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This is an extract from The Enchanted Bay, Tales and Legends from Ernie O’Malley’s Irish Folklore Collection, nominated for an Irish Book Award. O’Malley was an Irish writer and revolutionary (1897–1957) who was born in Co Mayo. In The Enchanted Bay, writers Cormac K.H. O’Malley and Patrick J. Mahoney put together this anthology of Irish folklore with stories collected by O’Malley. This chapter looks at Dearg Mór…
DEARG MÓR CAME to invade Ireland from the Eastern World or Domhain Thoir. Because of his tooth of wisdom Fionn mac Cumhaill knew that Dearg Mór was coming and had undertaken to prepare and train his two best champions for this fight – his own son, Rinnin Roe mac Finn and Ceol Croige mac Craven.
While they were preparing for battle, they were training even more than they had before. They awaited the arrival of Dearg on the seacoast somewhere near Dublin. While at exercise one day, Finn’s son said in a loud voice, so people around could hear him, ‘There’s no man alive that I amn’t able to master in single combat.’ Ceol Croige replied, ‘I hope it’s true for you, Rinnin. Those words are sweet from your lips, but only if your rival was getting tired during the struggle would I agree with you.’
After some time Dearg arrived in Ireland alone in his boat. He jumped to the shore, caught his boat under his arms and drew it up a considerable distance on the beach. The two champions approached him, one on either side. Dearg took them both down, tied their hands and bound them together. Then he secured his boat and took them, one under each arm, to the court of Cormac mac Airt.
When the assembled court saw Dearg coming with their two champions already crushed, they got very much afraid and cried out to Cormac with fear that they’d all be killed. Cormac pacified them and told them to have patience until he’d see what could be done. Dearg marched in to the court and demanded the surrender of Ireland to himself.
Cormac announced: ‘Our sovereignty has often been challenged by those coming across the salt waters but has never yet been given to an invading army with hundreds of soldiers much less given to one man.’
Dearg answered, ‘If all your champions were mine, be they gentle or simple, high or low degree, not one man of them would I bring with me to fight across the sea. But I tell you this, I mean to have the sovereignty of Ireland for myself alone, and I’ll build a wall around this island with all the dead bodies of your champions by the simple force and power of my blows.’
Then, Cormac picked out 50 champions and sent them off to fight, and they lost. Then another 50, one set of 50 after another, until five hundred champions were killed. Cormac called on the Fianna to help.
When Dearg saw the Fianna coming in their awesome strength, he said to Cormac: ‘If it is to fight me that this rabble is coming from the mountains of Leinster, I pity their chances of ever returning there.’
Dearg fought the Fianna, and soon they were nearly annihilated.
Then Fionn sent for Goll mac Morna. Goll at this time had fallen out with the Fianna and was somewhere in Connaught, well away from them. At first Goll refused to consider taking part in the defence of Ireland because he said he had been badly treated by the Fianna previously.
‘If we had not been burnt with fire and badly treated,’ said Goll,
‘I would give you my help, but now I won’t.’
The messenger reported back to Cormac and Fionn and then returned again with their promises of riches and lands for Goll and pleaded with him not to allow one man to conquer Ireland for himself. Goll changed his mind and dressed himself from head to foot for the first time in his life in his armoured plates and coats of mail and returned to Cormac’s court to help fight Dearg in single combat.
The fight started and showers of sparks and smoke rose up from their armour as the two men fought and clashed. They fought to a draw nine times, and on the tenth fight, everyone that was watching the whole time was very much interested and greatly concerned about the outcome. Finally, Dearg was felled by Goll’s hand, and as he was dying, Goll said, ‘It’s a pity I hadn’t my brother here, the blows of one sledge are slow’ (Is mall buille an oird/cheapoird).
When it was all over and Ireland was saved from Dearg by Goll, Cormac and Fionn broke their promises to Goll, and instead of rewarding him, they chained him to a rock under a cliff, where he drowned. They felt then as they had before that Goll could not be trusted, even though he had saved Ireland.
The Enchanted Bay, Tales and Legends from Ernie O’Malley’s Irish Folklore Collection is written by Cormac K.H. O’Malley and Patrick J. Mahoney. It is nominated for TheJournal.ie Best Irish-Published Book of the Year. More at irishbookawards.ie.
