3355 CHAP. III. The reign of Eadhna, and the rife of mints in Ireland-Lugha, ADHNA II. called Dearg, or the Red, the son of Duach, of the race of Heber, affumed the reins of government. government. In this reign we read, for the first time, that a mint was erected and money coined at Airgiod-Ros, on the banks of the Suir ; where at our earlier periods fhields and targets of pure filver were fabricated. Before this, gold and filver were difpofed of as mere bullion. The learned foreigner will, no doubt, reasonably demand, why are not fome of these coins preferved, fo neceffary to the illustration of our history, as we know numbers belonging to other polished nations have been? To this I fhall, for answer, obferve, that in the year 1639, a large quantity of Irish coins. were discovered by some countrymen at Gleandaloch, in the county of Wicklow, a parcel of which fell into the hands of Sir James Ware. Mr. Harris* confeffes them to be of great antiquity, and both Ware, Harris, and Simon †, have given us figures of fome of them; and they all agree as to the very early ufe of money in Ireland! We find before the Incarnation, that the Bons, or pieces of four-pence value; the Scrubal, or three * Antiquities of Ireland, p. 206. + Simon on Irish coins. penny penny pieces, and the Pinghin, or penny, were common through the kingdom; but larger pieces of money, though carrying the imprefs of the monarch or provincial king, were here then, as at this day in China, eftimated by weight only. In a commercial country where mines of all kinds were worked; where in times of Catholicity, the church plate through the kingdom was mostly of gold; where fuch quantities of it has been from time to time, and still is found in bogs and moraffes; to doubt of their wanting fo effential an article as money, though our writers had been even filent on the fubject, would be abfurd. It is but too melancholy a truth, that from the first introduction of the Normans into Ireland, they established a savage policy, which seems, EVEN AT THIS DAY, to operate on too many. They reprefented the aborigines as barbarians in the eyes of Europe; and their emiffaries here, were but too fuccefsful in their endeavours to destroy and efface, every evidence to the contrary! To preserve medals, coins, or whatever could contradict this, was not the way to make court to the great, but to destroy them-nay to impofe them on the public, as the coins of even the barbarous Dane-was admiffible! I have heard, and been affured, that quantities of gold coins have been frequently found, even within these last twenty years paft, in bogs and waste grounds; that they have been conveyed to Dublin and elsewhere, fold privately, and immediately melted down, by which means many poor families have fuddenly become opulent. We have in the laft chapter, I think, fully proved, that these Africans, fo frequently mentioned in our hiftory, were none others but the Carthaginians; and a little retrospection will plainly fhew, that the customs and police adopted in the one state, was foon introduced into the other. The Tyrian dye, and the manufactures of arms, fo early established here, with the use of armed chariots for war, feem to proclaim this. Byrfa, the citadel of Carthage, fo 3367 3376 3392 fo called, as we have already noted, from its being furrounded by water, explains from whom Art Imlioch borrowed this kind of fortification. The Carthaginians, beyond a doubt, brought this fcience to great perfection; fince we find, by their firft alliance with the Romans, about A. M. 3452, they were particularly interdicted building forts in the country of Latium. If the Irish, fome centuries before the Romans, introduced a regular difcipline, and a constant pay amongst their military, fo did the Carthaginians; and it is fingular enough to find by Justin *, that much about this time both fhould be introduced by Mago into Carthage! In fine, the Irish coins given by Ware, and copied by Harris and Simon, have on the face an human head, encircled with a cap or helmet, and on the reverfe of fome an horfe; and we find fome ancient Carthaginian coins in the fame ftyle! The present prince Eadhna, on whofe account we have thus digreffed, died of the plague, after a reign of twelve years, as did great numbers of the people. Lughaidh, furnamed Jardhon, or of the Colour of Iron, on