The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1878-01-06
THE VIA KAILr Or STONE OF DEsTINF.

THE VIII EAIL' Or STONE OF DEST1NF.
Boston Pilot.
One OF our correspondents aske for some
| information about the famous Stone of SeoRe,
or the Liza Fat, which has been so init
mately and almost my steriously related for
centuries to the Governments Of Ireland,
Scotland and England. In answering our
correspondence question, the historical in
formation we give~il, we believe, be found
of interest to many of our readers.
| The Liza Fail, or Stone of Destiny, was
brought to Ireland about 1900 years before
the birth of Christ, by the Tuath-De-D a-
mans. They were settled principally at
Tara and Teltown, in the County Meath,
Roscommon, and at Aileach, in Donegal j;
and they ruled over the country for about
200 years. With them the Lila Fail was
| held in the highest veneration, and seated
| on it their monarchs were crowned. By
them it waa regarded az protection
against foreign and domestic foes. From it
the country was called Inis Fail or the
| Islapd Of Destiny. The Milesians arrived
! 10 Ireland about 200 years after the Taath
I De- Danans, conquered them, took posses
/ sion of the country. and ruled over 1t
undieturbed "a kings and princes for 1900
years. The Milesians then took possession
| of the Stone of Destiny, which they held
| in the greatest estimation, and for 1000
years 1t was used by them as the coronation
seat at the Inauguration of their monarchs
at Tara.
The antiquity of the Lila Fail and the
| veneratiou IN which it was held, is borne
testimony to by English, Scotch. and Con-
| tinental writers and historians. By English
writer's it is called "Jacob's Stone," from o
| tradition that it formed part of the stone
called Jacobs Pillow at Bethel, as men
| toned in the Book of Genesis, and that it
was brought from the land of Canaan to
ireland by the TQathDe-Danans. The
| estimation in which it was held, and the
Influence which it was supposed to possess
were thus expressed in verse:
Unless the fates are fathless found.
whereer this monument is found,
The Scottish race shall reign.
In reference to the word Scottish, we may
| remark that from the Sd to the 18th centu-
~, Ireland was known to the civilized
From the 18th to the 10th century European
writer's called Ireland Scotia Major, to
distinguish her from Scotland, which was
called Scotia Minor.
In the latter part of the 5th century
Loarn, Fergus and Aorgus, sons of Eric,
Prince of Dalriada, in Ulster, led q colony
into North Britain, and became masters Of
Western Scotland, Butte, and the Hebrides.
In the year SOB or the Christian era, Loarn
became first King of Western Scotland, or,
as it was then called, Albany. In the year
5l3 he was succeeded by his brother,
Fergus, who, to give security to his newly
acquired kingdom, requested his brother,
Murtogh, then monarch of Ireland, to send
him the Stone of Destiny, on which to be
crowned, which request was complied with.
The stone was sent, and it was venerated
by the Irish and their descendants who
formed the kingdom of Western Scotland,
or Albany, II was preserved for many
centuries with caTe-frst in the monastery
Of Columkille at Iona, in the Hebrides, and
afterwards at the royal seat in Dunstaff-
| rage, Argyleshire, whence it was removed
| in the 9th century, by Kenneth Mac Alpin,
| to the Abbey eff Sc0ne, near PERTH
IL connection with the history OF the
removal of this Stone from Tara, it is
| worthy of note that Tara very coon after
| was deserted by the Irish monarchs. They
took up their residence, some at CruacEan,
in Roscommob, come at Teltown, in Meath,
| some at Armagh, and some at Alleach in
| Donegal, and some at other plaCes. Whether
this deseItion, folio wing quickly OF the
removal of the Lila Fail, Is uierely a coinci-
dence, or that the two events are related as
cause and fleet, it would be hazardous to
| cay. Bot it is sufficient to know that its
removal was followed by bad effects.
Some historians contend that tho Lila
Fail was not brought to Scotland until
the 9th century, when Aodh Fipliath,
monarch of Ireland, sent it to be used at
the coronation of Kenneth MacAlpin, his
| father-in-law, and first monarch of all
| Scotland. From tits period the Liza Fail
was preserved aE the Abbey of Scone, near
Perth, until the year 1896, when King
Edward the first, of England, having over
ran Scotland, carried it as q trophy to
| England. He placed 1T in Westminster
Abbey, where it now forms the support to
Edward the Confessor's chair, in which the
English monarch is seated during the Ger
| emory of coronati0n.
The latter date mentioned as the time of
its removal from Ireland strangely coin
cides with the invasion of the country by
the Danes. Its loss to Scotland was follow.
ed by war, and ultimately by loss of
national independence. There we're Scotch
men who hailed the accession of James vi,
of Scotland to the English throne as q fall
flment of the prophecy 'ttnat whereer this
stone was found the Scottish (lrish) race
would rule" But it's presence in London
in no way tended to lessen the power or
! influence of England; on the contrary both
rapidly increased, and Ireland and Scotland