Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe
Encyclopedia
The Cath Maige Mucrama is an early Middle Irish language
tale which forms part of the Cycles of the Kings.
, his son Éogan Mór and his step- and foster-son Mac Con, along with the King of Tara Art mac Cuinn
. Mag Mucrama, the plain of the counting of the pigs, was in Connacht
, in the region of Athenry
, County Galway
. A tradition or folk etymology, in Irish dindshenchas, has it that the plain was named for the magical pigs which infested it until banished by Queen Medb
of Connacht.
Mac Con, exiled from Ireland, returns with the aid of the king of Britain, along with an army of Britons and Saxons, and conquers Ireland as far as Connacht where Éogan, with the help of Art mac Cuinn, plans to fight. The night before the battle Éogan and Art sleep with their hosts' daughters, conceiving the sons who will succeed them, Fiachu Muillethan
in Éogan's case and Cormac mac Airt
in Art's. Both Éogan and Art, as is foreseen, die in the battle at Mag Mucrama, and Mac Con becomes king of Tara.
Mac Con takes Cormac mac Airt as his foster son, and rules for seven years. He then pronounces a false judgement, showing that he is unfit to rule, while Cormac gives a right judgment, showing that he is the stuff of kings. Disasters ensue—"no grass came through the earth, nor leaf on tree, nor grain in corn" says the story—and Mac Con is deposed and Cormac made king in his place. Mac Con travels to Ailill's court, where his foster-mother warns him that he is in peril. When Ailill embraces Mac Con he bites him with his poison tooth, wounding Mac Con, who flees but is killed by one of Ailill's warriors.
, dated to the middle 12th century. The most recent translator dates the tale in that form to the 9th century.
The purpose of the tale is presumed to have been political, to explain, and to justify, how it came about that the descendants of Art, that is the Connachta
, and of Éogan, the Eóganachta
, occupied the leading political positions in Ireland—the Connachta and their offshoot the Uí Néill
provided the High King of Ireland
and the King of Connacht, the Eóganachta the King of Munster—when their ancestral figures had been defeated by Mac Con, whose own descendants the Corcu Loígde
were no longer a force after the 7th century. As such it forms part of the common origin legends of the Uí Néill and the Eóganachta. Mac Con belonged to the ancient Dáirine
, who were cousins of the Ulaid
. The ancestors of the Eóganachta are known as the Deirgtine
.
(included in Silva Gaedelica, 2 volumes, 1892) and by M. O'Daly in Cath Maige Mucrama: The Battle of Mag Mucrama (1975). A modernization into modern Irish was published by Peadar Ua Laoghaire
in 1917 as Lughaidh Mac Con.
Middle Irish language
Middle Irish is the name given by historical philologists to the Goidelic language spoken in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man from the 10th to 12th centuries; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old English and early Middle English...
tale which forms part of the Cycles of the Kings.
Content
The cast includes several major figures from Irish pseudo-history, Ailill AulomAilill Aulom
In Irish traditional history Ailill Ollamh , son of Mug Nuadat, was a king of the southern half of Ireland. Sabia, daughter of Conn of the Hundred Battles, was his wife. He divided the kingdom between his sons Éogan, Cormac Cas, and Cian. Éogan founded the dynasty of the Eóganachta...
, his son Éogan Mór and his step- and foster-son Mac Con, along with the King of Tara Art mac Cuinn
Art mac Cuinn
Art mac Cuinn , also known as Art Óenfer , was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland....
. Mag Mucrama, the plain of the counting of the pigs, was in Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, in the region of Athenry
Athenry
Athenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. A tradition or folk etymology, in Irish dindshenchas, has it that the plain was named for the magical pigs which infested it until banished by Queen Medb
Medb
Medb – Middle Irish: Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ; early modern Irish: Meadhbh ; reformed modern Irish Méabh, Medbh; sometimes Anglicised Maeve, Maev or Maive – is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
of Connacht.
