| An Leabhar Gabala (The Book of Invasions, c. | | | | late as the seventeenth century Geoffrey Keating |
| eleventh century) details the origins of the Gaelic | | | | utilised the myth to promote the claim of the |
| people. They descended from the Goideal Glas, | | | | Stuart dynasty to reign over Ireland, |
| who came from Scythia (a vast area covering | | | | demonstrating that Charles I was descended |
| present day Ukraine, South West Russia and | | | | through Brian Boru, Eber and Galamh, from Noah |
| Central Asia), and Scota, a daughter of an | | | | and from Adam. |
| Egyptian Pharaoh. Their descendants left Egypt at | | | | Until the late nineteenth century historians readily |
| the time of the Exodus of Moses, they wandered | | | | accepted that The Book of Invasions was an |
| until they arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, where | | | | accurate and true account of the history of |
| they settled. Breogan built a tower at Brigantia (in | | | | Ireland. Eoin MacNeill was the first commentator |
| present day Galicia) from the top of which his son | | | | to cast doubt on it, in his seminal works - Phases |
| Ith first saw Ireland. | | | | of Irish History and Celtic Ireland. Subsequently, |
| Ith made an expedition to Ireland but was killed | | | | historians have being divided as to whether The |
| by the Tuatha De Dannan, in revenge the eight | | | | Book of Invasions is a mere fiction, concocted for |
| sons of Ith's brother Mil Espaine landed in Co. | | | | a number of reasons including an attempt to |
| Kerry and fought their way to Tara, eventually | | | | debase the early pagan religions by transforming |
| defeating the Tuatha De Dannan. The Milesians | | | | their gods into mere mortals, and the other school |
| divided the country amongst their principal leaders, | | | | of thought who maintain that it is a historical work |
| establishing themselves as the dominant class. TF | | | | of merit. O'Rahilly in his Early Irish History and |
| O'Rahilly proposed that the descent of the kings | | | | Mythology concludes that fact and fiction blend in |
| of Ireland from the kings of Mil is a fiction created | | | | the early Irish manuscripts and that we must |
| to provide legitimacy for the Goidels who invaded | | | | tread with caution to decipher which is which |
| Irealand in the second century BC, giving them | | | | when we are trawling the ancient primary |
| the same origin as the people they dominated. As | | | | sources. |