In the northern part of this Parish of Kilnaboy is
a Townland called Teeskagh and near it a mountain called Slieve na Glaisé,
the mountain of the celebrated cow called Glas Ghoibhneach, said to have
belonged to the smith, Lon Mac Loimhtha, the first that ever made edged
weapons in Ireland. He was a Tuatha De Danann by nation, and lived in
a cave in this mountain unknown to all the Scoti except the few who lived
in his immediate vicinity. This Lon was a most extraordinary being having
three hands and only one leg! Two of the hands were in the usual position,
and the third, with which he turned the iron on the anvil while he hammered
with the other two, grew from the middle of his breast. He never walked
after the usual manner of men, as is obvious from his construction, but
bounded from his pedestal by the elastic power of his waist and ham,
and whenever he ventured abroad, which was very seldom, he was observed
flying over the vallies and bounding over the hills. He had lived a long
time in Ireland before his art was in requisition, for before his time
the Irish used no iron or steel implements of war, but fought with sticks
having stone, flint and bronze heads. Lon was for many years supported
by his invaluable cow called Glas Gaibhneach which used to graze not
far from his forge on the mountain of Sliabh na Glaise which abounds
in most beautiful rills and luxuriant pasturage. This cow he stole from
Spain, but after having settled with her in various parts he came at
length to the resolution of spending his life here, as being secure from
enemies by the remoteness and natural fastness and then inaccessible
situation of the place, and as he had found no other retired spot in
Ireland sufficiently fertile to feed the Glas but this. This cow would
fill with her milk any vessel, be it never so large, into which she was
milked, and it became a saying in the neighbourhood that no vessel could
be found which the Glas would not fill at one milking. At last two women
laid a wager on this point, one insisting that no vessel, be it never
so large, could be found in Ireland which the smith’s cow would
not fill, and the other that there could. The bets being placed in secure
hands, the latter lady went to her barn and took out a sieve which she
took to Slieve na Glaise, and into which, by consent of Lon Mac Liomhtha,
she milked the cow. And behold! the milk, passing through the bottom
of the sieve and even overflowing it, fell to the ground and divided
into seven rivulets called Seacht Srotha na t-Aéscaíghe,
the Seven Streams of the overflowing. Taescach, i.e., the overflowing,
is now the name of a Townland lying to the west of Slieve na Glaise.
Clear streams of water now run through the channels then formed by the
copious floods of the milk of the Glas, and one of them forms in winter
a remarkable waterfall. On the east side of Slieve na Glaise is a small
valley in which is shewn a spot called Leaba na Glaise in which this
cow is said to have slept every night and near it another spot called
the bed of her calf. The hoofs of this cow were reversed by which her
pursuers (for many sought to take her away by force) were always deceived
in the course she took, and the impressions of her feet are shewn to
this day in the rocks in many parts of the country around Slieve na Glaise.
In the same valley, in a field called Garraidh na Ceártan, is shewn a
cave in a rock called Cearta Loinn Mhic Liomhtha, the Forge of Lon, Son of Liomhtha,
and within it the cinders and dust of the forge.
This smith had seven sons, one for every day in the week, who took care
of this cow each for a day in his turn. They held her by the tail and
durst not turn
her about, but let her go wherever she wished to graze during the day till sunset,
when they turned her face towards her bed, and then she returned home directly.
No blade of grass ever grew or could be made to grow on the spot called her bed.
Over Leaba na Glaise on the summit of the mountain, there is a remarkable
cromlech under which many poor families have lived! It is, like all
the other monuments
of similar construction, called by the peasantry Leaba Dhiarmada agus Gráine,
the Bed of Dermot and Graine, from a belief that it was originally constructed
by Dermot O’Duivne to shelter Graine when he took her away from her husband
Fionn Mac Cumhail.
To return to the smith Lon Mac Liomhtha.
