A possible site where a High King was slain

Published in Issue 4 of Pagan Ireland (Summer 2022). Get a copy of this issue here: https://paganireland.com/buyissues

There is an unremarkable standing stone in the townland of Ballinver, near to the village of Grangemockler in Co. Tipperary. It stands forlorn and forgotten in a field that lies near to the Lingnaun River in the shadow of Slievenamon. It has stood untouched in the same spot for centuries. Every standing stone has a sort of stalwart presence of its own and although I am not an archaeologist, I’m convinced every standing stone is aligned with something, another stone, a mountain peak, some feature on the landscape and or they mark an ancient boundary or a site of significance, like a burial for example. And for an unremarkable standing stone, this one maybe quite remarkable, it may in fact be the place where the Druid Ferchais killed the High King Lughaid Mac Con.

“There stands here, in a fence, a pillar stone of large size and remarkable appearance.” [1]

In Gaelic Ballinvir is “Bhaile an Bhioraigh” translated as “Town of the morass.” [2] It is an intriguingly simple monument, in the shadow of Slievenamon. It is easily accessible from a public road, just a little climb over a gate really. The druid in me knows that it is special and the amateur archaeologist in me deigns it impossible to ascertain its alignment to a landmark or other site, the light being too low on a cloudy day. There is a lovely ash plantation in a neighbouring field and Slievenamon is just there. It seems to have cup marks, which might just simply be erosion and probably are. I fancy them to be the spear marks of Ferchais, left behind after he’d slain the King.

When it comes to standing stones it is safe to assume that they are not just erratic glacial scree (though not always) and that they did not grow out of the ground whereupon they stand. They were placed there by persons unknown and for a reason. Some mark boundaries, others milking places, some have a ritual purpose, some are oath stones, other stones like the Lia Fáil for example even speak. So, it is safe to say all of them have a useful application. We know of “Roan Rí Oilech i.e., a king (rí) that put rocks (aile) of stones into menhirs, and he got the name Aillech from the rocks of stones which were put by him into menhirs. Hence Aillech ‘rocky’ was said of him.” [3]

This stone is situated close to an ancient highway that ran from Magh Femhin (the Plain of Femen or the River Suir) via the Gap of Rath Clarish to Newtown Lennan and the Deise. It is close to a site recorded in the annals as Athnacarbed known today as Templemichael. In the Visitations of Elizabeth, the church of Athnacarbad is twice placed between Grangemockler and Newtown Lennon.

Who was Lughaid Mac Con? And why do I think this is the place where he might have met his demise at the hands of Ferchais the Druid? The Dáirine were rulers of Munster before the rise of the Eóganachta in the 7th century AD. According to the Táin Bó Flidais, they were one of the three warrior-races (Laech-Aicmi) of Ireland. Mac Con had a noble pedigree, his mother Sadb (ingen) Chuinn was a daughter of Conn of the Hundred Battles, a High King of Ireland. Her brother was Art (mac) Cuinn, also became a High King of Ireland, while her sister Sáruit married Conaire Cóem of the Érainn, who was High King before him. Sadb is described as “one of the four best women that man ever lay with”. [4] His father was Macnia mac Lugdach, prince of the Dáirine.

After Macnia died, Sadb married Ailill Aulom, (Ailill of the one ear) King of Munster. He was the son of Mug Nuadat and king of the southern half of Ireland in the 3rd century. One fine summer after a drought he was short of grass. Fearing the loss of his herds and starvation he consulted the Druids. Ferchais suggested he go to Knockainey at Samhain Eve a site associated with harvest and Lugh and the Goddess Áine of plentiful crops and fertility. He forced himself upon her, as defence she bit off his ear, and thus his nickname Aulum “one-eared”. A king was required to be “unblemished” and by maiming him so, Áine rendered him unfit to be king. Ailill retaliated and thrust his five-barbed poisoned spear at her and drove it through her to the ground killing her. The spear struck a stone and thus became bent, and he tried to straighten it with his teeth.

