Orgain Denna Ríg
Background information
References in the Annals of the Four Masters
M4567.1 This was the first year of Ugaine Mor, son of Eochaidh Buadhach, in the sovereignty of Ireland.
M4606.1 At the end of this year Ugaine Mor, after he had been full forty years king of Ireland, and of the whole of the west of Europe, as far as Muir Toirrian, was slain by Badhbhchadh, at Tealach An Chosgair, in Magh Muireadha, in Bregia.
M4606.2 Badhbhchadh, son of Eochaidh Buadhach, was for a day and a half after Ugaine in the sovereignty of Ireland, when Laeghaire Lorc, son of Ugaine, slew him, in revenge of his father.
M4608.1 Laeghaire Lorc, son of Ugaine, after having been two years in the sovereignty of Ireland, was killed by Cobhthach Cael Breagh, at Carman (Wexford).
M4658.1 Cobhthach Cael Breagh, son of Ugaine, after having been fifty years in the sovereignty of Ireland, fell by Labhraidh Loingseach, [i.e.] Maen, son of Oilioll Aine, with thirty kings about him, at Dinn Righ, on the brink of the Bearbha.
M4677.1 Labhraidh Loingseach, [i. e.] Maen, son of Oilioll Aine, son of Laeghaire Lorc, son of Ugaine Mor, after having been nineteen years in the sovereignty of Ireland, was slain by Melghe Molbhthach, son of Cobhthach Cael Breagh.
M891.14 Flann, son of Lonan, the Virgil of the race of Scota, chief poet of all the Gaeidhil, the best poet that was in Ireland in his time, was secretly murdered by the sons of Corrbuidhe (who were of the Ui Fothaith), at Loch Dachaech, in Deisi Mumhan.
Annals of Tigernach
RC XVI, no. 4, p. 378 Cobthach the Slender, of Bregia, son of Úgaine the Great was burnt, with thirty kings around him, at Dind ríg of Magh Ailbe, in the Hostel of Tuaimm Tenbath precisely, by Labraid the Dumb Exile, son of Ailill of Áne, son of Lóeguire Lorc, son of Úgaine the Great, in revenge for his father and grandfather, whom Cobthach the Slender had killed. Warfare thence between Leinster and Conn’s Half.
Lebor Gabála Érenn (Macalister), Volume 5
p. 275 Loiguire Lorc took the kingship of Ireland for a space of two years after Ugoine, till he fell at the hands of Cobthach Cóel Breg.
p. 277 And further, the same Cobthach slew his son (this Loeguire’s), namely Ailill Aine; and he exiled Labraid Lonn son of Ailill son of Loiguire Lorc over sea, till he made peace with him, at the end of thirty years and gave him the province of the Gailian, namely Laigin. From that onward, was there war between Leth Cuind and Laigin. Then Cobthach Cóel Breg fell in Dinn Ríg, with thirty kings around him, on Great Christmas night, at the hands of Labraid Loingsech, in vengeance for his father and his grandfather. Three hundred and seven years from that night to the night when Christ was born in Bethlehem of Juda.
p. 279 Labraid Loingsech took the kingship for nineteen years, till he fell at the hands of Melge son of Cobthach.
The History of Ireland (Geoffrey Keating)
pp. 161-167 Laoghaire Lorc son of Ughaine Mor, son of Eochaidh Buadhach, son of Duach Laghrach, son of Fiachaidh Tolgrach, son of Muireadhach Bolgrach, son of Simeon Breac, son of Aodan Glas, son of Nuadha Fionn Fail, son of Giallchaidh, son of Oilill Olchaoin, son of Siorna Saoghalach of the race of Eireamhon, held the sovereignty of Ireland two years. Ceasair Chruthach, daughter of the king of the French, wife of Ughaine Mor, was the mother of Laoghaire Lorc and Cobhthach Caol mBreagh. And he was called Laoghaire Lorc, for lorc means ‘murder of a kinsman’; and Laoghaire treacherously slew Badhbhchaid, son of Eachaidh Buadhach, whence he got the name Laoghaire Lorc. Cobhthach Caol mBreagh, his own brother, slew Laoghaire Lorc at Dionn Riogh on the brink of the Bearbha.