He resided for a long time in Slieve na Glaise in obscurity and totally
unknown to the Scotic warriors by means of whom only he could turn his
art to any account, as his own Dedanite tribe were conquered and compelled
to live in the shees as wizzards and witches, or in caves and fastnessess,
as robbers, tories and ex-artizans. At length he was determined to offer
his services to some Irish Lord of warlike fame, and hearing of the fame
of Fionn Mac Cumhail who was then stationed with his warriors at Binn
Edain Mic Ghannlaoigh, now called the Hill of Howth. He set out one fine
morning to confer with him. It did not take him long to perform the journey
for he bounded over every hill and sprang over every valley until he reached
the far-famed Promontory of Bin Hedar, and when he arrived in the presence
of the Fenian Chief, he was, as usual, interrogated as to his name, country,
profession and business on the occasion, to which interrogatories he thus
replied:- “I am Lon, the son of Leefha; I am acquainted with intricacies
of every art, but my particular art is that of a smith, in which capacity
I am at present in the service of the King of Lochlin.” “I
came to lay a gesa (i.e., an injunction which every warrior was bound
by the most solemn obligations of his order to perform) on you to overtake
me before I reach my forge.” He then took to his heel (agus do thug
sé cnoc do léim agus gleann do thuslóig) and passed
a hill in every bound and a valley in every spring and he delayed not
till he arrived at Slieve na Glaise, confident that none of the Fenians
would be able to pursue, but in this he was mistaken for he was pursued
by the swiftest of the Fenians, by name Caoilté of the slender
hard legs, who, coming up with the smith at Leaba na Glaise just as he
was on the point of entering his forge, struck him slightly with the palm
of his hand on the back of his head saying:- “Fóil a ghaba
na teirghe ‘sa pholl ad t-aénar. Avast Smith, do not go into
the cave alone.” “Success and welcome, O true soldier of the
illustrious Fionn” said Lon “for my visit to you was not for
the purpose of witchcraft or incantation, of which you are accustomed
to accuse my people, the Dedanites, but to induce you to come to my forge
that I might make for you swords of valour and edged weapons by which
you may the more easily destroy your enemies and extend your fame.”
Caoilte and the smith remained together working in the forge, and at the
end of three days Fionn and seven others of his warriors joined them,
and the smith sold them eight iron swords, well tempered and steeled.
On this occasion, Goll and Conan, the sons of Moirné, broke the
smith’s anvil they were so powerful in striking with the sledge,
but not until they had several swords made for themselves.
After this Fionn and his seven warriors proceeded to the summit of Ceann
Sleibhe where a party of the Tuatha De Dannans were stationed, having
guards posted on the principal corras or causeways on the pass leading
to that conspicuous green and beautiful hill. These were the causeways
of Corra Mhic Buirrin near the Castle of Ballyportry, of Corofin one mile
to the west of it, Cora Mhic Eoghain one mile to the west of Corofin,
and Cora-na-Maididhe further to the west. Fionn and his seven warriors
here attacked the party of the Dedanites who were there located and cut
them to pieces with the swords which the smith had made for them. There
is a spot on the summit of the hill of Ceann tSleibhe still called Suidhe
Finn, i.e., Sessio Finni, and the bones of the Dedanites are daily dug
out of the graves in which they were interred.
It is not told what finally happened to Lon the smith and his cow,
but it is believed that the cow was shortly afterwards stolen from
him by a man from Ulster,
and that he was obliged to depend on his trade only for support. See similar
stories about this cow written by me at Ballynascreen in Derry, the cross roads
opposite Tory island in Donegal and in Glengavlen in Cavan. This cow seems
to be the cornucopia of Irish tradition, but it is strange that no
written account
of her has hitherto been found. A cow called Glas Teamhrach is referred to
by the writers on the ancient topography of Tara, and it would appear
that a mound
was erected in honour of her on that hill, but no legend about her has descended
to our times as far as I know.
Written at Corofin from the mouth of Shane Reagh O’Cahaun, the
senior of the Thomond O’ Cahauns.
The above story has been very correctly taken down by Mr. O’Donovan
from the lips of the most illustrious Seanchaidhe of the Kinel Owen now
living, John Reagh O’Cahane, tailor, of Corofin.
I wrote from the County Kilkenny desiring that the copious extracts
made for Clare from the Book of Leacan might be sent out here, and
the other papers,
but they have not yet arrived. I remain, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
Eugene Curry.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Inistymon,
October 22nd 1839.
Dear Sir,
We shall be ready to leave Inistymon on Friday morning, after which you will
find us for about six days at Milltown-Malbay. All the letters sent us hither
have been re-directed from Corofin, though I gave notice twice that we had
left that place.
I want Maoilin Oge Mac Bruadin’s poem on the genealogy of Mac Gorman.
It was sent before to the Queen’s County, where the Mac Gorman’s
were originally located, but as their history is more immediately connected
with this county, I wish the poem already mentioned to be taken from among
the Queen’s County Extracts and sent us hither.
I do not hear a word about Mr. Wakeman; if he does not follow us soon
he cannot possibly finish Clare this season.
Your obedient etc. servant,
John O’Donovan.
We expected O’Brien’s Dictionary on Saturday but it has not arrived
yet.
It has arrived by this post - J.O’D.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
