Laoidh Oisin air thir na n-og. The - Université Rennes 2

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This TVorA: has been named on the Pr ogramme of the 

" Commissioners of N ational Education in I reland." 

as a text Lool: for Results' Fees in the l risli L all[Juage. 


AD Y E R T I S E 1\1EXT. 

- --:0:--- 

Tnz GAELIC U)\IO); at present consists of some of the 

founders and most active members of the Council of the 

"Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language." I ts immediate 

object is to publish at cheap rates, works in the Irish 

Language, originaland translated, and to reprint such rare books 

Dr portions of them as may be required for the use of schools 

and colleges. T he placing of t hese works within the reach of 

the people, and in a form useful and accessible to students. is 

now the great requirement of the movement for th e preservation 

and cultivation of the I rish Language. 

By the labours chiefly of t he promot ers of the Gaelic Union, 

the Society for the Preservation of th e Iri sh Language has been 

established, developed, and matured. They have had a very 

large part in th e prepara tion of the works issued in the name 

of that Society , and in all its oth er und ertakings , and have 

contributed materiall y to the success of the movement in 

obt ....uui ng for the Gaelic the position it now holds in the 

schools and colleges of Ireland. Their present undertaking 

will admit of their effor ts being concentrated on tile preparation 

and publication of books and a peri odical for t he cultivation 

of Gaelic. As they mean uiork; th ey hope to be able 

to show in connection wit h t he present effort the same energy 

an d perseverance as hith erto, and thereby merit t he support 

and eo-operation of all Gaels in Ireland, Scotland, and other 

portions of the globe. 

Some works there are, the r isk of produc ing wh ich will be 

borne by pub lishers. T he present is one of this class, and 

the editors have no concern with such fur ther than in a literary 

way. T here are many other valuable works, the publication of 

which would materially improve t he position of Gaelic Litera . 

tu re, but which in the infancy of the movement, it would be 

risky , if not ruin ous. for individuals to undertake. Th e memo 

1101'S of the Gaelic Union, whilst labonring gratuito usly, do not , 

wish to be at heavy loss by th eir efforts in issuing such works, 

and as discretion must be exercised in und ert aking th em, 

substantial aid will be required to permit their pu blication at 

nny but prices which would place th em beyond th e reach of 

st ndents and the great bulk of th e people. l\lore interest 

would be ta ken in th e stud y of th e langua ge if emulation were 

dulv encouraged, The Gaelic Uni on, therefore, proposes, if 


PREF ACE. 

THE present lay is perhaps th e most modern of the great 

collection of poems and romances, called" Ossiauic," composed 

by vario us bards, who for centuries have sung the 

great deeds and st range adventures of Fionn and the Fiann 

a Ei reann . Perhaps not one of all these rhap sodies 

and legends, which form so considerable and interesting a 

depart ment of Gaelic literature, is, in its present shapo, 

or in any other, the composition of Oisin, son of Fi onn. 

Most of t he "Ossianic" poems, however, are cast in the 

form of a- dialoguo between that personage and Saint 

Patrick, in which Oisin relates to th e saint t he stirrinz, 

romantic events, "all which he saw, g reat part of which 

he was," and by enlargi ng u pon th e supposed degeneracy 

of lat er days , magni fies the deeds of th ose heroes who, tu 

him, seemed almost divine. 

Th e age of any of the compositions forming this Ossianic 

lit erature cannot be exactly determin ed, but portions 

of it date back to the tent h and eleventh centuries, and 

some bear traces of even an earlier origin, from 

th e days when the ancient paganism of Erin had not enti 

rely faded from the land ; but nearly all, as t hey ha ve 

come down to IlS . through th e course of ages, have become 

more or less changed from t heir original form, and 

most lik ely interpolated. Yet th e character of th e early 

legends, the ideas and opinions of th e various actors, as 

shown in these truly dramatic tales and poems, have been 

preserved and fait hfully transmitt ed from age to age. 

