The Celtic Literature Collective

The Ecstasy of Conn of the Hundred Battles
RIA MS 23 N 10

Art shall drink it after forty nights, a mighty hero, until he shall die at Mucruime. Mac Con of the race of Lugaid Loígde, who shall play for a day and a week against Fergus Dubdétach, until they shall die at Bri, through seeking a battle which he shall deliver towards Crinnae. Corbmac shall drink it up; an ancient drink; a pleasant warrior; he shall die at Scoilicc; he shall be a glorious man over her; he shall wash her. Coirpre shall drink it, a fitting contestant with righteousness of rule. Firachri shall demand it; the great deceits of Meath shall advance to the distant sea, till Broadfaced Dáire shall distribute it for a plenteous month. Fécho, unwitting man of fire, from whom they shall be assessed in regard to tax, shall demand it. Muiredach Tírech shall be thirty-yeared. Glorious Crimthann shall bind her with a bond, broad fierce shape beneath foot, till Níall shall be extolled; (...) battles of boundaries, till fierce Loígaire shall be grieved by the coming of the Adzeheads, crossbeams of houses, bent trees, they used to carry blossoms, a rampart, a fort. An excellent champion, Coirpre, shall drink it. Feirce Lugaid of noble great drinking shall be approached: ordeal of battle. A glorious man upon him, theson of Ercéne. Óengarb shall take it with fame of fierce spear. Aíd, glorious champion, shall take it, Aíd Olláin who shall smite a smiting. Diarmait's justice shall be on her: Diarmati, by whom forts shall be ruled with glorious (...), shall demand it, till towards Irthine (?) (...) Féachno (...) over her. Noble Suibne shall be better. Domnall shall be a glorious Óengus. Bláthmac shall approach it, [and] Diarmait, the other's grandson. He who shall celebrate the celebration, rule of exemptions, rule of guilts, rule of slayers, is the two-hundred-yeared Éilimm who was: Snow fo Wine [Snechta Fína, i.e. Fínṡnechta aliter Fínnachta] who shall pour shall drink it: rule from Níall to Níall; the descendant of Níall is everyone's Níall: hostages are pledged; fire approchaes thee; through him bracken shall be red and rough; perhaps in the third month over a year he shall die by teh sea: great the gloom and loss to the world's generations. A sixty-year king, after hosts it is his; he shall die by blood; fierce battle shall injure them, loss, death. Flann of Assal shall be over her, a glorious heir: he shall powerfully bind her with a handful of hostages. Furbaide shall approach it, better thane very man over her, a king good in regard to judgement, good in regard to splendour, glorious ruler upon whom shall be a heavy (...) smiting as a result fo which there shall be death at Brī. The rule of Cailech, strongly shall it be known over her. Glúnṡalach shall be over her; a race who sides are very red, he shall bind them with hostages; he shall seize Ross; he shall rule Munster, good battle, first (...) of Irthine (?), glorious ruler over Tara. A kin-slaying man, prone to unjust judgements, shall approach it; he shall drink it to the pit of the world; encircling Saxons, he shall drive them from Corc; he is the king of Munster of great lordships in Tara. Finit.


SOURCES:
Murphey, G. "Two Sources in Thurneysen's Heldensage". Ériu 15 (1952) 144-56.

Thurneysen, R. (ed), 'Baile Chuind Chétchathaig nach der Handschrift von Druim Snechta', Zu irischen Handschriften und Litteraturdenkmälern (Berlin 1912) 48-52.