Bás Chon Raoi

Is é ní dá dtáinig bás Chon Raoi: coimhéirghe do chuadar curaidh na Craoibhe Ruaidhe d’argain oiléin mhara láimh re hAlbain dá ngairthear Manainn, mar a raibhe iomad óir ⁊ airgid ⁊ iolmhaoine ⁊ iomad do sheóidibh uaisle oile, ⁊ inghean álainn aontumha do chinn ar mhnáibh a comhaimsire i gcruth ⁊ i sgéimh ag tighearna an oiléin. Bláthnaid fá hainm dhi. Agus mar do-chualaidh Cú Raoi na curaidh ag triall san turus soin cuiris é féin tré dhraoidheacht i mbréig-riocht go ndeachaidh san chomhdháil. Agus ar mbeith ar tí airgthe an oiléin dóibh i bhForbhais bhFear bhFálgha, do mheasadar docamhal mór do bheith dhóibh i ngabháil an dúin do bhí san oiléan mar a raibhe Bláthnaid ⁊ seóide uaisle an oiléin uile, ar dhaingne an dúin ⁊ ar iomad draoidheachta na druinge do bhí ‘gá chosnamh.

Is ann sin adubhairt Cú Raoi do bhí i riocht fhir an bhruit lachtna dá bhfaghadh rogha seóid dá raibhe san dún go ngéabhadh féin an dún dóibh. Geallais Cú Chulainn sin dó ⁊ leis sin tugadar ucht ar an dún ⁊ fear an bhruit lachtna ‘na dtosach gur fastódh an roth geintlidhe do bhí ar siubhal ar dhorus an dúnaidh leis, gur léig cách isteach, gur hairgeadh an dún leó, ⁊ go dtugsad Bláthnaid ⁊ a raibhe do sheóidibh uaisle ann as. Triallaid as sin i nÉirinn go rochtain Eamhna dhóibh ⁊ ar mbeith ag roinn na séad dóibh, iarrais fear an bhruit lachtna rogha seóid, amhail do gealladh dó.

Do-ghéabhair ar Cú Chulainn.

Más eadh, ar sé, is í Bláthnaid mo rogha do na seóidibh.

Do rogha do na seóidibh oile dhuit, ar Cú Chulainn, acht Bláthnaid amháin.

Ní ghéabh a malairt, ar fear an bhruit lachtna.

Leis sin iarrais Cú Raoi árach ar Bhláthnaid d’fhuadach, go dtug amus ós íseal uirre, go rug leis í i gcealltair dhraoidheachta.

Narrative

This is an extract from the tale Bás Chon Raoi, from the famous Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (FFÉ, ‘The History of Ireland’), a seventeenth century text written by Geoffrey Keating, and still widely used today by learners of Early Modern Irish. Keating was a renowned 17^th century scholar and historian, poet and prose-writer. He studied both in Ireland and abroad, attending university and obtaining a doctorate in France. Although he wrote a number of prose works (including Eochair-Sgiath an Aifrinn and Tri Bior-ghaoithe an Bháis), FFÉ is his most celebrated work, completed c.1634, which sees the skilful interweaving of history and mythology throughout that delights its readers.

FFÉ is set in two volumes, the first of which covers the history of Ireland from the creation to the coming of Christianity, and the second volume beginning in the Christian era and concluding with the Norman invasion in the twelfth century. The text covers a vast time period, and its author explains in his introduction that his purpose for writing such a history was to offer a response to the untrue accounts of Ireland by foreign authors, and to illustrate the noble origins of the Irish people. He identified a link between language and cultural identity, and wrote the work in elegant Irish prose, although many of his contemporaries were writing in English. The abundance of manuscript copies of FFÉ from the 17^th-19^th centuries illustrates the high regard for his work.

Much of the mythology in FFÉ is found in its first volume, which covers the pre-historic, pre-Christian era. Keating did not himself invent the stories, choosing instead to interweave tales and mythology from Ireland’s ancient past, using sources that were well-known to his audience. Bás Chon Raoi is one such tale, found in the first volume of FFÉ and describing the death of the Ulster hero, Cú Raoi mac Dáire.

The tale belongs to the Ulster Cycle of Irish literature, which is set around the time of Christ, and follows the exploits of the Ulster warriors under the rule of Conchubhar mac Neasa, king of Ulster, and the leadership of its most famous warrior, Cú Chulainn of Muirtheimhne. Cú Chulainn is the principal hero of the Ulster Cycle, and features as the main character in many of its tales, including the tale of his conception and birth (Compert Con Culainn), his boyhood deeds (Macgnímrada Con Culainn), his training-in-arms and marriage (Tochmarc Emire), his heroic exploits (Táin Bó Cúailnge), and his death (Aided Con Culainn). He features in Bás Chon Raoi, although not as its central character.

Cú Raoi mac Dáire is this tale’s central character, and his death forms the subject of the narrative. Keating’s rendition of the tale sees Cú Raoi accompanying a band of warriors on a plundering expedition. He promises to take the fort of the lord of the island that the warriors are intent on plundering if he can have his choice of its treasures afterwards. The lord of the island has a beautiful daughter named Bláthnaid, and Cú Raoi desires her for himself. After the successful sacking of the fort, with Cú Raoi at the helm, he demands her as his prize.