Th ere is a- class of Ossianic poems, which, tho ugh th e 

work of modern bards. yet hav e retain ed so well the primitive 

ideas, style, and even ph raseology as to be scarcely 


) 

vi rREl'A:':I::. 

distinguishable from th e modernised transcripts of ancient 

wr itings; and, by being also in th e form of dialogue, imitate 

III th e feature s of th e original models: thus cont inuing 

the leading idea of the early poets in brin ging face to face, 

as it were, the representati ves of the Christian and Paga n 

systems in Ireland, in th e persons of Saint Patrick and 

Oisin. To attain this end, and yet to avoid the anac hronis m 

of making th e saint and Oisin cont emporaneous, and 

parties to a dialogu e, our bards (wai led th emselves of the 

legends current in th e country, detailing th e circum stances 

and condition of the afte r life of th e ancient heroes; th us 

makin g Oisiu, in th e mysterious manner described in 

th e present poem, sojourn for a length ened period in th e 

laud of perpetual youth and happiness, and bringing him 

back from thence to be a witness of the ancient state of his 

country when its pristine manners had become changed 

and forgotten. This " L:1.y'· is therefore th e prologue as it 

were to all the poems of the "Ossianic" school Other 

legends are also cur rent of ancient heroes who had departed 

to "the Elysian fields," and who were made retu rn to help 

our poets out of similar difficulties. Th e Classic writers, 

Vergi l and Lucian for instance, were not so scrupulous as 

regards bringing together personages who lived ill different 

ages and regions. 

The present has a great m:l.ny of t he chara cteristi cs of 

the early Ossinnic poems, and is a very faithful reproduct 

ion of th e style and of t he ideas expr essed in th em, if 

indeed, its author has not embodied some ancient 

rhymes, now perhaps lost, except th e portions in thi s work. 

This poem of " Oisin, in th e laud of perp etual youth," as 

to' th e authorship or date of which we have no record, is, in 

its present form, considered by some au thorities to be th e 

work of Michael Comyn, n. poet of th e county Clare, an d 

author of several Irish poems and romances, who flourished 

in the early part of th e last century. Th e legend 

at any rate is very famili ar and popular among the l l'ltih: 


viii Pr..EF.\ CE. 

standard dictionary. The grammar and dictionary have 

been termed the student's hammer and saw: we have excellent 

grammars of our language, but a good dictionary is 

still a desideratum . An attempt has been made to supply 

to the learner the necessary non-existent aids as far as 

the present case is concerned. 

The verses given in the A ppendix to the text, occur in 

some :MS. copies of this poem, and lire found in the edition 

published for the" Ossianic Society." As, however, these 

stanzas,' in some measure, int errupt th e dramati c sequence 

of the narrative, and are, for the most part, inferior in style 

to the rest of the poem, they have been omitted from the text 

in the present edition. The omitt ed verses are given in 

the Appendix, and numbered so as to show their position, 

as they may form portion of the extracts selected for examinations. 

All words contained in them are included in 

the Vocabulary, and the verses are given in the translation 

in their usual position. 

In order to render this translation readable, yet exactly 

literal, the words required to I' ring ont clearly in English 

the meaning of each clause, but the equivalents of which are 

1I0t found in the Iri sh text, are given between parenthesi-, 

thu s (- ), and when, in addition to this, the literal meaning 

requires still further to be idiomatically explained, a second 

version of the clause is given in italic. Where (in a few 

instances) a Gaelic word in the text is, owing to the requirements 

of idiom, superfluous in English, the tran slation is 

given in brackets thu s [- ]. 

For further information concerning the Ossianic poems 

and Gaelic Literature in general, the student can read with 

profit the various publications of the " Ossienic Society," 

particularly volumes 3, 4 and 5, with the introductioas and 

notes by the editors of the different pieces therein contained 

; also O'Curry's Lectures on the le 11S. Materials of 

Ancient Ir ish History" (particularly Lectures VU., VUL, 

IX ., XI., XII., and XIV.), and Blnckie'a "Language and 

Literature of the Scottish Hi ghlands." 


24 

LAY OF· OISIN ON THE LA11) OF 

THE YOUNG, 

AS li E KAlUtATED I T T O H OLY l'ATRICK. 

1. 1'.-0 noble Oisin! 0 son of the king! 

The best in exploit, prowess, and strife, 

Narrate to us now without grief 

How thou didst survive after the Fiaun. 

