n o, m. cf. fál o, m. IGT, Decl. § 96 . (orig. neut. ? n p. fala, Laws v 500.9 ). The pl. forms fáltaigib, fáltaib, cited below, are perhaps caused by contamination with 1 búaile (q.v.) which is common in similar contexts. A fence, hedge, enclosure: fál `a hedge' Kirk = Eg. Gl. 334 . domfarcai fidbaidae fál a hedge of trees overlooks me Thes. ii 290.7 . fri frega f.¤ `against the wall-fence' 293.22 ( SP ii 9 ). clár cóir cobsaid ... fal fri fóir forsaid, SR 982 (cf. fal ḟossud 986 ). draighneach bis i fal...`a blackthorn which is in a ... fence' Laws iv 150.11 Comm. felmae quasi fal im bae, ar is fal fedae focorthar ind, O'Mulc. 511 . ro choimhrithsat na huain ar amus a maithrech, ár ní raba fal eatarra, Lism. L. 4847 . ba fal re mbruchtud robarta `a hedge against the swelling of a spring-tide' (of a hopeless undertaking), Cog. 162.22 . focherd-san a ḟál mbodhbha ... i n-imthimcheall ceitri n-ollchóiged nErenn, TBC-LL¹ p. 381 n. 1 , cf. 'na cathchliathaibh ... ┐ 'na faltaighibh bodba umpu, CCath. 2691 (faltaibh v.l. see Compds. below, under -tech). fál catha, CCath. 1722 = moenia clausa ... iuvenum Luc. Phars. iii 373 . fal mara `a sea-wall ' (expl. of Fālgai = Fālchae) Ériu ii 22.11 . fál tonnmhuire 'na thimchioll the billowing sea as hedge TD 28.35 . g s. nach faicci ... inad in fail? `the site of the wall' (of a camp) CCath. 2997 . athnuagugad na mur ┐ tormach na rath ┐ na ḟal (of fortifying Troy) LL 407a42 . d'faltaib in longphuirt, CCath. 5421 . fá na fáltuibh, Luke xiv 23 . do bhris tú a ḟálta uile all his hedges Psalms lxxxix 40 . do phlanduigh ... fíneamhain ┐ do chuir fál uimpe (= saepivit eam) TSh. 10484 . leim tar fal amach a leap over the hedge (i.e. an evasion) Luc. Fid. 286.7 . Often fig.: nai ngrad na gnath-ṡairsi | bud f.¤ fam naomhaib-si, ZCP viii 214.10 . inti scuchas fal dochraite dibh the barrier of oppression Laws iv 376.16 Comm. f.¤ na fírinde, IGT, Decl. ex. 1068 . mar chleathaibh ceangail ar an bhf.¤ bhfírinne se, TSh. 6714 . f.¤ na foghluma, Studies 1924, 89 . na soibhéasa bhíos 'na bhf.¤ timcheall na hanma, TSh. 1469 . ... atáid 'na bhfál re broscar bíodhbhadh, Keat. Poems 35 . In Laws, a legal barrier: cis lir fala for iadat dilse cacha selba, SM Facs. 1a20 (`how many are the bars which shut up the right to every kind of property ?' Laws v 500.9 ). fal fine (.i. inn imi dani in fer fini, etc.) ib. SM Facs. 23 ( Laws v 500. 10 ). muna tuctar, is fal `unless they are given, it is a bar' Laws v 504.5 Comm. fal anfaitcis (.i. ... in ime doni in tí ac na bi faitechus ceille co comlan), Laws v 508.19 . Cf. ZCP iv 227 . fal fingaili (= the murder of a kinsman as an impediment to assuming sovereignty) Leb. Cert. 110.17 .

Compds.: ¤airbe hedge-fence: (fig. of an encircling phalanx) fál-airbi ferrda ... Frangc, MR 214.17 . ¤chip close phalanx: pl. fālchipeada fēigi, 224.6 . ¤chliath a hurdle: co rallsat ... falcliatha sciach ┐ draigen isin n-āth, Dinds. 61 . ¤dos = a thornhedge: Micah vii 4 . ¤tech (?) an enclosure, pen: alma ┐ éiti ... iarna lecud as a faltaigib ┐ a fidbualtib, LL 265a9 ( MU² 390 ). Cf. CCath. 2691 cited above.

n m. a king (?): f.¤ .i. rī, Corm. Y 650 . O'Cl. fal .i. ri no muir [leg. mūr, ACL iii 331 ], ut est fal scothe sinnath `king of speech is satire' O'Dav. 846 (but perh. we should read falscothe ? Cf. 1 fallscad). Fáelan ... gér caemḟál, LL 32b27 . Fergus na fāl (: Baetān) F. of the chiefs (?) Rawl. 163a5 = BB 79a26 . Prob. a fig. use of 1 fál . Hence possibly the compd. fálgus: f. féig (: Cnámrus) `eager strength of chieftains' Metr. Dinds. iii 130 .

n abundance (?) : f.¤ .i. iomad, O'Cl. Leb. Gab.(i) i 102 n. 7 ( fal ). fal (fan v.l.) romiad `abundance of great honours' RC xxvi 28.2 (with gl.: immad na fer romiadach, LL 187b53 ) Cf. citt. under 4 fál .

n o, m. science, learning (?): fal .i. achmhaing [sic] ` ability ' O[ld] G[lossary], P. O'C. sruth fáil `a stream o science' RC xxvi 22.14 (with gl.: aiste imda nó immad na hecsi no fál gotha cáich no Inis Fāil, LL 187a34 . na haiste imda .i. immad na ecse no fál gotha cáich no is [s]ruith i n-inis Fail, Rawl. 109a8 ). Neither texts nor glosses furnish sufficient ground for assuming a subst. fál = learning .

n o, m.

