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                                                                                                                                       RAINBOW FARMS AUSTRALIA                                                      

                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                     10 BC -  00.BC

9 BC *77.Lewy Sriabh - n Dearg the Celtic Gaelic Milesian Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh 98th King of Tara / Erinn, who was married to Dervorgilla / Dearbhorgaill the daughter of the King of Denmark / Lochlann, was to  meet his end by falling on his own sword due to the immense sorrow he was experiencing over her demise.

9 BC - 8 BC 84.Conor / Conchobar Abradruad was to be the Celtic Gaelic Milesian Heremonian Ui Laoghaire Ui Lughaidh 99th King of Tara / Erinn.

8 BC Cu Chulann, from the "Red Branch Knights of Ulster," at 17 years of age had been fully educated and given his own personal spear, shield,  javelin and sword, and was also to establish his fortress at Dundalk in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster, which held a dominating position over the "Ulster Gap," and he would then continue his training at Eighter in what is now known as Co. Cavan in Southern Ulster and by this period in time he was to be well known for his Celtic aristocratic warrior "temperament," if he should come under the "immediate pressure" of conflict conditions becoming very "hot tempered" and "furious" in his overall manner identified as a Warp or Spasm.   

       76.Maeve / Medb the Heberian Queen of Connacht and her spouse the younger Ailill came into dispute over who had the most individual wealth, of which their cattle were always to be the greater part, as unbeknown to 76.Maeve one of her bull calves, who was truly outstanding, had joined in with Ailill’s herd instead, and in the meantime this particular bull calf had also drunk from the "Well of Uaran Garad" in Sreng's Fifth / Connacht Province and had grown into a beautiful specimen and had since became famous throughout Ireland due to his tremendous physicality as "Ailill's White Horned Bull / Finn Bheannach." Not to be outdone by this 76.Maeve ordered her chief courier, Mac Roth to advise her where she too could secure such an outstanding bull for herself in Ireland that would be more then equal to "Ailill's White Horned Bull," and he was to advise her that Daire, the son of Fachtna, who had his territory in Cooley / Cualgne in the Ulster Province had the most outstanding bull at this time, known as "The Brown Bull of Cooley / Donn Chulaigne," so she instructed him to go and get him as a "loan" for one year, and to promise Daire that she would return him with 50 heifers. She also told him to inform Daire that if he objected to lending the bull then he could come with the bull himself, and she would give him as much territory as he now held in Ulster Province, at Magh Ai (The Plain of Roscommon) situated in the Connacht Province plus a chariot worth thrice seven "cumals," 63 cows and her eternal friendship. Mac Roth acting on her instructions went to see Daire mac Fachtna who readily agreed to "accept" such generous terms, but then one of the 9 couriers who had accompanied Mac Roth ran off at the mouth and stated that Daire had better agree or "else," and Daire on hearing this became "indignant" and decided to change his mind. Mac Roth returned to the Connacht Province and advised 76.Maeve of what had occurred, so she then decided instead to use "physical force" on Daire to bring it all about, and although Fidelma the prophetess had  told her that her future planned "expedition" against Ulster Province to lay her hands on the "Brown Bull of Cooley" would be a "disaster," she was determined to go ahead anyway.Together with all of her sons and the 7 sons of Maghach, she called on the various Irish Septs in the Munster Province and the Leinster Province to support her quest in Ulster Province by telling them that this would be a good "opportunity" to bring repercussions back on the Ulster Province for all of their old "transgressions" against those various Irish Septs in these two Provinces, and also by this time there were in addition other men from Ulster Province who were  now in "her service" who had also gone into exile from out of the Ulster Province for the previous treachery that 64.Conor mac Nessa the Gaelic Milesian Irian King of Ulster had previously committed against the 3 sons of Uisneach and Deidre.

