University of Virginia Library

The Tuatha De Danaan suffered much from Fomorian sea-rovers, who forced them to pay a heavy annual tribute. From this tribute Lugh Lamh-fhada, son of Cian by a Fomorian princess, arose to deliver his father's race, slaying his own grandfather, Balor of the Baleful Eye, King of the Fomorians, and routing his host at the battle of Northern Moy Tura, near Sligo. Before this, Lugh had sent his father, Cian, to raise the country against the Fomorians, and while performing this duty Cian was wantonly slain by the three sons of Turann—Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba. For this crime Lugh laid upon them the eight-fold eric or blood-fine alluded to in the poem.

The Sons of Turann obtained, by their valour and their craft, the first six parts of the eric; but Lugh then laid upon them a Druid spell, which caused them to long for Ireland and forget his last two demands. They returned without the cooking-spit of the Women of the Sea, and without having given three shouts on the hill of Miochan. This hill was in Lochlann (Norway), where Lugh's father, Cian, had been bred with Miochan, whose geis, or champion's vow, made it shameful for him to suffer any one to shout upon his hill.

Lugh, having craftily got the most important part of the eric into his hands, sent the Sons of Turann back to complete it. They fulfilled their task, but returned mortally wounded by the sons of Miochan; and Lugh refused them the skin of the Sow of Tuis, which would have healed them. They died on the plain of Tara, and their father, having made a lamentation over their bodies, fell dead himself beside them.

The following Lamentation is not based upon any existing Celtic poem: its division into elegiac strophes is suggested by the form of the Ulster Keene, given in Bunting's Irish Music.