This demand is refused by Cú Chulainn, who promises him anything other than Bláthnaid. With his demands unmet, Cú Raoi seizes an opportunity to carry off Bláthnaid, after first engaging in a battle with Cú Chulainn. Eventually, over a year later, an encounter occurs between Cú Chulainn and Bláthnaid, and she reveals her love for him and her desire to leave with him. She hatches a plot for her escape – she will convince Cú Raoi to build a new fort, and to send his followers away to gather building materials. Once his followers are gone, she will steal his sword, and send a signal to Cú Chulainn to carry her off – she will empty a vat of milk into the stream by the castle.

On seeing the milk in the stream, Cú Chulainn makes his move, killing Cú Raoi and carrying off Bláthnaid. However, Cú Raoi’s poet follows them, and on seeing Bláthnaid unattended at the edge of a cliff, he hurls himself at her, and they both plummet to their deaths.

This tragic tale interweaves the universal themes of love and death, and the troublesome nature of women also features, which is not uncommon in Ulster Cycle literature. Women often have a part to play in their husbands’ deaths (with Deirdre as the cause of Naoise’s death in Oidheadh Chloinne hUisneach and Fliodhais as the cause of Oilill Fionns’s death in Táin Bó Fliodhaise, for example). This is also true of other cycles of literature (the tragic tale of Diarmuid and Gráinne in the Fenian Cycle, for example). The tale ultimately ends in tragedy, with the deaths of its two main characters.

Do-ghéabhair ar Cú Chulainn.

Más eadh, ar sé, is í Bláthnaid mo rogha do na seóidibh.

Do rogha do na seóidibh oile dhuit, ar Cú Chulainn, acht Bláthnaid amháin.

Ní ghéabh a malairt, ar fear an bhruit lachtna.

Leis sin iarrais Cú Raoi árach ar Bhláthnaid d’fhuadach, go dtug amus ós íseal uirre, go rug leis í i gcealltair dhraoidheachta.

Translation

It is thus the death of Cú Raoi came about, an expedition that the heroes of the Red Branch went upon to plunder an island of the sea beside Scotland, which is called the Isle of Man, where the ruler of the island had much gold and silver and many riches, and many other noble treasures, and a beautiful unmarried daughter who surpassed women of her time in appearance and in beauty: Bláthnaid was her name. And when Cú Raoi heard that the champions were going on that journey, he put himself, through magic, in disguise, and he went into the assembly. And when they were about to plunder the island in the Siege of the Men of Fálgha, they reckoned that there would be great difficulty for them to seize the fort that was on the island where Bláthnaid and the noble treasures of the whole island were, because of the strength of the fort, and the abundance of magic of the band who were protecting it.

Then Cú Raoi, who was disguised as the man of the grey cloak, said that if he were to get the best of the treasure that was in the fort, that he himself would take the fort for them. Cú Chulainn promised him that, and with that they attacked the fort, with the man of the grey cloak ahead of them, so that the magic wheel that was in motion at the door of the fort was held back by him, and he let everybody inside, and the fort was plundered by them, and they took Bláthnaid and all of the noble treasures that were there out of it.

They travelled out of there to Ireland, until they reached Navan Fort, and after they divided the valuables, the man of the grey cloak asked for the choice of treasure, as was promised to him.

‘You will have [it]’, said Cú Chulainn.

‘If so’, he said, ‘Bláthnaid is my choice of the treasures’.

‘[You may have] your choice of all the other treasures’, said Cú Chulainn, ‘save only for Bláthnaid’.

‘I will not accept her substitute’, said the man of the grey cloak.

With that, Cú Raoi sought an opportunity to carry off Bláthnaid, and he made towards her secretly, and he took her with him in a magical disguise.

Do-ghéabhair ar Cú Chulainn.

Más eadh, ar sé, is í Bláthnaid mo rogha do na seóidibh.

Do rogha do na seóidibh oile dhuit, ar Cú Chulainn, acht Bláthnaid amháin.

Ní ghéabh a malairt, ar fear an bhruit lachtna.

Leis sin iarrais Cú Raoi árach ar Bhláthnaid d’fhuadach, go dtug amus ós íseal uirre, go rug leis í i gcealltair dhraoidheachta.