Mac Con, exiled from Ireland, returns with the aid of the king of Britain, along with an army of Britons and Saxons, and conquers Ireland as far as Connacht where Éogan, with the help of Art mac Cuinn, plans to fight. The night before the battle Éogan and Art sleep with their hosts' daughters, conceiving the sons who will succeed them, Fiachu Muillethan
Fiachu Muillethan
Fiachu Muillethan or Fiachu Fer Da Liach , son of Éogan Mór, was a legendary king belonging to the Deirgtine, the proto-historical ancestors of the Eóganachta dynasties of Munster...
in Éogan's case and Cormac mac Airt
Cormac mac Airt
Cormac mac Airt , also known as Cormac ua Cuinn or Cormac Ulfada , was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
in Art's. Both Éogan and Art, as is foreseen, die in the battle at Mag Mucrama, and Mac Con becomes king of Tara.
Mac Con takes Cormac mac Airt as his foster son, and rules for seven years. He then pronounces a false judgement, showing that he is unfit to rule, while Cormac gives a right judgment, showing that he is the stuff of kings. Disasters ensue—"no grass came through the earth, nor leaf on tree, nor grain in corn" says the story—and Mac Con is deposed and Cormac made king in his place. Mac Con travels to Ailill's court, where his foster-mother warns him that he is in peril. When Ailill embraces Mac Con he bites him with his poison tooth, wounding Mac Con, who flees but is killed by one of Ailill's warriors.
Contexts
The earliest surviving manuscript containing the tale is in the Book of LeinsterBook of Leinster
The Book of Leinster , is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled ca. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18...
, dated to the middle 12th century. The most recent translator dates the tale in that form to the 9th century.
The purpose of the tale is presumed to have been political, to explain, and to justify, how it came about that the descendants of Art, that is the Connachta
Connachta
The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach...
, and of Éogan, the Eóganachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
, occupied the leading political positions in Ireland—the Connachta and their offshoot the Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
provided the High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
and the King of Connacht, the Eóganachta the King of Munster—when their ancestral figures had been defeated by Mac Con, whose own descendants the Corcu Loígde
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
were no longer a force after the 7th century. As such it forms part of the common origin legends of the Uí Néill and the Eóganachta. Mac Con belonged to the ancient Dáirine
Dáirine
The Dáirine , later known dynastically as the Corcu Loígde, were the proto-historical rulers of Munster before the rise of the Eóganachta in the 7th century AD. They appear to have derived from the Darini of Ptolemy and to have been related to the Ulaid and Dál Riata of Ulster and Scotland...
, who were cousins of the Ulaid
Ulaid
The Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...
. The ancestors of the Eóganachta are known as the Deirgtine
Deirgtine
The Deirgtine or Clanna Dergthened were the proto-historical ancestors of the historical Eóganachta dynasties of Munster. Their origins are unclear but they may have been of fairly recent Gaulish derivation...
.
Editions, translations, and adaptions
The Battle of Mag Mucrama has been translated by Whitley Stokes ("The Battle of Mag Mucrime", Revue Celtique, 13, 1892), by Standish O'GradyStandish Hayes O'Grady
Standish Hayes O'Grady was an Irish antiquarian. He was born at Erinagh House, Castleconnell, County Limerick, the son of Admiral Hayes O'Grady. He was a cousin of the writer Standish James O'Grady, with whom he is sometimes confused. As a child, he learnt Irish from the native speakers of his...
(included in Silva Gaedelica, 2 volumes, 1892) and by M. O'Daly in Cath Maige Mucrama: The Battle of Mag Mucrama (1975). A modernization into modern Irish was published by Peadar Ua Laoghaire
Peadar Ua Laoghaire
Father Peadar Ua Laoghaire was an Irish writer and Catholic priest, who is regarded today as one of the founders of modern literature in Irish.-Life:...
in 1917 as Lughaidh Mac Con.
External links
- Translated text of The Battle of Mag Mucrama at ancienttexts.org