With respect to the arrangement of the Annotations, it is recommended to read, rather as an Introducton to the Annals, all the Notes which have apparently no immediate reference to the text of the Four Masters, such as the articles on the various ancient Colonies that peopled Ireland, and on the History and Kings of the early ages; on the Danish Wars, on Antiquities and Topography; for, by first reading those accounts of the ancient History before the English Invasion, the matters recorded in the Annals will be elucidated, and more easily understood, and as the Anglo-Norman Invasion immediately followed the Danish Wars, they both form part of one chain of events; hence the wars of the Anglo-Normans in this country, will be more clearly comprehended by first getting an account of the Danes and Norwegians, who were the ancestors of the Normans of France who conquered England, and afterwards, under the name of Anglo-Normans, or English, came here with Strongbow and his followers, and make such a remarkable figure in Irish History; therefore, it was considered important to elucidate these affairs, which was the more particularly required, until the first part of the Four Masters can be published at some future time.
The Topography of ancient Ireland, of which an account is given in the Introduction to these Annals, forms a peculiar feature in this work; it was written about 450 years ago, but is now for the first time translated from the original Irish, and published in these Notes with copious explanations and additions. These Topographies of O'Dugan and O'Heerin may be considered as a sort of "Domesday-Book" of Irish History, containing an account of the rank, titles, and territories of the Irish Princes, Lords, and Chiefs, in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, thus forming a most important record, and affording invaluable information on the ancient families, and great landed proprietors. In the additions to those topographical works, ample accounts are given of the rank, genealogies, and possessions, not only of the Irish Princes and Chiefs, but of the Nobility, and families of note of English descent in Ireland, with memoirs of many eminent Irish and English historical characters; the Annotations also contain a comprehensive outline of the History of each of the five Provinces or Kingdoms, Meath, Ulster, Connaught, Leinster, and Munster, which constituted the Irish Pentarchy, together with a condensed account of the History and Antiquities of every county, and of the Ancient Literature of each of the Provinces. It is to be observed that the numerous passages in parenthesis are not in the Irish of the Four Masters, but are additions explanatory of the text, and thus introduced to avoid the inconvenience of a great number of small notes, which would otherwise be required. The Index is condensed, but at the same time sufficiently comprehensive, and will be found to contain copious references to all the names of persons, places of note, and remarkable matters recorded either in the Text or Notes.
