Liamuin
Encyclopedia
“Liamuin” is a poem in Dinnsenchas Erann
explaining the medieval Irish placelore relating to nine assemblies and noted places in Ireland. The premise is largely dedicated to the etymological legend for Lyons
, a hill, former royal inauguration site and former parish situated near the banks of the River Liffey
20km upstream from the Irish capital Dublin.on the borders between the modern counties of County Kildare
and County Dublin
, Republic of Ireland
.
containing this poem is found in the 12th-century Book of Leinster
and was probably composed by Cináed Ua Hartacáin
(d975). The legends mixed real and fictional events and people to create place legends for the names of about 300 locations in Ireland. Placenames are explained by reference to legends which are linked to them by means of pseudo-etymological techniques, where sometimes fictitious stories are adduced to explain the existing names, with the result that some of these legends are only to be found in the Dinnshenchas, where they serve their explanatory purpose. The dinnsenchas reflects a mentality in which the land of Ireland is perceived as being completely translated into story: each place has a history which is continuously retold. The dinnshenchas is the storehouse of this knowledge, but the mentality which it expresses is to be found throughout all phases of Irish literature. It was part of the body of knowledge medieval Irish poets were expected to master, and the importance attached to the material is reflected in its presence in many of the major manuscripts.
They are not to be taken literally. For example Dublin,, a name derived from the Irish name Dubh Linn, literally the “black pool” where the Dodder meets the Liffey, is re-imagined through the guise of an elaborate legend about a princess who died at the spot where Dublin was built. Instead it reflects the literary, religious and political hierarchies of the time, a period the North Kildare dynasty, the Uí Dúnchada branch of the Uí Dúnlainge
kindred were at their most powerful, and supplied ten kings of Leinster
from their base on nearby Lyons Hill
between 750-1050. In choosing Cnoch Liamhna
for mention as one of the “assemblies and noted places in Ireland,” the poem is an indication of the strength of the local ruling family, It also includes a separate place legend for nearby Straffan
. Unlike Liamuin, Lumman Tige Srafáin
is a work of prose and not part of the metrical dindsenchas.
The real explanation for Lyons is much more mundane, Liamhain is the Irish for elm tree.
do the historians declare them?
the notable places, and next the raths,
many the causes whence they are named.
Myself will declare the cause whence are named
nine of their notable places;
till doomsday it shall be a fame unfading,
So that no one be left in doubt!
Liamuin, Forcarthain of the sods,
Miannach, Trustiu of the broad roads;
are notable places known by various designations
with their four fair names.
Miannach, Fercarthain of the feasts
Liamuin, and white-sided Trustiu
were maidens, a precious possession,
of the family of the good king of Dubthair.
It was Dubthach of Dubthair fierce of face,
king of the Desi of Bregia of the undying bards,
(his was all as far as the horse-rearing region of the estuaries,)
whose four fair daughters they were.
The month over the bargain that all observe,
at the present time it is no novelty,
Dubthach was the first to add it,
the rule is well known to the Ui Chuinn.
A year's wage (it was a judgment of the wise)
from every king to every warrior,
only Dubthach would not give it
without additional work, that was excessive.
Dubthach was son of Fergna noble and fair
son of Muredach son of Sinell
son of Bregon the famous for victory,
son of Oengus, son of Eogan.
Eogan Brec is still spoken of,
the son of well-born Fiachu Suidige,
35] son of noble Fedlimid Rechtmar,
son of Tuathal Techtmar great and strong.
That is the pedigree till now
of Dubthach good king of the Desi,
for my art-prompted tale to set forth
among all the noted places of Leinster.
The gentle sons of Acher Cerr from the harbour,
sprung of the Erainn of Munster of the cavaliers
met their death, it was no mild decease,
it blasted their growth all at once.