        76.Maeve now had 1500 committed warriors in all who were put under the immediate leadership of 64.Fergus mac Roigh and 64.Conor mac Nessa's other son 65.Cormac Conloingeas who had also "abandoned" his recalcitrant father for what he had done, and they then assembled their forces at Cruachan in Co. Roscommon in the east of the Connacht Province under the overall leadership of 73.Maeve herself and moving onto Athlone they crossed over the River Shannon and marched eastward through Midhe / Meath in Northern Leinster towards Kells near the border of Co. Louth also in the north - east of Northern Leinster where they set up their camp in preparation of carrying out her plan, where she was to also be accompanied by her husband, Ailill and their daughter, Finnabair - of the Fair Brow. During the feasting that followed, 76.Maeve was to try and create a further "incentive" among her followers when she secretly "promised" the hand of her daughter, Finnabair in marriage to all of her Champions individually to carry out her wishes. 64.Fergus mac Roich fearing for what might happen to what was really his own people in the Ulster Province had previously sent a message to warn them that the onslaught from Connacht Province  was coming, but 64.Conor mac Nessa the Irian King of Ulster and his Red Branch Warriors at Emania at this time were not quite with it, as they were all suffering from some type of disabling malaise. This meant that the initial defence of the Ulster Gap was now to be left only up to Cu Chulann who was now meant to block their path to give the Irian warriors time to recover from the malaise, as he was already set up at the Ulster Pass in Co. Louth, where he alone, was not suffering from this particular impediment, and besides this officially he was now acting as 64.Conor mac Nessa's Champion at the Ulster Province border, and also by chance this was actually where the "Brown Bull of Cooley," who 76.Maeve was desperately seeking, was then at "pasture." When 76.Maeve's combined forces approached him to allow them to go on by, Cu Chulann demanded "single combat" under the Irish Celtic Code of Practice / Fir Comhlainn, and that they were not to advance any further until they had individually "overcome" him personally. 76.Maeve inquired from the men among her band who were originally from the Ulster Province, who were among her followers, who this young brave warrior was, and they then advised her of Cu Chulann's previous outstanding youthful exploits, so she decided to offer the 17 year old Cu Chulann honours in her territory in the Connacht Province if he stopped supporting 64.Conor mac Nessa's cause, but he refused, so she then sent him further messages along the same lines until Cu Chulann was to finally "warn" her not to send him any more. To test him out she then agreed with Cu Chulann that he was to go up against one of her own Champions each day at the ford on the border until the advent of the beginning of Spring to see if he could "physically manage" to continue to survive the ongoing ordeal of the various single combatants of one on one. In his first foray he "slew" her most distinguished Champion, Loch with his special spear known as the Gae Bolg, that had 30 barbs, and then began entering into a series of other "single combats" against her other individual Champions in which he continued to be victorious on every occasion until he was finally "wounded," and while he slept to recover his strength a boy troop from out of Emain Macha, who were Cu Chulann's companions, came, who fought also, until they were all slain.

        76,Maeve then asked 64.Fergus mac Roigh to personally fight Cu Chulann, who told her that he would not fight his own "foster - son," but she persisted, so he went to see him, but did not take his sword with him, and Cu Chulann told him it was not safe to come against him without his sword, and 64.Fergus mac Roigh told him that it did not matter as he would not use it against him anyway and instead asked Cu Chulann to pretend to fight him and then run away, but he said he could not do that, so 64.Fergus mac Roigh continued to try and verbally convince him to do it, by saying that if he did, he too would do the same in the future, and they then "agreed" to carry this charade out, and 64.Fergus mac Roich then returned to 76.Maeve and told her to stop insisting that he fight Chu Culann. She then decided to send her wizard Calatin, and his 27 sons and grandsons, to take on Chu Culann, and when 64.Fergus mac Roigh learnt of this he sent Fiacha who was also among the Ulster Province exiles, to see what was to occur and report back to him, but on arriving there Fiacha decided also to "assist" Cu Chulann instead and together they "defeated" all of these opponents also. 76.Maeve in desperation now sent for Ferdia / Ferdiad the"Iberian Champion" of the Domnu Sept, who had been a fellow companion and pupil engaged with Cu Chulann while he was overseas being educated by Scathach, and as he too did not want to fight Cu Chulann, he went reluctantly to Cu Chulann who advised him to go back, as he did not want to injure him, but he expressed the view that he could not do that as he really had no choice in the matter. They fought all day until Sunset and then retired to their camp where they not only shared their food, but also their "healing herbs" on their wounds, and on the the second day it was more of the same, and also on the third day when they decided to finally separate from each other, and on the fourth day Cu Chulann was to slay Ferdia in mortal combat also with his special spear the Gae Bolg, and although Cu Chulann by this time was feeling physically exhausted and badly wounded he still felt great remorse at the death of his friend Ferdia, so he decided to carry his lifeless body back to the other side of the stream to make out that he had made it "across."

