The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends (19 page)

“So sorrowful we were at the distress of the queen, Breothighearn, and the helplessness of the king, Mongán, who could not prove what he knew to be true, that the Mother Goddess
relented and granted me a mortal body to return with these words of counsel and knowledge to those we left behind. At dawn, do you go and seek the cairn of Fothad Airgtheach and all shall be found
as I have said. The mouth of Caoilte Mac Ronán knows nothing of falsehoods and vain boasting. The rallying call of the Fianna was
–
‘The Truth against the World.’ Be
it so!”

With that, the stranger was suddenly no longer in their midst. He had vanished like a puff of smoke.

The following morning Mongán, with his queen, a sulking Dallán Forgaill, and his entire court, left the fortress and went to the green hill, as they had been told to do. The first
thing they saw was the stone rock where Caoilte had cast his spear. Then they saw the spot where Fothad Airgtheach had fallen and dug down to find an ancient spear-head. Then, a short way to the
east, they found a cairn above a stone coffin and on the cairn were the words carved in Ogham, exactly as the shade of Caoilte had described them.

“Well, poet?” demanded the king, pointing to the inscription.

But Dallán Forgaill had already left the company and set off south to his own country.

Mongán and Breothighearn went back to their fortress, rejoicing with their subjects that the curse of the poet had been lifted from them.

It is recorded that this was not the first nor the last time that Dallán Forgaill had abused his office as Chief Poet. It is told that Dallán Forgaill went to Aodh Mac Duach, the
king of Airghialla, and recited a poem in his praise. Then he demanded, as payment, the king’s great silver shield, with gold inlay, which had, it was said, been wrought by Gobhan the
smith-god.

Now the king was under a
geis
, a prohibition from the god, not to give the shield to any human. So King Aodh offered gold and silver from his own purse, but Dallán refused and
threatened to curse him, as he had tried to curse Mongán, but Aodh stood firm and said he could not part with the shield as it was forbidden by the gods. So Dallán in his arrogance
made his curse. But he had abused his art and the curse rebounded; the gods ensured that he lived only three days afterwards.

And of the grave of Fothad Airgtheach? Well, the hill is now called Ballyboley in the Valley of the Six Mile Water and there is still a cairn there, old and weather-worn. You cannot see now if
there was Ogham carved on it or not, it is so old. The old folk thereabouts will tell you that it marks the “King of Ireland’s Grave” and is a place where you must tread with
reverence.

Mongán was fortunate, however, that the Fianna had heard his distress and that Caoilte was allowed back from the Otherworld to avert the poet’s curse. Others have not always been so
fortunate. So beware of causing the tempestuous anger of the poet to break forth. The poet’s curse is a terrible thing.

7 Cellachain of Cashel

C
aiseal Mumhan, the stone fort of Munster, which is now called Cashel in the county of Tipperary, is a great limestone rock rising from the plain
some hundreds of feet, which dominates the surrounding countryside. It is a mystical place where, for twice a thousand years, the great dynasty of the Eóghanachta ruled Munster until the
last regnant king, Donal IX MacCarthy Mór, passed from this earth in
AD
1596 and the ancient kingdom fell to strangers, and these strangers finally drove the heirs of
the Eóghanachta out of the land and into exile.

It was said that when the sons of Golamh, who was also called Míl Easpain, invaded Éireann and defeated the ancient gods and goddesses, the children of Danu, the Divine Waters, two
sons of Golamh named Eber and Eremon decided to divide the land between them. To Eremon went the northern half of the island while to Eber Finn went the southern half, that is all the land from the
River Boyne, south to the Wave of Cliodhna.

Now the kings of Mumhan, the land of Eber Finn, sought for a suitable capital, from which to rule the great kingdom, for many years. It had to be a high place, from where they might view their
extensive kingdom and reach forth their hand to protect their people. Be it known that the very word
ríge
, meaning kingship, is the same as
ríge
, the act of reaching
forth. There were many petty kings in the line of Eber and each petty king wanted the over-king of Mumhan to reside in his territory so they would have prestige.

There were two swineherds. One of them was Duirdriu,
who was swineherd to the King of Éile, while the other was Cuirirán, swineherd to the King of
Múscraige. These territories were in Aurmuma, or Ormond, which simply means East Munster. The swineherds were tending their herds south along the river which rose in the kingdom of
Éile, which was the Suir. They had left the course of the river and gone to where the great rock rose from the plain.

