"A triat;" arsa Tadg, "nil mise a ngeall air a dol leis a t Seoigeać; aċd, mas i do toilse, teige sesean na baile, agus racfuinnse fèin agus Maire, agcionn seactmain eile, fa dein sagairt čnoc Maga; agus ma crutaigean an Seoiġeać ann sin, gur b' i so a bean, dar ndoig naċ sèanan an duine uasal sin an litir a cuir faoi na laim, gur eug si."

"Toct, a duine gan ċeill a dubairt an teasboc imtiġid uaim, ni heistiom lib nios faide."

La air na marać, cuir Maire a hearrad imirce uile air a muin; air ti dol go Connacta; agus 's è an reidteać a rinne na comarsnaig eattorra, na doirse beit araon fosgailte, a Seoigeać seasam amuig, seaċt gcoisceim o dorus na sràide, Tadg beit na seasam sa ngarda, seact gcoiseim on dotus cùil, agus isi a rogan a leanmuint, 's a beit aige o sin amać.

Bhi an leanab na codlad sa geliaban; bi Maire go direać triall, go ndeacaid si fa dèin a leinib, čum slàn fagbail aige, agus go dtug si pog do, agus sil si deor. D'imtig si uad ann sin, go raib si a dtaob amaig don tairseać, go gcuala si sgreud an leinib na deig, filleas Maire air ais, agus d'fần si gan mairg, gan buaidread o sin amać, aige Tadg o Haod, go bàs.

D. U. Is taitneamać, greanmar an sgeul sin, a d' airis tu duinn, a maigistir Mhic Gaban; acd a cuala tu gur creid an clèir mionna an fir sin, go bfaca se an bean ceadna sin 'g a posad?

Mac G. Niar creid an tatair Brian è, go hairid; oir, ag cur at-ċeist air an oglać, d'aidmead se, "nač bfaca se ariam i, roime an oidce posad i; aèd go raib se dearbta gurb' i bi ann, oir d'aidmead si do fèin, a reir, gurab i an bean ceadna i."

D'fiafraig an tatair Brian, "a gcuala se riam, go raib an Seoigeać suigrig le mnaoi air bit eile, fan àit sin?" Dubairt, go gcualaid go raib se suigrig le cailin fa cill Tartain-nać bfaca se“My、 "My Lord," said Thady, " I do not wish to go with Joyce; but if it please you, let him go home, and I will go with Mary, after a week, to the priest of Knock Magha; and if Joyce then proves, that she is his wife, I hope that gentleman will not deny his own letter, that she is dead."

"Silence, you foolish man," said the Bishop; "go from me, I will hear you no longer."

Next day Mary took her travelling apparel on her back, in order to go to Connaught; and their neighbours made this arrangement between them, that both the doors of the house should be set open, that Joyce should stand without, seven steps from the street door, and Thady in the garden, seven steps from the back-door, that she should take her choice and abide by it thenceforward.

The child was sleeping in the cradle; and as Mary was about to depart, she went to the child to take leave of it, and shed a tear. She went then, until she was without the door, when she heard the child cry after her: presently she returned, and remained, without murmuring or uneasiness, with Thady Hughes till her death.

G. Mr. Smyth that is a pleasant and entertaining story that you have told us. But did you hear whether the clergy believed the oath of the man, that he saw the same woman married?

S. I am convinced that Father Bryan did not believe it; for, in cross-examining the young man, he confessed, that he never saw her before the night on which she was married; but he was certain it was she, as she acknowledged to him, the preceding evening, that she was the same woman."

Father Bryan asked, " if he had ever heard that Joyce had courted any other woman about that place?" He replied, "that he had heard that Joyce courted a girl at Kiltartan-had never seen her

212

1

sean ariam i, acd go raib se deimin naċar pòs se isi;-gur imtig si as an àit sin, agus go raib siad 'g a rad go mbfeidir go raib si torrać, oir nior fill air ais ariam."

Dubairt an tatair Brian, "gurb' i an cailin sin, o ċill Tartain, a tainic cum Tadg o Haod; agus gur cum si an sgeul sin, a folač a naire."

Aċd do saoil Tadg, a gcomnuig, agus go leor eile, gurb' i bi pòsda aig an Seoigeać, agus go raib si ann sna bruiġinib,

1

himself himself, but was certain he was not married to her -that she had left that place, and it was said that she was probably pregnant, for she never returned again."

Father Bryan asserted, " that this was the girl from Kiltartan, who came to Thady Hughes; and that she had invented that story to hide her shame." However, Thady and many others always thought that she had been married to Joyce, and that she was in the fairy castles. (18.)

NOTES

ON THE PRECEDING DIALOGUE.

(1.) Such buildings are common in every part of Ireland. The ancient towers are probably of much greater antiquity than the castles. They are of a circular form, of small diameter, and very considerable height. It is conjectured that they may have served for watch towers. From the circumstance of churches being usually built near them, some persons conceive that they have been used in place of belfries, since the introduction of Christianity into Ireland.

(2.) The raths are large circular motes, upon the tops of hills; some raised to a very great height. They are in general so situated that a correspondence, by signals, could be expeditiously circulated from one to another, throughout the country. They are commonly called Danish forts, from an idea that they were stations occupied by the Danes, during their plundering possession of Ireland, about the eighth century. But they are probably of much greater antiquity, even prior to the common use of stone buildings, although they might have been used by the Danes, as above mentioned.

It is impossible to ascertain the era in which the caves were constructed; but from the circumstance of many of them being formed, by stones 'regularly projecting over each other, instead of arches, it is evident they must be of the remotest antiquity. Nor is it less certain that the use of letters was known, when the caves were constructed; as numerous inscriptions, such as that hereafter mentioned, are found in them, but in characters that cannot now be understood.

(3) These upright stones are placed upon hills, in some places alone, in others there are circles of them, inclosing a small plain. They probably served as places for worship in the times of paganism; as also for juridical assemblies, in which the Brehons presided.

The carns are immense heaps of small stones, evidently collected as monuments, and generally on or near the spot where some considerable person died or is interred. Even at the present day it is looked upon by the vulgar, as an act of pious remembrance, to collect such a carn, where any person has been killed by accident.

The cromleacs are huge single stones, some of thirty tons weight, placed in a sloping position, upon the poinis

of