THE STORY OF IRELAND

New Zealand Tablet, 22 August 1918, Page 7

THE STORY OF IRELAND

(By A. M. Sullivan.)

INTRODUCTORY.— WE LEARN THE FACTS OF EARLY HISTORY. It may occur, to my young friends that before I begin my narration I ought to explain how far or by what means anyone now living can correctly ascertain and narrate the facts of very remote history. The reply is that what we know of history anterior to the keeping of written records is derived from the traditions handed down “by word of mouth” from generation to generation. We may safely assume that the commemoration of important events by this means was at first unguarded or unregulated by any public authority, and accordingly led to much confusion, exaggeration, and corruption; but we have positive and certain information that at length steps were taken to regulate these oral communications, and guard them as far as possible from corruption. The method most generally adopted for perpetuating them was to compose them into historical chants or verse-histories, which were easily committed to memory, and'were recited on all public or festive occasions. When written records began to be used the events thus commemorated were set down in the regular chronicles: Several of these latter, in one shape or another, are still in existence. From these we chiefly derive our knowledge, such as it is, of the ancient history of Erinn. It is, however, necessary to remember that all history of very early or remote times, unless what is derived from the narratives of Holy Writ, is clouded, to a greater or lesser degree, with doubt and obscurity, and is, to a greater or lesser degree, a hazy mixture of probable fact and manifest fable. When writing Was unknown, and before measures were taken to keep the oral traditions with exactitude and for a public purpose, and while yet events were loosely handed down by unregulated "hear-say” which no one was charged to guard from exaggeration and corruption, some of the facts thus commemorated became gradually distorted, until after great lapse of time whatever was described as marvellously wonderful in the past was set down as at least partly natural, and the long dead heroes whose prowess had become fabulously exaggerated came to be regarded as demi-gods. It is thus as regards the early history of ancient Rome and Greece. It is thus with the early history of Ireland, and indeed of all other European countries. It would, however, be a great blunder for anyone to conclude that because some of those old mists of early tradition contain such gross absurdities they contain no truths at all. Investigation is every day more and more clearly establishing the fact that, shrouded in some of the most absurd of those fables of antiquity there are indisputable and valuable truths of history.

I.—HOW THE MILESIANS SOUGHT AND FOUND “THE PROMISED ISLE”—AND CONQUERED IT. The earliest settlement or colonisation of Ireland of which there is tolerably precise and satisfactory information was that by the sons of Miledh or Milesius, from whom the Irish are occasionally styled Milesians. There are abundant evidences that at least two or three “waves” of colonisation had long previously reached the island : but it is not very clear whence they came. Those first settlers are severally known in history as the Partholanians, the Nemedians, the Firbolgs, and the Tuatha de Danaans. These latter, the Tuatha de Danaans, who immediately preceded the Milesians, possessed a civilisation and a knowledge of “arts and sciences” which, limited as we may be sure it was, greatly amazed the earlier settlers (whom they had subjected) by the results it produced. To the Firbolgs (the more early settlers) the wonderful things done by the conquering newcomers and the wonderful knowledge they displayed could only be the results of supernatural power. Accordingly they f,et down tfi© Tuatha de Danaans as “magicians,” am idea which the Milesians, as we shall presently sec. also adopted- ' " 1

The Firbolgs seem to have been a pastoral race; the Tuatha de Danaans were more of a manufacturing and commercial people. .The soldier Milesian came, and he ruled over all. ,

The Milesian colony reached Ireland from Spain, but they were not Spaniards. They were an eastern people who had tarried in that country on their way westward, seeking, they said, an island promised to the posterity of their ancestor, Gadelius. Moved by this mysterious purpose to fulfil their destiny they had passed from land to land, from the shores of Asia across the wide expanse of southern Europe, bearing aloft through all their wanderings the Sacred Banner, which symbolised to them at once their origin and their mission, the blessing and the promise given to their race. This celebrated standard, the “Sacred Banner of the Milesians,” was a flag on which was represented a dead serpent and the rod of Moses ; a device to commemorate for ever amongst the posterity of Gadelius the miracle by which his life had been saved. The story of this event, treasured with singular pertinacity by the Milesians, is told as follows in their traditions, which so far I have been following:

While Gadelius, being yet a child, was sleeping one day, he was bitten by a poisonous serpent. His father (Niul, a younger son of the king of Scythia) carried the child to the camp of the Israelites, then close by, where the distracted parent with tears and prayers implored the aid of Moses. The inspired leader was profoundly touched by the anguish of Niul. He laid the child down and prayed over him then he touched with his rod the wound, and the boy arose healed. Then, say the Milesians, the man of God promised or prophesied for the posterity of the young prince that they should inhabit a country in which no venomous reptile could live, an island which they should seek and find in the track of the setting sun. It was not, however, until the third generation subsequently that the descendants and people of Gadelius are found setting forth on their prophesied wanderings ; and of this migration itself —of the adventures and fortunes of the Gadelian colony in its journeyings —the history would make a volume. At length we find them tarrying in Spain, where they built a city, Brigantia, and occupied and ruled a certain extent of territory. It is said that Ith (pronounced “Eeh”), uncle of Milesius, an adventurous explorer, had in his cruising northward of the Brigantian coast sighted the Promised Isle, and landing to explore it was attacked by the inhabitants. (Tuatha de Danaans), and mortally wounded ere he • could regain his ship. He died at sea on the way homeward. His body was reverentially preserved and brought back to Spain by his son Lui (spelled Lugaid*), who had accompanied him, and who now summoned the entire Milesian host to the last stage of their destined wanderings avenge the death of Ith, and occupy the promised isle. The old patriarch himself, Miledh, had died before Lui arrived ; but his sons all responded quickly to the summons ; and the widowed queen, their mother,, Scota, placed herself at the head of the expedition, which soon sailed in thirty galleys for "the isle they had seen in dreams.” The names of the sons of Milesius who thus sailed for Ireland were, Heber the Fair, Amergin, Heber the Brown, Colpa, Ir, and Herein on; and the date of this event is generally supposed to have been about fourteen hundred years before the birth of our Lord. (To be continued.)

x ilere let me at the outset state, once for all, that 1 have decided, after mature consideration, to spell most of the Irish names occurring in our annals according to their correct pronunciation or- sound, and not according to their strictly correct orthography in the Irish language and topography. I am aware of all that may fairly be said against this course; yet consider the weight of advantage to be on its side. Some of our Irish names are irretrievably Anglicised in the worst form—uncouth and absurd. Choosing therefore between difficulties and objections, I have decided to rescue the correct 'pronunciation in this manner; giving, besides, with Bi.ijhoi.snt frequency, the correct orthography, '