out 1630. The _Boroma_ or History of the
Leinster Tribute contained in LL. belongs rather to romance. Another
history is the _Triumphs of Turlough O'Brian_, written about the year
1459 by John MacCraith, a Munster historian (edited by S.H. O'Grady,
Camb. Press). This inflated composition is an important source of
information on Munster history from the landing of the Normans to the
middle of the 14th century. We also possess several documents in Irish
concerning the doings of the O'Neills and O'Donnells at the close of the
16th century. A life of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, by Lughaidh O'Clery, has
been published, and a contemporary history of the _Flight of the Earls_,
by Tadhg O'Cianan, was being prepared in 1908. But the most celebrated
Irish historian is certainly Geoffrey Keating (c. 1570-1646), who is at
the same time the greatest master of Irish prose. Keating was a Munster
priest educated in France, who drew down upon himself the displeasure of
the English authorities and had to go into hiding. He travelled up and
down Ireland examining all the ancient records, and compiled a history
of Ireland down to the Norman Conquest. His work, entitled _Forus Feasa
ar Eirinn_, was never published, but it circulated from end to end of
Ireland in MS. Keating's history is anything but critical. Its value for
the scholar lies in the fact that the author had access to many
important sources of information now lost, and has preserved accounts of
events independent of and differing from those contained in the Four
Masters. In addition to the history and a number of poems, Keating is
also the author of two theological works in Irish, the Defence of the
Mass (_Eochairsgiath an Aifrinn_) and a collection of sermons entitled
the Three Shafts of Death (_Tri biorghaoithe an Bhais_), which are
models of Irish prose.

From the writers of historical narrative we turn to the annalists, the
most important sources of information with regard to Irish history. We
have already mentioned the _Synchronisms_ of Flann Mainistrech. Apart
from this work the earliest collection of annals which has come down to
us is the compilation by Tigernach O'Braein (d. 1088), abbot of
Clonmacnoise. Tigernach, whose work is partly in Latin, partly in Irish,
states that all Irish history previous to 305 B.C. is uncertain. No
perfect copy is known of this work, but several fragments are in
existence. The _Annals of Innisfallen_ (a monastery on an island in the
Lower Lake of