1. 0 .- 1 shall tell that [to] thee, 0 new (-come) P atrick r 

Thou gh sad (it seems) to me, its mentioning aloud. 

After th e severe battle of Gabhra, 

In which was slain, alas ! the valiant Oscar. 

3. A day of (those on) which we were all (met) , th e Fi ann, 

Generous Fioun and those who lived of us (were) there, 

Though it was sad and melancholy our story, . 

After our heroes being weak (Rlaill). 

4. In chase by us (we bei7l!J i71 chase) (on) a misty mornin g, 

At the border-shores of Loch Lein, 

" 'h ere (there) were fragrant trees most sweet (of) blossom, 

And music every time melodiously at birds, (birds l!'ere 

aln'ays Ri7l!Ji7l!J melodiously.) 

5. Th e hornless deer was awakened by us, 

(Which) was the best (in) spring, course and nimbleness; 

Our hounds and our hunting-dogs were all (together) 

Close in her wake in full chase. 

6. "I'was not long till we saw from the west 

The hasty (hU1'd) rider coming towards us 

A gentle maiden most fair of countenance, 

On a whit e slender steed most sprightly in ,nimbleness. 


7. "We all desisted from th e chase 

On beholding (the) form of the queenly woman, 

'Vonder seized Fionn and the Fianu- 

(Seeing) that they never beheld a woman so fair. 

8. Th ere was a royal crown on her head, 

And a brown mantle of [the] precious silk 

Studded with stars of red gold, 

Covering her -shoes down to th e grass. 

U. (There) was a ring of gold hanging down • 

From each yellow curl of her hair like gold ; 

Her blue eyes (were) clear without a cloud, 

Like a drop of dew on (the) top of the grass. 

10 H er cheek was redder t han th e rose, 

And her complexion was fairer than (the) swan on (the) 

"rave, 

More sweet yet was (the) taste of her balsam (lips) 

Than honey which would be mixed through red wine. 

11. T here was a wide, long, smooth ganne nc 

Covering the white [steed] horse j 

A carved saddle of red gold, 

And (she had) a bridle lwith a) mouth (-bit) of gold in her 

right hand. " 

12. (There) were four shape ly shoes under him 

Of [the] yellow gold of most clear brightn ess, 

A wreath of silver at (the) back of his head, 

And there was not in th e world a steed (which) was better. 

13. She came to th e presence of Fi onn, 

And spoke gently (and) modestly in sound, 

"And she said, "0 king of the Fiann, 

It is long (and) distant now my journey." 

14. P.-" Who (art thou) thyself 0 young queen? 

Most excellent (in) form, beauty, and countenance, 

Narrate to us (the) causeof thy story, 

Thin e own name and thy country." 

15. 1Y-" Niamh of (th e) head of gold C!Jolden hair) [it] is my 

name, 

o clever Fionn of the great hosts; 

Above (the) women of the world 1 received a calling, 

(esteem) 

I am (the) fair daughter of (the) king of the young." 

16. P.-'· Narrate to us. 0 clementqueen, 

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'i'hat (was the) cause (of) th.!' COill"lb across the sea afar,

2(1 

Whether (is) it thy companion (who) went from thee. 

Or what (is) the trouble that is upon thyself ?" 

17. N.-" It is not my companion who went from me 

And as yet I was not spoken of (be/lIro/hed) with any man, 

() king of the Fi ann of highest repute- 

But affection and love I gave to thy son !" 

18. F.-"Which [of them] of my children, 0 bloorninc Yi";in, 

(I s he) in whom thou gavest love, or yet fondness v--e . 

Conceal not on (from) us now (the) cause 

And narrate to us thy case, 0 woman!" 

l !l. N.-" I myself shall tell th at to th ee, 0 F ionn, 

To thy beautiful son, of firm arms, 

Magnanim ous Oisin of th e strong hand s, 

(H e is) th e hero, I am now speaking (of)." 

20. F.-" What (is) the cause that th ou gavest love, 

o fair virgin of th e free-flowing hair, 

To my own son beyond all- 

And the number of high princes (who are) und er the sun.' 

