The Cycle of the Kings

Before you read

Tara, Ulster and the woods of Ireland, from the 3rd to the 7th centuries

The Cycle of the Kings collects tales about the kings of Ireland from legendary times to about the 7th century. The monks and poets who wrote them were interested in genealogy, who descended from whom, because Irish families still traced their power back to these kings. Some kings, like Niall, probably did exist; others are clearly legendary.

Niall of the Nine Hostages (Niall Noígíallach), who probably lived in the 5th century, is said to be the ancestor of the Uí Néill, the dynasty that ruled much of Ireland for six hundred years; the surname O’Neill comes from him. His nickname comes from the hostages he is said to have taken from other kingdoms. In the most famous tale, he and his four half-brothers find a well guarded by a hideous old woman who demands a kiss in exchange for water. Only Niall kisses her, and she becomes a beautiful young woman: she is the Sovereignty of Ireland, and he will be king. Cormac mac Airt, the high king at Tara in the time of Fionn, was remembered as the wisest of kings, and a text of advice called The Instructions of Cormac is attributed to him.

Suibhne (Sweeney), king of Dál nAraide in Ulster, insulted a holy man, Rónán, threw his book of psalms into a lake and attacked him. Rónán cursed him. At the Battle of Mag Rath in 637, a real battle, the noise of war drove Suibhne mad: he rose into the air like a bird and spent years living in the trees of Ireland, eating cress and drinking from streams, composing beautiful poems about the woods and his own misery. His story, Buile Shuibhne (“The Frenzy of Sweeney”), was translated by Seamus Heaney as Sweeney Astray (1983).

Power is a gift that must be earned with kindness and wisdom.

The story

Retold for this lesson from “The Adventures of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedón” and Buile Shuibhne (“The Frenzy of Sweeney”).

Eochaid Mugmedón, a king of Ireland, had five sons: four by his queen, and one, Niall, by a captive woman whom the queen hated. One day the five young men went hunting. They lost their way, and at evening, tired and thirsty, they found a well. Beside it sat the most hideous old woman they had ever seen: her skin was grey, her teeth were green, her nails were like claws. “You may have water,” she said, “if you give me a kiss.”

One by one, the four half-brothers refused in disgust and went back thirsty. Then Niall came to the well. He looked at her, and he not only kissed her, but held her in his arms. And as he did so, she changed: she became the most beautiful young woman in the world. “Who are you?” he asked. “I am Sovereignty,” she said. “I am the kingship of Ireland. Just as I was ugly at first and beautiful at the end, so kingship is hard to win, but sweet to hold. You will be king, and your children after you.” And so it was.

Centuries later, in Ulster, there was a king called Suibhne. One day he heard the bell of the holy man Rónán, who was marking out a new church on his land. In a rage, Suibhne ran out, seized Rónán’s beautiful book of psalms, and threw it into a lake. Then he raised his spear against the holy man. Rónán cursed him: “May you wander the world naked, like a bird, and die by a spear.”

At the great battle of Mag Rath, when the armies met with a terrible shout, Suibhne began to tremble. His hands dropped his weapons, his feet lifted off the ground, and he rose into the air like a bird and flew away into the trees. For years he lived in the woods of Ireland, sleeping in yew trees, eating watercress and drinking from streams, cold and alone. He made beautiful poems about the stag and the blackbird, the rain and the ivy, and about his own madness. At last a holy man, Moling, took pity on him, and he died at peace, by a spear, just as Rónán had said.

Talk and write

Discussion and writing

History or legend? In groups, sort these into “probably historical” and “legendary”: Niall, the old woman at the well, the Uí Néill, the Battle of Mag Rath, Suibhne flying like a bird. Explain using the language of history and legend.

Discuss. 1. Why do you think the story of the well says that the true king must kiss an ugly old woman? 2. Why did families want to descend from legendary kings? 3. Is there a king or leader in your country’s history who is half legend?

Write (150–180 words). Introduce one of the three kings to a reader who has never heard of him, using non-defining relative clauses and the language of history and legend.