The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-11-09
The orissnai FsnIans-IrIsh rFsalsisss
and Iltntory.


/ and History.
The following account ortha an.
oient Feniars Of Ireland Il from Nor.
ey's Writers before Chaueer:p
eIrish tradition says that the Feni-
ans wero an ancient militia or stand
ing army, employed only on homo
service for protecting the coast from
invasion. Each Of the four provinces,
says the tradition, had its hand; that
of Bioinster, to which Fionn and his
family belonged being called the Clan
na Baoisgno. This militia Is saId TO
have been paid by tho King, billeted
on thepeople 10 the winter, but 70 have
lived in summer by the chase. And
these arc imagined 10 have been the
qualifications Of Fenian:
Every soldier was required TO swear
that, without regard to her fortune, no
would choose vile for her virtue, her
courtesy and her good mannerg that
he would never offer violence TO a wo-
man; that, as far as he could, he would
relieve tho poor, and thathe would not
refuse to fight nine men Of any other
nation. No person could be received
into the service unless bis father and
mother and all his relatives gave Sc
eurity that none Of them should re-
vengc bis death upon the person who
might slay him, but that they would
leave the matter to his fellow soldiers.
The youth himself must be we'll ac-
quainted with the twelve books of po.
ctry, and be able to compose verses
lIe must be q perfectmaster Of defense;
TO prove that he was placed in field
of sodge reaching up to his knees, hay-
ing in his hards target and hazel
stick as long as a mans arm. Nine
experienced soldiers, from a distance
Of nine ridges of land, were TO hurl
their spears at him at once; if he was
unhurt he was admitted; but if woun-
ded he was sentoff with reproach.--
He must also run we'll and defend him.
self when in fight; to try his activity
he was made to run through wood,
having start of a trees breadth, the
whole ofthe Fenians pursuing him;ifhe
was overtaken. or wounded in the woods
he was refased, as too sluggish and un-
skillful to fight with honor with such
valiant troops. Also, he must have
strong arm and be able to hold his
weapon steadily. Also, when he ran
through wood in chase his hair sho'd
not come united; If it did he was re-
jected. He must be SO swift and light
on foot as not to break rotten stick
by standing upon il; able, also, to leap
over a tree as high as his forehead,
and to stoop under q tree that was
lower than bis knees. Without stoop.
ing, or lessening his speed, he must
be able to draw thorn out of his foot.
Finally, he must take an oath Of fidel-
ity.
THE Rev. Geoffry Heating, who
wrote History of Erin in the year
1920, grayely says; so long as these
terms of admission were exactly in
sisted upon, the military of ireland
were an invincible defence to their
country, and terror to rebels at homo
and enemies abroad Coll M'Morna
had slain Fionn's father, Cumhaill, in
battle, and was Fionn's mortal enemy
in early life. Afterwards he made a
peace with him, and fought under him
as chicftain Of tho Connaught Feni-
ans. But the supremacy of the Clam
ma Baoisgne led to feuds, and at last
Fionn and his clan, defying the throne
itself, were attacked by all the forces
of Erin except those Of the King of
Lunster, who took part with him, and
suffered carnage in that battle of Cab
bra, wherein Oisin's son Oscar and the
King Cairbee fell by each others
hands. Fionn, who was absent, ar
rived only in time to close his grand
sons eyes, and after this defeat peace
had no sweets for him, and war no tri-
umphs. Fionn died at last, it is said,
by the lance of an assassin.
1T is noticeable, however, that the
Fenians were not confined to Erin
In the ancient poem on the battle of
Gabbra we read of the bands of the
Fions of Alban' (Alban being the old
name of Scotland north Of the Firth or
Froth and Clyde,) and the Supreme
King of Breatan (Breatan being
southern Scotland, of which Dunbrea-
tan now Dunbarton, was the chief
seat belonging to the order of the
Feinne of Alban;' and also that the
Fians of Lochlan were powerful
Now Lochlan was an ancient name of
Germany north ofthe Rhine; but when
the Norwegian and Danish pirates ap-
peared in the ninth century, they were
called LockIanscls, and the name of
Lochlan was transferred TO Norway
and Denmark. II has been argued
from this that the Fenians were Lot
a militia of Gaels, but that they were
a distinct Celtic race, connected with
the only two races. who are spoken of
as having come in oldest time from
Lochlan-namely, the Tustbade, Deb
arm and the Cruithne. These are
thought to have been some of the Celts
who preceded the Germanic peoples
now occupying the North German
shore and Scandinavia.
NRN