Si Bheag Si Mhor

                                        (Our Midi This Page-Sequenced by Barry Taylor)
     The Song "Si Bheag is Si Mhor" written by Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) speaks of a legend which refers to the clan Aodh, from the time of the Tuatha De Danann.

     Oh, great strife came between the kings, feuds grew between their hills, because big hill folk spoke to well of themselves while small hill burned beneath them. "You can never share rights to our noble lake. Go into ranks by tribe or town. Carry your blemish away from us. Be happy to keep your hands and feet."

     "You cannot always win every fight on lake, on land, when we contend. It would be good if you made peace instead of ordering wars in here." Time to gather the hosts, make a striking force. From throughout the plain, they come marching here. It will never seem right to die for hills, beheaded in that slaughter.

     This is why battle pains our hearts: With hill princes on every side, and Tuatha De Danann come in a swarm. The slaughter is not surprising. Then it is that the hill kings lost the thousands killed on every side. There was no dwelling not destroyed in all the killing that day.

     "Parley, Parley, oh friends and kin! Our enemy from Cairn Clann Aoidh, comes from Eachlainn Peak, up our dead troops! Now everyone fights together."

    Now none ever will say twice, "War isn't caused by too much pride." Peace is as good as wars were bad. The towns in both lands are rebuilding. Envy first, then an eager host, then thousands prisoners in the grave -- Better eat words almost forever then have angry brothers on their biers.

  After the Tuatha Dé Danann had been defeated by the Milesians, the first human ancestors of the Irish people led by the Sons of Mil, the Lebor Gabála gives no further details of the Tuatha Dé Danann except to say that an agreement was reached between them that the gaelic people would live on the upper half of the ground and that the Tuatha Dé Danann would live in the ancient burrows and cairns underground, hence the Fairy Forts and Hills, otherwise known as Sídhe. They have gradualy dwindled in the popular imagination until they have become the faeries.

                                        Book of Leinster - http://members.aol.com/lochlan2/lebor.htm
 

Then the sons of Mil, with their brethern and kinsmen, and their people in general, brought their ships on
the sea to go to Ireland to avenge their bad welcome on the Tuatha De Dannann. Three score and five
ships was the number of the expedition; forty chiefs the number of their leaders, with Donn son of Mil
at their head. These are the names of their chiefs...

                                                                       Dates in Irish Folklore
                                                             http://indigo.ie/~legends/dates.html
 

This is part of the chronology of the legendary prehistory and history of Ireland, mainly from theLebor
Gabála (literally "The Book of Takings"), The Annals of the Four Masters (17th century), The Annals of Ulster,
The Annals of Clonmacnoise, The Annals of Tigernach, and Chronicum Scotorum.