It happened that Cobhthach Caol mBreagh had been pining through envy of Laoghaire Lorc on account of his holding the sovereignty of Ireland; and when Laoghaire heard that he was sick, he came with an armed force to visit him. When Cobhthach saw him, he said it was sad that his brother always had a suspicion of him and would not come into his presence without an escort. ‘Not so,’ said Laoghaire; ‘I will come peacefully into thy presence the next time unattended by an armed escort.’ Thereupon, Laoghaire bade farewell to Cobhthach. Now Cobhthach took the advice of a druid who was with him as to how he could lay hold on his kinsman to kill him. ‘What thou hast to do,’ said the druid, ‘is to feign death, and go into a bier as a corpse, and to send word of this to Laoghaire; and he will come to thee with only a small escort; and when he will come into thy presence, he will lie on thy body lamenting thee, and do thou stab him in the abdomen with a dirk, and thus kill him.’ When Cobhthach had in this manner finished the killing of Laoghaire, he slew also Oilill Aine son of Laoghaire; and he recovered his health after he had done these deeds. He also commanded a young lad whose name was Maon, the son of Oilill Aine, to be brought into his presence, and made him eat a portion of his father’s and grandfather’s hearts, and to swallow a mouse with [its tail]. But the child lost his speech from the disgust he felt, and when he became speechless Cobhthach let him go. The child proceeded to Corca Dhuibhne, where he resided for a time with Scoiriath, who was king of that country, and thence went to France with a party of nine, though some seanchas say that it was to the country of Armenia he went. And the party who accompanied him declared that he was heir to the kingdom of Ireland; and from this it came to pass that the king of the French made him leader of his household guards; and he became very successful, and so was much talked about, and his fame was great in Ireland; and consequently many Irishmen followed him to France. And he remained there a long time of his life.
Cobhthach Caol mBreagh son of Ughaine Mor, son of Eachaidh Buadhach of the race of Eireamhon, held the sovereignty of Ireland thirty years, or, according to others, fifty years. Ceasair Chruthach, daughter of the king of the French, was his mother. He was called Cobhthach Caol mBreagh, for a severe disease afflicted him through envying his brother Laoghaire Lorc, who was king of Ireland before him, so that he got into decline, and his blood and flesh melted away, so that he was thin; and Magh Breagh is the name of the place in which he lay sick, and hence he was called Caol mBreagh; and this Cobhthach was slain by Labhraidh Loingseach, son of Oilill Aine, at Dionn Riogh, on the eve of greater Christmas, to avenge his fatherand grandfather whom he had slain. On this some poet composed this stanza:
Labhraidh Loinseach, sufficient his army,
He slew Cobhthach in Dionn Riogh;
With the lance-armed host beyond the sea-water,
It was from these that the Lagenians were named.
