Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 4, 1893.djvu/486

 4/8 The Edinburgh Dmnshenchas.

The bold Flood drowned him,

The grandson of great-deeded Methusalem.

The corresponding story in BB. 397 b 18 ; H. 56 b; and Lee. 505 a, is much briefer. Keating (p. 107 of O'NIahony's version) gives a tale more nearly resembling ours. See also BB. 22 b, and the Four Masters, A.M. 2242.

Sliab Betha, " Bith's Mountain," now Slieve Beagh, a mountain on the confines of Fermanagh and Monaghan.

Ard Ladrann, somewhere on the sea-coast of the co. Wexford.

Ciiil Ccssra, " Cessair's Recess," said to be Coolcasragh, near Knockmea, in the CO. of Clare. In BB. 22 b 15, we have Ceassair ta Cam Cuili Ceasrac i Connachtaibh ; but see O'Donovan's note h. Four Masters, A.M. 2242.

Fei-t Finntain, " Finntan's Grave," in the territory of Lough Derg.

Dun Bare, also Diin na mbarc, now Dunamark, in the barony of Bantry and county of Cork.

[58. CoiRE mBreccain.] — Coire mBrecan, can as rohainmn- \ged?

Brecan mac Partholoin dochuaidh ar uaill ~\ ingaire go triu« sloig Cretin umi fo chumcha inbeatha ior dimus. Is eadh leath rola, forsin fairrgi mbaileadhaigh fothuaidh,^ gorige in ssebchoiri, ~\ go robaidhead ann, comd de ata Coire mBrecain.

Mac Parrtholoin, gnim gen gloir,

rofhiiair samthoghail- sirbroin.

Brecan na Isechraidhe ille

ron-sluig ssebhchoire suighthe.^

No gomad Brecan mac Maine meic Neill robaidhedh ann. Is e a asna adra<r/^/ fo churach Coluim chilli dia ndeb^rt: "Iscondalbh sin, a shen-Brecain," et quod est uerius.

Coire mBreccain, whence was it named ?

Breccan, son of Partholan, went, for pride and impiety (?), with a third of the host of Erin around him, throughout the world's straits. This is the direction in which he went, northwards over the furious sea, as far as the whirlpool (so called), and there he was drowned. So thence is the name Coire mBreccain, "Breccan's Caldron."

Partholan's son, deed without glory. Found a very mournful destruction. Breccan of the heroes hither, A whirlpool sucking down swallowed him.

Or it may be that Breccan, son of Maine, son of Niall (of the Nine Hostages), was drowned therein. It is his rib that rose up under Colomb cille's boat, when the saint said : "That is friendly, thou old Breccan," and this is truer.

Similar tales are in BB. 398 a, and Lee. 505 b. They are translated in Reeves' Vita Columbae, pp. 262, 263. See also Cormac's Glossary, s. v. Coire Brecain. The Coire mBreccain here mentioned is, according to Reeves, the dangerous sea

1 MS. fothuaigh. 2 ^g samhthodhail. Mn the MS. this

quatrain is at the end of the article.