account of the odd colour his hair, peaceably fucceeded his deceafed father. Invading Ulfter with a confiderable army, after a bloody conteft, he was flain by his fucceffor at Rath-Clochar. The victorious Sior-Laimh, the fon of Fin, of the house of Ir, was proclaimed monarch.. This name was metaphorically given him, to denote the great extent of his power and command, SiorLaimh, fignifying Lon-handed. He was a great enemy to the house of Heber, and forely oppreffed them; but in the fixteenth year of his reign he fell in battle, and fo gave way to his fucceffor. Eochaidh, called Uarcheas, the son of Lughaidh, of the race of Heber, feized on the crown. The reafon of the epithet Uarchcas * Lib. xix. cap. I. was was this. So great was the power of Sior-Laimh, and fo much did he dread the known abilities of the prefent prince, that he could not think himself in fecurity till he was totally reduced. Unable any longer to oppofe the monarch in the field, he took the resolution of trufting to his fleet. He collected a fleet of thirty large fhips, which he manned with the bravest and most faithful of his followers, with which he put to fea. In order to enable him to make fudden landings in the most tempeftuous weather, we are told, that he had a great number of cribs made of wattles, and covered with hides, in which his men frequently annoyed the coafts of his enemy. For Ceas, is Irish for a crib, or large basket of wattles, and Fuare, denotes cold, as being used in bad weather only; and indeed it is astonishing in what rough weather people will, at this day, run out to fea in fuch craft. But to that the fole use of these craft, in infular or continental inprove vafions, was to land men in rough weather, we find Cæfar * to have successfully used them to cross a river in Spain, on a similar occafion. From us we may prefume the Britons, and most of the neighbouring states, took the method of using such vessels. But writers have ftrangely erred, in affirming, as many have, that our invafions of Britain were in thefe fort of Currachs, or boats. Thus Gildas: "The rude droves of Scots and Picts throng haftily out of their Currachs, in which they were conveyed "across the Scythian channel." And Solinus affirms 1, "that "the fea between Britain and Ireland is rough and tempeftuous; yet they pass it in wicker boats, encompaffed with a swelling "covering of ox hides." 66 It is evident from what has been faid, that Ireland was very early an extenfive commercial country. Should we want foreign evidence, Tacitus § is clear and full in this matter. Could com merce be carried on in fuch barks as the above? furely not. Were they fit to tranfport armies, ammunition, &c. acrofs the fea? they undoubtedly were not. Our hiftorians declare *—and the Pfalter of Cafhill is explicit in it-that their ufe was folely to land troops, in rough tempeftuous weather, or reimbark them when neceffary. The poet Claudian, in celebrating the glory of his patron Stilico, is very clear, that our invafions of Britain were from large fhips- Me quoque vicinis pereuntem gentibus, inquit,. Munivit Stilico. Totam cum Scotus Iernem Movit, & infefto fpumavit remige Thetys. In fine, the Venerable Bede † tells us, that the Scots and Pics croffed that arm of the fea only, which divided England from Scotland, in their boats; nor can we be furprised that the Irish carried them in their fhips for this purpose, when Cæfar tells us, in the above recited place, that he had them conveyed twentytwo miles over land, to answer a fimilar purpose. It is very fingular, that the Pfalter of Cafhill fhould tell us, that with this fleet Eochaidh invaded Greece, and was fuccefsful in all his attacks. To explain this, we muft, I think, agree-and it will hereafter appear more evident-that the Irish confederated with the Carthaginians, and frequently affifted them in their wars; nor need we here infift much on what is confeffed, and at the fame time cenfured by ancient writers, as Polybius, Diodorus, Livy, &c. namely, that the Carthaginian armies were moftly composed of mercenaries of different nations, and speaking different languages. We have feen Ludhadh, of the line of Heber, call in thefe Africans to his affiftance; and in many other inftances we find them employed amongft us. Why not fup * Ogygia, p. 250, &c. + Hift. Eclef. Brit. lib. i. cap. 12. pofe |