Labhraidh Loingseach son of Oilill Aine, son of Laoghaire Lorc, son of Ughaine Mor of the race of Eireamhon, held the sovereignty of Ireland ten years; and he fell by Meilge son of Cobhthach Caol mBreagh. And the way in which he was allured from France to Ireland was that Moiriath daughter of Scoiriath, king of the territory of Feara Morc in west Munster, conceived a violent passion for him on account of the greatness of his name and fame. She equipped Craiftine the harper, a musician who was in Ireland at the time, that he might go after him to France with many love-presents, together with a love-lay in which she set forth the intensity of her passion for Maon; and when Craiftine arrived in France, he played a very sweet tune on his harp when he came to where Maon was, and sang the love-lay which Moiriath daughter of Scoiriath had composed for Maon. He was so delighted with Craiftine’s playing that he said he considered the song and the tune melodious; and when his followers and Craiftine had heard this, they besought the king of the French to give him an auxiliary force so that he might go and regain his own territory; and the king gave him a fleetful, that is, two thousand two hundred, and they put out to sea; and no tidings whatever are given of them till they put into harbour at Loch Garman; and when they came ashore, they learned that Cobhthach Caol mBreagh was in Dionn Riogh and many of the Irish nobles with him, and thereupon they marched day and night, and attacked his fortress, and slew Cobhthach together with these nobles. It was then that a druid who was in the fortress inquired who had executed that slaughter. ‘The mariner’ (An loingseach), replied the man outside. ‘Does the mariner speak?’ asked the druid. ‘He speaks’ (Labhraidh), said the other. And hence the name Labhraidh Loingseach clung to Maon ever since. And it was he who first made in Ireland spears with broad greenish blue heads; for laighne means spears having wide green-blue iron heads; and from these spears the name Laighin is given to the people of the province of Gailian, which is now called the province of Leinster. And the poet proves this, and sets forth the number of the host which came with Labhraidh Loingseach from France, in the following stanza:
Two hundred and twenty hundred foreigners,
With broad spears they came over;
From these spears without flaw
The Leinstermen are called Laighin.
Now when Labhraidh Loingseach had slain Cobhthach Caol mBreagh, and had taken possession of Ireland, he went along with Craiftine to visit Moiriath daughter of Scoiriath, king of the territory of Feara Morc, the lady-love who sent Craiftine to France to visit him. Labhraidh married her, and she was his queen during life.
pp. 173-175 We read of Labhraidh Loingseach that his ears were like those of a horse; and hence, he used to kill on the spot everyone who cut his hair, lest he or anyone else might be aware of this blemish. Now he was wont to have his hair cropped every year, that is, to have cut off the part of his hair that grew below his ears. It was necessary to cast lots to determine who should crop the king each year, since it was his wont to put to death everyone who cropped him. Now it happened that the lot fell on the only son of a widow who approached the close of her life, and who lived near the king’s stronghold. And when she heard that the lot had fallen on her son, she came and besought the king not to put her only son to death, seeing he was her sole offspring. The king promised her that he would not put her son to death, provided he kept secret what he should see, and made it known to no one till death. And when the youth had cropped the king, the burden of that secret so oppressed his body that he was obliged to lie in the bed of sickness, and that no medicine availed him. When he had lain long in a wasting condition, a skilful druid came to visit him, and told his mother that the cause of his sickness was the burden of a secret, and that he would not be well till he revealed his secret to some thing; and he directed him, since he was bound not to tell his secret to a person, to go to a place where four roads met, and to turn to his right and to address the first tree he met, and to tell his secret to it. The first tree he met was a large willow, and he disclosed his secret to it. Thereupon the burden of pain that was on his body vanished; and he was healed instantly as he returned to his mother’s house. Soon after this, however, it happened that Craiftine’s harp got broken, and he went to seek the material for a harp, and came upon the very willow to which the widow's son had revealed the secret, and from it he took he material for his harp and when the harp was made and set to tune, as Craiftine played upon it all who listened imagined that it sang, ‘Da o phill ar Labhraidh Lorc,’ that is, Labraidh Loingseach, meaning, ‘Two horse’s ears on Labhraidh Lorc’; and as often as he played on that harp, it was understood to sing the same thing. And when the king heard this story, he repented of having put so many people to death to conceal that deformity of his, and openly exhibited his ears to the household, and never afterwards concealed them. I think this part of the story is a romantic tale rather than history. This Labhraidh fell by Meilge son of Cobhthach Caol mBreagh.
