Lion of Ireland
Page 60
“Rich, panoramic … One of the most exciting periods of Irish history.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Extraordinary … Vivid … Magnificent … Makes one realize that human nature has really changed very little in the past thousand years.”
—The Dallas Morning News
KINCORA
Oh, where, Kincora! is Brian the Great?
And where is the beauty that once was thine?
Oh, where are the princes and nobles that sate
At the feast in thy halls, and drank the red wine?
Where, oh, Kincora?
Oh, where, Kincora! are thy valorous lords?
Oh, whither, thou Hospitable! are they gone?
Oh, where are the Dalcassians of the Golden Swords?
And where are the warriors Brian led on?
Where, oh, Kincora?
And where is Murrough, the descendant of kings—
The defeater of a hundred—the daringly brave—
Who set but slight store by jewels and rings—
Who swam down the torrent and laughed at its wave?
Where, oh, Kincora?
And where is Donogh, King Brian’s worthy son?
And where is Conaing, the Beautiful Chief?
And Kian, and Core? Alas! they are gone—
They have left me this night alone with my grief,
Left me, Kincora!
And where are the chiefs with whom Brian went forth,
The ne’er vanquished sons of Erin the Brave,
The great King of Onaght, renowned for his worth,
And the hosts of Baskinn, from the western wave?
Where, oh, Kincora?
Oh, where is Duvlann of the swift-footed Steeds?
And where is Cian, who was son of Molloy?
And where is King Lonergan, the fame of whose deeds
In the red battle-field no time can destroy?
Where, oh, Kincora?
And where is that youth of majestic height,
The faith-keeping Prince of the Scots?—Even he,
As wide as his fame was, as great as his might,
Was tributary, oh, Kincora, to thee!
Thee, oh, Kincora!
They are gone, those heroes of royal birth,
Who plundered no churches, and broke no trust,
’Tis weary for me to be living on earth
While they, oh, Kincora, lie low in the dust!
Low, oh, Kincora!
Oh, never again will Princes appear,
To rival the Dalcassians of Cleaving Swords!
I can never dream of meeting afar or anear,
In the east or the west, such heroes and lords!
Never, Kincora!
Oh, dear are the images my memory calls up
Of Brian Boru!—how he would never miss
To give me at the banquet the first bright cup!
Ah, why did he heap on me honor like this?
Why, oh, Kincora?
I am MacLiag, and my home is on the lake;
Thither often, to that place whose beauty is fled
Came Brian to ask me, and I went for his sake.
Oh, my grief! that I should live, and Brian be dead!
Dead, oh, Kincora?
Attributed to MacLiag (c. 1015)
Translated from the Irish by
JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN (1803—49)
TO THE READER FROM THE AUTHOR
Brian Mac Cennedi was born in 941 in Thomond, that part of northern Munster now known as County Clare. His spectacular career has inflamed poets and scholars ever since. There are no adequate textbooks on early Irish history, so the desire to examine Brian’s controversial rise to power and the motivations behind it involved making use of a multitude of sources, many of them contradictory. I have chosen from them those accounts which seemed most logical in the light of all proven evidence, both historical and archaeological.
One such valuable source of information was the work of the renowned Gaelic scholar P. W. Joyce, whose books, particularly A History of Gaelic Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1608 (Dublin: The Educational Company of Ireland, Ltd., 1924), are among the most thorough in the field, and retain much of the flavor of the bardic tradition.
The War of the Gaedhil and the Gaill, or the Invasion of Ireland by the Danes and Other Norsemen, edited by James H. Todd (London: Rolls Series, 1867), gives much testimony on the Irish-Scandinavian conflict, as it is a translation from very early writings, although there are some who think it shows a partisan bias toward Brian Boru.
More recent studies of the period, such as Ireland Before the Normans, by Donncha O Corráin, No. 2 in the Gill History of Ireland series (New York: Irish Book Center, 1972), will help to clarify for the interested reader the very complicated dynastic struggles of the many Irish kingdoms in the ninth and tenth centuries, which I have somewhat compressed here.
There is no one truth in history, and no absolute viewpoint. To see Brian as the Norse saw him I read such books as Njal’s Saga, translated by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson (New York: Penguin Books, Inc., 1960), Peter Brent’s The Viking Saga (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1975), and many others.
An additional rich source for material proved to be Irish literature, where much of Brian’s history is enshrined. A considerable amount of ancient poetry still exists, both in the original Gaelic and in translation, and I have included a small selection of the latter in this book. For those who would like to read further I recommend the works of Myles Dillon and Padraic Colum.
With the help of these sources and countless others, all deeply appreciated, it was possible to construct a mosaic from a jumble of brilliantly colored fragments. It was Ireland’s tragedy that Brian did not leave a living heir of his quality to make his dream for her a permanent reality, but that does not alter the fact that he lived one of the world’s great success stories, nor does it diminish the grandeur of his achievement.
After Clontarf, the body of Brian Boru was buried with great ceremony at Armagh. Malachi resumed the High Kingship, which he held for another eight years, dying in 1022. Brian’s surviving sons, Teigue and Donnchad, contested for the kingship of Munster, and in 1023 Donnchad had his brother assassinated. But Teigue’s own son Turlough O Brian was Ard Ri of Ireland until 1086, and the blood of Brian Boru continued to flow through the veins of High Kings and kings of Munster until the course of Irish history was altered forever by the Anglo-Norman invasion.
Padraic and Fiona are invented characters. I have combined Brian’s first two wives into one called Deirdre but all other major and most minor characters are taken directly from Irish history. All I have done is summon them to us through the mists of time. The figure of Boru bestrides the Irish past like Colossus, a reminder of the possibilities in mankind.
Giants walked the earth in those days. I would like to believe that they still do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Llywelyn is the author of such critically acclaimed novels as The Last Prince of Ireland, The Horse Goddess, Bard, 1916 and 1921. She is recognized in Ireland and America as an expert on both Irish history and folklore.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.
LION OF IRELAND
Copyright © 1981 by Morgan Llywelyn
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
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eISBN 9781429913201
First eBook Edition : January 2011
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