Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

2/2 Old Irish Religions.
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houses, is another question." Miss Beaufort says— " The
object for which the towers were built is distinctly mentioned
in the ancient history, called the Psalter of Cashel^ and that
of Tara, to be for the preservation of the sacred fires of
Baal, the Baal-Theine." Elsewhere, she writes— " The
Druidic temples of Vesta, in which were kept the sacred or
eternal fire, were called
Tlachgs^ or temples of Cybele, being
of the same construction with the Pyrathea of the ancient
Persians."
Windele thus expresses his views— " Their Irish names,
Tiir-agJian or ad/un, FeidJi-neiniJisdJi and Cileagh^ are of
themselves conclusive as to their pagan origin, and announce
at once a fane devoted to that form of religion, compounded
of Sabaeism or star-worship and Buddhism, of which the
sun, represented by fire, was the principal deity."
Buddhism is here a sort of sun-worship, and not after
the teaching of the Founder. However pure the sentiments
originally taught, and now professed in Esoteric Buddhism
and Theosophy, all travellers admit that ancient pagan
ideas have come through to the surface of Buddhism, and
largely represent idolatrous action.
Yet, they who recognize
in the Irish Towers the former presence of Buddhist
missionaries, fancy the buildings might have contained the
relics of Budh. H. O'Brien regards the Sacred Tree of
Budh to have been primarily a lingam, and secondarily
a tree. He reads in the Irish Budh-gaya an allusion to
generativeness. Forlong looks upon the tower as a deposit
for lingam articles in secret recesses.
Anna Wilkes in Ireland, Ur of the C/ialdees, writes
" There can be no doubt the Towers in the interior of
Hindostan bear more than a striking likeness to those
remaining in Ireland. These resemblances are to be found
in such great quantities in the latter place, that it is impossible
but to believe that Ireland was the centre from