Irish Druids and old Irish religions / by James Bonwick.

  • James Bonwick
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Irish Druids and old Irish religions / by James Bonwick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    alogy of their chiefs. With white robe, harp in hand, they encouraged warriors in battle. Their power of satire was dreaded ; and their praise, desired. There is a story of the Ard Ollamh, or Archdruid, send- ing to Italy after a book of skins, containing various chosen compositions, as the Cuilmeun, &c. As heralds they were called Seanachies. As Bards they sang in a hundred dif- ferent kinds of verse. One Ollamh Fodhla was the Solon of Ireland ; Amergin, the singer, lived 500 B.C. ; Torna Egeas, was last of the pagan bards. Long after, they were patriots of the tribes— “ With uncouth harps, in many-colour’d vest, ^ Their matted hair with boughs fantastic crown d. The Statutes of Kilkenny (Edward III.) made it penal to entertain any Irish Bard ; but Munster Bards continued to hold their annual Sessions to the early part of last century. Carolan, the old blind harper, called last of the Bards, died in 1738. Bards sang in the Hall of Shells ; shells being then the cups. There were hereditary bards, as the O’Shiels, the O’Canvans, &c., paid to sing the deeds of family heroes. A lament for Dalian ran— “ A fine host and brave was he, master of and Governor, Ulla ! Ullalu ! We, thrice fifty Bards, we war— In the far-famed Trinity College Library is The Dialogue of the Two Sages, in the Irish Fenian dialect, giving the qualifications of a true Ollamh. Among the famous bards were, Lughar, “acute poet, Druid of Meidhbh ; Olioll, King of Munster ; Oisin, son of Cormac, King of Tara, now nearly unintelligible to Irish readers ; Fergus finbel of the Dinn Senchus; Oisin, the Fenian singer; Larghaire, whose
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