Related saga online: The story of Labraid and Moriath’s harper
Whitley Stokes (ed. & tr.), “The Bodleian Amra Choluimb Chille”, Revue Celtique, 20, 1899, pp. 429-433.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp.429-433)
Related saga online: Labraid Lorc and his ears
Whitley Stokes (ed. & tr.), “Mythological Notes VII: Labraid Lorc and his ears”, Revue Celtique, 2, 1873-5, pp. 197-199.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 197-199)
Silva Gadelica (O’Grady), Volume II
p. 446 (481) A pullet with her leg broken (See Section 2)
p. 429 (464) Raghallach and his nephew (See Section 4)
Lives of Saints from the Book of Lismore (Stokes)
Preface p. x (16) The story of a young nun: “It is enough that I should be ruined” (See Section 15)
Mesca Ulad (Hennessy)
p. 45 Roasting people alive in an iron house (See Section 26)
Lectures of the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History (O’Curry)
pp. 251-257 (283-289) Summary of Argain Dinn Righ
On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish (O’Curry), Volume 2
pp. 98-102 Flann mac Lonáin (See Section 21)
On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish (O’Curry), Volume 3
pp. 242-245 Summary of Argain Dinn Righ
Lectures of the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History (O’Curry)
List of Historic Tales in the Book of Leinster includes:
Argain Dinn Righ (The Slaughter of Dinn Righ), p. 590 (626)
Airec Menman Uraird Maic Coise (Byrne), Anecdota from Irish Manuscripts, Volume 2
List of the gnathscela Herenn includes:
Orgain Dinn Rig, p. 46 (142), §8, line 3
R = The Rennes Dindshenchas (Stokes), Revue Celtique, 15-16, 1894-1895
M = The Metrical Dindshenchas (Gwynn)
B = The Bodleian Dinnshenchas (Stokes), Folklore, 3, 1892
S = Silva Gadelica (O’Grady), Volume 2
R: Laigin §9 (See Section 1), Part 1, pp. 299-301, (‘Laigin’)
M: Lagin I (See Section 1), Volume 2, p. 51, p. 102
M: Lagin II (See Section 1), Volume 2, p. 53, p. 102
Tuaim Tenba was the name aforetime
of the hill where the slaughter was done;
Dindrig is its name from that time forth,
since the slaying of the chieftains.
B: Laigin §3 (See Section 1), pp. 471-473, (‘Laigin’)
S: Laigin (See Section 1), p. 500 (535)
R: Temair §1 (See Section 7), Part 1, pp. 277-289, (‘Temair’)
M: Temair 1 (See Section 7), Volume 1, pp. 3-5, pp. 57-58 (78-79)
M: Temair 2 (See Section 7), Volume 1, pp. 7-13, pp. 59-61 (80-82)
M: Temair 3 (See Section 7), Volume 1, pp. 15-27, pp. 62-66 (83-87)
M: Temair 4 (See Section 7), Volume 1, pp. 29-37, pp. 67-74 (88-95)
M: Temair 5 (See Section 7), Volume 1, pp. 39-45, pp. 75-79 (96-100)
B: Temuir §1 (See Section 7), p. 470, (‘Temuir’)
S: Temhuir (See Section 7), p. 514 (549)
Cóir Anmann: Fitness of Names (Stokes), Irische Texte, Ser. III.2
Cobthach Coel Breg §93 (See Section 1), p. 329, p. 414
Labraid Loingsech §175 (See Section 29), p. 365, p. 419
Labraid Loingsech (in Laigin §174) (See Section 29), pp. 363-365, p. 419
Labraid Loingsech (in Gaileoin §212) (See Section 29), p. 375, p. 420
Laigin §174 (See Section 29), pp. 363-365, p. 419
Loegaire Lorc §176 (See Section 1), p. 365, p. 419
Muma §1 (See Section 19), p. 289, p. 412
Úgaine Mór §91 (See Section 1), p. 329, p. 414
Wikipedia
Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson B 502
Book of Leinster
Yellow Book of Lecan
Cycles of the Kings
Cobthach Cóel Breg; Kings of Leinster; High Kings of Ireland
Flann mac Lonáin; Ollamh Érenn
Labraid Loingsech; Kings of Leinster; High Kings of Ireland
Lóegaire Lorc; Kings of Leinster; High Kings of Ireland
Ugaine Mór; Kings of Leinster; High Kings of Ireland
Tara