by Irish Myths
verses he would quiet any one. And it is what he said: "Daring
Red Ridge," he said, "good in battle, if you go from me to-day
with your great name it is a good parting for us. But once at Rath
Cro," he said, "I gave you three times fifty ounces in the one day;
FINN'S HELPERS
201
and at Cam Ruidhe I gave you the full of my cup of silver and of
yellow gold. And do you remember," he said, "the time we were
at Rath Ai, when we found the two women, and when we ate the
nuts, myself and yourself were there together."
And after that the young man said no more about going from
him.
And another helper came to Finn one time he was fighting at a
ford, and all his weapons were used or worn with the dint of the
fight. And there came to him a daughter of Mongan of the Sidhe,
bringing him a flat stone having a chain of gold to it. And he took
the stone and did great deeds with it. And after the fight the stone
fell into the ford, that got the name of Ath Liag Finn.
And that stone will never be found till the Woman of the
Waves will find it, and will bring it to land on a Sunday morning;
and on that day seven years the world will come to an end.
202
B O O K T HRE E :
THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE STRAND
CHAPTER I.
THE ENEMIES OF IRELAND
Of all the great battles the Fianna fought to keep the foreigners
out of Ireland, the greatest was the one that was fought at Finntraigh the White Strand, in Munster; and this is the whole story of it, and of the way the Fianna came to have so great a name.
One time the enemies of Ireland gathered together under Daire
Donn, High King of the Great World, thinking to take Ireland and
to put it under tribute.
The King of Greece was of them, and the King of France, and
the King of the Eastern World, and Lughman of the Broad Arms,
King of the Saxons, and Fiacha of the Long Hair, King of the
Gairean, and Tor the son of Breogan, King of the Great Plain, and
Sligech, son of the King of the Men of Cepda, and Comur of the
Crooked Sword , King o f the Men of the Dog-Heads , and
Caitchenn, King of the Men of the Cat-Heads, and Caisel of the
Feathers, King of Lochlann, and Madan of the Bent Neck, son of
the King of the Marshes, and three kings from the rising of the
sun in the east, and Ogarmach, daughter of the King of Greece,
the best woman-warrior that ever came into the world, and a
great many other kings and great lords.
The King of the World asked then: "Who is there can give me
knowledge of the harbours of Ireland?" "I will do that for you, and
I will bring you to a good harbour," said Glas, son of Dremen, that
had been put out of Ireland by Finn for doing some treachery.
Then the armies set out in their ships, and they were not gone
far when the wind rose and the waves, and they could hear nothing but the wild playing of the sea-women, and the screams of frightened birds, and the breaking of ropes and of sails. But after a
while, when the wind found no weakness in the heroes, it rose
THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE STRAND
203
from them and went up into its own high place. And then the sea
grew quiet and the waves grew tame and the harbours friendly,
and they stopped for a while at an island that was called the
Green Rock. But the King of the World said then: "It is not a harbour like this you promised me, Glas, son of Dremen, but a shore of white sand where my armies could have their fairs and their
gatherings the time they would not be fighting. " "I know a harbour of that sort in the west of Ireland," said Glas, "the Harbour of the White Strand in Corea Duibhne. " So they went into their
ships again, and went on over the sea towards Ireland.
CHAPTER II.
CAEL AND CREDHE
Now as to Finn, when it was shown to him that the enemies of
Ireland were coming, he called together the seven battalions of
the Fianna. And the place where they gathered was on the hill
that was called Fionntulach, the White Hill, in Munster. They
often stopped on that hill for a while, and spear-shafts with spells
on them were brought to them there, and they had every sort of
thing for food, beautiful blackberries, haws of the hawthorn, nuts
of the hazels of Cenntire, tender twigs of the bramble bush, sprigs
of wholesome gentian, watercress at the beginning of summer.
And there would be brought to their cooking-pots birds out of the
oak-woods, and squirrels from Berramain, and speckled eggs
from the cliffs, and salmon out of Luimnech, and eels of the Sionnan, and wood-cocks of Fidhrinne, and otters from the hidden places of the Daile, and fish from the coasts of Buie and Beare,
and dulse from the bays of Cleire.