21. N.-" Not without reason, 0 king of the Fiunu, 

I came (from) afar for his sake, (for him} 

But an account to get (beca/l.le of all aCCOllnt which J luul 

got) of his prowess, 

The goodn ess of his person, and of his mind. 

22. "'Tis many a king's son and high prince, 

Gave me affection and lastin g love, 

J never consented to any man, 

Until J gave love to the valiant Oisin l " 

23. a.-By th at hand upon th ee, 0 Pa tri ck f 

Though Ctwas) not shameful to me (it seemed) as a story 

Th ere was not a limb of me which was not in love, 

With th e lovely virgin of th e free-flowing hair. 

2ol. I took [onJ her hand in my grasp, 

And said iu sweet -voiced speech.- 

" A true gentle welcome before thee 

O young queen to th e (this) country. 

: 5. "'Tis thou (who) art th e brightest and hirest (in) form, 

"Tis t hou (whom) I would pr efer as a wife. 

'Tis thou (art) my choice beyond (th e) women of the 

world, 

o gentle star. most fair (of) conntenance." 

2fi. N.-I< Obligations which true heroes do not snfTer(torefuseJ 

o generous Oisin , I put before th ee,- 


27 

(To) come with myself now on my steed, 

Till we reach back to (t he) Land uf t he young. 

27. .. It is the most pleasant count ry to be found, 

Great est (in) repute now under the sun. 

(Th ere are) trees bending wit h frnit and blossom. 

And folinge growing on (t he) tops (of th e) branches. 

28. •. Plentiful in it are honey and wine, 

And all things [of what] eye hath seen, 

Decline shall not come on th ee with (dul'in!J) thy existe nce 

Deat h or decay thou shalt not see. 

29. •. T hou wilt get feasts, play and dr inking, 

Thou wilt get sweet music on strings, 

T hou wilt get silver and gold, 

T hou wilt get also many jewels. 

30. .. Th ou wilt get a hun dred swords without deceit, 

T hou wilt get a hund red satin garments of costlv silk, 

T hou wilt get a hun dred steeds most active in tumult. 

And thou wilt get a hundred with them of keen hounds. 

a1. .. Thou wilt get the royal coronet of (th e) "king of the 

young." 

"Which (he) never yet gave to anyone und er th e sun. 

"Which will make a protection for th ee by night aud day, 

In battle, in strife, and in rough conllict. 

Hi . .. Thou wilt get 11 fitting armour of defence, 

And 11 gold- headed sword most active for stroke, 

From which never escaped any' one alive, 

" rho beheld yet the sharp weapon. 

33. "Thou wilt get a hundred suits of mail, and shirts of sati n. 

Th ou wilt get a hundred cows; and yet a hundr ed cal ves, 

Thou wilt get a hun dred sheep with th eir fleeces of gold, 

Thou wilt get a hundred jewels which are not in t he world, 

3*. T hou wilt got a hundred maidens merry (and) young, 

Hadiant, shining like the sun, 

Most excellent in shape, form and visage, 

And sweeter of mouth th an (the) music of th e birrls. 

35. •. Thou wilt get a huu dred heroes most brav e in strife, 

Also most active in exercises of agility j 

Ar med, accoutred, in thy presence, 

Iu (the) Laud of the young, if thou comest with me. 

35u. •. T hou will get everything of what I hav e said to thee. 

And happiness moreover which is not clear to me tomeu: on 


30 

In (towa rds) which we are proceeding in its meeti ng 

tapproa chillg towards it ', 

Or who is high-pr ince there?" 

55. N.- " (T he) daughter of (the) king of (the) Lnnd -of th e 

living, 

Is qneen yet in the fortress, 

(Whom) Fomhor Buill each of D romloghach took 

With him by violence of arms and activity. 

:'6. "Obligations she put on the brave, . 

Without ( 1I0t) a wife to make of her for ever, 

Till she should find a champion or a true hero 

Who would stand (in) strife with him hand on (to) hand." 

;7. O.-"Ta ke success and blessing, 0 Niamh of (the) head of 

gold, (qolden-hair ) 

I never heard (anything) of music better 

Than th e gentle melodious voice of thy sweet mouth. 

