administration of justice.  In 1106 he put out the eyes of his own son, Hugh, and in the same year he imprisoned another son, named Roderic.  The nature of their offences is not manifest; but Roderic was liberated through the interference of the clergy.  Seven years after he was again imprisoned, “in violation of the most solemn pledges and guarantees.”  The clergy again interfered; from which we may infer that he was a favourite.  They even held a public feast at Rathbrendan on his behalf; but he was not released until the following year.  In the year 1136 we find the obituary of the chief keeper of the calendar of Ard-Macha, on the night of Good Friday.  He is also mentioned as its chief antiquary and librarian, an evidence that the old custom was kept up to the very eve of the English invasion.  The obituary of Donnell O’Duffy, Archbishop of Connaught, is also given.  He died after Mass and celebration; according to the Annals of Clonmacnois, he had celebrated Mass by himself, at Clonfert, on St. Patrick’s Day, and died immediately after.  About the same time the Breinemen behaved “so exceedingly outrageous,” that they irreverently stript O’Daly, arch-poet of Ireland, “of all his clothes.”

In the meantime domestic wars multiplied with extraordinary rapidity.  Dermod Mac Murrough, the infamous King of Leinster, now appears for the first time in the history of that country which he mainly contributed to bring under the English yoke.  He commenced his career of perfidy by carrying off the Abbess of Kildare from her cloister, killing 170 of the people of Kildare, who interfered to prevent this wanton and sacrilegious outrage.  In 1141 he endeavoured to crush the opposers of his atrocious tyranny by a barbarous onslaught, in which he killed two nobles, put out the eyes of another, and blinded[243] seventeen chieftains of inferior rank.  A fitting commencement of his career of treachery towards his unfortunate country!  In 1148 a temporary peace was made by the Primate of Armagh between the northern princes, who had carried on a deadly feud; but its duration, as usual, was brief.  Turlough O’Brien was deposed by Teigue in 1151.  He was assisted by Turlough O’Connor and the infamous Dermod.  The united armies plundered as far as Moin Mor,[244] where they encountered the Dalcassian forces returning from the plunder of Desmond.  A sanguinary combat ensued, and the men of north Munster suffered a dreadful slaughter, leaving 7,000 dead upon the field of battle.  This terrible sacrifice of life is attributed to the mistaken valour of the Dal-Cais, who would neither fly nor ask quarter.