Eachdraidh na Fèinne.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1969.117.B1+118.A1
Original Tape ID
Summary
The history of the Fingalians.
The Fingalians originally lived in Ireland. They were very strong. Their chief was Cumhal and they included Ossian, Caoilte, etc. They annoyed the King of Ireland. When Arca Dubh was outcast by the Fingalians he went to the King of Ireland, who told him how to kill Cumhal. He got the King of Norway's daughter to marry Cumhal. He could only be killed by being decapitated by Mac an Luinn, his own sword, after being with a woman. On the wedding night, Arca Dubh hid under the bed and killed him.
The Fingalians became very short of food. Cumhal's wife was pregnant. If the child was a boy, he was to be put to death. She gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. A woman took the boy away and hid in the woods with him. She killed her brother in order to save the baby. The child followed his foster-mother to town one day. He saw children in the water and joined them, and pushed some of them down into the water. They could not swim. He got the name Fionn at this time because of his blonde hair. People chased him, so he picked up his foster-mother and ran home with her. In doing so, he killed her.
He met a fisherman who promised him a trout if he could cook it without blistering the skin. He failed. He burned his finger trying to hide the blister and stuck it in his mouth. This was how he discovered the tooth of knowledge. The tooth told him that the fisherman was his father's murderer and that his father's sword was in his house. He asked Arca Dubh's wife for the sword but was given the wrong one. He went back and got the correct one. He killed Arca Dubh with Mac an Luinn. Cumhal's dog Bran, which had followed Arca Dubh after the murder, went with Fionn.
Fionn and Bran killed a beast that was taking a man from a certain township every year. A boy wanted to kill Fionn and take the credit for killing the beast, but Fionn sent him away. He found the Fingalians, who were starving since Cumhal left them. Bran got many deer for them, and Fionn took his father's place.
His twin sister had a son, whom she called Diarmad, who joined the Fingalians. The king was still troublesome, and continued to take the deer. He got a man called Blàr Buidhe to act as a guard. He too had a band of followers. One day Fionn and his men came to Blàr Buidhe's house and stayed till he came. Blàr Buidhe turned Fionn's men into stone and burned Fionn's feet before imprisoning him. Fionn escaped the next day and Diarmad went to Blàr Buidhe. Using a wand, he brought Fionn's men back to life and sent them home. However, Diarmad managed to turn Blàr Buidhe's men to stone and he dealt with Blàr Buidhe as Blàr Buidhe had dealt with Fionn. [Tape fault here; part of the ending missing.]
Item Notes
The contributor learned this story from his father. A fault in the tape means the ending has been lost.
Language
Gaelic
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good