speak :

God wars against this war, oh Kings 5and pledgedalbei t I be

To succour val iant Congal Claen against the

enmityOfDomnal , King ofErin,

no promise have I givenTo succour valian t Congal C laen

’gainst God theKing of Heaven ,

76 CONGAL.

Who, by His Saints, this day decl ares for Domnal .

Therefore now

Thus I advise here found we straight a splendid cell,and vow

The same to Brigid ofK i ldare5bestow ing gems and goldSuch as w e have

,and dowrying i t with tr ibutes

rnan ki

From our respective territories 5 then in our Patron’s

nmn e

Proffer we royal Domnal p eace 5and of his bounty claimShips and safe conduct to our homes . Meantime

,

enclose a spaceFor our encampment ; and, meseems

,no more

convenien t placeCould skill devise than where we stand 5 and so ourWork would speed

Safely, surrounded by the camp 5 for, trus t me, yehave need

To dedicate your shrines with speed5i f,from God’s

vengeful handEscaped, ye hope to see again your wives and nativeland .

”

Cried Druid Drostan,

“ Stone nor l ime yon eagles ’

m aw s shal l sate .

These wol ve s that track our morning march no Clericri tes awai t.

For God has given presaging power to beasts andbirds of a ir 5

And d reams of bloody banquetings, in bestial dens,declare

Approaching havoc, even as dreams foretell approaching ra i n

In troubl ed towns of crows by night . N ow,for the

destined slain ,All Erin ’s eyries flap the wing 5

and every fores t denO i Erin whets the tooth for fi esh ofh01ses and of men .

CONGAL. 77

Peace , fool, Albanian Congal said . Since firstColumba’s bel l

Was heard in Alba,a l l thy clan ’s prOpheti c function fel l

Under constraint and under spell . Ambiguous,

fatuous,vague

Have been the empty words Wherewith,from that day

forth, ye plagueThe judgments of the credulous men of Alba : tosuch words

L et not the men who love their wives,and look with

loyal swordsHere to w i n spoi l to please their wives and deck thei rhalls at home

,

Gi ve heed or credence. But,because invading

strangers comeTo prey the land

,i ts patriot Ghosts and tutelary Sprites

Rise out to thwart us. N ow,we know no exorcis ing

ri tesTo lay or to propi tiate them 5except this sacri ficeThe Clerics make pretence to make and therefore

,

my adviceGoes w i th the counsel of the King 5 to raise an altarhere

To Brigid whom amongst them all wise men maych i efly fear

As owning most main power in act 5 but, Brigid’

swrath appeased

,

My mind no longer is the King’s 5 for then she maybe pleased

,

Haply, to aid us 5or, at least, to leave in even scaleThe balanced chances of the war, t il l greater mightprevai l .”

Prince Sweeny Menn spoke next, He said

5

Sirs,s ince no man can say

How strife untried may terminate, methinks the wiserway

78 CONGAL.

Were to prepare against the worst 5which, seeing ourgalleys

’ loss,

I thus advise . Draw to the coast. There camp5anddig a fosse

,

With rampart sui table,across some jutting foreland

’

sheight ;

So shall we si t secure t i l l friends get warn ing of ourplight 5

And send their ships to aid our fligh t 5 i f such beGod ’s decree

That after all our splendid hopes of spoil and victory,Fli ght needs must be our last resource . But here inopen held

,

Far from suppl ies, I counsel not to camp, nor yet tobuild .

”

Said Aed Green-Mantle,Kings

,our plight is even

as the caseO i venturous fowler who pursues his game into a place,High up a slippery sea- rock ’s face , where jutting rocksimpend

,

Which, though too steep for going down, a man mayyet ascend

,

Being bold and cautious 5but behoves such climberthat he cast

No backward5hesitating glance on any peril past

Until he gain th e level land,where he can stand

,and

say,So have I reached to Safety ’s height by Danger’sonly way,

’

And so it i s5between the sea and Doni nal’

s gatheringhost,

We cl imb a precipice where he who looks behind is lostBut he who, scorning to turn back or make a doubtful stop

,

Looks and strives upward,lays his hand on Safety at

the top.

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CONGAL.

Or haply still more glorious foes, such as, with eager

Joy,I ’ve heard our Poets s ing were those that fought thebreach of Troy,

When Gods from Heaven came down in arms, andgodl ike men beneath

Withstood them5mortal foot to foot immortal

,to the

death .

Fired by which noble fantasy,ere yet my youthful

cheekBore manly down, I left my home, i n foreign landsto seek

Glorious adventure : many lands I vis ited ; and sawMany renowned citi es of men

,each by its proper law

Governed, and by i ts proper hosts guarded 5 andmighty wars

In all lands waging 5 yet I found neither in fie ld of

Mars,

N or on the long—shipped deep,nor yet in fell or

forest drear,The shape or substance could withstand a braveman ’s searching spear ;

But, by the keen s teel tried, would all confess anequal birth

Drawn5deatl1 - obnoxious as my own

,from dus t of

vulgar earth .

And,for their mighty miracles and prodigies subl ime

,

Of antique Gods , and holy Saints, these from the

olden timeHad , as they said, ceased utterly 5 and now wereonly known

In lays and legends of their Clerks, as idle as our own .

Wherefore, with glory- th irsting heart, that s til l i hsatiate burned,

‘ I from thei r barren battl e fields and empty campsreturned,

CONGAL. 8 1

Resolved amid my native woods,and in the sacred

g l oomO i Stones of power, to seek again some conqueror

of the tomb 5Great Arthur, with the apple-bloom ofgreen Avallon’sbbWers

Still redolen t 5 or Uther’s self from Ca

'

ér Sidi ’s towers 5But sought in vain my scornful steel on vulgar foes

employed ,N or dread of Deity conce ived, nor love of manenjoyed ;

Till,glorious in a castl e gate

,l ike l ion in the road

,

Couchant,I fi rst saw Congal Glaen ; and at first

sight bestowedFaith and affection on the King 5for never had I seenIn al l the earth a potentate of countenance or mienRoyal as his

,and as a you th amid the virgin throng

Wi l l move with unembarrassed heart, in gay i h

difference, long 5Till

,in a moment

,some one maid ’s unconscious

glance constrainsHis soul to homage

,and he thence bound in her

thrall remains 5So I

, who all my prime of years’mongst noblest men

had passed,

And seen no man I ’d deign to cal l or friend or lord 5at las t

,

Taken in a moment,saw and owned my captain

,

friend,and King 5

In whose just quarrel bei ng engaged, I here toEri nbringMy British aids 5 and here at last, i n open day beholdImmortal be ings visibly commingl ing, as of old,In mortal struggl es. Here at length I find myyouthful dream

Made real . Here the m ighty deeds of antique heroesseem

8 2 CONGAL .

N0 longer al l in imitable . Here Hercu l’

s self mightown

Fit labour for another Toil,nor ask the task

alone .

Wherefore with awful j oy elate,I s tand 5 and bid

thee hail,

Last hero- s tage of al l the world,i llus trious

Innisfai lLand of the l ingering Gods ! green land, s til l sparkl ing fresh and fair

Wi th morning dew of heroism dried up and goneelsewhere

Wherefore , no penitential cell for me ! But ratherra i se

,

Here, where old Honor stands revived, the Stone ofother days

,

Grey,vas t, maj estic ; such as when degenerate men

behold,

They ’ l l say, Some noble th ing was done here in thedays of ol d.

’

Such as when Poets view,they ’l l say

,when ages

hence are fl own,

Great hearts and mighty hands were theirs who raisedthe Standing Stone .

He said ; and on a great grey rock, half-buried inthe fie l d

,

Stood in the haming of his arms,and waved his golden

shield .

Loud cheered the Wel shmen 5and the King ofL ochl anto his s ide

Leaped w i th a rivall ing flash and clash 5 and caughthi s hand

,and cried

,

I swear by Woden and the might of hammerhurl ing Thor

,

I love thee,Conan 5 and wi th thee am henceforth

through this war

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84 CON GAL.

Meet not,nor ever deemed they ’d meet5sinceWoden

to their dens,

In Lappish deserts and the depths of Finmark ’ s icyfens

,

Cast out the Trolls . My sentence then is,march

,

and meet your foesOfmortal mould with mortal arms. Let be the feudof 172055

As fate hereafter may dispose . We reek not : neithercrave

Their aid prophetic to foresee well-fi l led, the foeman’s

grave .

This is my sentence.Fairy nor Fire—drakeKeep back the Kemper.At home

,in the burg

,

Leaves he the maidenBoon for the bridal 5Abroad

,on the holme

Leaves he the harve stRipe for the reaper 5The bowl

,on the board

In the hal l of the banquets,Leaves he untas ted

,

When lances upl iftThe foe 111 fi eld.

Noting the NorsemenOut 011 the water- throng,Hark ! how the EagleVaunts to the Vulture .

‘ Spread the wing,Scald—neck,

’

Says she and screams she 5Sees t thou the Sea-K i ngs ,Borne o ’er the gannet-bath,Going to garnerEvery bird ’s eyrie P ’

CON'GAL . 85

Fel l from her fishy perchAnswers the Bald-beakScream no more

,l ittle one

Feeders are coming .

’

Hearkening their colloquy,Grin s

.

the grey beas t,The wo lf on wold.

This i s my sentenceThese are the N orseman

’s

Pandect and Canon .

Thyrfing i s thirsty 5Quern-biter hungers 5Shield-walker wearie thShut in the scabbard.

This is my sentenceBring us to bat t le .

”

Fierce response gave three parts of the heldA1nd loud the Eastman ’

s i ron axe on many a targetpealedWhat then,

” cried Ardan 5 and ye thought, landing on Erin ’s shore

,

Ye trod the common soil of earth, where Fortuneasks no more

OfValour’s votaries,when for fame they’ve ransack ’

d

fiel d and floodTo the world ’s end

,than s imple feats of vulgar

hardihoodWhat I and ye never, then, had heard the old

renowned taleOfEver and his Spani sh ships caught i n the wizard galeWhen all mist-mantled Inn i st

‘

a i l showedofno bigger s izeThan black hog’s back

,above the wrack

,before their

glamoured eyes 5When, boil ing from their huent depths, the sandswith solid wave

Caught from his main-mast,Arannan

,and made

mi d-ai r h l S grave ,

86 CONGAL.

Mingl ing land, sand , sea, sky in one ? But Ever andhis hosts

Through magic mis ts,and boil i ng sands, and sent i

ne l i ng ghosts,Cut the ir brave path to Tara top : which Ever andhis sept

Of C lanna-M i l idh ever s ince their sovereignty havekept

Supreme o ’er Erin, hill and plain, air, water, land andsea 5

They and their sub—kings under them in five fo ldpotency .

What then,and came ye hither,

Expecting common foemen,

To combat the descendantsOf seer- taught C l anna -Nemed

,

Who erst from broad BoeotiaRepelled the invading Syrians 5Though s ti l l the Syrian magicRevi vi fied the corpsesOf those that fel l at eveningTo fight their morning-battleWith stark l imbs demon-animated PGhastly they stood 5the l ivingAnd dead

,shoulder to shoulder

From pale cheeks flew the arrowThe sword in clammy hugersOi slaughtered m en

,dealt sl aughter 5

And dusky spears went leapingF01th from insensate shoulders’Neath which no hearts were throbbing .

Horri ble strife, and hopelessFor what could human valourCould human w i t or counsel,Avail in such a contest PEverything Wit and val our

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CONGAL.

Then Congal , s taying where he strode infuriate toand fro,

With fair white hand dashed from his cheek the brinyoverflow,

And cried,Oh

,this i t is

,oh God, to have, in time ofneed,

Men in the gate and therefore I , though li ttle usedindeed

To call on any name of God,yet, by whatever name

Men call Thee5 1‘

hou who givest to men wives,chi ldren

,riches

,fame

,

And rarer than the worth of wives, and which thewealth transcends

Of fame, as fame the worth of gold ; who gives t aman his friends

,

I thank and praise Thee. Oh, brave friends, whatthough this goblin crew

From all their earth—wombs foul, where’er they lurk

from general View,

Be by our coming thu s stirred up 5 even as I’ve

seen elsewhereThe coming of a young rich man into a public fairSet all the banded cheats astir P ’Tis , that a common fear

Besets them— being in a bond, leagued and consorting here5

That their united reign i s o ’er,once we achieve the

crownOf Erin, and set up the law that cas ts all phantomsdown .