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My first time getting it from tomorrow and I’m so thankful it’s available, the workplace were originally going to pay us only 50% of our contracted hours which was just not something some staff on 8 hour contracts could live on, especially when they work a lot more than 8 hours a week. Retail, even as management, is precarious!
@Whatever: I was on it from the middle of March last year until the end of December as my job is still closed but thankfully got a college placement co-op position for the next 8 months so I am off it now. Was very grateful to receive the PUP, glad it’s there for ye now being laid off again
@Whatever: As self employed I applied last year and was told NO. Now I eat beans, no heat, food or help. No one cares.
@Paul Somers: why was that? I know a few self employed people that got it. My brother and husband included
@Paul Somers: had you a tax return completed and paid for the previous financial year? If you completed a return in October/November 2019 for the 2018 tax year you should have got it. If you only started your business in 2019 you should qualify once you submitted a return for that year.
@Laura Clayton: I honestly don’t know, I pay tax and the vat. Got scared, and now sitting in the house with thermals and a wooly hat. I would love a cuppa
@Derdaly: yes I did
@Paul Somers: you should be entitled to it keep contacting your local social welfare office they will get it sorted for you. I was waiting 5 weeks for mine to come through but I got it eventually with persistence
@Brian Byrne: gave up but thank you
@Paul Somers: honestly don’t give up Paul keep at them daily until they sort it for you. I sent in the postal application and applied online through the social services portal. It was all sorted eventually.
@Paul Somers: That might be why you never got it. If you want it it’s there for you as long as you provide what’s required of you.
@Seán O’Loughlin: it’s embarrassing
@Paul Somers: You were told lies. I’m self employed and on the full PUP.
@Paul Somers: paul I’m self employed and I’m on it since March last year. I had to apply 3 times because it never went through online. The last time I posted it in and was eventually back dated to the 1st time I applied. You are 100% entitled to it. Hope thing get better for you soon.
Heard of some people being denied loans because they claimed pup. Thought it wasn’t meant to affect your credit rating?
@Brian Dunne: yeah that is true. Iv heard of people having their mortgage application rejected because one of the joint applicants were on PUP. Even with employer letters saying their job is secure and available for the person to return to. I don’t know if it effects your actual credit rating, but banks will not lend to people on social welfare and PUP is social welfare no matter what way you break it down. Its a joke
@Eoin Jackson: and before people start blasting the banks as the big bad wolves for that strategy, that is mandated by the CBI, which in other words, is basically mandated by the government.
@Eoin Jackson: yup – that was the case for me and my husband last April. We were both on Pup and both had letters confirming future employment and BoI pulled our approval. They’d issued it in February and we were sale agreed on a house and everything. That all fell through.
Ended up going to the credit union. Their deal isn’t great and you’ve to have a 30% down payment (Christ) but they signed off on it for us while both on Pup. In our own house now since November and I’m still on pup. Husband back at work but laid off on the wage subsidy scheme. We are well able to afford the mortgage repayments but there’s not a chance we could have afforded to rent a place
Cash nixer bonanza
@MickN: Mor on. It’s keeping the wolf from the door for so many people.
@Seán Óg: Aye right…
Where do I sign up?
Went on the PUP in November because of redundancy.. started a new job today. Happy days!
Banks are very hard to deal with this lockdown. I tried to get a 2 month freeze on the mortgage as it’s going to be 2 months until I’m back up and running. Spent an hour filling in the online form. Looking now for last years earnings. Accountant letters etc. etc. What’s last years accounts got to do with being out of work this year due to a pandemic. I think the government should be doing more with the banks like last lockdown.
Serious question: Do people living in Northern Ireland, if working in the south, get paid PUP from the Irish Government?
@David Connell: only available to people with pps /prsi no. You have to supply details in order to qualify
And the reports of the country bouncing back later this year and the housing market being strong.
What a load of bs
@billy bound: I’m in construction and I’m up the walls. That includes every construction friend I know. Covid has made things busier not quieter.
If you get OAP and out of work you don’t qualify, even if you pay taxes
When do they transfer to jobseekers (aka regular dole)?
And still you’ll get another tax demand at the end of this year like most people did in the last 2 weeks
when the chickens come home to roost this place will be worse than 2008.
If you are getting OAP but still working before Covid hit and were paid on PAYE basis, as far as I know, you are entitled to PUP. However if OAP and self employed and NOT on PAYE system, (just taxed at end of year when returns are made)then no PUP. Anyway this is what happened 2 of my friends who were in each situation as described
have your say