I trust I am offering to my Countrymen an acceptable present; the gift has novelty, at least, to recommend it. Though Ireland has been long famed for its Poetry and Music, these subjects have never yet been treated of historically. I do not pretend to have done completely, what has lain so long undone: no doubt many sources of information still remain unopened, and many documents unconsulted. However, I have marked out a path which may facilitate the pursuit of those who shall hereafter follow me.