And great is th e sorrow with us (we f eel jar) a woman of 

her condition. 

58. " Let us go 1I0 W to her knowing (to make her acqllaintallce) 

to t he fortress, 

And (it) may be possible that for us it is in destiny 

That mighty hero to fall by me 

I n feats of activity as was (the) custom" (wi th me). 

j9. We went then to t he fort ress, 

And came unto us the young queen, 

It was equal (the) radiance to her and t o the sun. 

Ami she put (expl'essed) a hund red welcomes befor e us, 

30. There was raiment of yellow silk 

On the qneen who was most beautiful (in) aspect, 

Her fair skiu like (the) swan on (the) wave, 

And her t wo cheeks were [onJ ( of the) colour of the rose. 

51. [OnJ th e colour of [theJ gold was her hair, 

And her clear blue eyes (were) without a cloud. 

H er small mouth of honey (was) [onJ (the) colonr of the 

berries, 

And her slender brow of chiselled mould. 

62. " ' e sat then down, 

Each one of us on a chair of gold, 

Was laid (down) unto us much food. 

And drinking-horns (w hich) were filled with beoir. 

63. W hen we had taken our sufficiency of food, 


39 

134. 

Shed thy tears for ( the) God of [the]t graces, 

Fi onn and th e Fiann are weak enough, 

Andthere is not their relieving (1l0 helpillg them) fOf Mer. 

O. 'Twere great the pity [that] 0 Patrick, 

Fionn for ever to be in pain, 

Or what [it the] purs uing-party (which) took victory ou 

him, 

And (considering) the numbe r of hardy heroes (t hat) fell 

by himself.- 

135. P.- It is God who gained victory on F ionn, 

136. 

And not strength of enemies or (of) valiant hand s, 

And on the Fiann all like him 

In hell condemned to th eir eternal tormenting. 

0.-0 Patrick I direct me in (to) the place 

In which Fionn is in hand (captive ) and the Fiann, 

And th ere is not a hell or a heaven, 

Whi ch would put th em und er subjection. 

137. If 'tis th ere t hat Osgar my own son, is, 

Th e hero (who) was bravest in heavy conflict, 

(Th ere) was not made in hell, or in th e Heaven of God, 

A host of what size I soever) that (he) would not overcome. 

138. P.-Let us desist from our controv ersy on each side, 

And follow (of) thy story, 0 valiant Oisin! 

" ' hat happ ened to thee afterwards, 

After th e Fiann to be ( were) on (the) ground (dw n). 

13D . 0.-1 myself will tell that to t hee, 0 Patrick! 

After me to leave ( af ter I harlleft) Almhuin of Leinst er, 

(There) was not one habi tation in which the Fiann were, 

(at any time) 

Th at I searc hed not eagerly without any delay, 

HO. On my taking of me (guillg) through Gleann-an-Smoil, 

I saw a great gathering th ere, 

Three hundred men and [what was] more 

Were before me in the valley. 

141. A man of th e crowd spoke, 

And he said of (with) a voice, aloud, 

D.-'· Come to our assistanc e 0 king ly hero, 

And deliver us from [t he] hardship ." 

142. 0 .-1 came t hen (in) to (th eir) presence, 

And (there was) a large flag of marble with the host 

(The) weight of the flag was down upon them, 

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40 

And its putting (to put it) off them upward was not possible 

with them, (they were unable). 

U 3. The portion of them which was under the flag be'ow, 

They were to their oppressing (beill.Q oppressed) weakly, 

With (th e) weight of the great load,- 

1\1anyof them lost their memory (senses). 

1-14. D.-A mau of the stewards spoke, 

And said, " 0 kingly young champion, 

Forthwith deliver [on] my host. 

Or a man of them will not be alive" ! 

1Hi. O.-'Tis shameful the deed now to say (to be obliged tu 

say). 

And (considering) the number of men which is there. 

That it came not with (was not pos.;iblefor) (th e) strength 

of the host 

This flag (to) lift full vigorously, 

116. ]f Osgnr son of Oisin could live, 

(H e) would catch [on] this flag in his right hand, 

(H e) would put it for (in) a cast over the host, 

Not a lie is bee ing for me uow to say. 

