Cumhall (earlier Cumall, pronounced roughly "Coo-al" or "Cool") or Cumhall mac Trénmhoir ("son of Trénmór/Tréanmór" meaning "strong-great") is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...

, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Genealogy

The most important text regarding the family of Finn (son of Cumaill) is ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'' ("The Cause of the Battle of Cnucha"), as it is contained in the ancient parchment ''

Lebor na hUidre The manuscript known as Lebor na hUidre (English translation: Book of the Dun Cow) is the oldest extant written in Gaelic (Irish), and the texts included therein recount Irish history through an eschatological lens. The Christian authors who c ...

'' (LU), dated to the 12th century. Otherwise, the next most important tract is the ''

Macgnímartha Finn ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'' ( ga, Macgnímartha Finn) is a medieval Irish narrative belonging to the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. As its title implies, it recounts the boyhood exploits of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the cycle's central figure. Or ...

'' ("The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn") copied in a 15th-century manuscript. According to the ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'', Cumhall mac Trénmhoir was son of a petty king, and served the High King Conn Cet-Chathach "of the Hundred Battles". Cumhall was also Conn's half-uncle, his mother being the mother of Conn's father,. Cumhall became suitor for the hand of Muirne Muncaim "of the fair neck", daughter of the

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

Tadg mac Nuadat, but Tadg refused him, so Cumhall forcibly carried away Muirne in elopement. ;In-laws In ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'' Cumhall's wife was the granddaughter to Nuadat who was a druid to king Cathair Mór, but she was granddaughter to Núadu of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu (Irish goddess), Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deity, ...

according to a passage in the '' Acallamh na Senorach''. tr. p. 245: Also where the former work gives Almu daughter of Becan as Nuadat's wife, the latter treats Almha the daughter of Brecan as a virgin daughter who bore Cumall a son then died in childbirth. tr. p. 131:, Almha daughter of Bracan. ;Siblings Cumhall had a brother, Crimmal mac Trénmhoir, who was an ally of Fionn.

Battle and death

Tadg, slighted by Cumall's sweeping away his daughter, appealed to Cumall's lord, Conn of the Hundred Battles, and Conn gave choice of either relinquishing the daughter or suffer banishment. Cumall refused to give up his wife, and Conn made war against Cumhall, and Cumhall was killed by

Goll mac Morna Goll mac Morna (or Goal mac Morn) was a member of the fianna and an uneasy ally of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He had killed Fionn's father, Cumhal, and taken over the leadership of the fianna, but when Fionn grew up a ...

in this Battle of Cnucha, located at what is today

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent suburb located west of the centre of Dublin city, Ireland. It is centered on the village of the same name in Fingal. In addition to the suburb, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: ...

. Goll then took over leadership of the Fianna, as explained in the ''Magnímartha Finn''. Cumhall's wife Muirne was already pregnant with his son, Fionn, and Muirne's furious father Tadg not only refused to accept her back, but ordered her burnt to death. Cumhall's wife however seeks Conn's protection, and in exile she delivers a child which she names Demni. Demni (Demne) later became Finn., p. 183: "Demne shall be named Finn (the Fair)". Cumhall is reputed to be buried within the grounds of Castleknock College, supposedly under a hill upon which an old water tower now stands.

Parallels

Attempts to connect Cumhall with Camulus, a

Celtic god The gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples are known from a variety of sources, including ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects and place or personal names. The ancient Celts appear to have had a pantheon ...

of war known from Roman-era inscriptions, are now largely rejected.

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...

''cumal'' means "female slave", and it is possible that a noble father was invented for Fionn to obscure an ignoble origin. Alternatively, some early texts call the hero "Fionn mac Umaill", which may indicate his father's name was originally Umall.

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *'' Acallam na Senórach'' ** ** ** **
e-text
via CELT corpus. * * * (ed. "''Fotha Catha Cnucha inso''" , tr. "The Cause of the Battle of Cnucha here")
archived
via Internet Archive *, with glossary. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cumhall Fenian Cycle