Wars of the Irish Kings (18 page)

Then Cellachan said: “It is not the revenge you will take upon me, that is to be lamented. For I give you my word that I feel more sorry that Cashel is without a successor of the descendants of Eoghan than because I myself am in this torture. And my benediction upon the Dal Cais, as a reward because they have come to my help.” After this Cellachan lifted his head and said: “O Donnchadh, has a fleet set out with you?” “It has,” said Donnchadh. “I see them,” said Cellachan ….

Then the Munsterman raised their heads and lifted their nobles eyes, and they saw the harbour being filled with ships and swift barks, the fleet of the men of Munster. Sitric asked who they were, and Donnchadh told their names. “It would be better for us,” said Sitric, “if we got to know which of those yonder will undertake to check us in battle to-day, and who are the chiefs of those who are there.” Duinechad, son of Fiangus, said that if he got a boat to man and permission to go and to come, that he would go and get knowledge of these news on behalf of Sitric. He got what he asked.

Duinechad went to the place where the fleet was, and asked news of them, and told them news of the men of Munster at Armagh, and he related that Cellachan was in the ship of Sitric, bound to the mast ….

“We have given our words,” said they, “that if the Munstermen and the Norsemen were joined together, we would not let Cellachan be taken away by them without giving them battle.” “If that is so,” said Duinechad, “then tell me which of the Lochlann heroes you will choose to match yourselves against? And these are they: Lochlannach of the Blades, and the handsome Lochlannach, and Old Amlaib, the three guardians of Cork.” “Let them be given to us,” said the three kings of Corcaduibne, namely Flann, and Cobthach, and Edirscel.” “For it is to us that they have given cause after coming to Inis Clere, when they carried off our women and youths in captivity. And we have not overtaken them to avenge ourselves upon them, but we shall take them in hand to-day.” “Which of you,” said Duinechad, “will undertake to fight against Lenn-Turmun of the Journey?” “Let him be left to me,” said Dubdaboirenn, the king of Western Ui Echach, “for he has slain a good son of mine.” “Which of you,” said Duinechad, “will undertake to fight against the three sons of Turgeis, namely Sitric, and Tor and Magnus? And it is in their ship Cellachan is.” “Let them be left to us,” said Segda, and Failbe, and Congal, “for they went to Scelig Michil and devastated the country. But we shall take them in hand for our share to-day.”

“Another reason,” said Failbe, “is that we have given our word that there shall not be on sea or on land a place where we see them that we
shall not reach to attack them.” “Which of you,” said Duinechad, “will engage the son of the king of Fair Lochlann?” “Let him be left to me,” said Conchubar, king of Ciarraige Luachra, “for he has burned Ard Fothaig Brenaind. But I shall avenge that upon him to-day.” “Who will engage in battle with Lenn Turmun na Pers?” said Duinechad. “Let him be left to me,” said Diarmaid and Baiscinn, the two kings of Corcobaiscinn. “For they have plundered Inis Cathaig, and we have not overtaken them before to-day.” “Who will engage in battle with the king of Cold Lochlann?” said Duinechad. “It is in his ship that Donnchuan is, and he bound fast.” “Let him be left to us,” said the two kings of Corcamruadh, “for they went to Arann, and it was plundered by them, and we shall avenge it upon them to-day ….”

When they saw [their king, Cellachan] bound and fettered to the mast of the Norse ship, the senses, and feelings, and thoughts of the heroes underwent a change, their aspect became troubled, their colour changed, their looks became threatening, and their lips grew pale. And to defend Cellachan there was bravely arranged by the heroes a strong and cunning circle of ships, and a fortified city of helmets, and a firm fold of bows, and a manly, angry, venomous hedge of bright spears.

