The Triads Of Ireland - Part 9
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Part 9

103. Tri comartha meraigi: slicht a chire ina [.f]olt, slicht a [.f]iacal ina chuit, slicht a luirge ina diaid.

[Note 103: comarthadha M meraigthe N 'na cend BM 'na cuit BM inandiaig B na diaidh M]

104. Tri maidme cluanaigi: ato ar do scath, rosaltrus fort, rotflinch_us_ com etach.

[Note 104: cluainige BM ato BM atu L rodsaltar M rosaltrur ort L rosflinch_us_ com edach N rofliuchus com ediuch BM comh edach L]

105. Tri bi focherdat marbdili: oss foceird a congna, fid foceird a duille, cethra focerdat a mbren[.f]inda.

[Note 105: _om._ BMHLec]

106. Tri scenb Herenn: Tulach na nEpscop, Ached Deo, Duma mBuirig.

[Note 106: _om._ BMHLec achad N]

107. Tri hingnad Herenn: lige inn abaic, lige nEothuili, allabair i foccus.

[Note 107: _om._ BMHLec hinganta N allubuir a fogus N]

108. Tri daurthige Herenn: daurthech Birra, daurthech Cluana Eidnech, daurthech Leithglinde.

[Note 108: _om._ BMHLec]

109. Tri hingena berta miscais do mithocod: labra, lesca, anidna.

[Note 109: do mitocuid N do togud BM lesce N anidna N nemidna BM .i.

esinrucas _add._ H]

110. Tri hingena berta seirc do chaintocud: tua, escuss, idnae.

[Note 110: beres L berta seircce de caintogud BM serc N caintocaid N tri hadbair serci Lec toa esces idna N esca BMLec]

111. Tri tua ata ferr labra: tua fri forcital, tua fri hairfitiud, tua fri procept.

[Note 111: labrai N sproicept B sproicepht M fri aithfrend N]

112. Tri labra ata ferr tua: ochan rig do chath, sreth immais, molad iar luag.

[Note 112: uchan N ocon_n_ BM hairfidiud _no_ fis BM luadh B]

113. Tri hailgesa etualaing .i. eirg cen co dechais, tuc cenitbe, dena ceni derna.

[Note 113: haisgeadha edualaing B erg gen cotis H tuc gen gud beirg (?) gen go gaemais dena gen go heda B tuca gen cobe N gen gudbe M gen [go] dernais N gen go feta HM]

114. Tri hamaite bit[e] i ndrochthig oiged .i. sentrichem senchaillige, roschaullach ingine moile, sirite gillai.

[Note 114: hamaide drochtoighe BM sentriche caillige BM sentrichim N rosc cailleach ingine siridhe gillai BM siride N sirithe L]

115. Tri hairig na ndualche: sant, craes, etrad.

103. Three signs of a fop: the track of his comb in his hair, the track of his teeth in his food, the track of his stick[68] behind him.

[68] Or 'cudgel.'

104. Three ungentlemanly boasts: I am on your track, I have trampled on you, I have wet you with my dress.

105. Three live ones that put away dead things: a deer shedding its horn, a wood shedding its leaves, cattle shedding their coat.[69]

[69] Literally, 'stinking hair.'

106. Three places of Ireland to make you start: Tulach na n-Escop,[70]

Achad Deo,[71] Duma mBuirig.

[70] A hill near Kildare. See Thesaurus Palaeo-hibernicus ii.. p. 335.

[71] At Tara. See Todd's _Irish Nennius_, p. 200.

107. Three wonders of Ireland: the grave of the dwarf,[72] the grave of Trawoh.e.l.ly,[73] an echo near.[74]

[72] Somewhere in the west (i n-iarthar Erenn, Fel., p. clvii).

[73] See Todd's _Irish Nennius_, p. 199, and Zeitschrift fur Celt. Phil, v., p. 23.

[74] Nothing is known to me about this wonder.

108. Three oratories of Ireland: the oratory of Birr, the oratory of Clonenagh, the oratory of Leighlin.

109. Three maidens that bring hatred upon misfortune: talking, laziness, insincerity.

110. Three maidens that bring love to good fortune: silence, diligence, sincerity.

111. Three silences that are better than speech: silence during instruction, silence during music, silence during preaching.

112. Three speeches that are better than silence: inciting a king to battle, spreading knowledge (?),[75] praise after reward.[76]

[75] _Sreth immais_, which I have tentatively translated by 'spreading knowledge,' is used as a technical term in poetry for connecting all the words of a verse-line by alliteration, as e.g. _slatt_, _sacc_, _socc_, _simend_, _saland_. See Ir. Texte iii., p. 30.

[76] _Cf._ LL. 344_a_: Carpre asks Cormac what are the sweetest things he has heard, and Cormac answers: 'A shout of triumph after victory, praise after reward, the invitation of a fair woman to her pillow.'

113. Three impossible demands: go! though you cannot go, bring what you have not got, do what you cannot do.

114. Three idiots that are in a bad guest-house: the chronic cough of an old hag, a brainless tartar of a girl, a hobgoblin of a gillie.

115. The three chief sins: avarice, gluttony, l.u.s.t.

116. Trede neimthigedar crossan: rige oile, rige theighe, rige bronn.

117. Trede neimthigedar cirmaire: coimrith fri coin hi[c] cosnum chnama, adarc reithi do dirgud dia anail cen tenid, dichetal for ochtraig co rathochra a mbi ina ichtur for a uachtar do cho[.n]gna [et] cnamaib [et]

adarcaib.