"The History of the Cormacs"

Compiled by Nimue, Aislinn, & Mebh Cormac from the sources listed below. Written by Mebh Cormac.

There are a number of 'Cormacs' in the annals of Celtic history, but perhaps the most famous is Cormac mac Art. He surfaces in the pages of legend, rather than myth and his reign may have occurred in the third century. He was looked on with great reverence as a fair and just king, who not only achieved some unity among the clans during his lifetime, but also is credited with causing the first water mill to built in Ireland. Finn Mac Cool conducted his exploits during his reign, building the Fianna into a legendary fighting force.

When Cormac Mac Art, the rightful heir to the throne of Ireland, was a boy, he lived at Tara in disguise; for the usurper Fergus Mac Con, the Black Toothed, held the throne so that Cormac dared not reveal his identity. There was at this time living near Tara a female brewer, named Bennaid, whose sheep trespassed on the royal domain, and ate up the queen's valuable crop of glaisín [glasheen] or woad plants for dyeing. The queen instituted proceedings for damages; and the question came up for decision before the king, who, after hearing the evidence, decided that the sheep should be forfeit in payment for the glaisin.

"Not so," exclaimed the boy Cormac, who was present, and who could not restrain his judicial instincts: "the cropping of the sheep should be sufficient for the cropping of the glaisin - the wool for the woad - for both will grow again."

"That is a true judgement," exclaimed all: " and he who has pronounced it is surely the son of a king "-for kings were supposed to possess a kind of inspiration in giving their decisions. And so they discovered who Cormac was, and in a short time placed him on the throne, after deposing the usurper.

Cormac ruled in great splendour, holding sway over most of Ireland from his wooden palace built on a low hilltop overlooking the green valley of the river Boyne at Tara. 

Beautiful was the appearance of Cormac in the assembly; flowing and slightly curling was his golden hair, a red buckler with stars and animals of gold and fastenings of silver upon him.  A crimson cloak in wide descending folds around him, fastened at his neck with precious stones.  A torque of gold around his neck, a white shirt with a full collar, and intertwined with a red gold thread upon him.  A girdle of gold, inlaid with precious stones, was around him.  Two wonderful shoes of gold, with golden loops, were upon his feet.  Two spears with golden sockets in his hands, with many rivets of red bronze.  And he was himself, besides, symmetrical and beautiful of form, without blemish or reproach.

'Cormac’s Adventures in the Land of Promise'

or How Cormac came to possess his Cup of Gold.
 
One day, at dawn in Maytime, Cormac son of Art son of Conn the Hundred-Fighter was alone on Mur Tea in Tara. He saw coming towards him a calm, grey-haired warrior, with a purple, fringed mantle around him, a ribbed, gold-threaded shirt next his skin, and two blunt shoes of white bronze between his feet and the earth. A branch of silver with three golden apples was on his shoulder. Delight and amusement enough it was to listen to the music made by the branch, for men sore-wounded, or women in child-bed, or folk in sickness would fall asleep at the melody which was made when that branch was shaken. The warrior saluted Cormac.

Cormac saluted him. 'Whence has thou come, O warrior?' said Cormac.

'From a land,' he replied, 'wherein there is nought save truth, and there is neither age nor decay nor gloom nor sadness nor envy nor jealousy nor hatred nor haughtiness.'

'It is not so with us,' said Cormac. 'A question, O warrior: shall we make an alliance?'

'I am well pleased to make it.' So they became allies.

'Give me the branch!' said Cormac.

'I will give it,' said the warrior, 'provided the three boons which I shall ask in Tara be granted to me in return.'

'They shall be granted,' said Cormac.

Then the warrior bound Cormac to his promise, and left the branch and went away; and Cormac knew not whither he had gone. Cormac returned to the palace, and the household marvelled at the branch. Cormac shook it at them, and cast them into slumber from that hour to the same time on the following day.
At the end of a year the warrior came and asked of Cormac the consideration agreed upon for his branch.

'It shall be given,' said Cormac.

'I will take thy daughter Ailbe today,' said the warrior. So he took the girl with him.

The women of Tara uttered three loud cries after the daughter of the king of Erin. But Cormac shook the branch at them, so that he banished grief from them all and cast them into sleep.
A month later the warrior returned and took with him Cairbre Liffecair the son of Cormac. Weeping and sorrow ceased not in Tara at the loss of the boy, and that night no one ate or slept, and they were in grief and exceeding gloom. But Cormac shook the branch at them, and their sorrow left them,

The same warrior came a third time.

