We shall now briefly notice the principal acts of the
first Christian kings, during the century immediately
succeeding St. Patrick's death. Of OLLIOL, who succeeded
Leary, we cannot say with certainty that he was a Christian.
His successor, LEWY, son of Leary, we are expressly told
was killed by lightning (A.D. 496), for "having violated
the law of Patrick"--that is, probably, for having
practised some of those Pagan rites forbidden to the
monarchs by the revised constitution. His successor,
MURKERTACH, son of Ere, was a professed Christian, though
a bad one, since he died by the vengeance of a concubine
named Sheen, (that is, _storm_,) whom he had once put
away at the instance of his spiritual adviser, but whom
he had not the courage--though brave as a lion in battle--to
keep away (A.D. 527). TUATHAL, "the Rough," succeeded
and reigned for seven years, when he was assassinated by
the tutor of DERMID, son of Kerbel, a rival whom he had
driven into exile. DERMID immediately seized on the throne
(A.D. 534), and for twenty eventful years bore sway over
all Erin. He appears to have had quite as much of the
old leaven of Paganism in his composition--at least in
his youth and prime--as either Lewy or Leary. He kept
Druids about his person, despised "the right of sanctuary"
claimed by the Christian clergy, and observed, with all
the ancient superstitious ceremonial, the national games
at Tailteen. In his reign, the most remarkable event was
the public curse pronounced on Tara, by a Saint whose
sanctuary the reckless monarch had violated, in dragging
a prisoner from the very horns of the altar, and putting
him to death. For this offence--the crowning act of a