Ne’er could I tell, Though always I lived, Ne’er could I tell, The third of his praise, But sad am I now After Finn of the Feinn! and so on. As it is quite impossible to produce in English the euphonious effect of the peculiar rhythm of the original Gaelic, with its alliteration and vocalic concords, here is an example from the above description:— DEAN TEXT MODERN VERSION Fa Filla fa flaa Fa filidh, fa flath, Fa ree er gire Fa righ air gach righ, Finn flah re no vane Fionn flath righ nam Fiann, Fa trea^t er gy^t teir Fa triath air gach tir, Fa meille mor marre Fa miol mor mará Fa lowor er lerg Fa luthmhor air leirg, Fa schawok glan gei Fa seabhag glan gaoithe Fa sei^t er gi carde Fa saoi air gach ceird. Fa hillani^t carda Fa h’ oileamhnach ceirde Fa m’ky^t nor verve Fa marcach nar mheirbh, Fa hollow er znei^t Fa ullamh air gniomh, Fa stei^t er gi scherm Fa steidh air gach seirm, Fa fer chart a wrai Fa fior cheart a bhreith, Fa tawicht toye Fa tabhach tuaith, Fa Ly’seich naige Fa ionnsaigheach ’n aigh Fa bra^ta er boye. Fa breadha air buaidh. At page 87 there is a curious fragment on Tabblisk, supposed by some to be chess, by others backgammon:— Ruinous is Tabblisk, few men but know it, Of what I know myself, I have a little tale to tell, On a certain day I was travelling through Foytle. The land, Variegated, beautiful, pleasing. I came there at noon, When a maiden of red lips met me in the town, And asked me to join in one of these games; She produced a chess-board, etc. Here follows the description of this game. They made much of blood in those days, even as we do of heredity now:— The blood of forty and three kings in the blood of the Great King, The blood of many races is thy pure blood which we cannot name, The blood of Arthur in thy gentle veins.... The blood of Conn of the two Conns beneath thy soft skin; The blood of Grant, as also of the race of Neil, etc. It is quite interesting to note the names of some of the contributors to the Dean’s book. They are so various in rank and character. Of these Duncan Mor O’Daly was Abbot of Boyle in 1244. Some of his pieces have reference to persons and events in Irish history. One of them, beginning, “Mayst thou enjoy thy belt, O Cathal,” gives a very full description of that ornamented article of attire and its adjuncts. There is another whose name has been preserved by tradition, namely, Muireach Albanach, and he has been claimed by Scottish Gaels as the first of the celebrated Macvurichs.