Acallam na senórach ll. 1234–1312. Ráith Glais and Ráith Almu

Short description

Episode on Ráith Glais and Ráith Almu, ed. Whitley Stokes, ‘Acallamh na senórach’ in Irische Texte mit Wörterbuch... (1900): ll. 1234–1312, beg. ⁊ do bádar annsin re h-edh na h-oidhche-sin co tainic lá cona lan-soillsi; tr. Ann Dooley • Harry Roe, Tales of the elders of Ireland (1999): 38–41.

Incipit

⁊ do bádar annsin re h-edh na h-oidhche-sin co tainic lá cona lan-soillsi

Classification

Irish narrative literature onomastics dinnshenchas

Main

Items

The [following] morning, Patrick, Caílte and Muiredach set out with their companies. Their itinerary leads them past Gannmag (later Mag Find), Tochar an Bhanchuire (later Tochar Find) and Ros na Fingaili (later Ros Commáin), until they reach the fort of Ráith Glais, later Ráith Brenáin (Rathbrennan, Co. Roscommon). When they have seated themselves on an earthen mound close to the fort, Muiredach asks why Ráith Glais came to be called thus. Caílte begins the first part of his tale.

Devices

framing narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framing narrative

id. 26551

Agents

Saint PatrickSaint Patrick
(fl. 5th century)
St Patrick
No short description available
See more Caílte mac RónáinCaílte mac Rónáin
Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin
(time-frame ass. with Finn Cycle)
or Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin, kinsman of Finn mac Cumaill and a prominent member of his fían; accomplished warrior and hunter; one of the protagonists of Acallam na senórach
See more Muiredach mac Fínnachta [king of Connacht]Muiredach mac Fínnachta ... king of Connacht
king of Connacht in Acallam na senórach
See more

Places

Ros Commáin

Ros Commáin ... Roscommon

County Roscommon

See more Ráith BrenáinRáith Brenáin

No description available

Lexical items

Ir. Ráith GlaisIrish Ráith Glais
Search eDIL

On Ros na Fingaili

On Ros na Fingaili (‘The wood of the kin-slaying’): said to be so-called because nine sons of Úar son of Indast had slain one another in this place.

Agents

Úar mac IndaistÚar mac Indaist
son of Indast. Ros na Fingaili (‘The wood of the kin-slaying’) is said to have been so-called because it is where his nine sons had slain one another; later said to be the father of Aincél, Dígbál and Esbaid.
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Places

Ros Commáin

Ros Commáin ... Roscommon

County Roscommon

Lexical items

Ir. Ros na FingailiIrish Ros na Fingaili
Search eDIL

Caílte’s tale of Ráith Glais, part 1

The fort [Ráith Gláis] is named after Glas, son of Drecán, king of Lochlann in the north. The fort is where Glas and his army were camped when he prepared to seize the kingship of Ireland. At the time, Finn and the Fían were at Almu (Hill of Allen) in Leinster.

Devices

framed narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framed narrative

id. 26550

Agents

Glas mac DrecáinGlas mac Drecáin
son of Drecán, king of Lochlann in the north. Ráith Glais is said to be named after him
See more Drecán [king of Lochlann]Drecán ... king of Lochlann

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

Places

Ráith BrenáinRáith Brenáin

No description available

See more LochlannLochlann

No description available

See more Almu

Almu/Cnoc Almaine ... Hill of Allen

County Kildare

Caílte's story is interrupted when Muiredach asks why Almu is so called. Caílte offers three possible explanations.

Devices

framing narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framing narrative

id. 26551

Agents

Muiredach mac Fínnachta [king of Connacht]Muiredach mac Fínnachta ... king of Connacht
king of Connacht in Acallam na senórach
See more Caílte mac RónáinCaílte mac Rónáin
Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin
(time-frame ass. with Finn Cycle)
or Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin, kinsman of Finn mac Cumaill and a prominent member of his fían; accomplished warrior and hunter; one of the protagonists of Acallam na senórach
See more

Places

Ráith BrenáinRáith Brenáin

No description available

Verse beg. Almha Laigen, lis na fian (10 qq.)

