Bruiden Da Choca ‘Da Coca’s hostel’
- Middle Irish
- prose
- Ulster Cycle
A tale of the Ulster Cycle, set after events related in Aided Chonchobuir (‘The violent death of Conchobar’). According to the story, the Ulaid invited Cormac Cond Longas to return from exile in Connacht and succeed his father (Conchobar) in the kingship of the Ulaid. While Cormac accepted and gained permission from Ailill and Medb, he was forced into violating his gessa en route to Ulster, which precipitated further disaster. The Connachta opposed him and he fought a series of battles against them before being killed at the siege of Da Coca’s hostel (bruiden).
Title
Bruiden Da Choca
‘Da Coca’s hostel’
Known also as Togail Bruidne Da Choca(e) ('The destruction of Da Coca's hostel')
Summary
After the death of Conchobar, the Ulaid debate who to give the kingship to, and decide on Conchobar’s son, Cormac Cond Longas, who is in exile in Connacht. They send envoys, and Ailill and Medb agree to allow Cormac to take up the kingship. He sets out with a retinue, but Craiphtine the harper, whose wife has slept with Cormac, causes Cormac to break his gessa on the journey. Cormac encounters the Badb in the form of an old woman washing a bloody chariot at the ford. A party of Connachta encounter Cormac’s party. They fight several battles, and heroes on both sides are killed. Cormac’s party spend the night at Da Coca's hostel, which comes under siege by the Connachta, and Cormac is killed, along with nearly everybody on both sides.
Manuscripts
ff. 1r–16v
ff. 105r–115v
Language
- Middle Irish
Date
early 12th century (Toner)
Form
prose (primary)
verse (secondary)
Textual relationships
The lost manuscript Cín Dromma Snechtai is cited in the text as a source for part of the story. Cath Airtig is the immediate sequel.
Related: Dinnshenchas of Druim SúamaigDinnshenchas of Druim SúamaigProse text on the dinnshenchas of Druim Súamaig.
Associated items
Bruidne Érenn (prose)Bruidne Érenn (prose)
A brief prose account of the five or six hostels of Ireland (bruidne Érenn) and their owners occurs in a number of early Irish literary compositions and as an independent anecdote in the Book of Lismore.
Sources
Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.
[ed.] [tr.] Toner, Gregory [ed. and tr.], Bruiden Da Choca, Irish Texts Society, 61, London: Irish Texts Society, 2007.
web page identifiers
page name: Bruiden Da Choca
page url: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Bruiden_Da_Choca
redirect: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Special:Redirect/page/2723
numerical alternative: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/index.php?curid=2723
page ID: 2723
page ID tracker: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/index.php?title=Show:ID&id=2723
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen, Patrick Brown
Page created
April 2011, last updated: January 2024