1!7. I lay on my right 'de, 

Aud 1 caught (hold) u,.the flag in my hand. 

By (the) strength and [by] activity of my arms 

I put it seven perches from its place! 

U S. Through (the) need (pressure) of the full (very) large flag, 

The girth of gold of the white steed broke, 

I camedown full fastl y 

On (the) sole of my two feet on the lea (land). 

149. No sooner came I down, 

Than the white steed took fright 

(He) went then to depart 

And I under hurt (rli$abled,) weakly and faint. 

150. J lost (the) sight of my eyes, 

:My form, my countenance, and my brightness, 

I was [in my] (an) old man, poor (and) blind, 

Without vigour, without memory, with out rezard. 

151. 0 Patrick, that (there) (is) to thee my story, 0 

As happened to myself without deceit, 

1\1y going and my progress fully, 

And my coming back from (the) Land of the young. 


'A;ld to this that it is th e language of Ireland, .and the best 

. suited to 'the natural genius of t he countrymen of Scotus 

Erigena, the " perf ervirlum ingenium Scotorum,' the best 

calculated to preserve t he traditions and idiosyncrasies of th e 

nation , being cast in that Celt ic or intellectual mould which 

rendered the country sosingularly famous in former times, and 

th us enab le her to become the leader of civilisation in weste rr 

Europe. 

It is well kn own th at the I rish langua ge is held in the highest 

possible esteem, and its value recognised by the most distinguiebedscholarstu 

t he department of comparative philology 

and linguistics in Germany , France, Ltaly, D enmark, and 

Switzerland, And Oxford, following the example of th e 

, Continental scholars and Un iversit ies, has recently established 

· a chair for th e st udy of Celtic. . . 

r ' At th e last meeting of thc" Irish Society" (i.e. in April, 1877) 

r testimony was borne of th e extent to which Irish is still spoken, 

and the affecti on with which it is regard ed by the people. At 

th at meeting was also stated the remarkable fact t hat in two 

counties th e speaking of I rish is o.n the increase. The number 

of I rish speaki ng persons in t he country is 817,875. In Mun ster 

and Connaught, wit h a population of 2,239,698, th ere ar e 

8±,0l!l speakin g Irish only, and 631,617 speaking both Iri sh and 

En glish, total 715,636, nearl y 32 per cent.-:-very·lit tleshort of 

one-third Of the population of t hese two provinces. In the 

western par t of Ulster, Irish is still largely used, th ere being 

over :W per cent..of the people of county Don egal Irish speak ers. 

These figur es, shown by the last census returns, are by no means 

t o be received as tho total, as th e Council arc aware that tho 

· retu rns do not includ e th e entire number of people who speak 

· Irish, since it is well kno wn th at many p ersons, for want of 

· educat ion in th e vern ucular, and of due ap preciation of its value, 

do not admit their knowledge of the language, and that many 

more who know it were never questioned on the sub ject at th e 

· census-taking. But even these returns, defective -as they are 

' show th at 200,000 persons un der tw enty years of age, and 

,334,000 between twenty and fifty, speak I rish. This number 

• surely has a claim on t he country as regards educat ion. 

Such being tli e facts rega rd ing th e present position of the 

· Irish as a livin g langua ge, we may also remark that th e state 

l of its-literature, if not very flourishing, is at least sufficient to 

,. -H' 


105 

The Council have furth er much pleasure in stating that th p 

National T eachers of I reland, at th eir various Congresses herd 

inDublin of late years, have rep eatedly passed resolutions askir.g 

th at th e Irish language shoul-l be placed on the R esults P rogramme, 

with a view to have it ta ught where the teachers are 

qualified. Th ey have also been much gratified by the fact 

t hat in several instan ces man agers and teachers of National 

schools have, even in the absence of Results Fees, begun to 

establish I rish classes in conn ection wit h th eir schools, and with 

excellent effect. 

Seeing that the E ducation D epar tment has, within th e past 

few weeks, agreed to recognise the tea ching of Scottish Gaelic ill 

t he H ighland Schools, we trust that this app lication to have the 

Irish Gaelic placed on the Results P rogramme will receive 

a similar favourable recognition. 