For, by the all - conspicuous Sun, and by the invis ibleWind

,

Two the mos t awful of all names whereby a manmay bind

His soul with adjuration tremendous by which twoL aery Mac Neal did bind himself, rem i tt i ng the Born

CONGAL . 89

Of Leinster 5notwi thstanding which, and in contemptof these,

He sought next year to levy i t 5wherefore his guarantees,

The much~di shonored Wind and Sun,slew him but

L aery stillLooks for hi s tribute from the brow of Tara’s royalhill

,

Where,spear in hand and helm on head, they tomb

’

d

him stem and tall,

Brass - armed complete for standing fight, in CahirL aery

’

s wall,Wi th his great angry countenance turned towardthe hated race

Of Brasil Bree . Suns rise and s ink : but L aery fromhis place

Turns never though its frown have dropped off

from the fleshl ess brow,The gaunt hand still su s tai ns the spear 5and still theavenging vow

Upholds him,to the impious man a warning porten t

gr1m

But may the Sun and may the Wind,even as they

deal t with him,

So deal with me,gaining this crown

,and failing to

restoreThe poets to their privileges

,whate’er they held be

Drumkeat’s pernicious Parl iament 5 cessings, pre

eminence,lands ,

All that that Synod’s decree usurped, to fi l l the Clerics’

hands,

By them to our confusion turned : So may the Windand Sun

Deal w ith me,gaining Erin’s crown

,if, ere a year

have run

90 CONGAL.

I ts seasonable course complete, I leave within thepale

Of the four brine-exhal ing seas that compass Inn isfai lOne of these proud curse-fu lm iners What thoughW ith specious shows

Of love and charity they come ; yet see the fate ofthose

Who first were here thei r chiefest friends Murkertach

son of Erc5" For al l his base compliances, pursued with curses

darkBy his own paid familiar pries t, t i l l, plunged in buttof wine

,

He drowned,to give the ban effect, at Sl etty on the

Boyne .

Lewy Mac L aery, son to him who first gave Patrickroom

,

While yet an unborn harmless babe, cursed in hismother’s womb 5

Then by pries t- imprecated fire struck on the hatefulhill

Oi Achadarcha ; thus with mulcts and maledictionssti l l

Repaying us our slav i sh fears 5if but the smallest jotOfblmd obedience be denied5— eomn1 endabl e or not

,

Righteous or not, the thing commanded — but thisKing

His ready acquiescent ‘ yea ’ concedes to anythingSo they support his tyrannous p ower. N ow

,there

fore, here at. le ngthHis time has come, to put i n ure th is so -much boastedstrength

Of these hi s Cursers : for me thinks but few aroundme h ere

Will hold h is hand from hearty blows, at Moyra, outof fear

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9 2 CONGAL.

While God betwixt as and our foes, impartial, leavesthe even t

For no man can contend with God, He beingomnipoten t 5

But far removed from human strife,leaves to the

daring manBy force of valour to achieve such conquest as hecan

,

Whether o’er other mortal men less val iant ; or o’er

thoseInferior demons of the air. ’Tis through such overthrows

,

Given in just quarrel,comes renown a man no other

wayCan compass 5 for such conqueror, the Bard

’s heroiclay

Gives perpetuity of fame : the Statue - smith forhim

To forms of glory consecrates each marble-mouldedlimb

For h im,when on his nation ’s behalf he rises up to

speak,

The council of the wise s i t hushed : for h im youngBeauty

’

s cheekGlows with the rose all l ips disclose their smiles forhim Whose arm

Protects al l l ife’s del ights for a l l : to him in war’salarm,

As to the husband of the State,the trembl ing mothers

run,

Holding their l i t tl e ones : to him each generousnurtured son

Hurri es instinctive 5 as at sea when tempests overwhelm

Faint hearts with horror in the hold, then chi eflyround the helm

CONGAL . 93

Gather brave seamen . But the man whose sul lenbreast

,exempt

From generous impulse, prompts him forth upon nobrave attempt

,

Lives sordid ly and dies despised . He dares nostormy sea.

Outflying Hon01 upon the wings of wintry tempestshe

Smiles at no spi teful impoten t trick mal ic iousFortune plays ;

Fol l ows no friend with loyal s teps through ghostprohib ited ways 5

Burns wi th no emulous thirs t of fame,when glowing

tongues declareBrave aspirations 5 as ye now, oh friends, s tandburning there .

For 10, I see on all your cheeks the blush ot’

manlyshame 5

Lo,now I see in al l your eyes the generous sparkl ing

Presage of conquest. Lo,the path to Moyra

,where

the foeWai ts us, l i es open . Forward

,sons of Rury

,forward

,

ho !

Grandsons of Woden ; clans of H0; before us l iesrenown ,

Safety and s trength and native laws, revenge andErin ’s crown .

”

He said : and while w i th shouts on shouts theechoing heavens were rent,

The mighty hosts with courage renewed,all wi th a one

consen tMoved onward . As a great black barque , compact of

many a treeThat

,on her launch from some high beach, shootsdown at once to sea 5

94 CONGAL .

Or l ike as when,in time of thaw

,a snow-drift deep and

wide,By s trong winds in a hollow place lodged on a mountain

side,Fetches away with loosening crash 5 or l ike as when, a

cloudLumbering the sky

,strong winds arise

,and all the

aerial crowdFall on at once 5 i t bulges, bursts, roll s out, and over

spreadsThe face of heaven with ominous gloom above amazed

men ’s heads 5So ominously, so al l at once, with clash and muttering

Jar

Swift,dark

,on Moyra’s fated fiel d rolled down the

cloud of war.

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96 CONGAL.

Ardan the Bard, that Sweeny ’ s terror was supernatural . Theleaders on both sides engage i n personal encoun ters. Thefour sons ofEocha i d of A lba rush on four provi ncia l chiefs of

L e inster, who are slain by these Sco tt ish uncles of CongalGlaen. Th i ee of K i ng Domnal

’

s sons attack three of the

v i ctors ; a l l rece i ve the i r death w ounds. H i s tw o youngersons assault Domna l -Brec , who surrenders to them . KingDomnal on h i s appeal , though lam en t ing the death of h i s

sons, adm its h im to ransom . The subsequent fortunes of

Domnal Bree, afterwards King i n Sco t land. H is successorscrowned at Scone on the Stone of Dest i ny, 110W removed to

Westm inster for the coronati on of Bri tish Sovere igns.

Conga l’

s Frank i sh a i ds encounter, and are defeated by ClanConai l . The v i ctors attack the w arriors ofMourne, posted on

the hi l l of Augnafoskar, on whose summ i t s i ts Kel lach the

Ha l t, borne on h i s cha i r. He sends son after son into the

th i ckest of the fight. They fa i l to break the ranks, and

attack C lan -Co l la . Conga l goes to the ai d o fK e l l ach . H i sfri end Conan Rodd, w i th h i s cont ingent from Wa les, assau ltsthe Connaugh t forces. Conan Rodd engages i n turn, and

s lays four of the i r chiefs. Conan Finn, who had a lso embracedthe cause of Congal, fights w i th Ke l l ach

,son of M al cova ,

nephew , and aft rwards successor of K ing Domna l , who k i l lsh im . Conga l C l aen, w i th hi s Ulster troops , a t tacks C lanConai l , l ed by Cona l, son of Baedan . They w res t le together.

Cona l flings Conga l to the g ro und ; Conan Rodd comes to

h i s rescue , and s lays Conal . He i s at tacked by Kel l ach, son

of Mal cova, who fal ls from the impetuosi ty of hi s charge .

Conan Rodd refrains from tak i ng advan tage . Ke l l ach ri ses

and renew s the fight : Conan fal ls . Congal i nterposes, andcha l lenges Ke l l ach U ltan - L ong

-Hand i n terferes ; and the

w arri ors 011 bo th s i des jo in i n deadly strife ]

UDDEN as wild-drake from his reeds bes ide’

the sedgy Bann,

Forth from hi s rushy covert flew swiftwatchful Garrad Gann

Scou t of the North 5 nor turned as ide for dyke o r

mearing-mound,Till

,i n the gorge of green Glen Ree, the King himsel fhe found

CONGAL. 97

Wi th gathered Erin in his tents, fast camped beside thefosse

That in the magic days of old the Black Boar scoopedacross

Orgal l ia’

s border he who now,from dry land ban ished

far,

No longer casts up rampart dykes to stem the t ide ofwar,

But rooting round the island rocks where Breean ’s

cauldrons boil,

Turns up the ridgy-roll ing sea w i th ever- frui tless toi l 5For fast as s til l with furrowing tusk he grooves the

wave,so fast

The fiuen t- ris ing wave forbids to champ the i l lusivemast.

Said Garrad, King,Clan-Congai l comes I saw

Magabra’s height

At sunset flaming wi th his spears 5 and all the woodsin sight

Far as the lake-refiected l ight their passes gave to viewWith arms and standards sparkling bright

,and war

cars thronging through.

”

What standards show they P said the Ki ng,and

in what order,say

Does my unhappy foster- son his impious aids array P ’

Said Cartad,“On his battl e’s right the standards

were to seeOfAlba’s hosts in al l the fields of frighted Aghalee 5While L ochl an ’s ravens

,birds accurst in many a

widow’s dirgeFlapped o ’er his far- extended left to green Ki l ul tagh

’s

verge.The ensigns of hi s m iddle front shone bright wi thsilken sheen

White , swarmed wi th golden bees, they were ; andYnen of warl ike mien

98 CONGAL .

Long-hair’d and blue-eyed marched beneath . Once,

when I sai led beyondThe Ie t ian sea

,and saw

,on march, the sons of

Pharamond,(’Twas on the Catalaunian plain, i n dusty w

'

ar-cloudrolled

,

They passed me as I rode the route King B athitook of old),

Such seemed the ensign, and such seemed the fair,bee—blaz on ’

d rank sWherefore I deem the centre- front of Congal

’s host

are Franks 5Yet l ittle- trusted , as I j udge 5 for close behind themcame,

L ed by a lofty chiefwhose locks shone red as bi ckering flame,

The fi erce, sharp-vengeful, savage men of Bri tain 5and agai n

Behind the Britons, over all, Ulster and CongalGlaen .

Said Domnal , While I l i ve and reign, i t never shallbe said

The hos ts of Erin, with the King of Erin at theirhead

,

Sat in the shel ter of a camp,or shunned the open

ground,

While foreign foe or rebel King within the realm wasfound.

And since on Moyra openly their hos ts encamp tomi ht,

Ou IgVo ra openly at dawn shall Erin give them

fight

Whereon throughout the expectant camp’s fourquarters, Domnal sped

I‘he welcome word to arm and march 5

°

and soon themeasured tread

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I 00 CONGAL.

The hosts embattled, Domnal now, drawn in the

royal car,Ah An imating-Progress made down al l the front

of war ;And first Connacia’s host he spoke,

Descendants of the braveWho from U l ton ia once before, with eattl e-plunderingM aev,

Bore spoil immense anddeathless fame 5 to you, ofall the host

,

Is given the hero-coveted,much ~envied5 outmost

postOf a l l the fiel d. Maintain it well . My presenceshal l impart

The conscious might of lawful power to every armand heart.

For wondrous is the might that clothes a true k i ng’scoun tenance,

In l ife or death . Remember how,When through

the fields of FranceYour sires the thunder—blackened limbs of gloriousDathi bore

,

No shel ter from the Gauls ’ pursui t had they,from

Alp to shore,

But the dread visage of the King turned backwardas they fled 5

Yet safely sped they through them all,home

,with

thei r m ighty dead .

Third in descen t again from whom,your Monarch

,

Owen Bel,

Tomb’

d,armed and facing to the foe, even as in

fight he fel l ,Upon the Sl igo

’

s southern bank, throughout a yearand day

,

Bymere enchan tment of his gaze, kept all the N orthat bay 5

CONGAL . I O 1

N or could their bravest cross the fords so overlooked,unt il

They stole King Owen from his cairn, and northwardby Loch Gi l l

Tomb’

d him5face- downward ; from wh ich time the

disenchanted fordsAre w on or lost, as greater might or less impel s yourswords .

But here, w i th better ausp ices , you keep the battle

w 1n5

To—dayic

ir

in presence of a crowned and lawful l ivingKing.

”

The Grohan warriors , pleased to hear N orthnurtured Domnal learned

In legends of the distant West,a glorying shout

returned .

Next where Hy-Mainy’

s haughty ranks,’neath

Grel lan’

s staff arrayed ,Stood ruddy in the reddening morn

,the King his

chariot stayed .

Brave youths,” said Domnal

,

“ what al though thebreadth ofErin l ies

Between u s and the splendid seats which underwestern skies

Ye wrested , by Saint Gre l lan’s aid

,from Bol gi c

hordes of yore,

Ere Morne’s and Colla’s names were merged in nameof Mai ny M or ?

