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 ...

Conand (a.k.a. Conann and Conaing) was a leader of the

Fomorians The Fomorians or Fomori ( sga, Fomóire, Modern ga, Fomhóraigh / Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the eart ...

who lived in a tower on

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

Nemed Nemed or Nimeth (modern spelling: Neimheadh) is a character in medieval Irish legend. According to the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (compiled in the 11th century), he was the leader of the third group of people to settle in Ireland: the ''Muintir Ne ...

, demanding a huge tribute of their produce and children. Eventually Nemed's people rose up and killed him, destroying his tower. After his death, Morc, another Fomorian massacred Nemed's surviving followers.

Conand's Tower

According to the ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

'' Conand mac Febair (son of Febar) and Morc mac Deled (son of Dela) imposed a heavy tax on the clan of Nemed, demanding two-thirds of their wheat, milk, and offspring, which were due every

Samain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

at the plain called Mag Cetne. The oppressed attacked from the sea with a host of 30,000 headed by three champions, grandsons and great-grandsons of Nemed, and overcame Conand and his host of 30,000 at Conand's Tower (later called Torinis Cetne). Morc subsequently arrived with a fleet of sixty ships to retake the tower from the people of Nemed, and mutual annihilation ensued, forcing the Nemedian folk into diaspora out of Ireland. The tale was embellished by

Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Mícheál Ó Cléirigh (), sometimes known as Michael O'Clery, was an Irish chronicler, scribe and antiquary and chief author of the ''Annals of the Four Masters,'' assisted by Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh, Fearfeasa Ó Maol Chonaire, and Pereg ...

in the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'' recension of the ''Lebor Gabála'', whereby the Nemedian folk obtain assistance from Greece in the form of venomous beasts, and a woman spy named Relbeo. She infiltrates the tower and gains Conand's trust, obtaining crucial intelligence on how to tactically assault the tower.

R. A. S. Macalister Robert Alexander Stewart Macalister (8 July 1870 – 26 April 1950) was an Irish archaeologist. Biography Macalister was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Alexander Macalister, then Professor of Zoology, University of Dublin. His father wa ...

states Ó Cléirigh invented this seemingly out of thin air, and it would be a futile exercise to second guess what source he may have plagiarized.

Localization

It had almost become conventional wisdom to identify the location of this Conand's tower at

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

O'Flaherty's ''Ogygia'', but this has been disputed by Henry Morris (Énrí Ó Muirgheasa). Morris argued that the plain where the taxes were collected (Mag Cetne) was properly to be located in Co. Sligo, south of the

Duff River The River Duff, or Bunduff, () is a river in County Sligo and County Leitrim, Ireland. The River Duff is long, flowing from Glenade Valley in County Leitrim to the sea. In County Leitrim it is also known as the Black River. It is joined by the ...

, and not in

Co. Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconnel ...

between the Drowes River (Drobhais) and

Erne River The River Erne ( , ga, Abhainn na hÉirne or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border. ...

) as

Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...

indicated. Morris consequently proposed a small island off the coast, called Derinish, corrupted from Tor-Inis. Macalister commends the effort, while noting that such a treatise can hardly hope to carry conclusive proof.: "comes as near to carrying conviction as such a paper well can do".

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Introduction pp. 115–119. ¶242–¶ pp. 122–125 * Fomorians Irish gods {{Celt-myth-stub