The Battle of Cen Abrad
The
Battle of Cen Abrad here below:
1. In kingly fashion this muster had been summoned by Mac
Con at Cend Abrad and Ailill Ólomm in Mag Locha.
2. There came with Mac Con Neimed mac Sraibgind, king of
the Eraind, and Lugchorb mac Temais, king of the Mairtine,
and Find mac Cumaill, his (Mac Con’s) mother’s sister’s son
(that is, son of Fuinche ingen Dáiri), chief warrior of the
war-bands of Ireland, and Óengus mac Lámgáe, king of the
southern Laigin, and Eocho mac Buidi maic Buidir, king of
the northern Laigin and his own fosterbrother, Lugaid Lága
mac Moga Núadat, brother of Ailill Ólomm, and Cathmáel mac
Cirb maic Lugair from Ráth Lugair in Connacht, his
fosterfather, and Núada Eiges, and Mairbgein mac Moga
Ruith, the chief druid and warrior, and Airmrige, the
ancestor of the Orbraige, and Enbas from whom are [named]
the Creca Enbais in Sliab Cain, and Da Déra mac Dairbrech
the chief jester, and a multitude besides.
3. After that Mac Con took up position with his army on
Tulach na Tennál (it was called Tulach na Tennál from the
beacon-fires that had been made on it). Then Ailill took up
position with his forces in Mag Locha and a mound of sods
was dug for his tent there on the height so that from it
comes [the name] Ard Ferta today.
4. This was Ailill’s army: Eogan Mór mac Ailella and Eocho
Find Füath n-Airt to the number of fifty hundred warriors
and Corpre Músc to the number of twenty hundred warriors
and a champion’s helmet as a warrior’s token on each man’s
head and a gold or silver or bronze horn on each helmet
according to [the status of] the man, and Corpre Baschain
had twenty hundred mercenaries and Corpre Rigfota had
twenty hundred youths and there were a great many more
besides.
5. Ailill and Eogan went secretly into consultation to see
how they might bring about strife between Corpre Muse and
Mac Con so that Mac Con might fall by Corpre. This was the
decision they came to together, namely, to make peace with
Mac Con without the knowledge of Corpre and that would
arouse Corpre’s anger and he would give battle to Mac Con;
and thus the treacherous plot was laid.
6. Then messengers went from Ailill to Mac Con to give him
his own terms as regards chattels and treasures. Mac Con
said he would accept and would not go to battle against his
fosterfather It was then his druid told Mac Con not to go
with few followers to confer with Ailill for it was
Ailill’s intention to kill Mac Con by treachery. Mac Con
said he would trust Corpre Muse if he should be at the
parley.
7. After that then Mac Con came with his host onto the
summit of Cend Abrad so that all might see his army
deployed along the mountain. Then came Eogan and Ailill and
Eochaid Find Fáath nAirt mac Feidlimid Rechtada [ ].
Afterwards Mac Con came to the parley against the wishes of
his people and he came - with seven hundred warriors with a
coupling fetter between ench two of them, and the whole
host was like that for they had determined not to flee.
8. Ailill said to Mac Con: ‘Pronounce your judgement’.
‘No’, said Mac Con, ‘the mouth that pronounced the unjust
judgement let the same mouth give the true one’. ‘You
cannot have it [so]’, said Ailill, ‘according to law the
giving of judgement is yours and do you pronounce the
verdict’. ‘No’, said Mac Con, ‘but if it is your wish to
grant my terms treat me with honour this time [even] though
you have dishonoured me before’. ‘No’, said Ailill, ‘I will
grant Mac Con no award except an award pronounced by
himself’. It was then that Mac Con came to understand from
AiIill’s false and treacherous words that he had a wolfish
heart.
9. Now the Corpres are informed that Ailill is making peace
with Mac Con in disregard of them, and to the number of
sixty hundred they rose up at one and the same time,
angrily and fiercely, violently and wrathfully, with the
vehement fury of their impetuous anger, and all the
warriors put on their helmets and thus they go towards the
ford at which the parley was being held.
10. When it was heard throughout the whole camp that the
Corpres had gone out to give battle all the host rose up
and Corpre Músc ran towards the ford before the hosts and
all the warriors threw the horns from the helmets on their
heads into the ford so that since that time its name is Ath
mBennchuir because of the horns that the warriors cast from
them there.
11. When Mac Con saw the treacherous move and saw the
battalions approaching him he went to meet his [own] troops
so that together they might come to the battle. Mac Con’s
entire army was defeated there and Mac Con himself was
defeated.
12. Then his jester, Da Déra mac Dairbrech, came to Mac Con
and said to him: ‘Put my crown on your head and take off
your royal diadem’. All this was done and the jester puts
on Mac Con’s diadem and goes eastward along the mountain.
And Corpre Másc follows him thinking him to be Mac Con and
strikes off his head and hence is named Cam Maic Dairbrech
on Cend Abrad.
13. Corpre Músc realized that it was not Mac Con. ‘This was
an unworthy deed’, said Corpre, ‘this is a king’s diadem on
a jester’s head’. Then Corpre turned westwards in pursuit
of Mac Con as far as Leiter Cind Abrad. And he did not
overtake the host and he gazes southward over Mag Femin and
sees the troop in which Mac Con was, and he saw also the
calf of his leg in the midst of them. ‘II should think it
very likely’, said Corpre, ‘[that] yonder is the back of a
king’s knee amid the hosts’. He makes a cast of the spear
at him so that it struck home in the hollow of his knee and
thrust its point between his knee and his calf and he was
lamed in his leg. And Corpre returned to his people.
14. After that Mac Con went to Rosach Rúad for treatment
and from then on Mac Con did not dwell in Ireland until at
a later time he seized the kingship of Ireland.