Bard Mythologies

Children of Lir

// July 30th, 2009 // Irish Myths

After their defeat by the Gaelic people, the Tuatha Dé Danann retreated to their otherworld dwellings, hidden away in the landscape. One of their leaders was Bodhbh Dearg, who lived in the cairn on Slievenamon in County Tipperary. Another of their noblemen was Lir, who lived at the palace called Sídh Fionnachaidh (the cairn on Deadman’s Hill in County Armagh). The assembly of the whole Tuatha Dé chose Bodhbh Dearg as their new king, but Lir was offended by this, as he wished the honour for himself.

To bring about a reconciliation, Bodhbh offered Lir one of his foster-daughters in marriage. This lady was Aobh, and she bore him two sets of twins. The first twins were a boy called Aodh and a girl called Fionnuala. The second twins were the boys Fiachra and Conn, but in giving birth to these two their mother died. Lir was very upset at the loss of his lovely and kind wife, but Bodhbh gave him as a second wife Aoife, the sister of Aobh. She was kind to them for a while but, noticing how much her husband loved his children, Aoife grew jealous of them and plotted to do them harm. One day, she took them with her on a journey, telling Lir that she was bringing them to visit Bodhbh. That would be a direct route southwards through the country, but she took a wide detour.

In reality she intended to kill the children. Her womanly nature would not allow her stab them with the sword, however, and instead she struck them with a magic wand and turned them into swans at Lake Derravarragh in County Westmeath. Realising what the stepmother had done, the girl Fionnuala begged her allow them certain human traits, such as speech and singing. She agreed, and Fionnuala then begged her to settle on a date when they could become human again. Aoife said that that would only happen when a noblewoman from the south would marry a noble man from the north. Aoife then went on to Bodhbh’s dwelling, but Bodhbh was surprised to find that she did not have the children with her, and he sent messengers to Lir, who soon discovered what had happened. Livid with anger, Bodhbh changed Aoife into a demon, and ordered that she would wander through the air forever.

For three hundred years, the four swans remained on Lake Derravarragh, being visited in great anguish by Lir and other members of the Tuatha Dé. They would talk with these visitors by day and sing beautiful music for them by night. Then they flew away to the Sea of Moyle between Ireland and Scotland, where they spent a further three hundred years in cold and misery. After that, they spent three hundred years off Erris in County Mayo, where they endured even greater misery. At the end of that time, they flew home to their father’s dwelling of Sídh Fionnachaidh, but found the place empty and deserted. During all this tme, Fionnuala encouraged and comforted her brothers as a mother would her children.

In sadness they returned to the west and alighted on Inishglory, an island in the bay of Erris. Christianity had now come to Ireland, and the holy St Mochaomhóg had settled on that island. The swans heard the bell calling people to prayer one morning, and they joined in the prayers with their beautiful singing. On hearing this, the saint enquired of them who they were, and when he heard their story he took them home with him to his residence. They were very happy there but, not long after, the Connacht king Lairgnéan married Deoch, the daughter of the king of Munster. Hearing of the three wonderful swans in west Connacht, Deoch desired them as a wedding-present, and Lairgnéan came to seize them.

Their period of enchantment was now at an end, however, and when the king laid violent hands on them the swans turned into three withered old men and an old woman. The saint baptised them and they died contentedly. They were buried together by the saint, who sorely missed his dear friends.