Caílte’s aside on the name of Almu

(1) The hill is the mound where the síd-woman Alma, daughter of Bracan, was buried after she died giving birth to the son of her husband, Cumall mac Trénmóir (Finn is not named);

(2) one Alma held Almu in the time of Neimed;

(3) a herd (alma) was taken from the fort of Almu by its builder, Núadu Drúi.

Some of this (2 and especially 3) is reiterated in a poem, with the addition of a number of details, such as the lore about Adarca Bó Iuchna.

A different version of the poem beginning ‘Almha Laigen, lis na fian’ occurs in the Dinnshenchas Érenn: cf. Dinnshenchas of Almu I. Additional matter on Adarca Bó Iuchna is told in prose in Dinnshenchas of Almu (prose) and perhaps alluded to in the first quatrain of the Dinnshenchas of Almu II.

Devices

framed narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framed narrative

id. 26550

Agents

Alma ingen BracáinAlma ingen Bracáin
Daughter of Bracán, a warrior of the Túatha Dé Danann, and wife of Cumall mac Trénmóir; died giving birth to his son, according to Acallam na senórach.
See more Bracán [Túath Dé warrior]Bracán ... Túath Dé warrior
No short description available
See more Cumall mac TrénmóirCumall mac Trénmóir
(time-frame ass. with Finn mac Cumaill)
father of Finn mac Cumaill; a fían-leader who fell in the battle of Cnucha.
See more Alma [keeper of Almu]Alma ... keeper of Almu
According to Acallam na senórach, the legendary keeper of Almu who flourished in the time of Nemed.
See more NemedNemed

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

See more Núadu mac AichedNúadu mac Aiched
a druid who figures in a number of narrative versions relating the dinnshenchas of Almu.
See more

Places

Almu

Almu/Cnoc Almaine ... Hill of Allen

County Kildare

Related texts

Dinnshenchas of Almu IDinnshenchas of Almu IDinnshenchas poem on Almu (the Hill of Allen, Co. Kildare), which recounts the tale of the conception of Finn mac Cumaill.Dinnshenchas of Almu IIDinnshenchas of Almu II

Dinnshenchas poem on Almu (the Hill of Allen, Co. Kildare).

Dinnshenchas of AlmuDinnshenchas of AlmuDinnshenchas prose text on Almu (the Hill of Allen, Co. Kildare)

Included

Beg. Almha Laigen, lis na fian

Almha Laigen, lis na fian, st. 4–9 (Adarca Bó Iuchna)

Iuchna, a warrior of the Fir Bolg, had a cattle-herd in Almu, which crowded the fort, both east and west. One day, the animals – brown and white – were so thirsty that they aggressively thronged around a spring to quench their thirst, leaving behind their horns around it, hence the name Adarc(a) Bó Adbul Iuchna (The Horns of the Great Cows of Iuchna). Iuchna had five daughters who gave their names to the lands they held, including: Carman (after whom Carman is named, where bards dwelt), ben Trega ‘wife of Treg, or Traig’ [?], [Life] after whom Mag Life is named, and finally, Almu.

A version of an incident in the prose dinnshenchas of Almu and Adarca Bó Iuchna, without noting Iuchna’s prior death or the gory details related there.

Devices

framed narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framed narrative

id. 26550

Agents

IuchnaIuchna
Mythical cattle-owner or briugu; associated in dinnshenchas narratives with Almu (Hill of Allen, Co. Kildare) and Adarca (eponymously, Adarca Bó Iuchna) in Co. Offaly; name probably connected to Benna Iuchna in Slán seiss, a Brigit co mbúaid; in the story cycle around Cú Roí, he came to be equated or merged with Echde [or Eochu] Echbél, legendary owner of three special cows.
See more Fir BolgFir Bolg
No short description available
See more Carman [eponym of Carman]Carman ... eponym of Carman