An injunction of stern force was laid
on the fair and lofty four;
it was no pleasant tryst in the dark,
it was an injunction in virtue of their love,
That they should not wed, in the land of the living,
the four beloved sisters,
or that they should meet their death;
the keeping of the injunction was no easy task for them.
Fomu and renowned Roimper,
Fernocht, Ferdub the sagacious;
the mention of their names together
has gained from us, as was due, a noble stanza.
These youths from the Erainn of our line
were darlings of free peoples,
the sons of Acher Cerr of the province
son of Eochu Find the handless,
Son of Mug Lama the stainless
son of fierce Lugaid of the encampments
(and of Olldoitech, choice of fair women)
son of shapely Cairpre Cromchend.
They came, hard the toil
to earn their guerdon,
the four thanes, winning a name for valour,
at the house of Dubthach of Dubthair.
The four dear daughters of Dubthach
four youths they had, for certain;
as is the prosperous custom till now,
each loved his mate.
Dubthach had gone to a fortunate battle
in the mighty province of Leinster,
with the four they loved therein
the youths remained behind him.
After waiting behind the king,
they made off untroubled,
despite the hardships of every path,
80] the company who had feigned sickness.
Dubthach slew the comely company,
after they had met, side to side:
the barrows of their dear sod-built raths remain,
for youth and maid alike.
Miannach is followed across every plain
to Miannach where she was killed;
the woman with martial array is killed,
so that her name clave to the hill.
Fercarthain of the feasts is killed;
in Forcarthain was she smitten,
slow-eyed, long-haired, short-lived,
she met destruction at Forcarthain.
Liamuin is slain, perfect of temper,
thick-haired, skilful in defence;
she met death through her peculiar prowess,
wherefore Liamuin is full famous.
Trustiu is slain in Trustiu southward;
the gentle woman suffered for her alliance;
the hill of Cairn in Bile is called
by that maiden's name.
Fomu is slain at Fomain,
he thick-haired warrior with fair locks;
many a lean host comes frequently
over the two fair cheeks of Fomain.
Roimper was pursued
across the waters to Glass Rompair;
so hot Roimper fell,
it is not a sin to tell of it.
Fernocht in Fornocht of the feasts,
cruelly was his flesh mangled;
the youth met ill treatment
among the spears in Fornocht.
Ferdub, fierce of face, of doughty deeds,
at the Black Fords of red Maistiu,
at the hill, outwearied by bloody forays,
his face was found after keen combat.
The famous Luachair of Boirend
was the sad mother of the four;
the fair woman came to her death
among the plains of the strong places.
Fomu, husband of Liamuin, rests with her;
the spouses were of like age,
the white-handed soldier-pair,
alike are the lovers twain.
Fercarthain, lovely was her face,
(her love, I reckon him without delay,)
through their converse is assured
her great love to Roimper.
Fernocht belongs to unwrinkled Miannach:
he helped her not by his cruel cunning;
the warrior of the proved troops destroyed her,
his cunning was no helpful cunning.
Ferdub belongs to white-sided Trustiu,
their equal date was lamented;
in naming them here not misleading are
my pleasant harmonious verses.
These places that I number presently
the learned of Erin shall praise;
at their ease shall sages name them
from their assemblies and their noted places.
Dindsenchas
Dindsenchas or Dindshenchas , meaning "lore of places" is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature, recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associates with the places in question...
explaining the medieval Irish placelore relating to nine assemblies and noted places in Ireland. The premise is largely dedicated to the etymological legend for Lyons
Lyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
, a hill, former royal inauguration site and former parish situated near the banks of the River Liffey
River Liffey
The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
20km upstream from the Irish capital Dublin.on the borders between the modern counties of County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
and County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Background
The section of Dinnsenchas ÉrannDindsenchas
Dindsenchas or Dindshenchas , meaning "lore of places" is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature, recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associates with the places in question...
containing this poem is found in the 12th-century Book of Leinster
Book 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...
and was probably composed by Cináed Ua Hartacáin
Cináed Ua Hartacáin
Cináed ua hArtacáin was an Irish Gaelic poet.The chief poet of Leth Cuinn according to the Annals of Tigernach and the chief poet of all Ireland according to the Annals of Ulster, Cináed wrote dinsenchas pertaining to the Kingdom of Brega. Edward O'Reilly gives a full account of his works in his...