Yet ne ither lapse of time nor tract of distance canefface

From Ulster’s breast the glorious name of Cradle ofyour Race .

L o, yonder see the mountains blue, to whoserecesses borne

Your tide of overteeming l ife flowed out fromful l Cremorne

,

l 02 CONGAL.

Ere yet lean Dartry’s plenteous loins that m ightier

swarm sent forthTo plan t beyond smooth Shannon ’s flood themanhood of the North 5

Whence now returned,by many a plain and many a

Waving wood,As sea-run salmon that at last ascend the paren t flood,All other bays and forelands pass

’

d,i n needful hour

ye comeExul ting i n your strength

,to strike fo r kindred and

for home.But exhortation none of m i ne need ye to whet theswords

Oft edged to victory before by better—spoken wordsMighty men , sons of Mainy,By the S taff and its wondersYe bear for yourbanner

,

By the Croz ier of Grel lanHy

-Mainy’s sole Standard 5

That wand at whose wavingThe flower of the Firvo lg,Of old on Moy-L i agh ,

For the ir falsehood sank swallowed,

Thirty hundred together,I n a moment, without remnant,In the maw o f the MoyBy your taxes, by your tributes,By your freely- offered fi rstl ingsOn the door—sil ls of K i l cl oonyBy Grel lan

’s own warrant

,

Saying ‘ surely while ye pay meMy taxes and my tributes

,

And exal t me my Crozier,

God and I wi ll give you conquest. ’

N ow remember ye the manhood of the days of

M ai ny Mor.”

7

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1 04 CONGAL .

Think not I deem you s trangers come to renderservice due

To stranger masters no, ye come as W i ll i ng kinsmen

trueTo aid your kindly cous in Scots against the al ienthrong

Of L och lan and the Gentil e Gauls . The sacredPoet ’ s song

And learned Historian’s tale agree,that from one

parent s tem,

Scyth,Agathyrs and Gelon sprang 5 and sprung

direct from themThe Scot, the Pict, and Bol gmen come ; who, intheir several turns

,

To Erin came 5 and you the first, escaped thegall ing scorns

Of Thracian tyrants, and the toil immense inleathern bags

Of carrying soil to fertil i se the terraced mountaincrags 5

And here,through full a thousand years of freedom

and of fame,

Nought of your former servile s tate remembered butthe name

,

You ’ve held the lands that sti l l ye hold, and provedsuperior s til l

In every art of elegance and work of graceful skill 5For which old patrimonial lands

,and for the homes

made brightBy these heredi tary arts, we s tand to-day in fight,Fi rvolg and Gael in one accord 5 all Erin in a bandAgainst the robbers of the sea and trai tors of the land .

The light of darkly—kindling eyes and fervid facesglanced

Down all the beaming Bo lgic l ine, while Domnal nextadvanced

CONGAL. 1 05

To speak the household M eathian troops .Ye men of Meath

,

” said he,

Are witness that thi s day ’s debate has not beensought by me .

Whate’

er a King with honor might, I offered CongalClaen 5

And otTered oft 5 which he, as oft, rejected wi thdisdain

,

Demanding crowns and kingdoms back which havenot

,s ince the days

Of the three Collas, appertained to any of hisrace.

Three hundred years and three and one, i t is, since,at the date

Three hundred- thirty- three from Chris t,these three

laid desolateEmania

,Ulster ’s royal seat till then

,and over

ranAl l that Clan Rury theretofore to westward of theBann

And southward of the Yewry held 5from which timehitherto

Ul ton ia’s bounds embrace no more than at this day

they do,

From Mourne to Rathl in : small the tract : yet inthat l ittle Space

Ambition how exorbitant,how huge a pride has

placeAnd from Clan-Colla

,in their turn

,a hundred years

have fiownnSince Earca’s son

,Murkertach

5won Tyrconnel l and

T3wone 5O ’ er which Rudrician ne’er shall reign . So nothingat our hand s

Remains to give King Congal but the battle hedemands.

106 CONGAL .

Battle for battle ! Spear for spear ! ” from thousandthroats upflew

The voice of fight-accepting Meath . The Monarch ,i n review,

Thence passed along Lea Moha’s l ine.

Sons of the South,he said 5

Thus far beneath our Northern s tars with fearlesssteps ye tread,

Remembering, as beseems your race, the oldenglorious days 1

When Curoi and his Ernaan Knights divided Erin ’sprai se

“With all our braves t of the Branch. Ou Cahir ~

Conro i’

s crestThe hero from hi s tomb looks down where ’neath theglowing wes t

The s trand ofVentry shines at eve : agai n the hollowroar

Of trampling tides is i n his ears locked on the levelfloor

The glorious wrestlers s tamp the sands let come thewaves : le t burs t

All ocean downward on their heads : none parts hishold, t il l first

He casts the invader to his feet. The invadinggalleys ride

5

Regardant on the heaving blue,behind the white

maned tideThe white-maned, proud-neck- arching tide leaps totheir feet 5 i t leaps

Around thei r arms ; i t l eaps with might aboveexpiring heaps

OfGauls and Gael s in mutual clasp washed o ’er thewreck - strewn sands,

Where drowned they rather than desert their firstdefensive stands .

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1 08 CONGAL.

Amid their snows the vision came,at midnight, in

their tent ; 5

To each the same it s eemed 5 and said,‘Up 5hence,

incontinentSeek ye the son of h im ye slew, at Tara, wherea crownWaits the first self-devoting hand

,wil l pluck the

peri l down .

’

Back sped the three through sleet and spray 5 nors tretched they side un ti l

They stood upon the wine-hal l floor of Tara’s royalhill .What t id ings

,now , from Alba, sirs ?

’

e xclaimed thewondering King

SaigColla Uai s, King M uredach, the tidings that Ir1ng

Are these this hand i t was did slay thy father 5 andthis head

,

As good as h is, i s here to take in eric for thedead .

’

Said Col l da—Cree,

‘This hand i t was did aid mybrother dearTo take thy father’s head5and, see, a better head i shere. ’

Said Colla Menn,‘ Behold the head

,best of the

three,that pl ann

’d

The work of slaughter wel l achieved by ei therbrother’s hand

And nearer pressed,to court the s troke : but

M uredach withdrewHis hand approaching to the hil t 5 for on his memorygrew

Remembrance clear of what the seer in vi s ionedtrance had said

,

That ’mongst four cousins,i n that ball

,who first

should lose hi s head,

CONGAL. 1 09

£ 713 childrens ’ should the crown remain : whereforehis hand he stayed,

And answered,

‘This magnanimous avowal ye havemadeAtones for all. Behold, the N orth5— where rudeClan Rury

’

s lordsRevolt against my lawful rents

5— l ies Open to your

swords .Win there a kingdom for yourse lves , where

’er yewil l and can,From proud Emania to the sea 5 from Farsad to theBann 5Myself shal l furnish forth a host . ’ Said Colla Uai s,Our laws

Forbi d that,even to gain a crown, we war without a

cause. ’

And is i t not then,cause enough

,or have ye r ever

heard,

’

Said Muredach,‘ how Black-Tooth ’s slave did singe

thy grandsire’s beard“ ‘ In this same hall ? Sti l l unavenged that insult .’

"Twill suffice,’

“ Said Col la Uai s.

‘ In conquest’s case needs neverreason nice.

’

And so, exchanging i ssues dark o i doubtful‘ prophecy

For even chance of open war,with Tara ’s host

,the

ThreeInvaded Ulster that same year 5and, ere the year wasspent

,

In green Cremorne sat Coll da-Cree, a prince

magn ificent.

Great lords from all their loins have sprung 5Kingsfrom the lo ins of some

And other mightier monatehs thence are destined yetto come

I I O CONGAL.

Yea, though perchance in after days forgetful oftheirs tem

,

The rulers of the Western world shall draw thei r racefrom them.

And thou,Mal odhar

,eldest born and noblest ofthem

allThis

i

day must hold or lose the lands so w on bymighty Coll

For, other cause of enmity proud Congal Glaen hasnone

Than this, that I refuse to s trip Clan Col la of its own5And have confirmed, and do hereby, as far as in mel ies,

Confirm Mal odhar of Armagh in all the seignoriesWon by his s ires, as I have told. And, U ltan LongHand, thou

Who rulest Orior, hi s sub-King, yea, al l Who hear menow

Remember,that not m ine alone the fortune, that

endure sOr passes wi th this day

’s event, but his, and thineand yours .King

,

” said Mal odhar,have no fear : the voice

of Fate that gaveThe Collas in Cantyre their cal l to cross the wintrywave

To theei

al ike assigns the realms ofErin, and to me

Orgal l ia’s rule subordinate, in perpetuity.

N or other change will Erin feel from Congal’s mad

essayThat this

,b el ike, that Orgi al l

’

s bounds,meared by

Glen Ree to-day,May march to-morrow with the sea 5 for so the l icenseran

,

From proud Emania to the sea ; from Farsad to the

Bann.

’

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I I 2 CON GAI

This present day well nigh brings round an evenhundred years

Since,in his j ust aggressive war, M urkertach

’

s westernspears

Flashed thro’ Clan-Colla’s broken bounds,i n cantred

covering sweep,

From Erne to smooth Mayola’

s meads and proudB en—Evenagh

’

s s teepAnd so it i s ; one century

,if but to -day ’s event

March with the words of prophecy,shal l see your

tribe’s extentMeted by mountain , and by sea : for surely never yetWas j uster war defensive waged than this, wherein,beset

As deer i n hunter’s narrowing ring,or ring

’d bull at

his stake,We needs must fight for leave to live, if not for glory

’s

sake.Behold

,there breathes not on the earth the creature

born so baseBu t will

,to spending of i ts l ife

,defend its dwell ing

place 5Be i t the wolf’ s leaf-bedded lair, the rook

’s dark topsof trees,

Or bare shelf of the barren rock,where,over yeastyseas,The artless gul l intends l i er brood 5 and baser thanthe beasts

Were we,i f, having to defend our homes of love, our

feastsOf j oyous friendship, our renown, our freedom,

andabove

All else,our heavenly heritage of Chris t ’s redeeming

love ,From this rude inroad unprovoked of Gentile robbers,

we

Fought not the fight of valiant men to al l extremity

CONGAL .

As well beseeming those for whom the sacredsungLo, the perverse Pagan remnantAnd the God-denying Genti le,Linked in mischief

,would deprive us

Of our hope and of our so lace"Neath the noble tree of shelterPlanted here by holy Patrick .

Would uproot i t 5 lay i t prostrate 5And , amid its broken branches,Re-erect the fanes of demons .How blind 5how unthankfulAre the insolent ungodlyWhen they walk with cool foots teps,In the dews of mom and even ,Mid the tender blade providingMeat and drink for men i n season,Then laud they thei r ploughshares,Then exul t they in their oxen 5But thei r hearts have no refreshmentFrom the hot airs unwholesomeOf hate and of ambition .

From the felon flood escaping‘ In their rough rocking gai l eys,They say, ha strong cordage,Brave mast, and good anchorBut they deem not He who keepethThe wind in His palm-hollowHears their boas ting, and abhors them .

But God shal l the proud ones ,The rebell ious

,the unfaithful,

‘Behold with deris ionIn the dark hour tremendousOf death and of departure 5When

,mad with blank horror,

They s ink,they know not whither,

D i z z y down into perdition .

’

1 13

1 I 4 CONGAL.

Up, God ! and l et the foes of God,and them that

hate him,fly :

As wax consumes within the fire, as smoke within thesky,

So le t them melt and perish quite : ‘out he who loves

Thy lawsHis head in battle cover Thou , and vindicate hiscause .

”

Amen , C l oc-Patrick ’s clerks repl ied 5 and cl earabove the swe l l

Of thousand hoarse - applauding throats,was heard the

S tandard -Bell .Last to his own i llustrious tribe

,though first i n power

and fame,

In danger’ s gap , to right of al l the embattled hosts, hecame.Kinsmen ,

” he said, to other tribes I ’ve offered,

on my way,Words of incitement to renown 5 as fitting for the dayJus t ris ing on so great a strife as

,s ince the days of

ConThe Hundred-Battled

,morning sun has never looked

upon .

But from these hortative harangues5— s ince vain were

the attemptTo add to valour infin i te5— Clan -Goh ail s tands exempt.For why, what says the noble vers eClan-Conai l for the battleNever needed other promptingThan the native manly vigorOf a King—descended people

,

Whose own exulting prowess,

Whose own fight-glorying valour,And old ancestral choler

,

And hot blood overboiling,

Are war—g oads self-sufi i cing,

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I 1 6 CONGAL.