What do you ask today?' said Cormac.

'Thy wife,' said he, 'even Ethne Taebfada daughter of Dunlang king of Leinster.'

Then he took the woman away with him.

That thing Cormac could not endure. He went after them, and everyone followed him. A great mist was brought upon them in the midst of the plain, and Cormac found himself alone. There was a large fortress in the midst of the plain with a wall of bronze around it. In the fortress was a house of white silver, and it was half-thatched with the wings of white birds. A fairy host of horsemen were at the house, with lapfuls of the wings of white birds in their bosoms to thatch the house. A gust of wind would blow and would carry away all of it that had been thatched.

Cormac saw a man kindling a fire, and the thick-boled oak was cast upon it, top and butt. When the man came again with another oak, the burning of the first oak had ended. Then he saw another royal stronghold, and another wall of bronze around it. There were four palaces therein, He entered the fortress and saw the vast palace with its beams of bronze, its wattling of silver, and its thatch of the wings of white birds. Then he saw in the enclosure a shining fountain, with five streams flowing out of it, and the hosts in turn drinking its water.

Nine hazels of Buan grew over the well. The purple hazels dropped their nuts into the fountain, and the five salmon which were in the fountain severed them and sent their husks floating down the streams. Now the sound of the falling of those streams was more melodious than any music that men sing.

He entered the palace. There was one couple inside awaiting him, The warrior’s figure was distinguished owing to the beauty of his shape, the comeliness of his form, and the wonder of his countenance. The girl along with him, mature, yellow-haired, with a golden headdress, was the loveliest of the world’s women. Cormac’s feet were washed by invisible hands. There was bathing in a pool without the need of attendance. The heated stones of themselves went into and came out of the water.

As they were there after the hour of nine they saw a man coming into the house. A wood-axe was in his right hand, and a log in his left hand, and a pig behind him.

'Tis time to make ready within,' said the warrior 'because a noble guest is here.'

The man struck the pig and killed it. And he cleft his log so that he had three sets of part-cleavings. The pig was cast into the cauldron.

'It is time for you to turn it,' said the warrior.

'That would be useless,' said the kitchener, 'for never, never will the pig be boiled until a truth is told for each quarter of it.'

'Then,' said the warrior, 'do thou tell us the first truth.'

 
'One day,' said he, 'when I was going round the land, I found another man’s cows on my property, and I brought them with me into a cattle-pound. The owner of the cows followed me and said that he would give me a reward for letting his cows go free. I gave him his cows. He gave me a pig and an axe and a log, the pig to be killed with the axe every night, and the log to be cleft by it, and there would then be enough firewood to boil the pig, and enough for the palace besides. And, moreover, the pig would be alive the next morning and the log be whole. And from then till today they have been like that.'

'True, indeed, is that tale,' said the warrior.

The pig was turned in the cauldron and only one quarter of it was found boiled.

'Let us have another tale of truth,' said they.

'I will tell one,' said the warrior. 'Ploughing-time had come. When we desired to plough that field outside, it was found ploughed, harrowed and sown with wheat. When we desired to draw it into that side out there, it was found in the enclosure all in one thatched rick. We have been eating it from then till today; but it is no whit greater nor less.'

Then the pig was turned in the cauldron, and another quarter was found to be cooked.

'It is now my turn,' said the woman. 'I have seven cows and seven sheep. The milk of the seven cows is enough for the people of the Land of Promise. From the wool of the seven sheep comes all the clothing they require.'

At this story the third quarter of the pig was boiled.

'It is now thy turn,' they said to Cormac.

So Cormac related how his wife and his son and his daughter had been taken from him, and how he himself had pursued them until he arrived at that house. So with that the whole pig was boiled.

Then they carved the pig, and his portion was placed before Cormac.

'I never eat a meal,' said Cormac, 'without fifty in my company.'

The warrior sang a song to him and put him asleep. After this he awoke and saw fifty warriors, and his son and his wife and his daughter along with him. Thereupon his spirit was strengthened. Then ale and food were dealt out to them and they became happy and joyous. A cup of gold was placed in the warrior’s hand. Cormac was marvelling at the cup for the numbers of the forms upon it and the strangeness of its workmanship.

'There is something about it still more strange,' said the warrior. 'Let three falsehoods be spoken under it, and it will break into three. Then let three true declarations be made under it, and it will unite again as it was before.'

