The Invasion Myths

Eire, or Ireland, is named after the Celtic goddess, Eriu. Irish mythology describes a series of invasions which led to the establishment of Celtic Ireland, summarized in the mediaevel Lebor Gabala Erenn (“Book of Invasions of Ireland”). The invading tribes were, in succession, the Cessair, the Partholon, the Nemed, the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha de Danann and, lastly, the sons of Mil Espane, or Milesians. Eriu was a goddess of the divine race of the Tuatha de Danann, or People of the Goddess Danu. She and two other goddesses, Banbha and Fodla, each extracted a promise from the conquering Milesians that Ireland would henceforth take its name from her and her alone. The fili (“poet” or “visionary”) Amhairghin (Amergin) reassured Eriu that Ireland would be named after her; in return, she promised that the sons of Mil Espane would rule Ireland for all time. The Tuatha de Danann retreated to the dark and secret places, caves, forests, burial chambers, under the waves of the sea, beneath the hillsides, under the streams, where they still live to this day as faery folk.

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The Cessair were a tribe of Amazons, or goddess-women, who invaded Ireland before the time of the Great Flood. Their leader was Cessair, supposedly a great-granddaughter of the Biblical Noah. When the Flood came, the only member of the Cessair to survive was a male god, Fintan, who was Cessair’s consort. He survived because he had the power of shape-shifting: he became a salmon, an eagle and a hawk; he spent the first year of the Flood living under the waters in a cave called “Fintan’s Grave”. He lived to Christian times, was a witness to all the succeeding invasions, and was therefore the supreme authority for all questions of history or tradition.

After the Cessair came the Partholon, also named after an individual. (…) Nemed was the leader of the next group of invaders, the Nemed. After internal disputes, they abandoned the country. (…) The Fir Bolg (men of the Belgae) were descendants of the Nemed. They were still in possession of the land when the next wave, the Tuatha de Danann, arrived. The Fir Bolg were defeated at the First Battle of Mag Tuired and forced to flee to the islands, notably Islay, Arran, Man and Rathlin. During this battle, Nuadu, king of the Tuatha, had his arm severed. The blemish meant that he could no longer be king, and a prolonged contention over rights of sovereignty ensued.

The Tuatha de Danann were wizards and magicians who had learned their arts by living in the remotest northern islands of the world. They had four inestimable treasures: the Great Fal was a prophetic stone, which uttered a cry when, and only when, it was touched by the future king of Ireland (cf. the Arthurian legend of the sword in the stone); the spear of Lugh guaranteed victory to whoever held it; the sword of Nuadu could not be escaped, once it had been drawn from its scabbard; and the cauldron of the Dagda (“good god”) was inexhaustible, so that no company could ever leave a feast unsatisfied. All the other invasions had been sea-borne, but the Tuatha de Danann, using their magic, flew to Ireland in dark rain clouds and were literally rained on to the mountain of Conmaicne Rein in Connaught, where their falling obscured the sun for three full days. The greatest of the Tuatha de Danann became Ireland’s gods and goddesses: Danann herself, mother of the gods, and Lugh, Nuada and the Dagda, already mentioned; the Morrigan (“Great Queen”), goddess of battle and the Dagda’s consort; Brigit, goddess of light and fire, daughter of the Dagda; Manannan Mac Lir (“son of the sea”), who gave his name to the Isle of Man; Dian Cecht, the “sage of leechcraft” and god of healing; and many others.

The Second Battle of Mag Tuired was fought by the Tuatha de Danann against the Fomoire or Fomori, a race of grotesque giants. They were led by Cichol Gricenchos Mac Goll, whose mother, Lot, had lips in her single breast and four eyes in the back of her head.

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While the Tuatha de Danann and the Fomori were still at war, the last invasion came. This was led by Mil Espane (Milesius of Spain), so that the tribe he led is called either Sons of Mil Espane or, more simply, Milesians. The legends give the date of this invasion as a thousand years before Christ. It seems strange to think of most modern Irish people as being descended from Spaniards – we are reminded of Tacitus’s geographical error in placing Spain to the west of Ireland. However, the legendary accounts all agree that the Milesians were, indeed, the last race to conquer Ireland. Moreover, they were a mortal race, whereas the Tuatha de Danann and the Fomori, who were never entirely banished from the island, were gods and magicians.

Kingdoms of the Celts – a History and Guide, John King

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