And as,again

,when Lammas floods from echoing

uplands goDown hurryi ng to the quaking vale that toils in foam

below 5So wide, s o deep, so terrible, so spreading, swift and vast,Wi th tempestn tramp from Congal

’

s camp the adversecolumns pass

’d

Every phalanx l ike a castle 5 every captain , at i ts head,Like pillar of a castle -gate

,when camping Kings have

spreadTheir leaguer to the rampart- foot

,and pick and broad

axe playRebounding on the sounding

’

pl ank that holds the warat bay.

Ah many a brave young son was there, to hang onwhos e broad breas t

Was j oy to the proud mother ; many a brother muchcaressed

By whi te-arm’d smil ing sis ters 5many a lover who yet

boreThe parting kiss from Vi rgin l ips hi s l ips should meet

no more 5And sons who stood by fathers ’ s ides

,with pious ardour

warm,

Each deeming death were well- incurred to shield Mat

head from harm ,

Blooming i n love and manly strength 5 and many afai thful pair

Ofmilk-uni ted fosterers and ancien t friends was there .

Swiftly they cleared the narrowing space of plainground interposed 5

And, bearing each an even front, from wing to wingthey closed .

A shudder at the closing shock thri l l’

d through thegrassy plain

,

And all the sedgy- sided pools of Lagan s ig hed again .

CONGAL. 1 1 7

In balanced scale,in even fight5

— no thought oneither s ide

Of yielding back5 — the eager hosts their work of battl epl ied

,

Stern,dark

,intense, incessant, as forging smiths that

smiteIn order on the st ithy head through spark- showers

hailing white .

And, as when woodsmen to their work, through copseand stubble go,

Grasping the supple red—skinned twigs w i th dartingbill-hooks

,so

Wi th frequent grasp and deadly grip plucked from theirsl ippery stand

,

They went continual to the earth the grassy- vesturedland

,

Stamped into dust,beneath them glowed 5 the clear

fresh morning airVexed with the storm of twirl ing arms

,and tossing

heads and hair,

Around them reeked 5 while,overhead

,i n dense

unwholesome pall,A sw eat - and-blood- engendered mis t rose steaming over

ah .

D ire was the front—rank warriors ’ case 5 nor, in theirdeadly need,

D id son of father longer think, or friend of friend takeheed ;

But each deemed all the strength and skil l hi s prowesscould command

But scant enough to serve the need that claimed hisproper hand 5

Fresh hands with deadl ier-wielded blades,new foes

w i th angri er frown,Succeeding ceaseless in the front, fas t as the old went

down .

1 1 8 CONGAL.

Fed from behind the ranks renewed 5 from thesecontinual fed

The intermediate heaps increased. Sti l l no man turnedor fled

Til l on the Dalaradian King, unhappy Sweeny, fel lThe terrors of a dreadful fate, i n manner strange to tell .To Sweeny

, as the hosts drew near, ere yet the fightshould j oin

,

Seemed stil l as i t between them rolled the foam - s trowntawny Boyne

And as the swiftly -nearing hosts consumed the narrowing space,

And arrow-flights and j avel i n -casts and sword -strokescame in place,

Through all the rout of high-raised hands and wrathfulglaring eyes,

Erc’s look of wrath and l ifted hand before him seemedto u se 5

Through al l the hard- rebounding din from breasts ofGaels and Gauls,

That j arred agains t the vaul t of heaven, when clashedthe brazen walls,

Through al l the clangorous battl e-call s and death - shoutshoarse and high,

Erc’s shril ler curse he seemed to hear and Erc’sdespairing cry .

Much did the hapless warri or strive to shake frombreast and brain

The illusion and the shameful wish fas t rising,but in vain 5

The wish to fly seized al l his l imbs 5 the stronger dreadof shame

Contending with the wish to fly, made spoil of al l hisframe .

Hi s knees beneath him wavered, as i f shaken by thestress

Of a rapid-running river 5 his heart, in fear’s excess,

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l 2 O CONGAL .

Still unenriched of half her lore. So, turn you, andengage

Your spears where men who fly you not, await yourjuster rage .

”

So Ardan counselled ; and the l ine of battle stoodrenewed,

While Sweeny o’er the di stant plain hi s lonely fl ight

pursued,N o i se l ess,asflits,atdayl ight-gone

,the level -coasting crane

Meantime, on Moyra,shout and clang of battle rose

again,As

,singl ing from the vulgar sort

,the ch iefs of note

beganIn feats of separate hardihood

,t o mingle i n the van .

And first the royal son s who led the all ied Alban host,Despite the strength of circl ing quags and Dath i ’s

guardian ghost,

Thrice on Connac ia’s l i ne of fight, four i sland ospreysflew ,

And twice and thrice with grasp of might broke Grel lan’ss taff in two.

But at their third swift- swooping charge, where Leinsterstood arrayed

Beneath her four Provincial Kings,their course was

rudely stayed .

Which four i l lustrious Kings who l ed the Broad-spearranks

,were these 5

First, Ca i rbre Crom,the weal thy lord of tun ic-bleach

ing Le ix 5N ext, haughty Aul ay of the Ships, who exercised his ruleWhere hurdle- causeways span the mire of Liffey ’s dusky

pool 5Argnadach next, whose grassy dun o

’er green HyDrone presides

Where bright by brown Bahana wood the fishfu lBa rro w glides ;

CONGAL. 1 2 1

And lastly Ai l i l l,hapless lord ofwide domains

,for whom

Hy-Fa i l y’

s serfs no more need til l the sunny slopes o fBloom .

These four before the Albanian four thei r armouredbreasts Opposed,

And straight the eight i n fell debate,for l ife and glory

,

closed .

But val ian t though these Leinster Kings, and waraccomplished too,

’Twas not for them the royal hope of Alba to subdue,

Who oft had trained adventurous arms on Saxon andon Gaul ,

With brass-hook ’d hal bard oft had plucked the Britonfrom h i s wall ;

And oft,twix t beetl ing brow above and slippery brink

below,

Had wrestl ed with the Fortren Pict,knee-deep in

Grampian snow.

Arguadach, first, beneath the spear of Aed GreenMantle died 5

Tall Ai l i l l next lay s tretched in death, by Sweeny, athis s ide 5

To Domnal of the Freckled Brow imperious Au l ay thenResigned hi s head ; and Cairbre Crom succumbed to

Congal Menn .

When Domnal’

s own illustrious sons beheld thecarnage made

OfL e inster’

s leaders,to the front they also sprang in aid 5

Fergus and Angus side by . s ide 5'

young Erri l OpenIIand

,

Carri l and Co l gu ; hye to four : the war-flushedconquering band

Of Al ban brothers, four to five, as l oud the Princescri ed

Sons of the Ki ng of Erin here,with louder shout

repl ied,

I 2 2 CONGAL.

Sons here of Alba’

s mightier King,to match them

,

man to man .

And,three at once selecting three

,an equal stri fe began 5

Equal in youth 5in royal birth, in eager warl ike will ,Equal ; and i n the athlete s art and warrior

’ s deadlysk ill

,

Al as too equal 5 for, ere long, by many a mutualwound,

Each slain by each,three princely pairs pressed all the

equal ground .

But Domnal Bree,by Carril and by Co lgu both assai led,

Although ’gains t either s ingle foe he had in fight

p revailed ,Withstood no t their conjoint attack but, cas ting down

his shield,

Said,Cousins

,I claim benefit of gossipred

,and yield .

So, leaving there the princely six s tre tched’mongst the

common dead ,Carri l and Co lgu to the King their Alban captive led.

Then thus the captive Domnal said,Oh King, these youthful sons

Have done me warrior-wrong i n both assai ling me atonce ;

Which is no deed of princely-nutured youths : andtherefore, I

Am put to plea of fos terage and consanguini ty 5Shewing unto your Clemency, my father Eochai d BuieWas fos ter—son of Columb—Kill , the son of Fe l imy,The cous in of thy father Aed : wherefore, oh K ing,I claim

“ Safety and ransom at thy hands in holy Col umb’sname.”

And i n that venerable name,said Domnal — and

he crossedHis breast devoutly as he spoke, thy sui t shall no t

be los t :

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1 2 4 CONGAL.

To proud Duno l ly’s new-built burg transferred the

royal Chair.

(’Twas in his time Columba’s Clerks

,because they

would not bareThe head- top to the tonsuring shears of Ceo l frid,

neither countTheir Easters by the Roman moons, were sent beyond

the MountBy N ecton and his Fortren Pi cts 5when, i n the Gael

’sdespi te

,

His Saxon builders , from the Tyne, brought N orth thegeneral ri te .)

And after Sel vach, once again to sh ift the wanderingthrone

,

Came conquering Kenneth Al p inson the first who satat Scone

,

Ful l King of Scotland, Gael and Pict 5whose seatto-day we see

A third time moved,there permanent and glorious to

be,Where

,in Westmins ter’ s sacred aisles

,the Three

Joined-Realm awardsIts meed of solemn sepulture to Captai ns and to

Bards 5And to the hands pre-designate of awful right

,

confides

The Sceptre that confers the sway o ’ er half of ocean’ss ides .

But Domnal’

s brothers in one grave on Irish Moyral ie 5

And to thi s day the place from them is called Cairn~

Albany.

The hardy Saxon l i ttl e reeks what bones beneathdecay,

But sees the cross- signed pil lar stone, and turns his

plough away.

CONGAL . 1 2 5

So on the battle’s western verge the doubtful strifewas w aged

Meantime, upon King Congal’

s left, the Frankish hos tengaged

Clan-Conai l 5 and Clan -Conai l marched o ’er prostrateFranks

,unti l

They pressed the battle to the plain beneath the veryhill

Where ranked the warrior-hosts of Mourne . HaltKel lach in his chair

Placed on the summit of the slope, sat’mids t his

bravest thereAnd

,as a hunter

,having his dogs leashed on a ri s ing

ground,A tall s tag drinking in the vale

,sl ip s swift hound after

hound 5Or as a man who practises against a mark

,hurl s

forthDart after dart 5 or as a youth whos e time is l i ttle

worth,

Goat-herd or poet idly bent, from some bald sea-cl iff’s

crownD islodges fragments of the rock, to send them rolling

down,And claps his hands to see them leap

,as

,gathering

speed,they go

With high whirl s smoking to the foot 5with such hercerapture so

Son after son the Hal t one sent, and smoking chargeon charge

Hurled down from Augnafoskar’s brow against the

gl it tering margeOi levelled spear and burnished targe that,

’mid thethrong below,

Marked where Clan -Cona i l’

s front advanced o ’erFrankland

’

s overthrow .

1 2 6 CONGAL.

But nei ther swift Cu-Carmoda, for al l his greyhoundspring,

Nor headlong Anlach hutl ing down w ith force of

j avelin-fli ng,N or Brasil bounding from his bank w ith crash of

whirl ing cragCould bend the steadfast beam of fight stretch

’

d outbeneath thy flag

,

Oh son of Baedan 5 but, as dogs entangled’mong the

brakes,

Or mark- short darts that by the butts upl ift theirqu ivering stakes,

Or rolling rocks that at the foot break into piecessmall

,

So clung, transfixed 5 so, sounding, broke against thatbrazen wall

Charge after charge. But as a pack of curled wavesclamouring on

Divide and ride to either side,resurging

,round a

s toneThat makes the t ide-mark 5 or as storms, rebounding

from the breastOf some impassive mountain huge, go raving forth in

ques tOf things prehensible, broad oaks, or wide-eaved

homes of men,

To wreak their wrath on 5 bellowing forth from everyhollow glen

That girds the mighty mountain foot,they on the open

valeIssue tremendous : groan the woods : the trembling

mothers paleBeneath their s training rafters crouch

, or, driven frombut and hall,

Hie to the covert of some rock or rock-buil t castlewall

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1 2 8 CONGAL.

“Attendant w i th thee . Leave to me this Northernrobber horde

Whose march insul ting on our left needs somerobus ter sword

Than aged Kel l ach’

s : he, I'

judge, will not long si t

at ease,

Unless with some impediment of weightier m ouldthan these

I bar the access to his chair. Farewel l a while 5andnow

For vengeance I and des tiny 5 for fame and friendsh ip thou .

”

As l ightn ing that divides a bol t forkwise in upperai r

,

To left and righ t, from Congal’

s car, forth sprang thegl ittering pair.

Firs t on Connaci a’s shaken ranks impetuous Conanflew.

