Irish Legends

The trustworthy history of Ireland emerges from a long period of dim legend and of vague traditions. We know nothing, as a matter of fact, of the earliest races which inhabited the island, and very little of the successive invasions, which, coming from various parts of the world, swept over and conquered it. Like the legends of most other long-settled countries, the legends of Ireland abound with stories of heroism and romance, of the conflicts of giants, of the presence of fairies, soothsayers, and magicians, of knightly prowess, chivalry, and love. The ancient Irish bards, whose legendary tales, like those of the bards of Wales, have to some extent been preserved, tell of wonderful feats, of mighty wars, of kingly rivalries, and of rude, barbaric customs. They relate how one Lady Caesar reigned in Erin before the Deluge; and how, after that event, Erin was ruled by Partholan, a near descendant of Japhet.

They relate how this Partholan was a savage monster, who had killed his father and mother from greed of power; and how the race of Partholan was swept from the earth, to the last man, by a terrible pestilence. After Partholan's colony, Ireland was occupied by the Nemedhians, so called from their chief, Nemedh, who came from the borders of the Black Sea. Nemedh is said to have built forts, and cleared lands in the island. He engaged in fierce wars with hordes of Negro sea-rovers, who came from Africa, and were called Formosians.

The Formosians, who were the third race to invade Ireland, at last overcame the Nemedhians, and possessed the land. The Nemedhians fled, and scattered to different parts of Europe. A little later some of the Nemedhians, called Firbolgs, returned to Ireland under five brothers as their chiefs, dispossessed in turn the Formosians, and divided the island into five kingdoms. These made the fourth conquest of Ireland.

But the Firbolgs were not allowed, according to the legends, to remain long undisturbed. Another branch of the Nemedhian race, called the Tuatha de Danans, were the next conquerors. These are described as a race of magicians and warriors, who had settled in Greece, whence they now came to conquer their former country. In the decisive battle which was fought between the Firbolgs and the Tuatha, the Firbolg king was killed, and was buried on the shore of Sligo. It is an Irish tradition that his grave is still to be seen, and that the waves have never been known to wash over it. The king of the Tuatha, in the same battle, lost his right hand; and, as his subjects would not have a ruler without a right hand, a silver hand was made for him by one of his skilled artificers. The Tuatha, the legends tell us, were endowed with supernatural powers. They could work many wonders. They could silence the furious winds. They could heal the sick, forge metals, cast magical spells over their enemies, and could even restore the dead to life.

The Tuatha, according to the traditions, held their own in Ireland through a long period. They were often unsuccessfully assailed by the fierce black Formosians, whom the Firbolgs had ousted. But great as was their prowess, the Tuatha also were doomed to defeat and extinction. The various races of the Nemedhians are believed to have been of Turanian origin, and to have originally come from the interior of Africa. But now Ireland was invaded by a very different race of men. This last race was clearly of Aryan blood, akin to the other Aryan races who swept over and occupied nearly the whole of Europe. The Nemedhians were probably small of stature, and dark of complexion. But the new race was comprised of men who were robust, tall, and fair. The particular branch of the Aryans which found its way to Ireland is variously named in history as "Gaels," "Milesians," and "Scots;" but the name by which they are most commonly known is that of the "Celts." They invaded Ireland under the lead of the sons of Milesius, who had some time before been their chief.

The Celts came, some across the Irish Sea from Britain, but mostly from the shores of Spain, and are believed to have been the descendants of Phoenicians who had established themselves in those lands. They found it no easy task to overcome the Tuatha, who clung obstinately to their island realm. The Tuatha put forth all their power of sorcery to repel and destroy the invaders. They enveloped the Celtic ships in dense fogs, the legends say; they raised terrific storms to clash them on the rocks; they summoned "spirits from the vasty deep" to bring destruction upon them. But at last the Celtic hordes gained a foothold on the coast. Gradually they drove the valiant Tuatha into the gorges of the hills, and finally they obtained sway over the whole island. The two sons of Milesius, Heber and Heremon, divided their conquest between them. But in course of time Heber overcame Heremon, and assumed the sole sovereignty.

For a very long period the Tuatha continued to harass the new masters of Ireland. But after a while they became absorbed, and lost their distinctive traits; and the dominion of the Celts became complete. The Celtic was the fifth and last successful invasion of Ireland, according to the ancient traditions. They became the prevailing race in the island for all time. It was they who formed the character of the Irish as a people, as they have always been since. The Irish of to-day are overwhelmingly Celtic in blood. Their language, customs, and traditions are to be traced to a Celtic origin. The Celts not only absorbed the Tuatha, and the remains of previous races, but they later absorbed the races which from time to time gained some foothold on the island; just as, in England, the Saxons first replaced the Britons, and then absorbed in turn the Danes and the Normans.

How long the Celts had populated Ireland before authentic history begins, there is no means of knowing. The legends tell of one hundred and eighteen kings, ruling in succession over their turbulent people, and engaging in frequent conflicts to maintain themselves; of rebellions of royal sons against their fathers; of a queen named Meave, who was the daughter of a fairy, and who lived a hundred years, and was continually waging bloody wars; of the fair Deirdri, who, by her beauty, brought many woes upon Erin; of the fierce race of Feni and their chief, Finn, surrounded by his shaggy warriors, his bards and poets, his clowns and champions; of invasions by Norman sea-rovers, who were driven back by the valiant Irish; of the loves and treacheries of princes, the magic spells of sorcerers, and the terrible feuds and revenges of rival chiefs.

Whatever credit may be given to these legendary tales, it seems certain that, before the time of Christ, Ireland had good harbors, traded with the busy forts of the Mediterranean, and was the home of a people brave and not wholly barbarous. The Irish, with little doubt, were strong enough at times to attack the Roman strongholds in Britain and in Gaul. The Romans, on the other hand, never attempted the conquest of Ireland; nor was Ireland ever conquered, after its settlement by the Celts, until, many centuries after that settlement, it was subdued by English arms.