It was forbidden to strike a woman with a spear, or strike a stone with a spear or to place it under a tooth in order to straighten it. All of these things were taboo. The poison in the barb of the spear entered Ailill’s tooth and did him great harm, corrupting his breath, and blackened his tooth, and he had a poisonous tooth thereafter. It is said that he nearly went mad from the venom and definitely went blind. He lived to a good old age nonetheless, thirty years before he became king, thirty years in kingship, and thirty years after his kingship.

He divided the kingdom between his sons Éogan Mór, Cormac Cas, and Cian. Éogan founded the dynasty of the Eóganachta. Sadb’s son Lugaid mac Con, Ailill’s foster-son, became High King of Ireland. Lugaid Mac Con’s name translates as “Hound’s son”. There lived a hound named Eloir the Red in Ailill’s homestead. As a baby Lugaid crawled around after the hound and would nuzzle up against its belly and that is how he earned that name.

There was a covenant between Lugaid and Ailill Aulum and between their offspring after them that whenever Aulum’s offspring held the kingship, Lugaid’s offspring should hold the judgeship; but when Lugaid’s offspring held the kingship, Aulum’s sons were to hold the judgeship. Lugaid and Ailill made this arrangement in the presence of Conn of the hundred battles over one half of Ireland. Thus, the men of Leinster and Munster held kingship and judgeship. “Over one half of Ireland, that is to say, over Leinster and Munster, they held kingship and judgeship.” [5]

Mac Con reigned for thirty years when he first became king with his stepbrothers as allies. He was a noted warrior; “It was heavy work to wage an equal battle with Mac Con; there was no one in Ireland with his splendour.” [6] He killed his stepbrothers, the seven sons of Ailill, and his mother’s brother, Art son of Conn, in the battle of Mucrime. They found a musical instrument at a waterfall in Ess Mage. This instrument, a harp had threads of silver and pegs of gold, and they fought between them for the possession of this harp with Lugaid the victor. He was exiled from Ireland for this indiscretion and spent seven years in Alba.

While there he formed an alliance with Benne Brit, the King of Britain’s son and raised an army and returned home. During the Battle of Magh Mucruimhe, he killed Art and became High King. He ruled for a further 30 years until he was ousted by Art’s son Cormac, after which he sought refuge back in Munster with his own people.

Not quite forgiven by his foster father

Ailill Aulom, Mac Con was bitten by his poison tooth as they embraced at their reunion. His mother counselled him to leave. Ferchais was despatched to take revenge on him for having killed Éogan Mór. Ferchais found Lugaid Mac Con standing with his back to a standing stone near Athnacarbad, and killed him with a spear.

In the Visitations of Elizabeth, Athe church of Athnacarbad is twice placed between Grangemockler and Newtown Lennon. This is thought to be the modern day Templemichael close to the Ballinvir menhir. [7]. Mac Con had two sons, Fothad Cairpthech and Fothad Airgthech, who would later be joint High Kings. It is entirely likely that this is the stone where Mac Con met his fate; it is most certainly a contender. Either way, it is a fine stone, and well worth visiting.

Mawie Barrett

Mawie Barrett is a druid and a scribe. She grew up in the Comeraghs and defines herself as a mountain woman. She believes that there is a language in landscape that seeps into her by osmosis and fires her imagination. Her forte thus far is history, which she expresses in fiction and nonfiction and she has had history articles published as well as a few short stories. Nature, people and travel are her major influences. She blogs too, and you can discover more at www.druidscribe.com

Sources

1. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/patrick-power/the-place-names-of-decies-ewo/page-32-the-place-names-of-decies-ewo.shtml

2. http://ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/fitness_of_names.html

3. http://www.logainm.ie/en/47410?s=Ballinvir

4. Anne Connon, “A Prosopography of the Early Queens of Tara”, in Edel Bhreathnach (ed.), The Kingship and Landscape of Tara. Dublin: Four Courts Press for The Discovery Programme. 2005. pp. 225–327

5. https://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/moshaulum.html

6. https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T302010/text001.html

7. Power, Patrick, The Place-Names of Decies (Nutt, London, 1907).