30 



THE BATTLE OF VENTRV. 



Cairbri Lifeachair trid sin 7 teilgis a chaman uadha 7 tainic fa thuathaib Teamrach 

 7 do timsaig an ogbaidh uili co roibhi deich cedfiched ar maidin. 7 tiagaid rompa gan 



535 ced gan comairli do Cormac mac Airt, no co rangadar cuan Finntragha. 7 teid Fer- 

 ghus rompa a pup [fo. 6b. 2.] -aill Finn 7 ffarfaigis Finn scela d^ 7 do innis Fergus do 

 Cairbri Lifeachair do theacht leis. 7 ro ^irgeadar iianna Eirenn uiU a n-agaid Cairbri 

 7 ro fearsead failtidha ris. Adubert Finn : ' A Cairbri/ ar s^ ' do badh fearr linn do 

 theacht cugainn an trath do beidis aes ciuil 7 oirfididh 7 aes dana 7 mna 7 bannala 



540 ac aibhnmj ort 'na in tan do biadh eigean catha orainn amail ata anuis.' * Ni do 

 choimeadacht ort thanag-sa,' ar Cairbri * acht do thabairt infeadma catha leat.' 

 ' Nir ghabhusa oglach nua riam re hucht chatha,' ar Finn 'uair is minic leisan neach 

 tig mar sin a dhul a n-inadh bais d' fagail 7 ni hail lim-sa in oglach nua do thuitim 

 trim.' ' Is cubhais dam-sa,' ar Cairbri ' co tibear-sa cath as m' ucht fein doib, 



545 muna thucar as t' ucht-sa e.' 7 teid Fearghus Finbhel d' fogra catha o Chairbri 

 Lifeachair ar righ an domhain. 



'Cia freageorus mac righ Eirenn dam?' ar righ an domhain. ' Rachad-sa 

 chuice ' arsa SHgeach mac Sengairb righ Fear Ceaphda 7 tainic a tir 7 a tri 

 ruadhchatha romora. 7 tainic Cairbre 'na n-agaid 7 ogbaidh uili fa lia a farradh 



550 Cairbri ann sin. ' A Cairbri,' ar fear da muintir ris ' gabh cridhi maith chugad don 

 cath sa, uair ni fearr leisin fein cuid maith agad-sa de 'na ag allmurachaib. Uair is 



shame seized Cairbre Lifechair on account of this, and he threw his club from hlm, and 

 went among the people of Tara, and brought together all the youths, so that they were 

 one thousand and twenty on the place. And they march off without leave, without 

 counsel from Comrac the son of Art, until they reached Ventry Harbour. And Fergus 

 went before them into the tent of Finn, and Finn asked tidings of him, and Fergus told 

 him that Cairbre Lifechair had come with him. And all the fianns of Erinn rose before 

 Cairbre, and bade him welcome. Said Finn : ' O Cairbre,' said he, ' we should have 

 hked thy coming to us better at a time when minstrels and gleemen and poets and ladies 

 and gentlewomen might have made thee merry, than when the need of battle is upon us as 

 it is now.' ' Not to attend thee have I come,'said Cairbre, ' but to offer thee my service 

 in battle.' ' I have never taken an inexperienced youth to the bosom of battle,' said 

 Finn, ' for it often happens that he who comes like that, goes where he finds his death, 

 and I do not wish that an inexperienced youth should fall through me.' ' I pledge my 

 faith,' said Cairbri, ' that I will give them battle on my own account, if thou doest not 

 do it on thine.' And Fergus Finnbel went to announce combat from Cairbre Lifechair 

 to the king of the world. 



' Who will answer the son of the king of Erinn for me ? ' said the king of the world. 

 ' I will go against him,' said Sligech the son of Sengarb, the king of the men of Cepda, and 

 he went on shore, and his three great red battalions. And Cairbre encountered them, 

 and all the youths that accompanied them (?) were near Cairbre there. ' O Cairbre,' said 

 a man of his people to him, ' take to thee a bold heart for this fight ; for the fiann will 



