The second settlement of Ireland is what puzzles historians of to-day—not the old historians, for they, nine out of ten, admit that the Formorians, Firbolgs, and Tuath de Danans, were one and the same people. They were a divine folk. The Tribe of Dan was a sea-faring Tribe, trading from Tyre to Tarshish for tin, and so became acquainted with the British Isles, and during Ahab’s persecution many of them fled; so of the Simeonites who settled in Wales. This shows us why the North and South of Ireland should be so distinct to this day in religion, enterprise, and general characteristics. When the Tribe of Dan finally left Palestine, they with the other Nine Tribes went North, settling in Denmark, as in the North of Ireland, leaving their names on rivers, hills, cities, and things.
It is this that accounts for so many words of an Hebrew origin being found in the Irish language. General Vallancy has compared thousands and finds them thus related to the Hebrew. Instance: Jobhan-Moran, Chief Justice; Rectaire, Judge; Mur-Ollam, School of the Prophets; Ollam-Folla, Divine Teacher; Mergech, a Depository; Tara, Law; Tephi, Prince of the East; Lia-Fail, Stone of Destiny; Eden Gedoulah, Precious Stone.
If to Irish history we join Bible history, all is plain. God promised David repeatedly that he should always have his throne and on it his seed. The permanence of David’s throne makes it a fit type of Christ’s. Now, Jeremiah took charge of Zedekiah’s daughter when Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews captive. He went to Egypt, then escaped, God promising to keep him whithersoever he went. So he disappears. No account of his death in the Bible. He had charge of the ark of the covenant, royal seed and Jacob’s pillow—the stone of Israel. Irish histories, some twenty of which we find agree, say that about 585 b.c., a divine man landed in Ulster, having with him the king’s daughter, stone of destiny, and ark, and many other wonderful things. The people of Ulster, of Dan, understood the old adventurer. Jeremiah married Tephi, Zedekiah’s daughter, to Eoiacaid, who agreed to abandon Baal worship and build a school for the prophets. So he did. He then assumed the title of Heremon of Tara. From Tara, which was changed from Lothair Croffin into Tara. From Tephi comes our goddess of Liberty, on old coins, sitting on a lion. Now, at Tara, Jeremiah buried the ark of the covenant, tables of law, &c., and instituted the nine-arch degree of Masonry, to keep in mind its hiding-place,—so all may understand Jer. iii. 16: “And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.” This means that when the ark is found the ceremony will end; for the ark has to be found and go before the Jews when they return to their own land. Jeremiah was the first Grand Master. He, too, is the real St. Patrick—simply the Patriarchal Saint, which became St. Patriarch, then St. Patrick. The Roman Church introduced St. Patrick to offset the St. Patriarch.
Jeremiah well knew where the Tribes of Israel were in his
day. He knew that Judah, Levi, and Benjamin, were in Babylon, filling in the seventy years of captivity, and the small remnant that Nebuchadnezzar left of them in Judah were scattered hither and thither. The Nine Tribes, or Israel, were settled in Central Asia, and were spreading Northward and Westward. This he knew, as easily as Peter did centuries after, when he wrote his epistle to the brethren, scattered abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Asia; or as James, who dedicated his epistle to the Twelve Tribes which were scattered abroad; or as the Blessed Master who commissioned and sent His disciples after the lost sheep of the House of Israel. The place and locality of the Nine Tribes were known to the Jewish nation in the time of Josephus, the historian, for he speaks of them, and gives them a fraternal letter which the House of Judah sent unto the House of Israel. You are to keep in mind that it is after this the Tribes of Israel are to be lost. All prophecies after 700 b.c., up to this, our day, and till about 1882 a.d., that had reference to Israel, plainly mark out the dwelling-place of these Tribes, and yet these prophecies not being understood, till these latter days, Israel was as actually lost as if there had been no such prophecies. These prophecies were first sent North, then West, and then to the “isles of the sea.” The law of the Gospel of Jesus would be sent to these Tribes; till then the “isles had to wait for the law.” In due time this law was carried to them by the missionary Tribe of Benjamin. This very thing and time the prophet had foretold, for he says: “Wherefore glorify ye the Lord by the Urim; the name of the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the Western sea.” How true, indeed “the isles of the sea saw it and feared.” Jeremiah knew that the Tribe of Dan were a seafaring people, and in their trading they had become acquainted with Northern Europe and the British Isles. During the persecutions of Ahab thousands of them had left Palestine, settling in Denmark—this word Denmark means the circle of Dan. In course of time they
crossed the sea and took possession of the North of Ireland, settling in the province of Ulster. The Tribe of Simeon, that had ever cast its lot with Dan, left Palestine and settled in Wales. Read the prophetic benedictions of the patriarch Jacob in the light of these historical facts, and they will stand out in sunlight brightness. “Dan shall judge his people as one of the Tribes of Israel.” In his oneness, all alone he shall go out first, mark out and prepare the way of the other Tribes; and the royal seed, the ruling power, shall hide itself in him. “Dan shall be a serpent by the way; an adder in the path that biteth the horses’ heels so that his rider shall fall backward.” Yes, Dan will be hid among the Gentiles. He will bite them, sting them, frustrating their purposes. Then exclaims Jacob: “I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord.” Dan did wait, until the prophet Jeremiah landed in his midst with Tea Tephi, the daughter of Zedekiah, the royal seed, with the ark of the covenant, the tables of the law, the Urim and Thummim, which would enable Dan to judge his people, with the stone of Jacob, the pillar witness, which is now in the royal chair in Westminster Abbey; and also with the standard of Judah. Thus the prophet, who was the rightful custodian of all these things, carefully cared for the same, leaving them in charge of Dan. All but the stone have been concealed till the latter day. For on this stone have been crowned all the kings and queens of David’s line.
