Hello. My name is Oisín Ó Dubhshláine and welcome to the second episode of our series on the Women of Ireland. Last week, we looked at Queen Medb, one of the most powerful queens in Irish legend. Today we’ll turn to another goddess. This is our story on Macha.
Macha is an incredibly important goddess because she returns in Irish folklore again and again. She appeared as one of the Parthalonians, one of the Nemedians, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a fairy woman, and a queen.
The Parthalonians were the second group to come to Ireland. They settled in Tallaght but unfortunately, a plague wiped them all out. This is the reason for Tallaght’s full name. Tamhlacht Muintir Pharthalón means the memorial plague site of the Partholonians. Macha, daughter of Partholon was with them but she died along with the rest of them.
The third group, the Nemedians, came to Ireland. Macha was married to Nemed. When they settled, this time in the North of the country, Macha cleared the plains of Ireland for farming. After suffering this strain, Macha died then on the plain. It’s said she had a vision then, that she predicted the Táin, and that she died there from a broken heart. The place where her body was buried is called Ard Mhacha, the high place of Macha, and the plain where she died was called Magh Macha, or Macha’s plain.
After the Nemedians, the Fir Bolg came. The Tuatha Dé Danann usurped the country from them. This happened after the First Battle of Maigh Tuireadh. The Tuatha Dé Danann fought against the Fir Bolg with the Mórríghan among them. Macha fought with her sisters, Badb and Mórrígu. As well as this, this triple goddess used her magic to cause water, blood and fire to rain down upon the Fir Bolg in Tara, as well as raising a dense fog. In the Second Battle of Maigh Tuireadh, Balor of the Evil Eye killed Macha as she fought alongside her husband, Nuada of the Silver Arm. She was listed among the druids after her death.
When Macha returned for the fourth time, she came as a woman of the fairies, or a Bean na Sí. Not as the harbinger of death, but simply as a magical woman. She left the Otherworld and met Crunnchu. Crunnchu’s wife had died and he was alone. Macha came to him and she gave him every prosperity. The pair of them fell in love and Macha stayed with him on one condition. That was, that he wouldn’t tell anyone that she was staying with him.
One day, as Macha was pregnant with their twins, the King of Ulster threw a festival. Crunnchu travelled to this festival.
“Now, don’t tell anyone that I’m staying with you,” Macha reminded him.
“I won’t say a word about you,” he said, waving her off.
He left and when he reached the festival, he drank. He saw the king’s chariot being driven around the place.
“Aren’t they the fastest horses you’ve ever seen?” one man said to him.
“Not even. My wife could outrun them without breaking a sweat,” Crunnchu said.
The festival fell silent. Crunnchu had just insulted the king and didn’t even realise it. The people of Ulster captured him then and sent a message to Macha. A young boy knocked on Macha’s door.
“What do you want, boy?” she asked.
“Well, missus, your man has insulted the king and the king will have his head if you don’t restore his honour.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Well, he said you could outrun the king’s horses without breaking a sweat. As such, the king won’t be satisfied until he sees you do it with his own eyes.”
Macha let out a string of rude statements and went with the young boy to the festival. There, she pleaded with the king to delay and not to put her to the race, since she was heavily pregnant with twins. The king didn’t listen to her. She reminded the men of Ulster that a woman had borne each one of them but none of them stopped the race.
The race was started and that was when her labour began. She outran the horses and when she she crossed the finish line, she fell to the ground. She birthed her children, Fír and Fial, and died then. As she breathed her last, she cursed the men of Ulster, that every man who heard her feel the pain of labour in their greatest hour of need for nine times nine generations.
The last time Macha was seen was as Macha Mog Ruadh, or Macha of the Red Hair. She was the daughter of Aedh Ruadh. By this time, the high kingship of Ireland was shared between three men. They were brothers, Aedh Ruadh, Díthorba, and Cimbaeth. They ruled for seven years each and after their term, they handed off the power to the next brother.
After a time, Aed Ruadh died and when his round came again, Macha stood in his place. Neither Díthorba or Cimbaeth were happy with this. They didn’t let her rule since they weren’t happy to share the high kingship with a woman. As such, Macha challenged them to battle. The three of them fought against one another and Macha triumphed over them. She killed Díthorba and after that, his five sons fought her. She won again. The boys fled to Connaught. Macha married Cimbaeth then and after seven years, she gave the high kingship back to him. If she hadn’t married him, she would have had the right to retain the high kingship for herself, since she won it through battle and not blood.
After their marriage, Macha searhed for the sons of Díthorba. She came to them in the form of a crone and seduced them. She captured them and brought them with her to Ard Mhacha. She put them to work then. She carved a boundary in the land with her brooch and the sons of Díthorba built a fort on that land. This place was Eamhain Mhacha. It’s said that there is a link between the word Eamhain with brooch, since this is what Macha carved the land with. It is also said that there is a link between the word Eamhain and twins, since it was there, at Eamhain Mhacha that Macha birthed the twins.
It’s also said that Macha possessed the Grey of Macha, or the Liath Macha before the death of Cú Chulainn. This was the reason for the blood tears she cried. She was warning him that death was coming to him.
These are the stories of the goddess Macha. Join us next week for our next story.
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