(a) name of the stone at Temair (Tara ) said to have been brought to Ireland by the Tuatha Dé Danann, and generally known as the Lia Fáil . Not to be associated with a conical stone on Ráth na Ríogh, Celtica xxi 396, 400, Ériu I 167-68 : is iat Tuatha D.D. tucsat leo in fál mór .i. in lia fis baí i Temraig, LL 9a14 . BB 32b23 (see Ériu viii 106 ). Fál i tóeb dumai na ngiall atuaid .i. cloch in sin no géissed fonti no gebad rígi nHerenn LL 30az . fál ainm na clochi sin .i. fó ail .i. ail fo ríg, LL 30b2 . BB 32a19 . in cloch nogeissed fo chossaib cach ríg nogeibedh hErinn, Fal ainm na cloichi sin (etc., as in LL 30aff .) RC xv 281.22 . BB 350a18 . an Lia Fail bui a Temraig nogesed fo cech rig nogebad Erinn, RC xii 56 § 3 . cec[h]aing dar fal faen Temrach , BB 378b27 = fol, KZ xxxiii 83 (from H3.3, where it is glossed .i. lia fail). lengait Temraig tren titacht tuath Galeoin, | golaid lia Fail fri falgud fairni faireoin, Rawl. 115b22 ( Ält. Ir. Dichtg. i 41 ). Fāl anmaim na cloche, ZCP iii 459.1 (Baile in Scáil). rogēs fāl foat cosaib-se, ib. 5 (O'Curry, MS. Mat. 618 ). bai Fal and, Ferp cluche ... intī arfemath flaith Temrach, gloedad in Fal fri fonnad in charpait, Ériu vi 134.25 . teit dochum Fail. ... ; gloedith in Fal. `Arraet Fal' forsint slua[i]g 135.54 . an Lia Fáil: ... saxum fatale ... gaireas Hector Boetius di i stair na hAlban, Keat. i p. 100 ( ainm eile dhi cloch na cinneamhna, 206 ). The interpretation of Lia F.¤ `the stone of destiny' is not supported by ancient testimony. (see Journal of the Ivernian Soc., 1910 p. 152 ff .). Cf. roth Fáil Flaind, Metr. Dinds. iv 154.123 . co Fál as far as F., an expression used in connection with Irish kings to imply that they were high-kings of Ireland ( Wortk. 42 ): Eir[i]u fo Chund, Conn co Fal (: brāth), Anecd. ii 8.4 . Cuan iar Failbe co Fal (: Cuān) (i.e. after Failbe, k. of Munster, reigned Cuan, who was also high-king), Rawl. 163a40 . Núadha Finn Fáil ... no thaidhledh co minic in Lía Fáil ic cluici fría ┐ ag suirghi 'he used to visit the Lia Fáil often, playing with it [lit. her] and courting', Cóir Anm. ii § 85 .

(b) As a name of Ireland: Rudraige rí Fáil, LL 129a15 = BB 47b18 . ingen Echach Find Fáil, TBC-LL¹ 1675 . d'feraib Fail, 3119 . filid Fail, LL 38a4 = Auraic. 5385 . rí fionn Fáil, Keat. ii 5464 .

(c) more often in gen. preceded by inis, mag, crich, etc.: in Fál Mór .i. in lia fis bái i Temraig diata Mag Ḟáil for Herind, Ériu viii 106 (< LL 9a ). Temair Tiri Fail, ZCP iii 459.2 . crích Fáil, Ériu iv 222.2 . Inis Fáil, Keat. i p. 100.206 . d'écsib innsi Fáil, Ériu iv 220.9 . Magh Fáil, IGT, Decl. § 176 . Keat. i p. 100.206 (cit.), see TD i p. lvii . Cf. Inis Fo ail name of the mythical island whence the Lia F. was brought ZCP iii 459.2 . Inis Fáil name of Beggery Island, Co. Wexford. Onom.

(d) cf. further: firu Faal (= f. Fálchae ?) ZCP viii 564 . See Heldensage i-ii 430 . bid olc de cuanaib fal fomoiri fo tuili ZCP xii 403.17 (rhet.).

Compds.: ¤inis Ireland: rí for fíannaib Fáilinse, LL 128b21 = MacCarthy 182 . ¤mag id. Falmag, ScM. § 3 ; gen. Falmaige, ZCP viii 102.16 . Cf. i n-inpher an Falmoigh RC xi 130.19 (for decl. cf. Maonmach, IGT, Decl. § 138 ).

n (<Norman-French val) valley: fál .i. fánaidh isin Berla, Ériu xiii 82.303 . See fáltach.