The principal works which have been preserved are: the ANNALS OF TIGHERNACH (pron.

"Teernagh"); the ANNALS OF ULSTER; the ANNALS OF INIS MAC NERINN; the ANNALS OF INNISFALLEN; the ANNALS OF BOYLE; the CHRONICUM SCOTORUM, so ably edited by Mr.Hennessy; the world-famous ANNALS OF THE FOUR MASTERS; the BOOK OF LEINSTER; the BOOK OF LAWS (the Brehon Laws), now edited by Dr.Todd, and many books of genealogies and pedigrees.
For the present it must suffice to say, that these documents have been examined by the ordinary rules of literary criticism, perhaps with more than ordinary care, and that the result has been to place their authenticity and their antiquity beyond cavil.
Let us see, then, what statements we can find which may throw light on our early history, first in the fragments that remain of the lost books, and then in those which are still preserved.
The CUILMENN is the first of the lost books which we mentioned.

It is thus referred to in the Book of Leinster:[2] "The _files_ [bards] of Erinn were now called together by _Senchan Torpeist_ [about A.D.

580], to know if they remembered the _Tain bo Chuailgne_ in full; and they said that they knew of it but fragments only.

Senchan then spoke to his pupils to know which of them would go into the countries of _Letha_ to learn the _Tain_ which the _Sai_ had taken 'eastwards' after the _Cuilmenn_.