Four chiefs in turn engaged him there. All these thehero slew5

And the l opp’

d head of each in turn took from thecollar’d neck ;

Sweeny,to w i t5 Aed Alen, Aed Bui e and Eccad

Bree 5In rough Tir—Eera Sweeny ruled

,the son of Carrach

he 5Aed Alen in Moy -Eola 5 in Hy-Mainy, Aed the

Buie 5In castled Leyny, Eccad Bree. These Conan Rodd

subdued ;And Welshmen , wi th him

,of the rest a mighty

mul titude.Meanwhile the main Britanni c host

’neath ConanFinn arrayed,

Who,midmost

,fought the men of Meath, much

missed true Conan ’s aid .

CONGAL. 1 2 9

He of the Gates of Heart of Oak had freely,as

becameOne who in Congal

’s choice ofKings the second p l ace

might claim,

Followed his glorious judge to war 5and now with loyalheart

Matched against Kel l ach Mor performed a valiantwarrior’s part .

Son of Mal cova,erewhile King

, was Ke l lach

nephew soOf Domnal 5 and of all who came to Conga l

’s over

throw,Conal Mac—Baedan sole except

,i n prowess and

renownForemost 5 and destined afterwards, himself, to wear

the crown .

With him contended Conan Finn : but Kel l ach loppedhis head

,

And cast i t to his shouting friends 5 then mingled rageand dread

Fell on the thick-Welsh- speaking host 5 and forth i nreckless rage

Three cousins of the vanquished chief sprang,eager to

engageThe victor 5Howel, Arthur, Rees 5together forth they

sprungAnd with three far-exul ting leaps their spears together

flung ;And with three mutual- echoing shouts the ir blades

together drewBut Ke l lach from the col lared necks of these three sons

of IIu

Took thei r respect ive gl it tering spoils,and

,holding up

the same5

Said,

“Who w il l s take another cas t upon the noblegame.

P

130 CONGAL.

There marched that day ’mong Congal’

s host aval iant-hearted man

,

But l ittle-bodi ed,Fermorc Becc : he

,s tanding in the

van,

Beheld hi s all ies ’ fate,and heard the conqueror’ s

taunting call,

And sa idAlthough thou be the Great, and though I

be the Small,

Yet have I seen i t so befal l,oh Ke l l ach, that, at play,

The puniest piece upon the board has borne the

prize awayAnd for that glorious prize

,thy head— and I shal l lay

i t l owRight soon

5— I play this cast

,and stake my life upon

the throw.

He played his spear—cast manfu lly 5 no man of allthe host

Could but admire : but, gamesomely, the prize he playedfor

,los t.

Then many hearts beat thick,and tears from some

stern eyes there brokeAt seeing dauntless Ferm orc s tand to hide the answer

ing s troke.But generous Ke l l ach

,with a smile, reversed his l i fted

spear,

And ’mid the laughter of the hosts pushed Fermorc tothe rere .

The soul of Fermorc swelled with shame 5and but thateager bands

Of friends al l round restrained him,he had on himself

laid hands .Such feats of arms by Conan Rodd and Ke l lach Mor

were doneTo right and centre of the field. Meantime the royal

son

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132 CONGAL.

Chaff—dispersed and ember—scattered 5 t il l the strongfraternal arm

Of Kindred-Owen reached between,and stayed your

further harm .

I ll brooked Sil-Setna’s generous Chief, young Conal,to behold

The nobles t warriors of his race i n confluent tumultro l l

’

d

Like sheep to shel ter of the fold 5and , as herce Congalclosed

His ral lying ranks to charge anew the fresh foesinterposed,

Strode forth ’ twixt gathering hos t and host,and said

Behold, I claimSafety and single combat

,King

,and proffer thee the

same .

”

Who art thou,Congal said, who thus would

stay the swelling tide"Of Ulster ’s might, to aggrandize a single warrior

’spride ?”

The Son of Baedan I, repl ied the Chief, who

from thy raceWrested Moy Inneray ; and who used , once, makemy dwell ing- place

In broad- stoned Ai l each 5 but Who now in Conang’s

hall s abide,Since Ai l each’s gate-posts have of late been stained byparricide .

N 0 need for further woman ’ s words, said Congal 5and his cheek

Grew shameful red : Accept the fate thy folly dares toseek .

”

So closed their parl ey 5 and the hos ts kept each itsformer place 5

Vhi l e they, with deadly- l ifted spears, moved throughthe middle space.

CONGAL . 1 33

High beat heroic Conal ’s heart . In everyexerc 1se .

Of Eri n ’s athletes hi therto his arm had borne thepr i ze .

Of all the fearl ess footsteps,formed ’ twixt cl iff and

cl imbing sea,

5

From dizzy League to Torrey ’s strai ts,the fearl essest

had heAnd oft, when, on the heaving skiff;mid batfled waves

he hung,Ere up grey Mau l in

’s eyried lofts or Balor’s Stai rs he

Sprung 5Oft, when , a- fowling, poised , he swung between the

sl ippery browAnd thundering deep, his soul had longed for danger

such as now,

Guerdoned With glory , called him forth, before anation’s eyes ,

To strive, in Country’ s righteous cause

,for Fame ’ s

e ternal prize .

They cast their spears together. Each resoundingweapon stood

To socke t in the opposing shield 5and Congal’

s pointdrew blood .

Then forth,to snatch his weapon back

,the King of

Ulster sprung 5But Conal, with a wrestler’s l eap

,his arms around him

hung 5By flank and shoulder taking nol d : nor was King

Congal slowWith ready—darted hands expert to grapple with his

Shoulder and flank : a moment thus stood eithermighty man 5

Then,in a gatheri ng heavefithei r game the athlete pairbegan,

1 34 CONGAL.

Wi th l ifts and thrusts impe tuous 5with swift- reversingpulls

,

And sol id stands immovable,as young encountering

bull s 5And counter—prancing di zzy whirl s ; t ill, in the rapid

round,

The feet of ei ther hero seemed to leave the circlingground

,

Though firm as palace-pillars s tood their feet beneaththem sti l l ;

For neither yet fel t any lack of athle te force or skill 5Be t each deemed victory his own for Congal

,where

he stood ,Saw the fast- fall ing drops that soon would sink the

swell ing floodOi Conal’s s trength 5 and Conal, s ti ll unconscious of

the waste,Invoked his glorious s ires

,and all h is lo ins with rigour

braced 5Son of the son ofN imdid, son of Fergus, as he was,Son of great Conal Gu l ban 5— and he pushed him

wi thout pause ;Son of renowned N ine-Hostager 5— and one great

heave he gaveOf his whole heroic body, as the sea upheaves a wave,A long s trong- rising wave of nine

,that from the

wallowing floorOf ocean , when a storm has ceased

,nigh to some

beachy shore,Shows with a sudden black-piled bulk

,and swallowing

in its sweepAccumulated water-heaps from all the hollowed deep

,

Soars,toams

, o’

erhangs i ts glassy gulfs ; then, stoopingwith a roar

Immeasurable of sea- cascades, s tuns al l the soundingshore

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1 36 CONGAL.

Great Kel lach , King Mal cova’

s son : with rage andnoble scorn

D ilat ing5i n the mids t he stood

,and cried

Base Bri ton,turn .

From me receive the meed of death that warrior- lawdecrees

The impious wretch who violates his combatguarantees.

Said Conan,

“ Though my love could dare thebreach of sterner laws

At friendship ’s call 5 th is judgment thou dost givewithou t a cause .

For nought,i n truth

,of any pause or parleying truce

I knewWhen

,newly on the fiel d arrived, to aid my King I

flew .

If for his li fe a li fe be due,take thou a warrior’s

word,No freer s oul e’er paid a debt more loyallyincurred .

”

He wrung the hand that Congal reached ; theirhearts within them burned

Wi th tenderness they might not speak 5 and to thecombat turned .

Conan his cas t del ivered first. The spear,from

Ke l lach’

s shieldGlancing oblique

,s truck socke t- deep, innocuous, i n

the field.

Then K el lach,with a dreadful smile, i n towering

strides drew near 5And

,Wi th the might of both his hands upheaving highhis spear

,

Smote Conan ’s buckler i n the midst : the brazenbosses flew

D isrupted : but,with sudden sleight

,the agile warrior

threw

CONGAL. 1 37

Shield and shield-cumbered spear aside 5 and Kel lach,overborne

By hi s own force, as s inks an elm from yield ing rootsuptorn

,

Went prone amid the brazen wreck . Three pacesback withdrew

Conan, and hated his blade and said,Rise

,Ke l l ach, and renew

An equal combat,i f thou wil t. I shall not fear i n

theeDefect of generous soul, or breach of warriorwarranty.

Conan,my life is in thy hands

,

” said Kel l ach .

Take or give.Thou hast i n me a fo e to death

,whils t thou and I

shal l l ive.”

Then,spear and buckler laid aside, his sword heslowly bared 5

Cast on dead Conal ’s form,a glance 5and s tood for

fight prepared .

As when two mastiffs chance to meet upon a publicway,

And break their leashes and engage 5 their keepers i 1idismay

Back from the fang- commingling fray on e ither handrecoil ;

So s tood the hosts at gaze, while they resumed theird eadly toi l .

And well might wearied combatan t hi s own dreadwork forbear

5

To view the warl ike practice of the sword-accomplishedpa1r 5

So, t iming, with instinctive sway, consenting eye andhand

,

They wove the dazzling woof of death ’ twixt gleamingbrand and brand 5

138 CONGAL.

So, mingl ing the i r maj estic s teps in combat’s rapid

round,

They trod the stately braw l s of Mars across the l istedground .

At every strong—del ivered s troke Red Conan deal t hi sfoe

,

The Welshmen clapped applauding hands ; at everyanswering blow

Heard with the crush of hauberk burst,or shivering

helm,the voice

Of Erin, U ls ter’s host except

,went up with cheerful

n01se .

But, valiant swordsman though he be, the braves t,soon or late ,

Must,in his proper time

5expect the even s troke of

fateAnd slower motions

,and a mist of darkness round hi s

brow ,

Warned Conan that hi s stately head to fate shoulda l so how.

When Ke l l ach fel t his force abate,and saw h i s

s ight was gone,

He yielded back ; but darkly still bl ind Conanbattl ed on

,

Till,not

,indeed

,l ike lofty elm i n leafy time of

year,But l ike -

a s torm -disman tled mast,that

,with i ts

tatte red gear,(The long- tormented keel

,at last

,heaved by a

landward swellAgainst the rock

,)goes overboard, at Ke l l ach’s feet he

fel l .But Kel lach took no trophy 5 for, with dark brows

newly helmed,Congal approached and said ,

Although that hand hath overwhelmed

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CO N GAL .

B O O K V.

THE ARG UM EN T.

T/ze Sl zrew ; the F001; i kefi fl a l over/krow .

W’

fiaz‘

el se rema i ns, t/ze verse, w i l l skew .

[Cuanna5 the i di ot son of Ultan -L ong-Hand, armed w ith a bi l l

hook , fo l low s i n the track of the arm i es to Moyra. He

learns that h is father has fal len by the jave l in of Congal , andvows revenge . He meets Conga l returning from a combatw i th Caenfa l l a , and chal lenges h im , but the hero declines theunequal confli ct. Cuanna from behind gives him a morta lw ound w i th the b i l l -hook, whi ch Conga l w i l l not revenge.

The idi ot youth m akes hi s way to K i ng Domnal , and recountshi s story. Conga l straps hi s bel t over the w ound, and thoughconsc i ous that he i s dy ing, prepares to resi st Mal dun, who

attacks h im 5strikes off h i s righ t hand, yet flees before him .

Ke l l ach , son of Mal cova, comes forth refreshed to attackConga l, but seeing h i s disabled condi tion w i l l not fight ; heca l ls on the h ero to y i eld. Conga l sw oons from loss of

blood. A terrible storm of w ind and hai l bl inds the hosts,w ho seem to hear in the thunder the flapping cloak of

Manannan Mac L i r, and the whi stle o f the gi ant Herdsman .

When the storm sw eeps past Congal has di sappeared. H is

army fly the he ld and are ho t ly pursued by the forces of

Ki ng Domnal . Kel l ach the Hal t a lone rema ins on h i s seat,and seeks— in vain— to arrest the flight of the fug i tives. He

hears tha t h i s seven sons are s lain ; the youngest, however,has surv i ved and seeks hi s father. Bras i l comes to carry hi sparent from the fiel d5 but in the act of ra i si ng Ke l l ach on h i s

shoulders, i s sla in by an arrow . Kel l ach i s carri ed on h i scha i r i nto the presence of K ing Domnal and hi s B i shops.

