Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-10-13

Ian sys ex
Tie f6tlewing account Of the ancient
Fsnians Of hsaaad Is from Morey's Wi
terS before Chaucet !" ~
Il slrisa trsAittua zaA1sf thse ~ &tuiana
were an ancient militia, or standing ANN,
employed only on home service Tor pro
tecti1Esthe cpspls flpm iAvssipe< JAch Of
the four provinces, says the Tradition, he'd
it, land thst Of Leinster. to which Fionu
'and his family belonged, being BALLAD the
Clanna Baoisgne. This militia d said
70 hare bse0 rid BY the King, binloed on
the people IN the winter, but to have lived
in sImnssr by the chase And these ats
imagined to have been the qualifications Of
. Ftnian: Every soldier was required IN
swear that, without regard 70 her tortuhe
Ne would choose 1Wife Tor her virtue, her
courtesy snd ,ikr Gosd unnncrs that he
would never offer violence to woman
.thut, = far ~ he could, ne would relic,
The poor, and thst he would not refuse to
fight nine msp Of any other ,natien- No
person could be received into the service
unless his father aMd mother, and ell hi
relatives. gave security that none Of them
should revenge his death upon the person
who might Stay him, but that they would
leave the matter to his fellow soldiers
The youth himSelf nusk h wellacquainte
with the twelve books of poetry, and be
able to compose verses He must be per.
ect master VI defense; to prove thus he
was placed in field Of selge reaching up t.
his knees, having in his arms target ana
. hazel stick as tong as a mans arm. Nine
experienced soldiers, from u distance o.
niue ridges u land, were to iluri thclf
SPEARS al him at once, if he was unhur' ne
was admitted, but if wounded he was sent
off with u rcproach lie must also run
we'll and defend himself when IN nght; to
try his activity he was made to run through
a wood. having a start OF a trees breadth
the whole OF the Fcnians pursuing him II
he was oyc,takc or wounded IN the wood
he was refused, as too sluggish and IN
skillful to fight with honor with such val
liant troops Also, lie must have strong
arm and be able to hold his weapon stead
ily. > Also, when he ran through wood
in chase his hair should not come united
if il did he was rejected. lie must 10 SC
swift and. light on foot Is not to break a
rotten stick by standing upon it; able also
to leap over tree as high US his forehead
and to stoop under a tree that was Lowell
than his knees. Without STOPPING or les
svning his speed he must be able to dsaw
i, thorn out of his foot. Finally, he must
take an oath ot fidelity
"The Rev. Geoiiry Heating, who wrot,
"A History of Erin IN the year 1920 grave
Ky says 80 long as these terms Of admis
sion were exactly insisted upon, the mill
tary of Ireland were an invincible defense
to their country, and II terror to rebels al
home and enemies abroad Coll MMorn;
had slain Fionn's father, Cumhaill, in bat
tie, and was Flonns mortal enemy in car |,
life. Afterwards he made peace witt
him, anti fought under him as chicftair
OF tho Connaught Fcnians But the 81
premacy Of the Clanna Baoisgne led t
leuds, and ut last ionn and his clan defy
ing the throne itsnif. w,ie attacked by al
the forces of .krinexcep' those Of tie Kin:
OF Munster, who took part with him, am
suffered Cal mage IN that battle t'abbra
wherein Oisins son Oscar and the Kin,
| Carbrc fell by each others hands. Fiunn
| who was absent, arrived only in time +
| close his Grandson eyes, and after thi
defeat peace had no sweets for lnm al,
\ war no tfiumpis Fionn died at last, it i
said, by the lance ofan assassin.
| 1T il Noticeable, however that the Fen
| iaus were not confined to Erin. In tn
ancient poem on the battle Of GaDbIH W.
read of The bands Of the Fionns of Alban
,Albnn l@ing the old name of Scotland
north of the Firth of Forth and Clyde
and the Supreme King of Breatan Breatal
being southern Scotland, of which Dun
breatan now Dunbarton, was the chic
staD, belonging to the order Of the Feinn'
of Alban;' and also that the Fians o
Lochlan were powerful Now, Lochlal
was an ancient name Of Germany north o
the Rhine; but when the Norwegian ant
Danish pirates appeared in the ninth cen
| tury, they were called Lockansels and tn
name of Isochlan was transferred to MOI
| way and Denmark. 1t has been argue'
from this tina, the Fenians were not mill
| tia Of ,.aels, but that they were a distinc
Celtic race, connected with the only tw
Faces who are spoken of rs having com
in oil lest time from Ioehlan namely. til
Tustbadc Deliarn and the Outline
These are thought tn have been some o
the telts who proceeded the Germanic pee
pies now occupying the North .Germa
| shore and Scandinavia"
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