The warrior spoke under it three falsehoods, and it broke into three parts.

'It would be well to utter truth,' said the warrior, 'for the sake of restoring the cup. I declare, O Cormac,' said he, 'that until today neither thy wife nor thy daughter has seen the face of a man since they were taken from thee out of Tara, and that thy son has not seen a woman’s face.' 

The cup thereupon became whole.

'Take thy family now,’ said the warrior, 'and take the cup that thou mayst have it for discerning between truth and falsehood, And thou shalt have the branch for music and delight. And on the day that thou shalt die they all will be taken from thee.

'I am Manannan son of Lir,' said he, 'king of the Land of Promise; and to see the Land of Promise was the reason I brought thee hither. The host of horsemen which thou beheldest thatching the house are the men of art in Ireland, collecting cattle and wealth which passes away into nothing. The man whom thou sawest kindling the fire is a thriftless young chief, and out of his housekeeping he pays for everything he consumes. The fountain which thou sawest, with the five streams out of it, is the Fountain of Knowledge, and the streams are the five senses through which knowledge is obtained. And no one will have knowledge who drinks not a draught out of the fountain itself and out of the streams. The folk of many arts are those who drink of them both.'

Now on the morrow morning, when Cormac arose, he found himself on the green of Tara, with his wife and his son and daughter, and having his Branch and Cup.

Credit to John Matthews "A Celtic Reader"

Cormac's hospitality was so prodigious that his royal revenue was soon exhausted. He sought to get a double tribute out of the kingdom of Munster; since Munster had two provinces, he believed it should give him double measure. King Fiacha disputed the justice of this claim and offered what he considered ample tribute to Cormac.

Cormac then called together his druids to give him an augury concerning the outcome of a foray against Munster and, though the druids could give only unfavourable replies, set off to Damhghaire. Cormac’s druids caused springs and streams to dry up in Munster. But Mogh Ruith, Fiacha’s druid, came against the army of Cormac. He had been trained in the East, in the school of Simon Magus himself — for Simon was of the race of the Gaels.

Mogh Ruith relieved the drought on Munster. Then, Ciothruadh said that their last resort was to use the Druidic Fire against the enemy. He ordered Cormac’s men to go and each cut down a quickbeam (mountain ash or rowan) and make a great fire from the resulting wood. If the smoke drifted south, then Cormac would be victorious, but if it came northwards, then Munster would overcome him.

Mogh Ruith perceived their purpose and ordered the men of Munster to bring out of the forest a faggot of rowan wood. Then he ordered that the king should himself bring out a special bundle of wood that had grown in the shelter of three things; sheltered from the north-east wind of March, sheltered from the sea-winds, and sheltered from the winds of conflagration which were being lit against them.

Mogh Ruith’s apprentice, Ceannmhair, built up this wood in the shape of a triangle, with seven vents into it. (Ciothruadh’s fire was only heaped up roughly with three vents.) Then Mogh Ruith asked each of the Munster troop to give him a shaving from the handle of his spear which he then mixed with butter, and rolled into a great ball saying all the while:

'I mix a roaring powerful fire;
It will clear the woods; it will blight the grass;
An angry flame of powerful speed;
It will rush up to the skies above;
It will subdue the wrath of all burning wood;
It will break a battle on the clans of Conn'.

Then he threw the ball into the fire whence it exploded with great force. Saying that he was about to bring a rout upon the enemy, Mogh Ruith told all to stand ready and watch if the fires blew northwards against their foe. Then ‘he blew his druidical breath up into the sky, and it immediately became a threatening black cloud, which came down in a shower of blood upon the plain before him, and moved onwards from that to Tara, the Druid all the time pronouncing his rhythmical incantations.’

Mogh Ruith asked what effect the flames were having, because he was blind. They reported that the fires were chasing over each other West and North, and that not a tree in mid Munster was left standing. When he asked again, the fires had risen up into the sky like angry warriors. Then Mogh Ruith called for his dark-grey hornless bull’s hide and his white speckled bird head-piece and he flew up into the air to the verge of the fires, and commenced to turn them northwards. When Cormac’s druid, Ciothruadh, saw this, he also ascended to oppose Mogh Ruith. But Mogh Ruith knocked Ciothruadh to the ground, and turned the fires north.
Cormac’s army retreated, hotly pursued by Mogh Ruith in his chariot drawn by wild oxen. He asked who were the men at the rear of the enemy’s army.