By placing th e I rish language on the Results Programme of 

t he Board of Education the count ry will be spared a national 

loss, and science, civilisation, and litera ture t he extinction of 

anoth er branch of th e Indo-Europoan famil y of languages-a 

loss we arc sure th e Commissioners would regret in common 

with th e philologists and scholars of Europe. 

As some of the Commissioners may be aware, th e Council 

have pr epared and pu blished Eirst and Second Books for the 

use of teachers and pupils anxious to promote the study of the 

Irish language. T he " First Irish Book" has already reach ed 

the twentieth thousand, and the"Second I rish Book, " alt hough 

published so recently as the 30th J anu ary last, has reached 

the eighth th ousand . A copy-book for teaching youn g persons 

to write t he Irish language has also been prepared in consequence 

of th e many calls for such a publi cation. 

T he Council desire to call th e atte ntion of the Board to thecompnratively 

few pupils that availed themselves of th e opportunity 

of instruction in Latin, Greek, and French in 1876, accord ing to 

the Board's last report. Passed in French , 587 ; in Latin, 261 ; 

in Greek, 115. Total in the three languages, 963; whilst they 

appeal on behalf of about 200,000 children already sp6akillg 

I rish, and who would probably supply in many single parishes 

far more pupils to learn to read and wri te th eir vernacular 

than t he who le annual total here set forth as having passed in 

Latin, Gr eek, and F renc h. 

Th ey pray, then, that this request in theiuterest of educat ion 


l OG 

may be compli ed with, as th ey believe that tw enty persons 

would learn Irish for one that would learn any of the other 

languages, and with thi s result that the Irish people would 

become more intellectu al and more devoted to litera ture and 

reading. 

We beg to forward herewith for th e inf ormat ion of the 

Commissioners a list of th e classes already in prac tical operation 

in the count ry , and also a list of the Officers and Council of the 

' Society for the Preservation of the Irish La nguage. 

In conclusion, the Counc il beg to express a hope that the 

. •.Commissioners of National Ed ucation will favourably ente rtain 

th eir request to place the Irish langunge on the programme of 

th e National Schools, and thu s to satisfy the earnest wishes of 

a large pr oportion of th e Irish people. 

W c have the honour to be. 

My Lords and Gent lemen, 

Your obedie nt ser vants. 

R EV, J OIL", NOLAN, O.D.e., I Sccretarl s, 

J _ J. J . MACSWEEKEY, RLA., i 

No . 19 K 'kl are-street, D ublin, J une im, 1878. 

Besides all the nam es' of th e Council and Officers of the 

Society, th e illemorial was signed by the Catholic Archbishops 

of Armagh, Cashel, and Tu um ; th e Bishops of.Limerick, Kilmore, 

Killala, Clog her, Down and Connor, Ross, Elphin, 

C loyne, Achonry, Ra pboe, Ossory, Ferns ; th e Protestant 

Bishopof Ossory (now of Cork) ; th e Dean of Cashel (uow Bishop 

of Ossory), the Deans of Armagh and " 'aterford; the Earl 

of Gra nnrd : the Lord Mayo» of Du blin and many members of 

the Corporation ; th e l\layors and Councillors of several other 

cities; by more th an forty members of Parliament; many 

P oor Law Boards; 1'. L. G.'s and (l '.C.'s of var ious districts 

; by nearl y 200 J .P.'s of Counties and Boroug hs ; High 

Sheriffs ; D.L.'s, &c.:; by fifty Protestant an d Preahyterian 

clergymen ; 120 Catholi c Deans, Archd eacons, P.1'.'s, and 

H eads of Religious Houses, and over 150 C.C.'s , th e foregoing 

:t>eing nearly all manag ers of schools ; by Inspectors of schools 

III England and Ireland; by the Central Committee ou behalf 

of th e National Teachers of Ireland ; by over 100 members of 

th e Royal Irish Acad emy, the Royal lIistorical and Arc breological 

Association of Ireland, an d oth er learned societies-j by ten 


108 

Fees for profi ciency in the Irish language, on the same conditions 

as are applicable to Greek, Latin, and French.' 