And as they were going to set out southwards, they saw one of
their young men, Cael, grandson of Nemhnain, coming towards
them. "Where are you come from, Cael? " Finn asked him. "From
Brugh na Boinne," said he. "What were you asking there?" said
Finn. "I was asking to speak with Muirenn, daughter of Derg, that
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IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS
was my own nurse," said he. "For what cause?" said Finn. "It was
about a high marriage and a woman of the Sidhe that was showed
to me in a dream; Credhe, it was I saw, daughter of the King of
Ciarraighe Luachra." "Do you know this, Cael," said Finn, "that
she is the greatest deceiver of all the women of Ireland; and there
is hardly a precious thing in Ireland but she has coaxed it away to
her own great dun." "Do you know what she asks of every man
that comes asking for her?" said Cael. "I know it," said Finn; "she
will let no one come unless he is able to make a poem setting out
the report of her bowls and her horns and her cups, and her grand
vessels and all her palaces." "I have all that ready," said Cael; "it
was given to me by my nurse, Muirenn, daughter of Derg."
They gave up the battle then for that time, and they went on
over every hilly place and every stony place till they came to Loch
Cuire in the west; and they came to the door of the hill of
the Sidhe and knocked at it with the shafts of their long goldsocketted spears. And there came young girls having yellow hair to the windows of the sunny houses; and Credhe herself, having
three times fifty women with her, came out to speak with them.
"It is to ask you in marriage we are come," said Finn. "Who is it is
asking for me?" said she. "It is Cael, the hundred-killer, grandson
of Nemhnain, son of the King of Leinster in the east. " "I have
heard talk of him, but I have never seen him," said Credhe. "And
has he any poem for me? " she said. "I have that," said Cael, and
he rose up then and sang his poem:
"A journey I have to make, and it is no easy journey, to the
house of Credhe against the breast of the mountain, at the Paps of
Dana; it is there I must be going through hardships for the length
of seven days. It is pleasant her house is, with men and boys and
women, with Druids and musicians, with cup-bearer and doorkeeper, with horse-boy that does not leave his work , with distributer to share food; and Credhe of the Fair Hair having command over them
all.
"It would be delightful to me in her dun, with coverings and
with down, if she has but a mind to listen to me.
THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE STRAND
205
"A bowl she has with juice of berries in it to make your eyebrows black; crystal vats of fermenting grain; beautiful cups and vessels. Her house is of the colour of lime; there are rushes for
beds, and many silken coverings and blue cloaks; red gold is
there, and bright drinking-horns. Her sunny house is beside Loch
Cuire, made of silver and yellow gold; its ridge is thatched without any fault, with the crimson wings of birds. The doorposts are green, the lintel is of silver taken in battle. Credhe's chair on the
left is the delight of delights, covered with gold of Elga; at the foot
of the pleasant bed it is, the bed that was made of precious stones
by Tuile in the east. Another bed there is on the right, of gold and
silver, it is made without any fault, curtains it has of the colour of
the foxglove, hanging on rods of copper.
"The people of her house, it is they have delight, their cloaks
are not faded white, they are not worn smooth; their hair is fair
and curling. Wounded men in their blood would sleep hearing
the birds of the Sidhe singing in the eaves of the sunny house.
"If I have any thanks to give to Credhe, for whom the cockoo
calls, she will get better praise than this; if this love-service I have
done is pleasing to her, let her not delay, let her say, 'Your coming
is welcome to me.'
"A hundred feet there are in her house, from one comer to
another; twenty feet fully measured is the width of her great door;
her roof has its thatch of the wings of blue and yellow birds, the
border of her well is of crystals and carbuncles.
"There is a vat there of royal bronze; the juice of pleasant malt
is running from it; over the vat is an apple-tree with its heavy
fruit; when Credhe's horn is filled from the vat, four apples fall
into it together.
"She that owns all these things both at low water and at flood,
Credhe from the Hill of the Three Peaks, she is beyond all the
women of Ireland by the length of a spear-cast.
"Here is this song for her, it is no sudden bride-gift it is, no
hurried asking; I bring it to Credhe of the beautiful shape, that
my coming may be very bright to her. "
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IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Then Credhe took him for her husband, and the wedding-feast
was made, and the whole of the Fianna stopped there through
seven days, at drinking and pleasure, and having every good thing.
CHAPTER III.
CONN CRITHER
Finn now, when he had turned from his road to go to Credhe's
house, had sent out watchmen to every landing-place to give
warning when the ships of the strangers would be in sight. And
the man that was keeping watch at the White Strand was Conn
Crither, son of Bran, from Teamhair Luachra.
And after he had been a long time watching, he was one night
west from the Round Hill of the Fianna that is called Cruachan
Adrann, and there he fell asleep. And while he was in his sleep
the ships came; and what roused him was the noise of the breaking of shields and the clashing of swords and of spears, and the cries of women and children and of dogs and horses that were
under flames, and that the strangers were making an attack on.
Conn Crither started up when he heard that, and he said: "It is
great trouble has come on the people through my sleep; and I will
not stay living after this," he said, "for Finn and the Fianna of Ireland to see me, but I will rush into the middle of the strangers,"
he said, "and they will fall by me till I fall by them."