     76.Maeve continued to send further individual warriors against him until she finally sent her other particular individual Champions, still promising her daughter, Finnabair to the one who would be able to slay Cu Chullann, and although Cu Chullan's father Sualtam, now came also to try to assist him against them, instead Cu Chullan sent him back to 64.Conor mac Nessa at Emain Macha in the Ulster Province, to advise him that he could no longer personally "hold out" on his own, so Sualtam mounted Cu Chullann's "War Horse "The Grey of Macha" and returned to Emain Macha and cried out for further assistance to support Cu Chulann. Cathbad the Druid admonished him for waking 64.Conor mac Nessa, and Sualtam in a rage jerked the mouth of "The Grey of Macha" who reared up and struck his shield, which then struck his neck and "decapitated" his head. "The Grey of Macha" then raced flat out back into 64.Conor mac Nessa's fort, who was now wide awake and finally becoming more aware of what was really going on and he decided to send for reinforcements from all over Ulster Province and a great battle was to then occur among the proponents, and Cu Chulann on hearing the melee of the fighting called on 64.Fergus mac Roigh to honour his previous pledge and run off now, and he did as he requested, taking his individual personal warriors with him. By this time 76.Maeve had run out of patience with this young upstart, and decided that she could wait no longer for a final decision against Cu Chulann, and so she sent some of her followers to search out the whereabouts of the "Brown Bull of Cooley" and drive him and 50 heifers back into her camp, while she personally proceeded on with her immense retinue into Ulster Province anyway, burning and ravaging the countryside right up to 64.Conor mac Nessa's palace at Emania, and on finding out that she had finally gained possession of the Brown Bull of Cooley she set out with her followers to return down into the Midlands / Midhe / Meath in Northern Leinster where she then set up her camp at Clarecastle / Clartha in Co. Westmeath in the south - west before intending to make her way back to the west and cross the River Shannon into her own territory in Sreng's Fifth / Connacht Province. 64.Conor mac Nessa and his Irian Red Branch Ulster warriors followed her there to Clarecastle and took every opportunity to attack her forces from behind until they finally surrounded her camp there in the Midlands where she was defeated, but in the meantime the cause of all of this, "The Brown Bull of Cooley," had been taken on to Connacht Province where unfortunately he came into conflict with "Ailill's White Horned Bull" and killed him, and after this he then made his way back to Cooley / Cualgne where his heart was to burst while attempnting to charge at a massive rock thinking it too was his opposition and he also died.

    Athairne who was the main poet of 64.Conor mac Nessa the Irian King of Ulster had tremendous power in the Ulster Province. which was only exceeded by that of 64.Conor mac Nessa the Irian King of Ulster himself, as would be demonstrated when Athairne was to demand one of the eyes of Eochy mac Luchta the Gaelic Ithian King of Southern Munster, who he thought would offer him a ransom for it instead, but Eochy was to simply pluck it out of its socket and hand it over to him, although with such a blemish Eochy would also lose his hold on the Ithian Kingship. Realising how powerful the authority of the individual poets / filidh had grown in Ulster Province, 64.Conor mac Nessa decided to break the "monopoly" they had over legal language and knowledge, which was to upset them no end when he especially demanded that they also use "plain language" for all to understand the procedures they carried out and this was to open up their profession to all freemen, creating actual lawyers / brehons instead. 64.Conor mac Nessa feeling himself and the Ulster Province was now all powerful turned his attention towards the Leinster Province, and to carry out this particular agenda he sent Athairne, his main all powerful  poet, down to the south to agitate against Mesgedra the King of Leinster, who had his palace at Naas in Co. Kildare in Southern Leinster, hoping that Athairne's avaricious nature would create trouble with Mesgedra and he could use this disruption as an "excuse" to intervene there in that Province to further express his "overall authority" in Ireland. After being there for a year, Athairne decided to make his move and get what he could out of Mesgedra and then return to the Ulster Province, so he arranged an audience with Mesgedra demanding a poet's fee of 300 head of cattle, to which Mesgedra easily agreed, so he then also demanded 600 sheep to which he also agreed, and pushing his luck further Athairne also asked for 20 ounces of "gold" together with silks and he also further agreed to these demands. Finally by then, feeling well in control of the situation, he demanded 45 Leinster virgins as he well knew that this last demand would completely upset the Leinstermen in the Assembly there who soon responded negatively to this suggestion and were in a total uproar, although in reality once again he was hoping that they would pay him a ransom instead of all of this booty, especially for the 45 young women. Realising that he had by now gone too far Athairne sent a messenger back up to Ulster Province to convince 64.Conor mac Nessa to come down with his Red Branch Warriors to not only protect him, but also the booty when he would eventually be able to reach the Leinster Province / Ulster  Province border with his ill -gotten tribute.