It was a great wooded country and it was said that the gods and goddesses of the Otherworld haunted the great rock and its plains. The Bodb Dearg, the son of the Dagda, who succeeded his father
as the ruler of all the gods, had his palace in Munster and many women of the Otherworld married the rulers of the kingdom.

As they tended their herds by the rock, a great tiredness suddenly fell over Duirdriu and Cuirirán and they slept. It was an Otherworld sleep, for they slumbered for three days and three
nights.

In their sleep they saw a vision. They saw the prince called Corc, son of Lugaidh, of the line of the Eóghanachta, and they heard voices blessing him and hailing him as the descendant of
Eber the Fair, rightful ruler of all the Milesians. The voice proclaimed that the blessings Corc would have were without counting and such blessings were given to all who came to rule rightfully
and in justice at Cashel.

When the two swineherds awakened, Duirdriu hastened back to his lord, who was Conall Mac Nenta Con, king of Éile. When he heard about the vision, Conall went immediately and laid claim to
the land where this dream occurred, so that when the matter was reported to the prince Corc, son of Lugaidh, he would have to buy the land from Conall and Conall would obtain great prestige in
having the High King of Mumhan reside on his land.

Meanwhile Cuirirán, the other swineherd, had gone straight to Lugaidh and told him about the prophecy concerning his son Corc. The old man was delighted that his seed, and his dynasty,
would now be able to build a great capital and be blessed for as long as they ruled justly. So Lugaidh sent for his son Corc and told him he must go south to Cashel with Cuirirán.

Corc kindled a fire on the Rock of Cashel and solemnly laid claim to it in the name of the descendants of Eber. He sent Cuirirán to summon the under-kings of Munster
and it was the king of Múscraige who came hastening first to Cashel for Cuirirán was his swineherd and so went to him before anyone else. And the king of Múscraige bowed his
knee to Corc and demanded that all his line should be the first ever summoned to Cashel in time of need. This Corc said would be done.

When Conall Mac Nenta Con, king of Éile, was summoned to Cashel, he sent a messenger to Corc asking him arrogantly what profit there was in summoning him, the king of Éile, to
Cashel, for it was already in his possession. He demanded to know why Corc had taken possession of Cashel without first asking his permission. Now the message came by Duirdriu. Cuirirán told
Corc that Duirdriu had been with him when he had the vision and perhaps Duirdriu had reported the vision to Conall.

So when he had delivered the message, Cuirirán went up to Duirdriu as if he were an old friend and said: “You are tired from your journey. Come and drink with me, that you might be
refreshed.” So the swineherd of Éile drank strong ale and when the ale was upon him, he confessed to Cuirirán what he had done.

So Corc sent again to Conall of Éile to summon him to Cashel and to tell him, if he did not come, he must face Corc in a combat of truth. When Conall of Éile arrived, Corc had his
carpenter, Mochta, take his axe and heat it in a fire of blackthorn. When the axe was red-hot, Corc asked that he draw it from the fire.

“Whoever speaks the truth is protected. Come here, Conall, and place your tongue on the blade of this axe. If this land was truly yours, then you will not be harmed. But if you have
falsely claimed it to get tribute from me, then your tongue will be burnt.”

Now Conall Mac Nenta Con, king of Éile, was a man who was brave in war but he knew that he could not stand against the gods. So truth was the victor in this contest. Conall Mac Nenta Con,
king of Éile, made this prophecy: “Great my shame, true king of Mumhan. My sword will ever be in your
service and, at the time of the greatest need for your seed,
my seed will come to Cashel bearing poetry and sword, and both will be wrought in your cause.”

That pleased Corc and he made a truce with Conall. Indeed, he made a truce with all the under-kings of Munster, except with Cass of Luimneach on the Shannon, who claimed that he was the rightful
descendant of Eber Finn and should rule in Mumham. As everyone knew this to be false, they rejected Cass and his kind and had no dealings with them.

Cashel prospered and became the seat of Corc who, on the death of Lugaidh, became over-king of Mumhan and of all lesser kings and princes and chiefs. Even Duirdriu received a house at Raith na
nIrlann by the lawns of Cashel, and seven
cumals
, an ivory-hilted sword, a shield, horses and many fine clothes and silver. Therefore the Uí Druidrenn became the stewards at
Cashel.