Then arose those truly heroic, broadweaponed Norsemen and the dark-faced, sullen, terrible Foreigners, and the base, lowborn Danes …. There was arranged by them a dense fortress of dark shields, and an immovable oakwood of venomous and strong spears. But, however, when they had reached the warriors in their impetuous and headstrong course, their ships went bravely to the battle so that listening to the noble clans was like listening to the sound, which arises from a seashore full of stones trodden by teams, and herds, and cattle, horses and racing horsemen, and bright cavalry, as the bloody, sharp showers poured down, and their swords and javelins rang forth in cutting up cuirasses and splitting shields, breaking helmets and head-gear and each other’s fair bodies around Cellachan.

Then the three fiercely active kings of Ui Luigdech, namely Flann, and Cobthach, and Eiderscel reached the southern angle of the brave hosts. They and the three guardians of Cork, namely Lochlannach of the blades, and the handsome Lochlannach, and Old Amlaib, the senior of the army, went at each other and encountered each other in the battle. However, neither the great size of [the Viking] shields, nor the excessive strength of their spears, nor the whistling shots of their arrows, nor the smiting of swords upon the heroes were of any use to the Norse heroes. For those chiefs leapt into the Norse ships and singled them out under the masts of the galleys till they met in the middle of each ship. And those six fell together along with their hosts ….

Then the chief of Ui Echach, namely Dubdaboirenn, and [the Norseman] Lenn-Turmun of the Journey met with their swift barques to fight and to smite each other like two dragons for cunning wounds or like two hawks for eager deeds. The army of the active, and famous clan of Cas leapt into the ships of the Norsemen so that they fell upon the row-benches and strong oars of the mighty ships.

Then the three valiant champions, namely Segda, and Failbe, and Congal came up to the strong fleet of the sons of Turgeis, to Sitric, Tor, and Magnus. The Irishmen quickly flung tough ropes of hemp over the long prows of the Norse ships in order that they might not be separated from each other. The Norsemen then flung rough chains of blue iron over the stately prows of their vessels. There were arranged between the heroes smooth-shafted, sharp-pointed rows of long and stout, most venomous spears. Their helmsmen left off steering, and their crews arose with the oars around the splendid sides of their strong ships, and they raised a barbarous uproar against each other …

Then the ship of the heroic Failbe was hurried up and rowed up to the battle-ship of Sitric, and Failbe made a high, and deerlike leap from the broad deck of his ship to the mast of [the ship of] Sitric. The royal champion unsheathed his two brisk, keen-edged blades, and he took one of the swords in his stout right hand encountering the champions of the ship, and the other sword in his heroic left cutting the ropes and fetters that were round Cellachan.

The nobles of Clan Core [then] arranged an artfully weaponed, hard and keen-edged enclosure round the mast while the hero was cutting the long ropes, so that they left the battle-soldier in the centre of the ship between the champions. Failbe gave one of the two blades into the hand of Cellachan in the hard fight. But Cellachan began to smash the bones of the heroes along the sides of the noble ship, until he leapt into the ship of the heroic Failbe. But there was poured down a vehement and fierce shower of arrows upon the brave Failbe in the dark ship, as many are wont to overpower few.

When the furious Foreigners had slain and stripped that true hero, they struck off the brave man’s head and raised it upon the prow of the ship. When the hard, impetuous troops and the sprightly young men of Munster saw that decapitation, the battle became more furious, and the fight closer with the brave hosts. Fiangal arose bravely, though every good hero had become weak, lowspirited and thinking of flight after the fall of his chieftain. He began to lament his lord and pledged his word that Sitric should not get back alive to the Lochlann hosts. For the hero was a fosterbrother of the gentle Failbe. But he was aware that his weapons would
take no effect upon the mailclad veteran, and he thought it a pity that his lord should lay in the ship without revenge ….

Fiangal then made an eager, falconlike leap into the warship of Sitric and fixed his fair hands in the bosom of the Norseman’s coat of mail, and dragged the Fair Lochlannach down into the sea so that they together reached the gravel and the sand of the sea, and rested there.