. "I have the honour to be, 

"Your obedient servant, 

" JOHN E. SHEUlDAN, 

" Secretarsj. 

Mostof th e Lo cal Societies,Associations, Classes, and Schools 

allud ed to in th e foregoing memorial are still actively working; 

some have fallen back j several are extinct j but in th eir place 

others are springing up, and they too, wiII ere long , it is to be 

hop ed, show signs of renewed life. They are requ est ed to furnish 

particul ars of their foundation and progress, and of any 

falling off that may have taken pla ce. 

Th e Programme of Examination in National and Interm ediate 

Schools for 1879- 80, is here appended, and will no doubt 

be useful to teachers. Pupils of National Schools may present 

themselves for the Examinations under the Intermediate Education 

Act, though the school cannot obtain Results Fees under 

that Act. National School pupils, however (as well as boys 

who do not go forward directly from any school), are eligible 

.for all the places, pri zes, &c., obtainable und er the Act. 

The Gaelic Union purpose, as soon as means permit, to devote 

a portion of their funds to the establishment of special 

pri zes for National Teachers who obtain certificates for teaching 

Irish; and also for pupils of National Schools, as well as for Intermediate 

students, as already announced, Tea chers wh o 

obtain Irish certificates, as well as th ose keeping Irish classes 

in t heir schoola, are requested to send th eir names and addresses 

with particulars of their Irish classes, to the Gaelic Union for 

publication. Those who have had Irish classes, now giv en up, 

are also earnestly requested to afford information as to what 

th ey believe to be th e cause of th e falling off. Thi s information 

will be most valuable to th e promoters of this uiovemeut, to 

euable th em to guide their future acti on., 


117 

College Irish Grammar, by the Rev. Canon Bourke, 

Bvo, cloth 0 2 6 

Easy Lessons in Irish, by the R ev. Cauon B ourk e, 

Bvo, cloth 0 2 () 

---- in Fi ve Parts " wrappe r, each ... 0 0 () 

School Irish Grammar, by P. W. Jo yce, fcap Bvo, 

cloth 0 1 0 

---- Part I . ,. wrapp er ... 0 0 6 

Self-Instruction in Irish, by John O'Daly, fcap Svo, 

wrapper, new edition 0 Q 6 

Irish Grammar Rul es, by Rev. John Nolan, 16mo, 0 0 4 

Irish Primer, with Copious R eading Lessons, (for College 

of St. Colu mba), Bvo, cloth ... 0 2 6 

Imitation of Christ, I rish trauslat ion, illustrated, by 

th e late Rev. Daniel O' Sullivan, P.P. (complete in B 

parts), 4 parts issued; Bvo, each ... 6 0 2 

Sermons in Irish-Gaelic, by tbe Right.Rev. Jame!, 

O'Gallagher, Bishop of Rapho e. Rdited with 

Memoir, copious Vocabulary, and English translation 

on opposite pages, by R ev.:Canon Bourke, Svo, cloth 0 7 6 

Reliques of Irish Jacobite Poetry, with M!ltri cal 

E nglish transla tiona by the late Edward Walsh, 

Second Ed ition, fcap Bvo, wra pper 0 1 0 

The Pious Miscellany, and Other Po ems, by Tadh g 

Gaolach, or Timothy U'Sullivan, in Irish, lBmo, cloth, 

la, wrapp er ... 0 0 6 

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L eabhar na h-Uidhre, with a Literal translation by 

t he late J. O' Beirne Crowe, Bvo, wrappe r .. . . 0 2 0 

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Poems in Irisb Gaelic, by the Munster Bard s of the 

L ast Centnry, edited by John O'Daly, Bvo, wrapper 0 1 0 

The Midnight Court ; Cu irt an mheadhoin-cidhche, 

a Heroic-Comic P oem in Irish-Gaelic. By Brian Mac 

Giolla Meidhre (Bryan Merriman); fcap BTO, wrapper 0 2 6 

D UBLIN : 

J.L H. GI LL" AND SON, 

50, U P PER SA C K V ILL EST R E E T I 

OR, A. E. CHAl\INEY, 

4, LOWER ORMOND QUAY.

Laoidh Oisin air thir na n-og. The - Université Rennes 2

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