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

See more Life [eponym of Mag Life]Life ... eponym of Mag Life

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

See more Almu ingen Iuchna [eponym of Almu]Almu ingen Iuchna ... eponym of Almu

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

Places

Almu

Almu/Cnoc Almaine ... Hill of Allen

County Kildare

See more AdarcaAdarca

No description available

See more Adarca Bó IuchnaAdarca Bó Iuchna

No description available

See more Carman

Carman

See more Mag LifeMag Life

No description available

Related texts

Dinnshenchas of AlmuDinnshenchas of AlmuDinnshenchas prose text on Almu (the Hill of Allen, Co. Kildare)

Included

Beg. Almha Laigen, lis na fian

Caílte’s tale of Ráith Glais, part 2

[Caílte resumes the tale of Glas:] A horse-messenger (Spréd Aithinne daughter of Mugna Míanchráesach) from Cormac, king of Ireland, arrived at Almu to inform Finn about the threat at hand. Both Finn and Cormac assembled their forces and it was decided by lot that the Fían would be the first to give battle to the invaders. A series of battles was fought, with many victims falling on either side, but in the final encounter, Finn slew Glas and the Irish were victorious. Finn, Caílte and Oisín discovered nine golden pillars in Glas’ tent and decided to hide the treasure in a spot to the north of the fort.

Devices

framed narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framed narrative

id. 26550

Agents

Spréd AithinneSpréd Aithinne
daughter of Mugna Míanchráesach; horse-messenger sent by Cormac mac Airt in the Acallam na senórach
See more Mugna MíanchráesachMugna Míanchráesach

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

See more Cormac mac AirtCormac mac Airt
(time-frame ass. with Cormac mac Airt)
Legendary high-king of Ireland; son of Art son of Conn Cétchathach; contemporary of Finn mac Cumaill.
See more Finn mac CumaillFinn mac Cumaill (Find úa Báiscni)
Fionn mac Cumhaill, Find úa Báiscni
(time-frame ass. with Finn Cycle, Finn mac Cumaill, Cormac mac Airt)
Finn mac Cumaill (earlier mac Umaill?), Find úa Báiscni: central hero in medieval Irish and Scottish literature of the so-called Finn Cycle; warrior-hunter and leader of a fían
See more Glas mac DrecáinGlas mac Drecáin
son of Drecán, king of Lochlann in the north. Ráith Glais is said to be named after him
See more Caílte mac RónáinCaílte mac Rónáin
Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin
(time-frame ass. with Finn Cycle)
or Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin, kinsman of Finn mac Cumaill and a prominent member of his fían; accomplished warrior and hunter; one of the protagonists of Acallam na senórach
See more Oisín mac FinnOisín mac Finn
Oisín
(time-frame ass. with Finn Cycle, Finn mac Cumaill, Saint Patrick, Cormac mac Airt)
A fían-warrior, son of Finn, in the Finn Cycle of medieval Irish literature
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Places

Almu

Almu/Cnoc Almaine ... Hill of Allen

County Kildare

Included

Beg. A Ráith Glais

Verse beg. A Ráith Glais (3 qq.)

Patrick applauds Caílte on his story concerning Ráith Glais and orders Broccán to write it down.

Devices

framing narrative⟨narrative devices⟩
framing narrative

id. 26551

Agents

Saint PatrickSaint Patrick
(fl. 5th century)
St Patrick
No short description available
See more Caílte mac RónáinCaílte mac Rónáin
Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin
(time-frame ass. with Finn Cycle)
or Caílte mac Crundchon meic Rónáin, kinsman of Finn mac Cumaill and a prominent member of his fían; accomplished warrior and hunter; one of the protagonists of Acallam na senórach
See more Broccán [scribe]Broccán ... scribe
(suppl fl. 5th century)
Broccán scríbnid
Irish saint noted for having been a scribe (scríbnid) of Saint Patrick’s household. There are other saints of the same name or name-group (Broc, Broccaid, Broccán) who were said to be related to St Patrick, such as Broccaid of Emlagh (Co. Roscommon) and Broccán of Breachmagh/Breaghey (Co. Armagh), both of whom are given as a son of Patrick’s sister Darerca. Ó Riain has suggested that they may have all originated as a single individual.
See more

Places

Ráith BrenáinRáith Brenáin

No description available