RAINBOW FARMS AUSTRALIA                                            

                                                                                                                                                         Seanchus of Celtic Ireland - 13                                                           

1897 BC For the Tuatha De Danann it had now been 237 years since their Nemedian ancestors had left Ireland to escape the ongoing attacks of the Fomorii and 37 years after their Scythian Nemedian Teutonic kinsmen, the Celtic Fir Bolg had arrived who were now in control in Ireland. At this particular time there was a thick fog occurring with constant showers that were to last for 3 days and nights, and the Celtic Tuatha De Danann took the opportunity of this natural cover to make their way further inland after destroying all of their ships, as they were determined not to leave Ireland this time, as they made their way inland to Magh Rein in Co. Leitrim in the north - west of the Connacht Province. After constructing temporary forts they approached the Fir Bolg who by then were aware that they had no ships, and could not understand how they could have reached so far inland without their knowledge, and the Tuatha De Danann told them that they just flew in on the wind.  At first the Tuatha de Danann tried to negotiate with the Fir Bolg, to share Ireland with them, but to no avail, and they were then to be forced into direct conflict and defeat the Fir Bolg in battle, and later on the Hamitic Fomorians / Fomorii who were also to besiege them from the confines of Tory Island. They would then gain overall control of Ireland in their own right for the next 197 years until the coming of the Scythian Celtic Gaelic Milesians.

       Eochy - the Proud, the Fir Bolg King, had sent an army under Sreng his Chief Marshall, and Nuadha the leader of the Tuatha De Danann had sent Breas his Chief Marshall to negotiate with him, and they soon came to realize that they could converse in the same language and that they were both descended from Nemedh. Although the Tuatha De Danann had the superior weapons, they decided to come to an agreement with Sreng, that as they were kinsmen they should divide Ireland up between them and work together to keep out any other strangers. Sreng reported these conditions back to Eochy the Fir Bolg King who simply refused to consider the idea, as he had come to the conclusion that if he gave them half they would soon take the lot. Instead he prepared his Fir Bolg forces to do battle with the Tuatha De Danann, who on seeing the Fir Bolg carrying out battle preparations pulled back to Southern Moytura (The Plain of Nia) situated near Cong on what is now the Co. Mayo and Co. Galway border in the south - west of the Connacht Province. The Fir Bolg then advanced setting up their camp at the east - end of Moytura, and Nuadha the Tuatha De Danann King spread his warriors out in a line at the end of the pass at Belgatan / Benlevi to allow room for a retreat if it was necessary. He then tried once again to negotiate with Eochy through their Druids, but Eochy once again replied in the negative, and instead asked for a truce under their accepted Celtic Culture, which then allowed them both to prepare properly for the battle, and it was agreed upon and the truce was to last for 105 days.

    Finally both sides came face to face, and under their accepted Celtic Code of Practise, 27 individual Tuatha De Danann warriors went up against 27 individual Fir Bolg warriors, who they were able to defeat and kill, so they stopped proceedings and then had another discussion to decide whether they should continue with the battle every day or every second day. Also whether the should still continue on with their Celtic practise of equal opportunity although Eochy had the numbers on his side he did not have their superior weapons. When the battle began once again, with one on one, those among them who survived each conflict retired at the end of the day to bathe in medicinal herbs to be ready for their next encounter and it was to go on like this for 4 days with terrible slaughter taking place between them. This all occurred near Mt. Belgadan at the west - end of Magh Nia (The Plain of Nia) now known as Moytura / Magh Tuireadh, situated in the south of Co. Mayo in the mid - west of the Connacht Province, over an area 6 miles square, where the Tuatha De Danann with their superior weapons eventually won the overall battle despite the difference in the opposing numbers, and after much blood had been shed. Sreng the Fir Bolg champion was to go up against Nuadha and during the conflict he was to cut off one of Nuadha's hands and half of his shield with just one blow, but Nuadha was able to survive the injury and was to later have a silver hand made up and fitted by Diancecht his physician, and he would then become known as Nuadha Airgead Lamh - of the Silver Hand.

    Meanwhile, Eochy the Fir Bolg King realizing that he was now feeling terribly thirsty decided it was best to depart the scene and look for water and he took 100 of his men with him as protection, but 3 of the sons of another of the Tuatha De Danann Chiefs, also known as Nemedh, pursued him with 150 of their warriors further north to Traigh Eothile near Ballysadare in Co. Sligo in the north - west of the Connacht Province. Eochy was to be killed there in the ensuing skirmish, and also the 3 sons of Nemedh, and the surviving Tuatha De Danann warriors then buried their 3 leaders there at the west end of the strand at Leica mac Nemedh (The Grave Stones of the Sons of Nemedh.) Eochy was also buried directly where he fell on the strand itself, by the Tuatha De Danann who placed a great heap of stones over the site there that is now known as the Carn of Traigh Eothaill. Meanwhile, back at the original battle site at Southern Moytura the Fir Bolg were by this time down to only 300 warriors who were still under the command of Sreng, and due to what was by now an inequality of numbers he still demanded the Celtic right of continuing on with single - combat until one side was totally defeated. The Tuatha De Danann, who were still under the command of Nuadha, instead offered him peace and 1/ 5th / Coiced of the Divisions, to which Sreng agreed and he took the territory in the west where the battle had occurred, which then became known as Sreng's Fifth / Cuigead Sreing. It is now known as Connacht (The Land of *83.Conn) as in the 2nd Century AD *83.Conn of the Hundred Battles who would be by then the Heremonian Ui Felim 110th King of Tara / Ireland was to become the direct male line ancestor of the Dal Cuinn (People of *83.Conn) there, and it was then named after him. (Sreng's descendants would still continue to exist there up until 1650 AD.) Also still to be seen on the Plain at Southern Moytura are the Pillar stones and the huge graves called Cromlechs in which all of the deceased from this battle were originally interred.

    Some of the Fir Bolg warriors and their followers were to also retreat to the Aran Islands where they built Dun Oenghus (The Fort of Angus) named after their particular Fir Bolg leader on the island of Big Aran / Inish Mor, and Dun Onact / Dun Eoghanachta west of Kilmurry on the island of Inish Mor / Arainn Mhor off the coast of Co. Galway in the south - west of the Connacht Province. (Others withdrew also to the safety of many of the islands surrounding Scotland and Ireland). In the future in 5th Century AD Inish Mor would be granted to St. Enda by the then Heberian King of Cashel / Munster, who was his Eoghanacht  kinsman, to set up a Christian Church and school there, and it was to become famous throughout Ireland, and all of the descendants of the Fir Bolg who were still existing there at that time were to be converted to Christianity.

 

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