Translation

Is é ní dá dtáinig bás Chon Raoi: dá dtáinig is a relative construction referring back to is é ní. It is comprised of the preposition do/de and the relative particle a, which is followed by eclipsis and the dependent form of the verb. With this phrase the author introduces the reader to the subject matter of the tale.

coimhéirghe do-chuadar curaidh: here we find an example of the 3^rd plural form of the verb (do-chuadar) agreeing with a plural subject (curaidh). While this was a common feature at the time, it is not a feature of Modern Irish, whereby a singular verbal form is paired with a plural subject.

curaidh na Craoibhe Ruaidhe: An Craobh Ruadh is a placename translating as ‘the Red Branch’. Often noted in tales of the Ulster Cycle, it is described in Keating’s version of Bás Chonchubhair in Foras Feasa ar Éirinn as being one of the three great halls in Eamhain Mhacha, in which the king and his nobles were served food and drink.

d’argain oiléin mhara: d’ is the elided preposition do which denotes purpose when followed by a verbal noun. The verbal noun argain is in the dative case following the preposition, and places the following noun in the genitive case. It has been translated as ‘to plunder an island of the sea’.

láimh re hAlbain: láimh re is an adverbial phrase meaning ‘beside’. Albain is in the accusative case following the preposition re.

dá ngairthear Manainn: dá ngairthear is a relative construction referring back to oiléin mhara (see dá dtáinig above for another example). It is comprised of the preposition do and the relative particle a, which is followed by eclipsis and the dependent form of the verb. Manainn is a placename and translates as ‘the Isle of Man’.

mar a raibhe: mar has a number of meanings and possible translations depending on the context. Mar is followed by a verb in this particular instance, and functions as a conjunction in the sentence. It has been translated as ‘where there was’.

iomad óir ₇ airgid ₇ iolmhaoineadh: alliterating phrases are common in Early Modern Irish prose, and add to the richness and flair of the narrative (see also inghean álainn aontumha for a further example in the text).

iomad do sheóidibh uaisle oile: It is not customary to find inflected forms of the adjective in the dative plural in Early Modern Irish; the preposition do is widely used for de in Early Modern Irish and do should be translated as ‘of’ here (de in Modern Irish).

Bláthnaid fá hainm dhi: lenition of prepositional pronouns from do and de is extremely common in Early Modern Irish prose (see also do mheasadar docamhal mór do bheith dhóibh, do rochtain Eamhna dhóibh, and amhail do gealladh dhó for further examples in the text).

cuiris: an example of a verb in the s-preterite, of which there are many in Keating’s work, and it would appear that he had a fondness for the s-preterite (see also geallais and iarrais below for further examples in this text). There is no difference in meaning between the forms cuiris and do chuir.

ar mbeith ar tí argain an oiléin dóibh: Eclipsing ar is a variant of the preposition iar and translates as ‘after’.

i bhForbhais bhFear bhFálgha: translated as ‘The Siege of the Men of Fálgha’, this is apparently the title of a lost saga. It has been noted that some scholars equated the men of Fálgha with the men of Manainn, and a note in the Book of Leinster places them in the Hebrides; Forbhais is eclipsed as it follows the preposition i. There is no grammatical reason for the eclipsis of Fear, which has occurred under the influence of bhFálgha, which is eclipsed as it follows a noun in the genitive plural (Fear).

’gá chosnamh: ’gá is comprised of the preposition ag and the 3^rd singular masculine possessive adjective, which lenites the following word. The masculine possessive adjective is used as it refers to dún, which is a masculine noun. The phrase translates as ‘protecting it (the fort)’.

Geallais Cú Chulainn sin dó: a further example of a 3^rd singular verb in the s-preterite, a common feature of Keating’s prose (see cuiris above).

tugadar ucht ar an dún: do-beir ucht ar is a set phrase meaning ‘approaches, faces, advances towards, sets out for’. The phrase has been translated as follows: ‘they attacked the fort’.

Triallaid as sin i nÉirinn: triallaid is an example of a verb in the historical present, whereby the present tense of the verb is used to describe an action that has occurred in the past. This is a relatively common feature of Early Modern Irish prose.

iarrais fear an bhruit lachtna rogha seóid: iarrais is a further example of a 3^rd singular verb in the s-preterite, a common feature of Keating’s prose (see cuiris and geallais above).

amhail do gealladh dhó: amhail is a conjunction meaning ‘like, as’, which is gradually replaced by mar. We see that the autonomous form of the verb is not lenited after the verbal particle do (gealladh), and a further example of the lenition of a prepositional pronoun from the preposition do in the form dhó.

Do-ghéabhair: here we find an example of direct speech, with Cú Chulainn speaking directly to Cú Raoi. The verb is in the 2^nd singular, future tense (do-ghéabhair). We often see examples of the future tense in direct speech (see also ní ghéabh a malairt below for another example in this text).

ar Cú Chulainn: ar is a defective verb rather than a preposition here, and it translates as ‘said/says’ [see ar sé (‘he said’) and ar fear an bhruit lachtna (‘said the man of the grey cloak’) for further examples in this text].

Más eadh: a further example of direct speech, with Cú Raoi as the speaker. Más is a combination of the conjunction má (‘if’) and the copula is, and eadh is the neuter pronoun. The phrase translates as ‘if so’, and is still widely used in Modern Irish (más ea).

Ní ghéabh a malairt: a further example of direct speech using a verb in the future tense (see also do-ghéabhair above). A malairt consists of the 3^rd singular feminine possessive adjective a and the noun malairt, meaning ‘anything but her’. The feminine possessive adjective refers back to Bláthnaid, a feminine noun.

iarrais Cú Raoi: iarrais is a further example of a 3^rd singular verb in the s-preterite, as is common in Keating’s prose (see also geallais and cuiris above).

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Definition

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Function