      The next day Athairne gathered up all of his booty and hurriedly left to go to Slighe Cualann where he intended to cross over the River Liffey and head out from there north to Emania, but on arriving at the first crossing he found that the River Liffey was in "flood" and the ford there could not be crossed at this time, and seeing nearby that there was a small settlement, he went about destroying it to gather up the materials he required to cross over, and he also cut bundles of hazel rods and  constructed large hurdles out of "wattle" to try and get the stock across to the other side, and after he had succeeded in this endeavour he then camped there, and this particular crossing then became known as Baile Atha Cliath / The Ford of the Hurdles. The next day after travelling a few miles further to the north he met up with some of the Red Branch Warriors from Ulster Province near the border, just as Mesgedra's Leinster warriors came at them from behind and drove them all back across the neck of land that separated Ben Eadair / Howth from the Plain of Sorrows near Cluain Tarbh where 64.Conor mac Nessa's Red Branch warriors had already constructed a fort on the off chance that they would need to take refuge behind it. Mesgedra then began besieging this fort for several days, during which time the Ulster Warriors who were now involved sent several messengers north to obtain further assistance, and although they still had the cattle, the gold and the booty, the 45 young women had already been rescued by Mesgedra during the first attack. In the meantime 64.Conor mac Nessa in his hurry to assist Athairne, had left 68.Conall Cernach - of the VIctories the leader of the Red Branch Warriors to guard Ulster Province, and on reaching the battle scene he and his Ulster Red Branch Warriors immediately went on the attack against the Leinstermen and many on both sides were to ultimately be slain.

      During the various conflicts Mesgedra was to lose one of his "hands" in battle, and as a consequence leaderless his Leinster Province warriors were driven off and he too also then fled southwards, by - passing Baile Atha Cliath, and instead made for the old ford near Clane, as it was much nearer to his palace at Naas, and on reaching Clane he sought sanctuary in the "Sacred Grove" / nincadh nearby, but 64.Conall Cernach and his Knights of the Red Branch Wrriors of Ulster were by now also personally involved and in pursuit of Mesgedra, and 68.Conall Cernach called on him to come out of the "Grove" and fight one on one, to which Mesgedra replied that he could not as he now only had the "one hand." 68.Conall Cernach then had some of his Ulster Province warriors "bind" one of his arms and he called on Mesgedra once again to come out and fight so Mesgedra immediately drew his sword and came out to go one on one with 68.Conall Cernach, and during the violent conflict that followed Mesgedra's sword cut through the binding on 68.Conall Cernach's arm, so they halted proceedings and 68.Conall Cearnach had his hand re - bound and the same thing happened again, but this time he did not hesitate and rushed forward and mortally wounded Mesgedra, who as he was dying "cursed" all of the Ulstermen. 68.Conor Cernach cut off Mesgedra's head placing it in his chariot and tied Mesgedra's chariot behind his and started to head back north towards Ulster Province where he eventually came upon Mesgedra's Queen, Buan, who at this time was heading home with her chariots and hand maidens after paying a visit to Tara. On approaching her 68.Conall Cernach picked up Mesgedra's head by his hair and held it up for her to see, and this sent her into shock, but she still managed to ask 68.Conall Cernach to allow her to lament / caoine  Mesgedra's passing before she moved on to return to Naas, and on viewing his headless total remains, all at once, along with her hand maidens she let out a great wail that was so intense that she fell backwards and lay dead on the road. 68.Conall Cernach then interred her body there at Clane near the River Liffey, but before he also interred Mesgedra's head he took out his "brain," which he was to later intend  to eventually mix with lime to make a tathlum / brain ball, which would be mixed with blood and mud to create a solid deadly missile for a slingshot. The Ulstermen then in control burnt and plundered Southern Leinster taking women, cattle, gold and slaves as booty, and later on when 68.Conall Cernach and his Red Branch Warriors arrived back at Emain Macha he was to place his trophy, the prepared "brain ball" of Mesgedra, in the "Speckled Hall" in the armoury of the Knights of the Red Branch of Ulster.