Then the two other valiant, redarmed chiefs of the same warlike clan, namely Seghda and noble Congal, reached the two strong sons of Turgeis, namely Tor and Magnus. But the looks of the heroes were no faces of friends around ale, nor was it a maiden’s love for her mate. But the champions sprang like lions from the massive ships, (or) like the violent indomitable waves over the long sides of the Norse ships. And the heroes left their own ships void and empty, while the Norse ships became full in their hold, and their sides leaned over. For the pouring in of the clan of Corc into their wombs was a terrible addition to the ships, and they [i.e. the ships] were full of Norsemen before; so that the ships did not wait for the fight of the heroes, but burst open to the salt sea, so that every barquee was swamped with its troops ….

Then the martial warships of Ciarraige and the furious angry crews of Fair Lochlann met, and they exchanged showers of arrows, and sudden fusilades of hard stones, and sharp showers of javelins, and skilfully directed, very stout spears. And they made a sudden, fierce attack, and a rough, hostile combat. Then Conchubar, the heroic king of Ciarraige, met the slaughtering Ilbrech, son of the king of Fair Lochlann. They fought very hard and eagerly, because the Ciarraige remembered the plundering of their country by the champion. They plied their spears with excessive eagerness, their battle-axes with powerful onslought, their swords with fierce fight, and their knives with furious, sudden assault. For the good ships were close to each another, and their weapons reached each other’s breasts and bosoms, so that they fell together on this side and that in their ships. Conchubar however dragged Ilbrec by his head towards him, and struck off the head of the good champion, and exhibited it in triumph. But he fell himself on the neck of the soldier, and thus died ….

Then the strong and vigorous descendants of Fergus and the far-plundering descendants of Corc reached the watchful Donnchuan. When they saw the hero as a bound and fettered captive, they ordered that the swift, big ship of Lochlann should be brought up to the one side of the Norse ship and the brownplanked ship of Conchubar to the other side of the high ship. This advice was adopted by the champions, and they leapt over the broad railings of the ship of the Norseman, and untied the hard fetters, and let down the ropes, so that the hero-champion, i.e.
Donnchuan son of Ceinneidigh, was left free in the middle of the ship. But while the chiefs were removing the champion from the mast, the Lochlannachs of the ship slaughtered their people.

The champions became fiercely angry because of this, made a violent attack upon the sullen Lochlannachs, and dealt hard, dangerous blows upon the gloomy Lochlannachs, so that they cleft their shields, and cut their armour into pieces, and tore their targes. And the son of the king of Cold Lochlann fell with the flower of his people. While they were slaying the great Lochlannach, the Lochlannachs of the ship were harassing the rear of the brave champions. They then quickly and suddenly turned round upon the warriors and gave a hard, vehement onslaught on the champions, so that they did not stay in the ship before the heroes, but the champions of the ship leapt over the broad railings into the sea, where they were quickly drowned. But when they found no more Norsemen to slay in the ship, they raised the head of the son of the king of Cold Lochlann in triumph upon the prow of the galley. Conchubar came upon the bow of the ship, and the Norsemen severed their bodies from their souls ….

It was ebb-tide when the fleets met, and the broad waves of the flood-tide brought the ships of the Munstermen to land. But when the ships had reached land, the Munstermen went into them to join those who were left of their people. But when the Lochlannachs who were left perceived this, they went away in thirteen ships and left the harbour at once, and carried neither king nor chieftain with them.

Then Cellachan arrived in the ship of Failbe the Fair, but Failbe lay slain in it on his bed of gore. Cellachan was greatly lamenting him and said: “It is a loss to us that this man has fallen, and there will not be found a hero after him who will rescue his lord, as he did, for his sword gave a brave sound as he fought for me in the gallery.” And he said, lamenting Failbe:

The heroic Munstermen assembled their ships from the wide sea, and brought them to land, and Cellachan and Donnchuan were welcomed by the heroes. They began to lament their nobles, their chiefs, and their warriors ….