Cashel was filled with even greater prosperity when the saintly Pádraig the Briton came, in the company of the holy Ailbe of Imleach, and baptised King Aonghus, son of Nad Fraích,
on the Rock.

As the centuries went by, some of the petty kings became envious of the peace and prosperity of Cashel. They were stirred by the descendants of Cass, who were called the Dál gCais in
northern Mumhan, which was called the kingdom of Thomond. Cass and his descendants still believed it was their right to rule in Mumhan. This dissension between the Dál gCais and the
Eóghanachta pleased the other kingdoms of Éireann, because it weakened the might of Mumhan and the Eóghanachta. It also pleased the kings of Lochlann, who sent shiploads of
warriors to help the Dál gCais. While pretending to be allies, Sitric of Lochlann arrived in Mumhan, and he started to carve out a kingdom for the men of Lochlann along its shores.

Mumhan was therefore rent with warfare and bloodshed and it was at that time when the King of Cashel, Lorcán Mac Coinligáin, was slain by the Dál gCais. The kingdom of
Mumhan was without a king, since the death of Lorcan and the Eóghanachta had even been deprived of Cashel by
Sitric. The men of Lochlann had captured it and held it as a
fortress, dominating all Mumhan.

So it was that Cennedig of the Dál gCais claimed that he should rule over Mumhan and he and his friends, the foreigners of Lochlann, laid a heavy burden on the kingdom. Cennedig sent out
a summons to all the chiefs of the Eóghanachta to assemble at Glennamain. “You have been without a king of Mumhan too long. As I have more right than any other to claim the kingship, I
do so. Every king and chieftain of the Eóghanachta must come to Glennamain and endorse my claim, according to the ancient law.”

Now there was a princess of the Eóghanachta named Fidelma, whose husband had been the lord Buadachán, who was cousin to King Lorcán. Buadachán had fallen in combat
against the warriors of Lochlann. He had left Fidelma with a son. This son was named Cellachain and the name meant “bright-headed”, for he was handsome and yellow-haired. When he came
to the age of choice, he was skilled in arms, in poetry and learning and, moreover, he became a man of wisdom.

When the Princess Fidelma heard Cennedig’s claim, she said to her son, Cellachain: “You are of the
derbhfhine
of the Eóghanachta. You are of the generations entitled to
claim the kingship. So let us go to Glennamain and challenge this upstart of the Dál gCais. You shall be king in Mumhan.”

Cellachain smiled weakly. “Would not Cennedig have his men ready to counter my argument with their swords?”

“Go and find the surviving champions of Cashel, who are dispersed throughout the countryside,” his mother advised him. “Bring them hither, so that they might accompany you to
Glennamain.”

Cellachain set out from Cashel to find those still loyal to the cause of the Eóghanachta and while he was away his mother, the princess of Cashel, also collected companies of warriors,
and arms and supplies so that the Eóghanachta might become victorious over their enemies.

Then Cellachain returned and with him came Donnchadh, king of Múscraige who, by right, was the first to be summoned to Cashel’s defence; then came Rígbaddán, whose
name meant “royal poet”, who was a descendent of Conall Mac Nenta Con, the former king of Éile; and lastly came Suilleabhan the Hawk-Eyed, who could trace
his descent to the great king Oilioll Ollamh.

Now the Princess Fidelma set out to Glennamain, with her son and the champions of Cashel. However, the army they gathered remained outside the assembly place. It was Princess Fidelma who came
before the assembly as they gathered to hear Cennedig’s claims.

The Dál gCais lord stood before the assembly in arrogance.

“I am Cennedig son of Lorcán, descended from the seed of Nua Segamain. Did not my ancestor Toirrdelbach cut down the sacred Yew Tree at Imleach (Emly), thereby foretelling how we of
the Dál gCais would one day cut down the power of the seed of Corc in Mumhan? Has this not come to pass? Now I am here wishing no more of bloodshed. I could take the crown of Mumhan with
only my sword to say I was the rightful king. Yet I will not. Accept me willingly as king of Mumhan, and I will restore peace to this land.”

One chieftain spoke up, and he was Brónach of the Sorrowful Countenance. “And will you ask Sitric, the king of the men of Lochlann, to depart in peace? Does not Sitric sit in
splendour on the Rock of Cashel where the Eóghanachta should be, by right? And has Sitric’s brother, Torna, been so assured of his right to remain here that he has married Mór,
daughter of Donnchadh of Caem?”