They exhort h im to repentance and accuse hi m o f be ing theauthor of the w ar. He dies a pagan 5 and, l ike K ing L aeryburi ed erect, w eapons i n hand, i n the ou ter rampart on Tarai s i n terred, s i tt i ng upright on h i s braz en cha i r . Congal ,w i thdrawn, he know s not how , from the batt le -fie l d at Moyra,rev i ves from h i s swoon, and huds himse lf i n h is nati ve vale in

CONGAL. 14 1

Antrim , Wi th Ardan by hi s si de. The thought of the m in hehas brough t on the fri ends who fough t for h im agoni z es h i s

heart , and he w eeps b i tter tears . A ve i led nun, i n whom he

recogni ses hi s L ahnda, approaches from a neighbouringconven t and knee ls to ai d h im . Her unhappy bro therSw eeny, doom ed to perpe tua l w anderi ngs, appears i n the

di stance ; L ahnda grow s red w ith sham e , bu t i s assured byArdan that he i s a v i ctim — demon dr i ven— not a cow ard. As

Sweeny addresses hi s si ster, a splendid v i si on of Manannan

Mac L i r passes before thei r eyes, di sappears, and Sw eeny alsovanishes. L ahnda addresses herse lf to Congal : w h i le theyconverse he dies. She perform s f or him the last offi ces of thedead, and re-enters the conven t of St. Brigid. Ardan, leftalone, prays for one ray of Heaven ly ligh t , such as had beenvouchsafed to Congal . Four Sen i ors of the fratern i ty com e

from the conven t, and rai s ing the dead hero on a bi er, hearhim i h . They i nv i te the Bard to en ter, and prom i se h im

safety from the vengeance o i the approaching hosts. He

thanks them , bu t e lects to remain ou tside . They re- enter ;c lose the gate, whi le up the hi l l the hosts of Domnal came ]

N Ultan Long-Hand ’s house, that day, atpleasan t Dunamain

,

I t chanced , his Queen, Fingual a, and thewomen of her train

Were busied heating water for the bath 5 and withthem there

Wen t, moping idly, Cuanna, long handed Ultan’s hei r;

An orphan and an idiot. While as yet a little pageHe had been sent to Tara

,to the King

,in

fosterage 5But

,ere the second week was passed wi thin the royalsehooL

King Domnal ’s tutors finding him,or deeming him

,

a fool,

Had sen t him to Hy-Brazil back : where Guannawhiled away

His hours amongst the women. N ow his stepmother,that day,

14 2 CONGAL.

Had bade him fetch fresh fi rewood for the heating ofthe bath 5

And Guanna, l ike an idiot, had raked up from pooland path

Green birehen twigs,and oz i ers dank

,and brambles

clogged with mire,

And with the smoky fuel green had well n igh quenchedthe fire.

Done l ike thee,cri ed the s tepmother

,wi th angry

bitter taunt 5Done l ike an idiot

,as thou art ! Aye, wo i s m e 5

we wantAnother sort of son this day, than such an one asthou,

Thou good-for- noth ing imbecile ! Kh ow ’s t thou notthat even now

Thy sire and royal foster- s ire on Moyra’s bloodyplai n

Are fighting for their l ives, l ike men,’gainst cruel

Congal Cl aen 5Are fighting for their l ives and crowns, their wivesand children dear,

Like val ian t men,at Moyra, and thou stand

’s t idlinghere P ”

Show me the way to Moyra, Guanna answered, alla-flame.

Small sk ill there needs to find i t,repl ied the

bi tter dameGet thee down to Neur-Kin -Troya

,where the hosts

have left thei r trackPlain enough for even an idiot to follow there andback .

”

Bestow me arms and armour,cried Cuanna.

Spear or shieldThere is not left with i n the house s ince Ul tan took

the field,

”

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1 44 CONGAL.

And,Fool

,

” she cried, thou wouldst destroy thecauldron that thy Sire

Bought with three hundred kine : restore the cover,

I desire,Instantly to its former place .

But Cuanna laughed in scorn 5And when the Queen laid hands on him

,and would

,

herself,have torn

The boss’d brass from his arm , with force so suddenCuanna shook

Her weak grasp off, and gave withal so terrible a lookOf bloody meaning, that the Queen and all the maids

and wives 0

About her fled a spear- cast off in terror of the ir l ives,

Clapping their hands and rais ing loud their helplessu l a l oos,

While Cuanna took his downward route straight forthe Strand-End-Yews .

Arrived at Neur-Kin-Troya5all the Strand-End

brown and vastWas scored with tracks where chariot-wheel s and

weighted steeds had passed,

The hoof-prints pointing to the N orth 5 and northward,on the trai l

Oi horse and chariot, all alone, went Cuanna up thevale.

On came the royal idiot on the strong track of thewar,Till past the fords of Ornav he descri ed the fight afarAnd the first man he encountered on the borders of

the strifeWas Fercar Finn, hi s father

’ s steward : he had escapedwith l ife,

But deeply wounded 5 and he cried, his labouringgasps between,

Good,my dear Cuanna, wherefore thou in such

a bloody scene ?

CONGAL. 1 45

I come to slay false Congal,the generous fool

repl ied 5And learn to be a warrior by my royal father’s

si de .

”

Alas,dear child

,since long ere noon thy royal

Sire l ies slain,

Pierced by a j avel in,through the heart

,by cruel

Congal Claen .

”

Right soon wi l l I revenge his death,cried Guanna.

Tell me whereThe trai tor fights.

“Where thickes t ranks thou seest recoiling, thereBe sure, i s Congal . But beware : thou cans t notbear the shock

Of battle with thy you thful frame besides,they all

would mockThine arms fantas tic : for who yet ere s ought abattl e fi eld

Wi th bill-hook for a spear,and lid of cauldron for a

shield ?”

Let mock who will,

” the youth repl ied 5 for see5the tide of war

Seeths l ike the rising seas I ’ve seen on Cuan Carl inne’s bar

And all the hosts are this way driven . Now for thefirst essay

In arms of Cuanna, cal led the FOO1 no longer fromto day .

And heading onward through the press,wi thin a li ttl e

space,He found himself with Congal C l aen confronted, face

to face .

Triumphant Congal just ere then had,with his

sword,achieved

A feat of m ore than swordsman- skill, yet fi t to be

bel ieved,

1 46 CONGAL .

Upon Caen lal l a O l l io l son, a doctor even thenAccounted w i ser than the m os t of Erin ’s l earned men .

He, when he saw the King that way direct h is slaughtering path,

Had in his heart conce ived the hope,himself

,to quell

hi s wrath 5And for a l i ttle while withstood his onse t : but hi s

heartAt the third sword —s troke fai led him quite 5 and all his

warrior- artHe clean forgot 5 and public shame embraci ng, turned

and fled ;While Congal with a fol lowing s troke cut through his

h in der head,

Letting the lower brain exude . Caenfal la there haddied

Upon the field ; but Erc and Flan, old pupils, drewaside

The fainting master,and on poles conveyed him to

the rereTo Bishop Senach

,where he breathed through that

good leech ’s car e 5And Senach next committed him to the physician

seer,Mild Brecan

,i n whose hospital he lay

,at cure

,a year;

And at the twelvemonths ’ end was found,such Virtue

i s i n storeIn purging of the binder brain

,twice wiser than before .

And now for al l Caenfal la’s books of wi t and hopefulaid

Po learning,1r’s and Ever’s sons give thanks to

Congal’s blade .

When,therefore

,Congal saw the fool s tand where

the sage had stood,

He stood himsel f,and loudly laughed ; and cried in

scornful mood,

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1 48 CONGAL.

He laid his gl i ttering weapons on the green grass ath is feet

,

And w i th both hands essayed to drag the weapon fromits seat

,

But failed a second time he tugg’

d with painful s ickessay

,

And fai led but at the third attempt the j avel in cameaway .

Then round his lacerated s ide he drew his gl i tteringbelt

,

Resumed his arms,and stood erect, as though he

scarce had fel tThe wound that through his Vi tals was diffusing death

the while 5And said

,

I t grieves me5 C uanna, that the weak hands

imbec il eOf one devoid of reason , should have deal t the fatalblow5

For, that it i s a mortal hurt thou’st given me, well I

knowAnd wel l I knew my death to-day at Moyra s tooddecreed

But thought to find my destiny at othe r handsindeed .

Had many-battled Ke l lach deal t the final blow of fate,I by a King, and l ike a King , had died with mind

e late .

Or Crunval l , to whose royal Sire the stroke of fate Igave

,

‘ To die by him had been to feed the vengeanceof the brave

But thus at last to perish by thy weak, i ngloriousspear

,

Forg ive me, fool ish Cuanna 5 this is hard indeed to

bearf’

CONGAL.

Nought answered Guanna 5but caught up h is weaponWh ere i t lay

,

And towards the royal standard straight proceededthrough the fray

,

Where Domna l s tood among his Chiefs and Bishopshard bested

He was to pass the thronging groups,

’mongst whomalready spread

The rumour that a stranger youth had slain thedreaded King

But,ever pressing on, at length he stood with in the

ringBefore the Monarch 5 and exclaimed, in eager accents

clear,

Laying his bil l at Domnal’

s feet, The blood ofCongal here .

”

Then , some who saw the feat ach ieved, avouchingit for truth

,

The King exclaimed, Oh glorious deed 5 and thou ,oh happy youth ,

Say who thou art,and ask such boon as Domnal can

bestow,

For this,thy realm - enfranchis ing and mischief- ending

blow.

”

Then Cuanna from his brow and face put back thematted hair

,

And drew his body to i ts height,and with a graceful

a i r,

For tall and comely was the youth, and of a manlymould

,

His simple s tory to the King with modest freedomtold .

My name is Cuanna, eldest son of Ultan , who ,

sometime,Was King in Orior. When a child

,my wicked

Nurse, whose cri me

150 CON GAL .

Goes stil l unpunished , with ~ a doll,dressed as a

goblin,so

Scared me,that ever since I ’ve lost my reason 5but

I knowEnough to know that cunning wretch, ere yet mym other died,

Inveigled U ltan to her b ed ; and now,where once

she pl iedHer meni al office, s its h is Queen . N ow,

when I

grew ofageFor nurture

,I to thee

,oh King

,was sent in

pupilageBut

,ere I spent the second week within your

Highness ’ school,Thy tutors

,finding, or

,at least

,supposing

,me a

fool,Returned me home 5 and as a fool and idiot eversince

I ’ve had their usage — used, indeed, not as an idiotprince,

B l i t as a menial slave, by her who longs to see medead,

That her own son,Without dispute

,m ight reign in

Ultan ’s s tead .

Wherefore, to—day, she would have urged me forthto battle here ,

N aked , pretending that the house held neither shieldnor spear,

Although in Ultan ’s inner hall a hundred men mightfind

Weapons and tackle competen t, and s ti l l leave storebehind

And so, with such rude subs ti tutes as these whichhere ye see

Perforce I came : and God to these has given thevictory.

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1 52“

CONGAL.

The little stones from hand to hand,alternate back

and palm,

Regardless of the presence round, and lapsed inchildish calm .

But Congal, conscious that his strength by'

slowdegrees decayed

,

Resolved, while yet his arm had nerve to li ft thewearying blade

,

To spend his s till—remaining powe r i n one supremeattack ,

That Ul s ter so with victory,though Kingles s

,might

go back .

Then once again the l ines of fight were stretchedfrom wing to wing

OfCongal’

s battle 5 and the hosts led by the Vigor ousKing,

For so to al l their eyes he seemed,once more in dense

arrayAcross the corpse- encumbered mead moved to renew

the fray .

An onset terrible i t was i n all the fight t i ll thenFel l not so many of the flower ofErin ’s youths and men .

Ful l on Momon ia fell the brunt ; the burs t M omon ian

hostAn arrow-fi ighton either hand recoiled5and well nigh lostFor Domnal seemed the day ; when 10,

forth cameAed Bennan

’s son,

His bedfellow and fosterer in former days, Mal dun,

And challenged Congal to the s trife : thrice had hethought before

To raise h is courage to the feat ; and thrice his fee tforbore

To bear him past the sheltering ranks but now,that

Cuanna’s blow,

Through Congal’

s ghastly cheek, proclaimed that l ifewas ebbing low,

CONGAL. 153

He deemed the hour at l ength arrived whe n he mightsafely dare

The King’s encounter and he cried,Turn, Congal,

and prepareTo

'

meet a trai tor ’s recompense . No second rumourva i n

Shall now delude us, heralding the King of Ulsterslain .

”

The force of scorn, a moment’s space

,recalled the

ral ly ing b l oodTo Congal

’

s cheek. Between the hosts wi th formerect he stood,

And cried,

Oh,hardy enterpris e Oh

,rare

adventu rous WightAnd hast thou strung thy soul at length to ventureforth to fight?