     64.Conor mac Nessa had originally been married to the fiery 76.Maeve who had previously also been married to his Irian cousin who had died and she had later became the Queen of Connacht, and he had since put aside and taken up with her sister, 76.Eithne who was of a different "nature" altogether, gentle and sweet, but she too had since died, and he  had then married Luaine, After the conflict with the Leinster Province there was peace for years during which time the Ulster Province was to once again prosper,

      Cet mac Margach - the Wolf of Connacht Province crossed over into the Ulster Province in "disguise" and came to Emain Macha where he saw 2 children playing with the "brain ball" of Mesgedra and as they threw it from one to the other he was able to catch it instead and hid it away carrying it with him in anticipation of physically using it against one of the great Ulster Red Branch Warriors themselves, and he and his followers also became involved in a cattle raid there and 65.Conor mac Nessa and his Red Branch Warriors came out to take them on in a battle just as both were to receive further reinforcements, while the River Brosna flowed in between them, and the women in the Connacht Province watched on from the west bank cleaning and sharpening the weapons of the Connacht Province warriors in preparation for the forthcoming conflict. It had been the Celtic custom that any Irish King, who had previously married the "Earth," would outwardly display himself to those women who were looking on if they requested it and to this end they did, and 64.Conor mac Nessa could not refuse as he was the King of Ulster, but to do this he had to walk towards them in his cloak, while fearing nothing from anyone on his side of the river, as the women of Connacht Province congregated on their side of the river. In the meantime Cet Margach the Connacht Province warrior had "hid" in the bushes near the women of Connacht Province with the "tathlum stone" ready and waiting for an opportunity, and this was to mean that 64.Connor mac Nessa was now also "directly" opposite to him, so Cet Magagh leapt out with Mesgedra's "brain - ball" and let it fly and it struck 64.Conor mac Nessa on the "temple" imbedding itself firmy in his skull and completely flattening him, and his Ulster Province followers rushed over and picked him up and immedeiately fled the scene, The men of Connacht Province then crossed over the river and attacked the fleeing Ulstermen, slaying many of them, as what is now known as Cath Ath Nuachat / The Battle of the Ford of the Slingshot , and when the fleeing Ulstermen reached Emain Macha, Fingen their Chief Physician discovered that the brain - ball was still half buried in 64.Conor mac Nessa's skull, and although it was not fatal as yet, he was just too scared to try and remove it as it seemed that it would be better to leave it were it was, as it could be "fatal" if removed.

     Athairne who had been the main poet in Ulster Province along with his sons had by now completely run away with their own importance, and they had now gone too far by propositioning and harassing 64.Conor mac Nessa's young, Queen Luaine, who had become so "upset" over their constant physical abuse of her that she too had died of distress and grief within a day, and because of this 64.Conor mac Nessa had his Red Branch Warriors dispatch the whole family of Athairne and destroy their fort.

8 BC - 9AD. *78.Criffan / Crimthann Niadh - Nar was to be the Celtic Gaelic Milesian Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh 100th King of Tara / Erinn, who was the son of *77.Lewy Sriabh - n Dearg the previous 98th King of Tara / Erinnand after such a short time as the ruler of Erinn he was to die of complications from a "fall" from his horse. Previously he and *Conaire Mor 1st the previous 97th King of Tara / Erinn had carried out "expeditions" to Albion / Briton and Gaul (France and part of Spain) and had assisted the Scythian Gaelic Celtic Picts and Britons against the invading "Romans." *78.Criffan Niadh - Nar had also brought back from Briton a highly ornamented gilded war chariot, gold - hilted swords, a table studded with 300 brilliant gems and a pair of greyhounds coupled together with a splendid silver chain worth 100 cumal. (1 cumal = a maidservant), or 300 cows.

 

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