J. F. Campbell Collection > Transactions of the Ossianic Society > Volume 5

century written on vellum, which was until lately the pro-
perty of Thomas Hewitt, Esq., of Summerhill House, Cork,
a truly estimable gentleman most liberal in affording
every access to his splendid Library and valuable collection
of manuscripts. To him the Editor tenders his warmest
thanks for many favours received at his hands.
The copy taken from the Book of Mac Carthy Riagh
has been collated with another contained in a valuable
MS. on paper belonging to the late Rev. Mr. Lamb of
Newtownhamilton; and as the tract in the vellum MS. is a
little defaced at the beginning and ending, these portions
have been supplied from the paper copy.
Denis H. Kelly of Castlekelly, Esq., in the county of
Galway, whose knowledge of the ancient language of our
Irish MSS. is well known, made a translation into English
of this work in his own elegant style of composition, which
he most kindly placed at the disposal of the Ossianic
Society. The Editor, however, soon discovered tbat Mr.
Kelly's original Irish text must have been very imperfect
from the great variance observable in several passages
from that of the vellum copy, and he therefore deemed it
advisable to make his translation, in the first instance,
independent of the other to avoid confusion and omissions.
On comparing the two English versions he found them
happily to correspond in all those passages common to
both originals, which has convinced him of the correctness
of this translation.
To my good friend John Windele, Esq., of Blair's Castle,
Cork, the Members of the Ossianic Society are indebted for
the production of this volume. I had much reluctance in
undertaking such a task, being unwilling from past cxper-
rience to encounter the labour and difficulty necessarily
attending a work of the kind. My friend, however, whilst
appealing to mj^ patriotism and devotion to the good old