Revue celtique - National Library of Scotland

THE BATTLE OF CNUCHA.
[The principal value of the following story from Lehor na huidre, an
Irish Ms. written circa.A. D. iioo, is that it présents probably the
oldest written form of one important fragment of the legendary history
80 widely extended among the Celtic family in the British Islands, in which
'iJ^^.*^, Find mac Cumhaill (or Fingal) occupies the part of principal hero, and
__Oisinj^_or_^ssiaTi^_^ The style of the narrative, so
terse and simple, is in favourable contrast with the prosy, redundant,
oftentimes absurdly bombastic compositions of a later period, and justi-
fies the opinion of scholars that it was written some centuries earlier
than the date of the Ms. from which the présent text has been copied.
The language, also, is singularly pure; on which account care has been
taken to print in différent type the portions of words represented by
abbreviations in the original.
The admirers of Mac Pherson's ambitious attempt to localize the
Ossianic legend within the narrow limits of North Britain, now happily
through the growth of a more independent and unselfish spirit of criti-
cism fast becoming fewer in number, will see with surprise that ail the
characters in this most ancient fragment of the literature of which he
would rob ail other branches of the Celtic race, are purely Irish. The
places mentioned are likewise Irish. But though the Irish may justly
FOTHA CATHA CNUCHA INSO (Lehor na huidre p. 41 b).
Diambôi Cathair môr mac Fedelmthi fir iirglais maie Cormaic gcltai gdith
irrigi Temrach, ocus Cond cétchathach hi Cenandos hi ferand rigdomna. Boi
drùi amra la Cathair . 1 . Nuadu mac Achi maie Dathi maie Brocain maie