Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE DIOCESE OF LIMERICK. ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL. CHAPTER I. TOPOGRAPHY. The Diocese of Limerick 1 is almost co-extensive with the ancient territory of Hy Fidhgente. This tribe was so called from Fiacha Fidhgente,2 a descendant of Oilioll Olum, through his eldest son Eoghan Mor, who fell in battle near Athe11ry in A.d. 25o. Fiacha flourished in the fourth century, and received the cognomen of Fidhgente for having constructed a wooden horse at Colman's fair, which was anciently held on the Curragh of Kildare. Hy Fidhgente is called a tuath,8 a term of indefinite meaning. It originally meant a tribe of people, but after a time came to signify the place where they dwelt. When 5o used, it designated a district with a complete political and legal administration, and varied considerably in extent. When the tuath embraced a large tract of country such as Hy Fidhgente, it was called a tuath mor, and the sub-divisions simply tuaths. The present Diocese of Limerick would fairly represent the one and the parishes the other. Being descended from Eoghan Mor, the Hy Fidligente were considered a free state, and exempt from payingan annual tribute to the King of Cashel,1 but were obliged to supply forces at their own expense to aid him in his wars. 1 Rev. Dr. Reeves quoted in the Memorials of Adare, p. 233. See also Annals of the Four Masters, vol. iii., p. 46, note. Anns. Four Masters, vol. vi., Appendix, p. 2434. 3 O'Curry's Manners and Customs, vol. i., p. 79. The king generally resided at the royal Dun of Bruree, and received— From the King of Erin without sorrow, Ten tunics, brown red, And ten foreigners without Geadhealga (Irish).2 The territory of Hy Fidhgente was divided into two great divisions, Hy Conaill and Hy Cairbre Eva, and these were further sub-div... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.