I know thee well,thou coward ! Never yet

,from

Childhood ’s hour,Hadst thou for any manly dee d the purpose or thepower.

But ever since thy childhood,’twas thy chiefest pride

and praiseTo imitate the dark, ins idious , battle-shunningways

Of thy pol it ic preceptor 5 and a right Domnal ianfeat

“ I t were , mine idiot slayer of h i s just reward tocheat

Repl ied Mal dun,Thy rail ing words, injurious

King,I hold

But as the womanish recourse of tongue—puissantscold ;

And,for thy guilty insul ts to thy sovereign and thy

S1re,

Small the amount of warrior-art or valour ’twillrequire

154 CON GAL .

“To quel l a wretch devoted by his crimes to everyharm

That heaven decrees the impious man 5 upon whosepals ied arm

Hangs parricide ’s foul fe tter 5 and whose haltingfoot is bound

By the iron spanci l of the Church’s curses to the

ground .

”

And therewithal he cas t his spear. But Congal’s

rallying look,

For all the boldness of his speech,his heart wi thin

him shook 5And feebly, wi th a wavering fl ight, the aimless javel in

strayedPast Congal

’

s shoulder. Then the King swung highhis gl i ttering blade ,

And gathering a l l the force that stil l lodged in hismighty frame

,

Struck on the helme t ofM aldun 5 but struck with luckless aim

,

For,even as cres t and crashing helm half yielded tothe stroke

,

Short from its rivets,at the hil t

,the faithless weapon

broke 5And

,high as from a tree- top

,i n the pairing time of

spring,

A warbling bird springs up to heaven, its lay of love tosmg,

So high above the warriors’ heads leaped Congal

’s

flickeri ng blade :But the blind coun ter s troke Mal dun, with aimless

instinct,made

,

As Congal from his crest drew back the remnant of thebrand ,

Sheer from the King’s extended wrist smote off thegood right hand.

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156 CON GAL .

Approach and slaughter Congal Glaen , where maimedand bare he stands

,

Ah easy prey to butcher- swords, left by ignoblehands .No

,Congal

,

” generou s K el lach said :“ no blood

of th ine shall d imThe weapons of Mal cova

’

s son,while armed and

whole of l imbHe 5mutilated, swordles s thou 5 nor shall thi s speardeprive

Young Cuanna of his jus t renown : but y ield thyselfal ive.”

He sank his spear hal f- raised to cas t, and sprang toseize the King 5

But, ere he reached him,Congal dropped 5 and with

a swooping wing,

Sudden and black,the storm came down

scourge of hiss ing hailI t lashed the bl inded, s tumbling hosts : a shri ll loud

whistl ing wailAnd thunderous clamors fi l l ed the sky, i t seemed,

with such a soundAs though to giant herdsman ’s cal l there barked a

giant houndWithin the cloud above thei r heads5 and loud te

bounding s trokesThey also heard , o r seemed to hear

,and claps of

flapping cloaksWith in the bosom of the cloud : so deemed they ; but

anonThe s torm rolled northward 5and the hosts perceived

the King was gone .

Ligh t from the sun,and panic-dread diffus ive as the

l i ht,From heaven at once together fel l on Congal ’s line of

fight ;

CONGAL. 157

And though they held no counsel , nor did man conferwith man,

Yet through the whole invading host, from wing tocentre, ran

The desperate s imultaneous w i sh to turn from Domnal ’sface

Their fi rm Oppos ing bucklers,and expose him , in their

place,

The ir shoulders and their hollow spines, exchangingstrength and fame,

Safety and pride, for helpless flight, destruction, deathand shame.

Then dire was their disorder, as the wavering l ine at

Swayed

fir

t

s

c

t

) and fro irresolute 5 then, al l disrupted,

Likeb

wiftt

ers from a broken dam effused upon the

TheIsil

i

z

ie

l

l

r

t

l

er of K i l l ul tagh’

s woods and winding glens to

Togzl

iiiiedi te their running, in their shameful-vieingHelmet

r

zc

iie

dshield they cas t away, long lance and ironmace .

Gold—sparkl ing swords and shirts of mail in glit teringheaps were spread,

Resplendent,gleaming ’mongst the heaps of wounded

and of dead .

But,though prodigious plunder so encumbered all theirtrack

,

For beaten gold nor cloth of gold would Domnal'

s

Chi efs hold backTheir eager hands from vengeance

, or their feet fromwarrior- toi l 5

But,l eaving slave and horse boy to collect the gl i tteri ng Spoil,

r58 CONGAL .

Themselves,with leaps and spurnings amid the en tang

ling throesOfwrithing

,prostrate e nemies, with c lose5 1imb—severing

blows,

Urged on the pitiless pursui t 5 the helpless flyingcrowd

Consumed beneath the wast ing sword as mel ts the

morning cloud .

Death levels a l l : and where they ran,hard by the

brink of death,

Speed was the las t d ist inction left5 and he whose storeof breath

Sufficed to bear him farthest forth,was deemed of al l

the res t,

Richest : nor ran there there a man who, i f he hadpossessed

The world and al l i ts cattle,would have grudged to

give the wholeFor one hour

’

s fleetness of a deer to gain the shel tering

goaLLeaving friend and foe behind him . Many a son was

there, i n sooth,Outrunn ing his own father ;many a fleet

,deep -ches ted

youth,

Spent and breathles s overtaken 5many an elsewhereval ian t man

,

As, among the hindmost flyers, in the crowded rere heran ,

Cry ing, Halt, and make a stand, my friends, to thosewho fled in front 5

But with no inten t,himself, to halt ; but only that the

bruntMight fall on any other, friend or brother

,whom

soe’

er

Hi s wile could cas t behind him in the deadly- crowdedrere .

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1 60 CONGAL .

And Brasi l’s self,emerging from the flying throng

,ap

peared,Bloody and fain t, but call ing ou t incessant as he neared ,Ho

,father, I am with thee . Courage, fathe1

'

5I am

hereUp 5 mount upon my shoulders : I have strength tobear thee clear.

And ran and knelt beside the chair,to heave him on

his back 5But as he s topped , even through the curls that clustered

on hi s neck,

An arrow smote him . Kel lach said , Best so . I

thank thee, God,

That by no son of mine the path of shame will nowbe trod.

”

And leaned again upon hi s couch 5and set hi s hoaryhead,

Awaiting death,with face as fixed as if already dead .

But keen -eyed Domnal,where he stood to view the

rout, ere longSpying that white unmoving head amid the scattering

throng,

Exclaimed,“Ofal l their broken host one only man I see

Not flying 5and I therefore judge h im impotent to beOfuse of limb. Go : take alive

,

” he cried,and hi ther

fetchThe hoary-haired unmoving man ’tis K el l ach, haplessw retch

,

The very author of the war. There l ives not on the

faceOf earth a man s tands so i n need of God ’s forgivinggrace

And,~ — for he was my father’s fr i end

,and that white

helpless head“ Stirs my compassi on

,— though my foe

,I would not

see him sped

CONGAL. 1 6 1

Unshrived to that accounting dread 5if yet your piouscare

,

Oh, Pontiffs, may prevai l'

to bend his s tubborn heartto prayer.”

Said Bishop Erc5— the kinsman he ofEre of Slane,

The banAlready has gone duly forth agai nst the impiousman

And til l the power that laid i t ou,that sentence shall

re verse,

He who to K el lach proffers grace,i s partner in his

curse .

”

Said Senach,No authentic note to me has yet

arrivedOf such a sentence. If he will, the Senior shall be

Shrived .

I know the man, said Ronan Finn. A Paganstrong : beware

Lest he repay with blasphemy your proffered call toprayer.”

While thus the Prelates 5 from their s ide,as strong

cast javel in , sentFrom palm of long—armed warrior

,a swift battalion

wentAnd, breaking through the hindmost l ine, where Kel lach

sat hard by,Took him alive5and chair and man uphoisting shoulder

high,

They bore him back, his hoary locks and red eyesgleaming far

,

The grimmest standard yet: displayed that day o’er al l

the war ;And grimly

,where they set him down, he eyed the

encircl ing ringOf Bishops and of chafing Chiefs who stood about the

King.

16 2 CONGAL.

Then,with his crozier’s nether end turned towards

him,Bishop Erc

Said,

“Wretch abhorred,to thee it i s we owe this bloody

work 5Bywhose mal ignantcounsel moved, thy hapless nephewfirst

Sought impious aid of foreigners 5for which be thouaccurst.”

lltnd turned and left them .

Semach then approaching,mildly said

,

No curse so strong,but in the blood for man ’s redemp

tion shed,May man dissolve ; and also thou , unhappy, if thouwil t

,

May ’s t purchase peace and pardon now,and every

stain of guil tThat soil s thy soul

,may’s t wash away 5 if but with

heart sincereThou wilt repent thee, and embrace the heavenlyboon which here

I offer.”

Speak him louder, Sir,” said harsher Ronan Fi nn.

Kel l ach, repent thy sins,” he cried 5 and presently

beginFor few the m oments left thee now ; and, ere thehour be past

,

Thy lot may, for eterni ty, i n Heaven or Hell becast.”

Repent thy s ins, said Domnal 5 and implore theChurch’s grace 5

So shal l thy l ife be spared thee yet a littl e breathingspace.

Then Kel lach from the Bishops’ gaze withdrew hi swavering glance,

And, fix ing his fast-glazing eyes on Domnal

’

s counten

ance,

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1 64 CON GAL .

And thou in desert Tara darest not,thyself, to

dwell,

Since that other bald magician, of L orrah, from hisbell

Shook out his maledictions on the unoffendingh ill .

Said Domnal , By my valour, o l d man,thou does t

i l l,

Comparing blessed Saints of Chris t with Paganpriests of Crom .

”

Crom , or whomever else they serve, said Kel lach 5them that come

Curs ing,I curse .

Then Ronan Finn, upheaving high his bell,

Rang i t, and gave the banning word ; and Kel l achtherewith fel l

Off his tolg s ide upon the ground, stone dead . ThePoets the i e,

N ext night, i n secret, buried him upon his brazenchair.

Brass-armed complete for standing fight, in CahirL aery

’s wall

,

Sun- smitten L aery, rampart-tomb’

d, awaits the j udgment—cal l,

Facing the L einstermen 5 years roll 5 and Leinster i sno more

The dragon -den of hosti le men it was in days ofyore 5

Still,cons tan t ti ll the day of doom

,while the great

stone-work lasts,

L aery s tands lis ten ing for the trump, at whose wallbursting blasts

He leaps again to hte thy plain, oh L ifi

'

ey, with theglare

Of that dread golden -bordered shield : thus ever, onhis chair,

CON GAL .

Kel lach awaits , from age to age, the coming of thet ime

Will bring the cursers and the curs’

d before the Judgesublime .

But, rapt in darkness an d in swoon of angui sh anddespair

,

As in a whirlwind,Congal Glaen seemed borne thro ’

upper ai r 5And

,conscious only of the grief surviving at hisheart

,

Now deem ed himself already dead, and that his deathless part

Journeyed to judgment 5 but before what God’ s or

demon ’s seatDared not conj ecture 5 though, at times , from tramp

of gian t fee tAnd heavy flapp ings heard in air, around and under

neath,He darkly surmised who might be the messenger of

deathWho bore him doomward : but anon, laid softly on

the ground,

His mortal body with him still,and Stl l i al ive he

found .

Loathing the light of day he lay 5 nor knew norreck

’

d he Where 5For present anguish left his mind no room for other

care 5All h is great heart to bursting fi l l ed with ragefremorse

and shame,

To think what labour come to nought,what hopes of

power and fameTurned in a moment to contempt 5what hatred and

disgraceFixed thenceforth i rremovably on all hi s name and

race

1 66 CONGAL.

Til l Ardan ’ s voice bes ide him rose , L o,Congal

, we

are here ,N ot, I attes t al l Earth and Heaven, through will ingflight or fear

But,when from Kel l ach

’s last assaul t I caught thee

to my carFainting, a frenzy seiz ed the steeds, and swept usfrom the war 5

And a l l night long, with furious hoofs, and necks thatscorned control,

They ’ve borne us northward

,and have here attained

their fated goal.”

Then Congal raised his drooping head,and saw

with bloodshot eyesHis native vale before him spread 5 saw grassy Collin

ri seHigh o’er the homely Antrim hil ls . He groaned with

rage and shame .

And have I fled the fiel d,he cried 5 and sha l l my

hapless nameBecome this byeword of reproach ? Rise 5 bear me

back again,And lay me where I yet may lie among the valian tslain .

”

The steeds,said Ardan

,neath the yoke

,behold

,

l ie s tiff in death .