Now just here we must take up history—especially Irish history—for in this matter and at this very point, you will find profane and sacred histories agreeing. One will beautifully explain the other; nor can anybody understand Irish history unless they get the key from sacred history. To take this key later writers have been unwilling, and, therefore, they have been unable to solve the problem embodied in this race and nation. No people on the face of the earth have been less understood and more misrepresented. The real allophyllians of
Ireland—that is, the first native settlers—are unknown. The present inhabitants are not autochthonal, no more than we are the first settlers of this country. On one point all old historians are agreed—namely, that Ireland has been settled by two distinct colonies of people; and from these two colonies came the present Irish race. These two colonies were distinct in features, manners, customs, enterprise, and religion, and after all these centuries have passed away, these differences are discernable in some degree, especially so in enterprise and religion. And though, of course, in these latter years, they have become considerably mixed, yet an appeal on either of these points will mark out the Danite from the Phœnician. From the loud boasting of the Phœnician Irishman in Ireland, when speaking of America, you would think that he would pluck out his eyes and give them for a gift if need be. Well, a few years ago, Chicago was bitterly scourged with a fire. The need and distress thus caused appealed to the nations of the earth for help. The response was grand and glorious. Even hateful old John Bull did well. But what did Ireland do? Take two of her leading cities as an example; one in the North, the other in the South. Belfast in the North, of the Tribe of Dan; Dublin in the South, of the Phœnicians. Belfast sent 36,000 dols.; Dublin, 2,000 dols. Why this difference? We answer, Forsooth, the people of Belfast are Danites; they of Dublin are Phœnicians.
The Phœnicians, or Philistines, were the ancient Canaanites. They took early possession of Ireland. On this point the old as well as the new historians generally agree. But there was another early settlement in the North of Ireland whom the historians called Tuath de Danan, which simply means the folks of the Tribe of Dan. They introduced into the Irish language hundreds of Hebrew words, with many customs and legends of the Hebrews. They were very distinct in their enterprise and religion from the other settlers. About the year 580 b.c. there
appeared before this people a strange man, whom the historians call Ollam-Folla, which means a divine teacher; the name or title is in Hebrew. This man, whoever he was, soon wielded great power in their midst. What he commanded they seemed ready to do. He very soon inaugurated wonderful reforms. He gave them a parliament, made them give up their idolatrous customs. He founded a college to train students to teach and preach his religion. It was called Mur-Ollam, school of the Divine. Here again the name is Hebrew, although in Irish. This wonderful man had with him a fair young princess, whose name in Hebrew-Irish was Tea Tephi, which means the beautiful one from the East. This lovely princess was married to the governor of Ulster, Heremon. He resided in the City of Lothair Croffin. In the agreement of the marriage, among many things, he was to accept her religion, give her joint authority, and build the Mur-Ollam, or college, and sustain it. Also to change the name of his city from Lothair Croffin to Tara, which means law; to adopt her standard or banner emblem, the harp and lion, and to be crowned on the wonderful stone called in Irish-Hebrew, Lia-Fail, which means stone of destiny, sometimes called Eben Gedoulah, the precious stone. From this Tea Tephi we get our female goddess of liberty, who on old coins is seated upon a lion with the Davidian harp in her hand.