'They are three tall grey-headed men,' said they. 'They are Cormac’s three Druids, Cecht, Ciotha and Ciothruadh,' said he, 'and my gods have promised me to transform them into stones, when I should overtake them, if I could but blow my breath upon them.' And then he blew a druidic breath upon them, so that they were turned into stones; and these are the stones that are called the Flags of Raighne at this day.'

The Burial Of Cormac Mac Art.


Many thousands of years after it was built the great passage grave at Newgrange, Co. Meath, became the burial place of the High Kings of Ireland. They lived at Tara to the south of Newgrange. Cormac MacAirt was the most famous of these High Kings. He lived about the
time Christ was on earth but like all the people of Ireland he was a pagan.

One time when Cormac was very sick he had a vision. He saw Jesus being crucified on the cross. He became very angry at this and decided not to be a pagan any more. The druids did not like this and they put a curse on him. One day while he was eating a salmon from the
Boyne river a bone stuck in his throat and he choked. Before he died he told his people not to bury him at the pagan burial mound at Newgrange. He wanted to be buried at Ros na Righ on the banks of the Boyne instead.

His people decided that he should be buried at Newgrange. The huge funeral procession left Tara and headed for Newgrange. It had to cross the Boyne. While they were carrying the coffin across a big wave came and threw the coffin back on the bank of the river. The people tried a second time to carry the coffin across and a huge wave came and threw it back again.

When they tried the third time an enormous wave took the coffin down the river. The people followed and found the coffin thrown up on the bank at Ros na Righ where Cormac wanted to be buried. They buried him there so Cormac, the first King in Ireland to learn about
Christianity, was not buried at Newgrange.

Another Historical Cormac.
Cormac Conloingeas was the son of Conor mac Nessa. After his father’s treachery towards the sons of Usnach, he assisted Fergus mac Roi in his attack on him. He then went to Connacht. When Conor was dying, he summoned Cormac home to become king. Cormac was warned on his way by a girl that death awaited him. He stopped overnight at a house and during the night was attacked by Connachtmen. Cormac could not resist, for Craiftine the harper, who lived nearby, lulled him and made him drowsy with his music and so Cormac was slain.

This one most probably isn't related to us....but it was such a good story.

Cormac MacCuilenan (836-908).

An Irish bishop and King of Cashel, Cormac MacCuilenan was of the race of Eoghanact, of Southern Ireland, and in his early years received a good education in one of the Irish schools. He was ordained priest, and afterwards appointed Bishop of Cashel. In the year 900 he became, on account of his descent, King of Cashel, and thus were combined in his person the two offices of spiritual and temporal ruler of Leth Moga, as the southern portion of Ireland was called. The ardri (high king), Flann, assisted by the King of Leinster, led his forces into the Southern Province (906), and was met by the Munstermen under Cormac at Moylena (Tullamore). The
ardri suffered a signal defeat. Later on, however (908) Flann, assisted by Ceorbhall, King of Leinster, and Cathal, King of Connaught, returned to the attack, apparently because Cormac, instigated by Flaherty, Abbot of Inniscathay, had claimed tribute from Leinster, and had even signified his intention of assuming the position of ardri.

The battle was fought at the present Ballymoon; the Munstermen suffered a complete defeat and Cormac was killed in the battle. An Irish Glossary called "Sanas Chormaic", containing etymologies and explanations of over 1400 Irish words has come down to us. Though, etymologically, the work is of little value, yet on account of the light it throws upon many ancient Irish customs and institutions it is of great importance to the historian. The "Glossary of Cormac" is said to be only a part of the "Saltair Chaisil", also attributed to Cormac. This work, if it ever existed, has disappeared, or, as W. Stokes thinks, it is more likely that at best the "Saltair Chaisil" was only a collection of transcripts of manuscripts from the hands of different
writers. The above-mentioned "Sanas Chormaic", or "Cormac's Glossary", was
translated and annotated by John O'Donovan and edited by W. Stokes (Calcutta,
1868). See Stokes, "Three Irish Glossaries" (London, 1862).

O'DONOVAN, The Annals of Ireland (Dublin), I, II; O'CURRY, Manuscript Materials of Irish History (Dublin, 1873); O'DONOVAN ed., Books of Rights in Publications of Celtic Society; WEBB, Compendium of Irish Biography (Dublin, 1878); D'ALTON, History of Ireland (Dublin, 1903).