Here fate has fixed that thou and I shall draw ourlast of breath 5

For I am worn with weight of years, and feebly nowi nhale

The vital air : and newer l ife from moun tain andfrom vale

Ri ses and pushes me aside . A voice that seems tocry,Make way5make straight another way,

’ i s fi l l ingearth and sky .

”

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1 68 CONGAL.

From wicket of a neighbouring close 5 and, as shenearer drew,

The peerless gesture and the grace indel ible he knew.

She,when she saw the wounded man was Congal,s tood and prayed

A l i ttl e space,and trembled much : then came, and

I

meekly said,

Sir,thou art wounded 5 and I come from Brigid’scell hard by

To tend thy wants, if thou wil t brook a sis ter’s

charity .

And is my aspect also,then

,so al tere d

,Congal

cried,

That thou,L afinda

,knowest me not

,that shouldst

have been my brideBri de now of Chris t,

”she answered l ow 5

“ I knowthee but as one

For whom my heavenly Spouse has died .

“And other nuptial s noneDesire I for thee now,

” he said ; for nothing now

i s m 1ne,

Save the fas t-fleeting breath of l ife I hasten toresign .

She knel t to aid him . As she knel t, l ight—waftedo ’er the green

,

In shadow of a passing cloud,was flying Sweeny

seen .

Whom,when

,at first

,Lahnda knew,

her cheek,so

pal e but now,And al l the veil allowed to view of neck and marble

brow,

Grew red with shame But Congal sa i d,Although the assembled host

Have seen him fly, yet scorn him not, nor deem thybrother los t,

More than his Chief, who a l so fled .

The red blood on thy cheek ,’

Said Ardan,

maid,mis - seems thee not. Though

vowed submiss and meek,Thou art a royal daughter s till . But deem not thathe fli es,

Impe lled by dread of mbrtal foe. The demons ofthe skies

,

Wielding the unseen whips of God, are they whodrive him on,

“Mad,:but in no disgracefulflightunworthy Colman

’s son,

Sister,” sai d Sweeny 5and he came, with light foot,

gliding nigh 5“ I come not hither as l ze comes

,in s ight of home to die .

My day, indeed, i s distant yet and many a wandering race

Must I with wind and shower maintain 5 and manya rainbow chase

Across the wet-bright meads, ere I, l ike him,obta in

releaseFrom furious fancy ’s urgen t stings

,and lay my limbs

in peace.Lo

,all is changed. In Brigid

’s cel l thou , now, aclose- shut nun

,

That wert the assembl ies ’ pride before . I , with theclouds and sun

,

And bellowi ng creatures of the glade, for comradesof my way,

Roam homeless ; I, that was a king of thousandsyesterday.

”

Grieve not for me, L afinda said. In Brigid ’scell I find

The calm - enforcing discipl ine and humbleness ofmindMy nature needed, and yet needs . And thou, mybrother wild

,

Take ghostly counsel 5 and thou, too, may’s t yet be

reconciled

[ 70 CON GAL.

To God and reason .

Sweeny said 5 Some holy man, perchanceMay aid me ; but unless he dwel l where mo rn ing,sunbeams dance

In spray of upland waterfall s,or tell h is beads

belowWhere , deep in murky mountain- clefts the moonwhi te waters flow,

Smal l chance is his and mine to meet for there mypath must l ie 5

And thither rise my feet to run o’

er crags and hil ltops high .

But not alone I course the wild . Although apartfrom men

,

Shapes of the air attend my step s , and have me intheir ken .

”

Even as he spoke, soft- rustl ing sounds to al l thei rears were borne

,

Such as warm winds at eve excite ’mongst brown- riperoll ing com .

All,but L afinda, looked but she, behind a steadfastl id

,

Kept her calm eyes from that she deemed a s ightunholy

,hid .

And Congal reck ’d not if the Shape that passed beforehi s eyes

Lived only on the inward fi lm, or outward’neath the

skies.No longer soiled with stain of earth

,what seemed

his mantle shon eRich with innumerable hues refulgent, such as

oneBeholds

,and thankful-hearted he

,who casts abroad

his gazeO ’er some rich til lage-country-s ide, when mellow

Autumn days

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r72 CON GAL.

Health - sal ted,bathes 5 and says, the whil e he breathes

reviving bliss,

I am not good enough,oh God

,nor pure enough for

thi sSuch seemed its hues. His feet were se t in fi elds of

waving grain 5His head , above, obscured the sun all round the leafy

plainBlackbird and thrush piped loud acclaims : i n middle

air,breast-high

,

The lark shrill carolled : overhead,and halfway up

the sky,

Sailed the far eagle : from his knees, down dale andgrassy s teep

,

Thronged the dun ,m ightyupl and droves, and mountainmottl ing sheep

,

And by the river—margin s green, and o’er the thymy

meadsBefore his feet, careered, at large, the slim-knee’d

,

sl ender steeds,I t passed . Light Sweeny, as i t passed, went also

from their vi ew :

And conscious only of her task,L afinda bent

anewAt Co ngal

’

s s ide. She bound his wounds, and askedhim, Has thy heart

At all repented of its sins,unhappy that thou

art ?My sins , said Congal , and my deeds of strifeand bloodshed seem

N 0 longer mine, but as the shapes and shadows of adream

And I mysel f, as one oppressed with sleep’s decep

t ive shows,Awaking only now to l ife

,when life i s at i ts

close .”

CON GAL . 1 73

Oh, grant, she cried with tender j oy,

“Thou, who

alone canst save,

“ That this awaking be to l ight and l ife beyond the

grave l”

’Twas then the long-corroded links of l ife ’ smysterious chai n

Snapped softly ; and his mortal change passed uponCongal l Caen .

As sank the l imbs re l axed in death,from Brigid’s

neighbouring cell ,With clang importunate began the Sis ters ’ morning

bell .She closed the eyes 5. _ the straightened limbs in comely

posture laid 5And

,going with submissive steps, the call to prayerobeyed .

Then Ardan spread his hands to heaven,and said

,

I stand alone,

Last wreck remaini ng of a Power and Order overthrown,

Much needing solace and, ah me, not in the emptylore

Of Bard or Druid does my soul find peace or comfortmore 5

Nor in the bell s or crooked staves or sacrificial

showsFind I the help my soul desires, or in the chaunts ofthose

Who claim our Druids ’ vacant place. Alone and

faint I crave,Oh God, one ray of Heavenly light to help me tothe grave,

Such even as thou,dead Congal , hadst ; that so,

these eyes of mine“ May look their l as t on earth and heaven W i th

calmness such as thine .

”

1 74 CON GAL .

The wicket opened once aga in , and forth cameSeniors four

,

Who, rais ing Congal on a bier, the roya l body boreInto the consecrated close . While yet half open layThe wicket -gate

,the distant sounds of tumul t and

affrayCame on the breeze .

O ld man,

” said one ; approaching foes beginTo fi l l the vale with death . If thou wouldst savethy l ife

,come i n .

”

Servan ts of Brigid, Ardan said. To God bethankful praise

,

Who turns the hearts of men like you towards me intender ways

Yet,s ince my King has found the peace I seek toshare

,outs ide

Your Saint’s enclosure , here wil l I the will of Heavenabide .

”

On his own head, Lord, not on ours, they said,let l ie the blame.”

And closed the gate 5 while up the hill the hosts ofDomnal came.

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LEGENDS AND STORIES OF THE IRISH

PEASANTRY. BY JOHN KEEGAN .

Edited by the late very Reva Canon

O’

Han l on,

Wi th Mem oir byD. J. O

’

Donoghue. Crown 8V0.

In these tal es we can promi se the reader much that i s curiouslyins truct ive

, w i th not a page of dulness .

” —Glasgow Herald.

We have spen t many p leasan t hours w i th th i s enjoyable vo lume. Readersmust go to i ts pages to share our p leasure.

— Si nn Fei n.

Those closely in terested in the study of the social hi s tory of the peasan trymust al ways admire thi s racy characteri sti c work.

”-Scotsman.

HIBERN IAN N IGHTS’ ENTERTAIN

MENTS. By the late SIR SAMUEL

FERGUSON . F irs t,Second

,and Third

Ser ies. P aper Covers,I S. ; Cloth extra,

each

Contents, Fi rst Seri es — The Death of the Chi ldren of

Usnach— The Return of Cl aneboy— The Capti ve of K i lleshin

Conten ts, Second Series .— Corby MacGi lmore— Ah Adven

ture ofShane O’N ei l l .

Contents, Thi rd Seri es .— The Rebel l i on of Si lken Thomas .

They are about the most in teres ting hi s tori cal w orks of a roman ti ckind connected w i th Iri sh hi s tory tha t I have ever read.

”— t e Speech of

the ARCHB ISHOP OF TUAM .

They are the tales of hones t men and chaste women gi ving righ t i tsdue reward, and rendering fun retr ibution to the wrong.’ Whoever promo testhe i r circula t i on among Iri sh readers

,w i ll do much for the manners , morals,cul ture

,and patrio t i sm of our coun try men, wheresoever their l i ves are

cast — B oston P i l ot, U.SA.

Decidedly en tertaini ng thi s cheap edi t ion ough t to be wi dely read.

Li terary World

These books are capi tal reading.

”— Truth.

THE L AYS OF THE WESTERN GAEL . s . d.

By the late SIR SAMUEL FERGUSON .

P aper Cover,

I s . ; Clo t h extra,w i th

P or tr ait of Au thor

Sir Samuel Ferguson i s head and shoulders tall er than any of the AngloIri sh poe ts.

"— Truth.

We could desi re no bet ter select i on from the P oet's wri t ings for

in troduc t i on to a popul ar audi ence. We trus t i t w i l l be w i dely read bycoun trymen . If they w i sh to know the way in wh ich their fathers though tfel t

,and l i ved

,they could turn to no bet ter gu ide than Sir Samuel Ferguson .

— N atzon.

FOUGHILOTRA— a Forbye St ory.

Memor i al to the U l s t er Handloom

Weavers. By W. R. MACDERMOTT.

Crow n 8vo . Clo t h . N et 2 6

Here we have an Uls ter story wri t ten from the very l i fe.

author has treated h is subject Wi th know ledge and d i scrim inati oh.

N orthern Whi g.

THE IRISH PHRASE BOOK . I l lustratin o

the var iou s Mean ings and Uses of the

Verb s and Prepos i t ion s com b ined . By

REV . EDMUND HOGAN,

Cel t ic Examiner and Royal

Ir i sh Academy’

s Todd Profes sor of the

Cel t ic Languages . Crow n 8vo . Pr ice 1 6

The above work con ta ins 144 pages, each of wh i ch i s valuable to thes tuden t of Iri sh . The Spec i a l m - t tt of Fa ther Hogan ’

s trea tmen t ofthe subject con si sts in th i s

,that he inw tes the reader not to any abstract

consi dera t i on of the preposmons,but to thei r bear i ng and force as cxemphfied

m the bes t au thors . We w elcome the w ork w i th cca d m z l ef az'

l te, and

i n the in terest of Iri sh s tuden ts of the P rimary and Intermed i a te schoo lsas well as of the Un i vers i ty we w i sh i t a w ide circulat ion .

— 1rzsh Tunes.

Sealy, Bryers and Walker’

s

Historical Works .

THE IRISH BEFORE THE CONQUEST. s. d.

By L ADY FERGUSON . Second Edi t ion,

w ith Maps, Re v i sed and En larged .

There is no o ther such work on the shelves of our N at i onal LibraryAs a con tri but i on to the early hi story of Ireland i t s tands unparal leled.

In sh Tunes.

We w elcome most cordi ally the Second Edi t i on of Lady Ferguson’

s

del i gh tful treat i se.

"— Free man

'

s journal .

The work i s probably the bes t access ible to the general reader whi ch givesthe tradi t1onal s tory of Ireland’

s greatn 55 in the heroi c ages.— Scotsman .

Worth many doz ens of new books. Adm irable in i ts concep t ion and

execu ti om — I rzsh M onthly.

I t no t only repeats the facts of the ancien t s tory, i t endeavours to

express the sp iri t of the ancien t hfe.

"—N at i on.

IRELAND UNDER EL I Z ABETH. Trans

lated from the orig ina l Latin of DonPhi l ip O

’

Su l l ivan Bear . By MATTHEW

J. BYRN E. Demy 8yo . Clo t h .

One of the most im portan t p i eces of con temporary h is tory relat ing tothe troubled and exci t ing period of the Eli z abethan Wars in Ireland.

Li terary Worl d.

A work of no small value , not on ly from the w ider h istori cal poin t ofv i ew bu t for the many side l igh ts i t throws on the minor de ta i ls of the l i feof the period.

— Antzquary.

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