Hello, my name is Oisín Ó Dubhshláine and welcome to the third episode of our series on the Invasions of Ireland. Until now, I’ve spoken about the first two groups to come to Ireland. These two tribes died of plagues and not from conflict. This week, I’ll turn to the third tribe to come to Ireland and the way that they left. This is the story of the Coming of the Nemedians.
The place we left off in this saga, Tuan was the only one of the Partholonians left. He survived thirty years on his own in Ireland until he saw another group on the horizon. He hid.
It’s said that the Nemedians came to Ireland in forty four ships from the Caspian Sea. Nemed was the leader of these people. It took them a year and a half to come to Ireland. Unfortunately, only one ship managed to land in Ireland. This was Nemed’s ship. After twelve days of being settled in Ireland, Nemed’s wife died. Her name was Macha. It’s said that she was clearing a plain when she died from the stress and strain it put on her body. Some say that she had a vision of the horrors and destruction so come in the Ulster Cycle and this is why she died. Nemed had four sons with Macha before she died. They were named Starn, Iarborne, Annind, and Fergus Leathdearg.
The Nemedians added four lakes and twelve plains to Ireland during their time here. As well as this, they built two forts. They built the Fort of Cimbaith in Semne. The Sons of Matan Munremar built another fort in Uí Nialláin, in the north of the country. It only took one day for Bos, Roboc, Ruibne, and Rotan to build this fort and Nemed killed them before sunrise the next day.
After their failure against the Partholonians, the Fomorians returned with revenge in their minds. They met each other in Ros Fraechain. The Nemedians won this battle and killed two Fomorian kings, Gann and Sengann. They fought again in Badbgna in Connacht. Artur, the first son Nemed had on Irish soil was killed in the battle at Cnamros in Leinster. By the time the Fomorians fough the Nemedians in Murbolg, Conand was their leader and he killed Starn, the son of Nemed.
After nine years in Ireland, Nemed died. He was not killed in battle, but he died of a plague. This plague killed three thousand other Nemedians as well. He was buried in Ard Neimhidh. This can be found on the Great Island in Cork.
After this tragedy, the Fomorians had no trouble oppressing the Nemedians. Conand lived in the Glass Tower on Tory Island. Every Samhain or beginning of WInter, he demanded two thirds of the Nemedians’ children, corn, and milk. The Nemedians had no other choice but to make this sacrifice.
In the end, they grew tired of these demands and six-thousand strong, they attacked Tory Island. Three thousand of them fought on land and the other three thousand fought on sea. They killed Conand and you might this that this was the end to the story. But unfortunately, Conand was not the only leader of the Fomorians. Morc was also a leader and he killed every Nemedian except thirty as revenge for his brother.
These thirty fled. They separated. A third of them went north. Nine others went to Albion with Fergus Lethderg. Fergus’s son was among them and his name was Britán Mael. It’s said that this group became the ancestors of the British. The last third went south to Greece. Ireland was left empty for two hundred years.
Well, except for Tuan Mac Starn. Tuan saw this entire story unfold. He stayed safe from the Fomorians and the Nemedians alike by transforming into different bodies. He transformed into a stag, a boar, an eagle, and finally, a salmon.
This was our story on the coming of the Nemedians. Join us next week for our next story.
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