(d975). The legends mixed real and fictional events and people to create place legends for the names of about 300 locations in Ireland. Placenames are explained by reference to legends which are linked to them by means of pseudo-etymological techniques, where sometimes fictitious stories are adduced to explain the existing names, with the result that some of these legends are only to be found in the Dinnshenchas, where they serve their explanatory purpose. The dinnsenchas reflects a mentality in which the land of Ireland is perceived as being completely translated into story: each place has a history which is continuously retold. The dinnshenchas is the storehouse of this knowledge, but the mentality which it expresses is to be found throughout all phases of Irish literature. It was part of the body of knowledge medieval Irish poets were expected to master, and the importance attached to the material is reflected in its presence in many of the major manuscripts.
They are not to be taken literally. For example Dublin,, a name derived from the Irish name Dubh Linn, literally the “black pool” where the Dodder meets the Liffey, is re-imagined through the guise of an elaborate legend about a princess who died at the spot where Dublin was built. Instead it reflects the literary, religious and political hierarchies of the time, a period the North Kildare dynasty, the Uí Dúnchada branch of the Uí Dúnlainge
Uí Dúnlainge
The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ancestor of the rival Uí Chennselaig....
kindred were at their most powerful, and supplied ten kings of Leinster
Kings of Leinster
The following is a provisional list of the kings of Leinster who ruled the Irish kingdom of Leinster up to 1632 with the death of Domhnall Spainnach MacMurrough-Kavanagh, the last legitimately inaugurated head of the MacMurrough Kavanagh royal line...
from their base on nearby Lyons Hill
Lyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
between 750-1050. In choosing Cnoch Liamhna
Lyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
for mention as one of the “assemblies and noted places in Ireland,” the poem is an indication of the strength of the local ruling family, It also includes a separate place legend for nearby Straffan
Straffan
Sruthán was mistakenly cited by Thomas O'Connor in the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, and adopted as the Irish form of Straffan. Seosamh Laoide used it in his list of Irish names of post-offices published in Post-Sheanchas . An Sruthán gained currency among those involved in the Irish revival...
. Unlike Liamuin, Lumman Tige Srafáin
Lumman Tige Srafain
Lumman Tige Srafáin is a poem in Dinnsenchas Erann explaining the place legend of Straffan, a town and parish in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland situated on the banks of the River Liffey 25km upstream from the Irish capital Dublin, a place about which the author of the poem declares “a happy...
is a work of prose and not part of the metrical dindsenchas.
The real explanation for Lyons is much more mundane, Liamhain is the Irish for elm tree.
Liamuin
The notable places of Leinster wealth of valourdo the historians declare them?
the notable places, and next the raths,
many the causes whence they are named.
Myself will declare the cause whence are named
nine of their notable places;
till doomsday it shall be a fame unfading,
So that no one be left in doubt!
Liamuin, Forcarthain of the sods,
Miannach, Trustiu of the broad roads;
are notable places known by various designations
with their four fair names.
Miannach, Fercarthain of the feasts
Liamuin, and white-sided Trustiu
were maidens, a precious possession,
of the family of the good king of Dubthair.
It was Dubthach of Dubthair fierce of face,
king of the Desi of Bregia of the undying bards,
(his was all as far as the horse-rearing region of the estuaries,)
whose four fair daughters they were.
The month over the bargain that all observe,
at the present time it is no novelty,
Dubthach was the first to add it,
the rule is well known to the Ui Chuinn.
A year's wage (it was a judgment of the wise)
from every king to every warrior,
only Dubthach would not give it
without additional work, that was excessive.