He put on his suit of battle then and ran down towards the
strand. And on the way he saw three women dressed in battle
clothes before him, and fast as he ran he could not overtake them.
He took his spear then to make a cast of it at the woman was
nearest him, but she stopped on the moment, and she said: "Hold
your hand and do not harm us, for we are not come to harm you
but to help you." "Who are you yourselves?" said Conn Crither.
"We are three sisters," she said, "and we are come from Tir nan
Og, the Country of the Young, and we have all three given you
our love, and no one of us loves you less than the other, and it is
THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE STRAND
207
to give you our help we are come." "What way will you help
me?" said Conn. "We will give you good help," she said, "for we
will make Druid armies about you from stalks of grass and from
the tops of the watercress, and they will cry out to the strangers
and will strike their arms from their hands, and take from them
their strength and their eyesight. And we will put a Druid mist
about you now," she said, "that will hide you from the armies of
the strangers, and they will not see you when you make an attack
on them. And we have a well of healing at the foot of Slieve Iolair,
the Eagle's Mountain," she said, "and its waters will cure every
wound made in battle. And after bathing in that well you will be
as whole and as sound as the day you were born. And bring whatever man you like best with you," she said, "and we will heal him along with you."
Conn Crither gave them his thanks for that, and he hurried on
to the strand. And it was at that time the armies of the King of the
Great Plain were taking spoils from Traigh Moduim in the north
to Finntraighe in the south. And Conn Crither came on them,
and the Druid army with him, and he took their spoils from
them, and the Druid army took their sight and their strength from
them, and they were routed, and they made away to where the
King of the Great Plain was, and Conn Crither followed, killing
and destroying. "Stop with me, king-hero," said the King of the
Great Plain, "that I may fight with you on account of my people,
since there is not one of them that turns to stand against you."
So the two set their banners in the earth and attacked one
another, and fought a good part of the day until Conn Crither
struck off the king's head. And he lifted up the head, and he was
boasting of what he had done. "By my word," he said, "I will not
let myself be parted from this body till some of the Fianna, few or
many, will come to me."
208
CHAPTER IV.
Gl.AS, SON OF DREMEN
The King of the World heard that, and he said: "It is a big word that
man is saying," he said; "and rise up now, Glas, son of Dremen,
and see which of the Fianna of Ireland it is that is saying it."
Glas left the ship then, and he went to where Conn Crither was,
and he asked who was he. "I am Conn Crither, son of Bran, from
Teamhair Luachra," said he. "If that is so," said Glas, "you are of
the one blood with myself, for I am Glas, son of Dremen from
Teamhair Luachra." "It is not right for you to come fighting against
me from those foreigners, so," said Conn. "It is a pity indeed," said
Glas; "and but for Finn and the Fianna driving me from them, I
would not fight against you or against one of themselves for all the
treasures of the whole world." "Do not say that," said Conn, "for I
swear by my hand of valour," he said, "if you had killed Finns own
son and the sons of his people along with him, you need not be in
dread of him if only you came under his word and his protection."
"I think indeed the day is come for me to fight beside you," said
Glas, "and I will go back and tell that to the King of the World."
He went back then to where the king was, and the king asked
him which of the men of the Fianna was in it. "It is a kinsman of
my own is in it, High King," said Glas; "and it is weak my heart is,
he to be alone, and I have a great desire to go and help him." "If
you go," said the King of the World, "it is what I ask you, to come
and to tell me every day how many of the Fianna of Ireland have
fallen by me; and if a few of my own men should fall," he said,
"come and tell me who it was they fell by. " "It is what I ask you,"
said Glas, "not to let your armies land till the Fianna come to us,
but to let one man only come to fight with each of us until that
time," he said.
So two of the strangers were sent against them that day, and
they got their death by Glas and by Conn Crither. Then they
asked to have two men sent against each of them, and that was
done; and three times nine fell by them before night. And Conn
THE BATTLE OF THE WHITE STRAND
209
Crither was covered with wounds after the day, and he said to
Glas: "Three women came to me from the Country of the Young,
and they promised to put me in a well of healing for my wounds.
And let you watch the harbour to-night," he said, "and I will go
look for them." So he went to them, and they bathed him in the
well of healing, and he was whole of his wounds.
And as to Glas, son of Dremen, he went down to the harbour,
and he said: "O King of the World," he said, "there is a friend of
mine in the ships, Madan of the Bent Neck, son of the King of the
Marshes; and it is what he said in the great world in the east, that
he himself would be enough to take Ireland for you, and that he
would bring it under tribute to you by one way or another. And I
ask you to let him come alone against me to-night, till we see
