The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-09-27
History of Ireland
to St. Patrick'S Time.
Eloquent and Scholarly Address on Pagan
Ireland, Delivered by Rev. E. j. Fitzgerald
State Chaplain of A. O. Fl. in Mass.
The Lecture First of a Series on Irish HISTORY.

In her long history, some fanoiful and
poetic. others merely geographical
Hibernia, install, the Isle Of Destiny.
| Scotia and later Scotia Major to dis
tinguish 1t from Scotland, Banba ana
Erin are tho best known. Tho name
Scotia comes from tho name Of the
Egyptian wife of ono of the early Irish
chieftatns. Scotia. and the name Mile
! tains from a chief of the name MiledtA
and from Gaidel. another famous chist
the Irish people receive tho appelation
Calls. The annals Of the four mas.
ters gives this origin for the Irish na-
ton.
"The first colony Of Ireland was
planted by the Parthalonians, $500
years before Christ. who came from
Greece. They were followed by tho
Nemedians. who took possession after
the island was depopulated by ter
rible plague. and had remained a soli-
tude for 80 years. The Nemedians
were harassed by the Formorians, a
! band of sea robbers and pirates from
Africa. who eventually obtained the
upper hand.
The Firbolgs were the third colony
coming to ireland from northern
Greece and We're recolonization, for
they were the descendants of Simon
Brec. a Nemedian chief, who had fed
! from Ireland to escape the cruelty of
the Formorian invasion. Enslaved in
Greece they were obliged to bring soil
from the rich lowlands to enrich the
rocky highlands Of their adopted coun-
try In leather bags, hence their name
f1rbolgs or bag men. Tiring of their
servitude they fed from Greece under
the five sons of Della and conquered
ireland and divided it into five prov
inces, one for each brother, a division
}, that has persevered till today. They
held sway for less than half century
to be succeeded by the Dedannans.
who likewise came from Greece. as a
recolonization. being descended from
the Nemedian Chief Ibach, who, fee
Ing from the Formorian pirates had
settled about Athens. They returned
to Ireland by way of Scandinavia and
Scotland by magic. in which they wore
adopts. gained entrance to tho coun-
f, try and eventually conquered 1t.
'The Miletians followed. Coming
from scythia their first migration was
to Egypt. After many vicissitudes
they came to Spain. where they dwelt
many years and finally under the
1 eight sons Of Miled they came to Ire
land eventually conquered the Dedan-
mans and from thenceforth Miletian
| kings ruled Ireland till Roderick
j, O'Connor.
These accounts are Of course larxe-
ly mythical and fabulous except the
}, Ffrbolgs who existed and were prob
ably kindred to tho warlike Belgae Of
u Gaul, whom Caesar encountered IN
battle. and the Miletians who are Ger
tainly historical; the rest Of the peo.
y pies and their story belong to the
realms Of fancy. The date Of their
!: coming to Ireland is uncertain. They
J, were Celts. and probably came from
Gaul to Britain and Britain to Ireland
rather than directly from Spain, says
Dalton. give this account OF the
old analyisist because while much Of
It is fabulous it has formed the basis
Of so many of the tales and poems Of
Ireland that at least the nomenclature
! and origin is Of some interest
Though the Irish were pagans they
were spared the degradation that over
} took cultured and refined Greece. The
J. pagan Irish had not the debasing wor-
|, ship of impure love. The Irish wor-
shopped the celestial bodies with min
!, or gods, mountains, trees. etc. They
! offered sacrifices to their gods, but the
charge that they offered human sacri-
!, flee has never been established. Thsir
I temples were the oak groves Of which
Ireland boasted In the pagan days.
!, They had belief in a future life and
in the immortality Of the soul. and
were not degraded by their religion 70
an extent that they could not appre-
ciate the beauties Of higher code OF
belief and practice when 1t was ex-
, posed to them. The wholesome. sweet