6 THE BA TTLE OF VENTRY. 



Luacra. lar corrchnoc na Feine rea n-abarthar Cruachan Adhrann do bhi se in 

 oidhche sin 7 [fo. 2 a. i.] se ina chodlad ann 7 is e do muscail he sceamghal na 

 sciath ag a scoltadh 7 comthuarcain na cloidhim 7 comhcomairt na craiseach ag 

 95 cirrbad curp na firlaech 7 gairthi na m-ban 7 na macamh, na con 7 na n-each fan 

 comlasair 7 do erig Conncrithir fo na gairthibh sin 7 as eadh adubert : ' Mor na 

 gnimha dorinnedh trim anocht/ ar se ' 7 mairg mathair dorad m'idhna d'eis an 

 chodalta sa dorinnus 7 gidh edh nf faicfe Finn naid fiana Eirenn misi beo da eisi 



7 rachad ar lar na n-alhnurach indas co tuiti dream eigin dibh liumno no co 

 100 tuit^r-sa leo-san.' 



Do cheangail a curp ina chatheidedh catha 7 do lig na chailgi reatha rinnluaithi 

 a n-diaidh na n-allmurrthach 7 ni fada dochuaidh in uair do connairc triar ban roime 

 'sa slig^ 7 armghaisceadh laich ag gach mnai dibh 7 do reath-san orro 7 ni ruc 

 orrtha 7 tuc a lamh fon sleigh da teilghin. ' An, a oglaich,' ar bean dibh *uair 



105 ata agad eolus ina cora duit harm do deargadh na oruinne 7 sinn mar mnaibh.' 

 ' Cia sibh-si fein.?' ar Conncrithir. ' Tri hingena Teirg mic Dolair o traigh mara 

 Tibhir anoir sinne,' ar siad ' 7 tucamar ar triur gradh ecmaisi duit-si 7 ni fuathaide 

 le neach againn a cheiU e 7 tangamar do tabairt chabhartha duit, uair do bhi a fis 

 againn gumadh tu-sa cedduine do soisfedh d' fianaibh Eirenn docum na n-allmur- 



iio tach.' 'Caidhi bhar cobair-si dam-sa.'" ar Conncrithir. ' Budh maith ar cabair-ne 



Bran, the son of Febal, from Temair Luachra. West from the Round Hill of the 

 Fiann, that is called Cruachan Adrann, he was that night, and he asleep there ; and 

 what awoke him was the noise of the shields splitting, and the clashing of the swords, 

 and the striking together of the spears cutting the bodies of the true warriors, and the 

 cries of the women and children, of the dogs and horses in the flames. And Conncrithir 

 arose at these cries, and what he said was : ' Great are the deeds that are done through 

 my fault to-night,' he said, ' and woe to the mother that bore me, after the sleep I 

 have made, and howbeit, Finn and the fianns of Erinn shall not see me aUve after this, 

 and I will go into the midst of the foreigners so that some of them shall fall by me or 

 till I fall by them.' 



He girded his bodyin his battle-array and sent the swift-pointed .... of running after 

 the foreigners. And not far did he go when he saw three women before him on the 

 road, each of them dressed in a warrior's armour, and he ran after thein, but did not 

 overtake them, and he put his hand under his spear to throw it. ' Stop, O warrior,' said 

 a woman of them, ' for thou knowest that it is not right for thee to redden thy arms on 

 us (?)^ and we women.' ' Who are ye yourselves ? ' said Conncrithin ' Three daughters of 

 Terg the son of Dolar, from the shore of the sea Tiberias in the east are we,'said they, 

 ' and we have all three fallen in love with thee from afar, and none of us loves thee less 

 than the other ; and we have come to help thee, for we knew that thou wouldst be the 

 first man of the fianns of Erinn that would make a stand against the foreigners.' ' What 

 is your help to me to be ?' said Conncrithir. ' Our help to thee will be good,' said they,'for 



