Excerpt from The Last Monarch of Tara: A Tale of Ireland in the Sixth Century

Mss in Ordnance Survey Dr. Joyce's Irish Names Of Places; the works of the Rev. Dr. Lanigan, Very Rev. Canon Ulick J. Bourke, Miss Cusack (sister M. F. Clare), Rev. Dr. Colgan, and the Rev. J. O'hanlon, the eminent author of the Lives of the Irish Saints. To this last named learned and painstaking hagiographer, the writer is es pecially indebted; for not only did his first volume suggest to her the idea of endeavouring to illustrate, in a light form, the lives of some of the saints and heroes of Irish history, but she is also indebted to him for placing the greater part of the above named works at her disposal. She is also indebted in a par ticular manner to the Very Rev. Canon Bourke, who read the proofs and greatly improved them. In order to be as correct as possible the writer has also consulted the Ordnance Survey and other Maps, ancient and modern. Specimens of many of the articles described are to be seen in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. In describing the glories of the ancient Irish the writer has not omitted their faults, as these ultimately led to their enslavement, and it is profitable for us to take warning by their errors. An eventful period in the life of St. Columkille is introduced. It is much to be regretted that Irish history is banned in Ireland, not only by the foreign rulers of the country, but by the Irish race themselves. They have no idea of what they lose by their wilful ignorance. They are told by their interested masters across the channel that Ireland has no his tory; that it was a nation of savages until England took pity on it, invaded and civilised it; numbers of them are so debased morally, physically, and intellectually by persecution, that they believe it, without taking the trouble to find out for themselves whether it be true or not. It is enough for them that England says it; it is their duty to believe it; it were disloyalty to doubt. And not satisfied with this, they repeat the calumny, parrot-like, to others, believing that they are Speaking the truth. And yet this lamentable state of affairs is not the fault of anyone individually.

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