1. The Fate of the
Children
Of Lir
Eva casting her evil spell on the Children
of Lir at Lake Derravaragh.
Lir was a chieftain of a strange
tribe of people called the Tuatha De Danann. He had four
beautiful children : a girl named Fionnuala, and three sons
-- Aodh, Fiachra and Conn. He loved them dearly and since his
wife has died he spent most of his time in their company. But
the children missed their mother very much and Lir decided
that for their sake he would marry again. He chose as his
wife the beautiful Eva, daughter of King Bov, the Red. The
four children were delighted with their new mother. She was
tender and kind to them and they were all very happy
together.
Soon, however, Eva noticed that
Lir gave little attention to her, but spent all his time with
his children. Even the king played all day with them when he
came to visit her. She began to grow jealous. She decided
that she must get rid of them if she was ever to win the love
of her husband.
One day she set out in her chariot
for the king's palace and took the four children with her. It
was a warm sunny day. When they came to the shore of Lake
Derrravaragh, Eva stopped the chariot to let the weary horses
rest for a while. The children rushed joyfully into the cool
clear lake to bathe. As they splashed about in the water Eva
struck them one by one with here fairy wand and changed them
into four lovely snow-white swans.
Then the cruel step-mother told
them of the fate that awaited them. For three hundred years
they would live on this lake, for three hundred more on the
sea of Moyle, and their last three hundred years would be
spent on Western sea. This spell could not be broken, she
told them, until the cound of the first Christian bell was
heard in Ireland. She left them, however, their human voices
and the power of singing sweet, sad music.
Eva then drove away in her chariot
and left the swans gliding on the calm waters of the lake.
When she arrived at the king's palace, Bov was very
disappointed that she had not brought the children with her.
Immediately he sent messengers to Lir asking that the four
children be sent to him. Lir was surprised at this request
for the palace, for he feared that some foul deed had been
done. As he was passing Lake Derravaragh he was amazed to
hear four swans calling his nam. Fionnuala spoke to him. She
told him how they were and how their wicked stepmother had
cast the spell upon them. Grief filled Lir's heart and
bitterly for his four lovely children. He stayed with them at
the lakeside all through the night, adn early next morning
set out for the palace to tell Bov of the cruel deed. In blac
anger the king turned to Eva and, before she could excape, he
changed her into a monstrous bird with a human head. With a
terrible cry she flew into the air and was never seen again.
Then Lir, Bov and all the people
of the Tuatha De Danann went to live by the lake where they
could speak to the swans ans listen to their singing. Sweeter
music was never heard. It brought joy and confort to every
one and even eased Lir's sorrow. The swans were happy there
on the lake, close to the king, their father and their
people.
Year after year passed by and at
last their term on the lake came to an end. Sadly the swans
said goodby to their sorrowing friends. Then, spreading their
great white wings, they rose into the air and headed north to
the sea of Moyle. As they flew from sight the king made a law
that no one should kill a swan in Ireland from that day on.
On the wild sea of Moyla the swans
led a life of harship and suffering. Here they could find no
shelter from the bitter winds, the rough seas and the winter
frost. They were often hungry, for none of their friends was
near to give them food. At night they slept on cold bare
rocks. Fionnuala did her best to confort her little brothers
and to shelter them from the cold with her great white wings.
Each day they sang of their sorrows, and the sweet, sad music
was often heard on the far-off shore.
When the second term was up the
swans took flight and came to rest on the waters of Erris Bay
on the west coast of Ireland. Again they suffered as before
from cold, from frost and from strom. Slowly the long years
went by and patiently they waited fro an end to their lonely
life on the seas.
One summer night Fionnuala was
awakened by a strange sound echoing across the calm waters of
Erris Bay. It was the ringing of a Christian bell. Joyfully
she called her brothers and told them the glad news : soon
they would be freed from the wicked spell. Singing a sweet
song of praise of God they spread their wings and flew
towards the distant shore. There they founf a little church
among the trees and inside was a holy Caomhog kneeling in
prayer. He greeted them gladly, for he had come specially to
Erris Bay to search for the Children of Lir. He tool them to
his house and cared for them as they listened with great joy
while he told them of the One True God. Each morning they
joined in his prayers at Mass and sang many beautiful hymns.
Deoca, the wife of the King of
Connacht heard of these wonderful singing swans and wished to
have them for herself. Messengers were sent to Saint Caomhog,
but the holy monk refused to part with them. The king was
very angry at this and came himself to take the swans by
force. But as soon as he laid hands on them their feathers
fell off and they returned to their human form. But Fionnuala
was an old woman and her brothers were while haired, feeble
old men. The holy monk baptised them, for he knew that death
was near. Fionnuala asked him to bury them together, with
Conn on her right hand, Fiachra on her left and Aodh before
her face.
When they died Saint Caomhog sadly
buried them beside his little church. As he placed a cross
over the grave he saw a vision of the four lovely Children of
Lir rising towards heaven. They had found happiness at last
after their long years of suffering on the lake and on the
seas.
© 1999 All Rights are
held by Michael G Keohane BA. ACSA.