Dubthach was son of Fergna noble and fair
son of Muredach son of Sinell
son of Bregon the famous for victory,
son of Oengus, son of Eogan.
Eogan Brec is still spoken of,
the son of well-born Fiachu Suidige,
35] son of noble Fedlimid Rechtmar,
son of Tuathal Techtmar great and strong.
That is the pedigree till now
of Dubthach good king of the Desi,
for my art-prompted tale to set forth
among all the noted places of Leinster.
The gentle sons of Acher Cerr from the harbour,
sprung of the Erainn of Munster of the cavaliers
met their death, it was no mild decease,
it blasted their growth all at once.
An injunction of stern force was laid
on the fair and lofty four;
it was no pleasant tryst in the dark,
it was an injunction in virtue of their love,
That they should not wed, in the land of the living,
the four beloved sisters,
or that they should meet their death;
the keeping of the injunction was no easy task for them.
Fomu and renowned Roimper,
Fernocht, Ferdub the sagacious;
the mention of their names together
has gained from us, as was due, a noble stanza.
These youths from the Erainn of our line
were darlings of free peoples,
the sons of Acher Cerr of the province
son of Eochu Find the handless,
Son of Mug Lama the stainless
son of fierce Lugaid of the encampments
(and of Olldoitech, choice of fair women)
son of shapely Cairpre Cromchend.
They came, hard the toil
to earn their guerdon,
the four thanes, winning a name for valour,
at the house of Dubthach of Dubthair.
The four dear daughters of Dubthach
four youths they had, for certain;
as is the prosperous custom till now,
each loved his mate.
Dubthach had gone to a fortunate battle
in the mighty province of Leinster,
with the four they loved therein
the youths remained behind him.
After waiting behind the king,
they made off untroubled,
despite the hardships of every path,
80] the company who had feigned sickness.
Dubthach slew the comely company,
after they had met, side to side:
the barrows of their dear sod-built raths remain,
for youth and maid alike.
Miannach is followed across every plain
to Miannach where she was killed;
the woman with martial array is killed,
so that her name clave to the hill.
Fercarthain of the feasts is killed;
in Forcarthain was she smitten,
slow-eyed, long-haired, short-lived,
she met destruction at Forcarthain.
Liamuin is slain, perfect of temper,
thick-haired, skilful in defence;
she met death through her peculiar prowess,
wherefore Liamuin is full famous.
Trustiu is slain in Trustiu southward;
the gentle woman suffered for her alliance;
the hill of Cairn in Bile is called
by that maiden's name.
Fomu is slain at Fomain,
he thick-haired warrior with fair locks;
many a lean host comes frequently
over the two fair cheeks of Fomain.
Roimper was pursued
across the waters to Glass Rompair;
so hot Roimper fell,
it is not a sin to tell of it.
Fernocht in Fornocht of the feasts,
cruelly was his flesh mangled;
the youth met ill treatment
among the spears in Fornocht.
Ferdub, fierce of face, of doughty deeds,
at the Black Fords of red Maistiu,
at the hill, outwearied by bloody forays,
his face was found after keen combat.
The famous Luachair of Boirend
was the sad mother of the four;
the fair woman came to her death
among the plains of the strong places.
Fomu, husband of Liamuin, rests with her;
the spouses were of like age,
the white-handed soldier-pair,
alike are the lovers twain.
Fercarthain, lovely was her face,
(her love, I reckon him without delay,)
through their converse is assured
her great love to Roimper.
Fernocht belongs to unwrinkled Miannach:
he helped her not by his cruel cunning;
the warrior of the proved troops destroyed her,
his cunning was no helpful cunning.
Ferdub belongs to white-sided Trustiu,
their equal date was lamented;
in naming them here not misleading are
my pleasant harmonious verses.
These places that I number presently
the learned of Erin shall praise;
at their ease shall sages name them
from their assemblies and their noted places.