Eochu Airem ("the ploughman"), son of Finn, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a
High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrà na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...
. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother,
Eochu Feidlech
Eochu or Eochaid Feidlech ("the enduring"), was a High King of Ireland, according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions. He is best known as the father of the legendary queen Medb of Connacht.
Family
Eochu was son of Finn, son of ...
, and ruled for twelve or fifteen years, until he was burned to death in Fremain by Sigmall Sithienta. He was succeeded by
Eterscél. The ''Lebor Gabála'' synchronises his reign with the dictatorship of
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
(48–44 BC). The chronology of
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 ...
's ''
Foras Feasa ar Éirinn
''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' – literally 'Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland', but most often known in English as 'The History of Ireland' – is a narrative history of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating, written in Irish and completed .Bernadette Cunnin ...
'' dates his reign to 82–70 BC, that of the ''
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála RÃoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre MáistrÃ'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
'' to 131–116 BC.
He plays an important role in the
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, GoÃdelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghà idhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...
saga ''
Tochmarc ÉtaÃne
''Tochmarc ÉtaÃne'', meaning "The Wooing of ÉtaÃn/Éadaoin", is an early text of the Irish mythology, Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features characters from the Ulster Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. It is partially preserved in the ma ...
'' ("The Wooing of
ÉtaÃn
ÉtaÃn or ÉdaÃn (Modern Irish spelling: Éadaoin) is a figure of Irish mythology, best known as the heroine of ''Tochmarc ÉtaÃne'' (''The Wooing Of ÉtaÃn''), one of the oldest and richest stories of the Mythological Cycle. She also figu ...
"), which tells of the lives of the beautiful ÉtaÃn, the lover of
Midir
In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, Midir (Old Irish) or Midhir (Modern Irish) was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. After the Tuatha Dé were defeated by the Milesians, he lived in the sidh of Brà Léith (believed ...
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, ...
, who was turned into a fly by Midir's jealous wife, which had been swallowed by the wife of Étar, an Ulster warrior. Étar's wife becomes pregnant, and ÉtaÃn is reborn. When Eochu invites the men of Ireland to the festival of
Tara, they refuse to attend for a king who has no queen. He sends messengers to look for the most beautiful woman in Ireland, and they find ÉtaÃn. Eochu falls in love with her at first sight, and marries her.
However, Eochu's brother, Ailill Angubae, also falls in love with her, and wastes away with unrequited desire. Eochu leaves Tara on a tour of Ireland, leaving ÉtaÃn with the dying Ailill, who tells her the cause of his sickness, which he says would be cured if she gave the word. She tells him she wants him to be well, and he begins to get better, but says the cure will only be complete if she agrees to meet him on the hill above the house, so as not to shame the king in his own house. She agrees to do so three times, but each time she goes to meet him, she in fact meets Midir, who has put Ailill to sleep and taken his appearance. On the third occasion Midir reveals his identity and tells ÉtaÃn who she really is, but she does not know him. She finally agrees to go with him, but only if Eochu agrees to let her go.
Later, after Ailill has fully recovered and Eochu has returned home, Midir comes to Tara and challenges Eochu to play ''
fidchell
(in Irish; also spelled , , or , and pronounced in Old Irish) or (in Welsh, pronounced ) was a board game popular among the ancient Celts. The name in both Irish and Welsh is a compound translating to "wood sense"; the fact that the compou ...
'', an ancient Irish board game, with him. They play for ever increasing stakes. Eochu keeps winning, and Midir has to pay up. One such game compels Midir to build a causeway across the bog of Móin Lámrige: the
Corlea Trackway
__NOTOC__
The Corlea Trackway () is an Iron Age trackway, or ''togher'', near the village of Keenagh, south of Longford, County Longford, in Ireland. It was known locally as the ''Danes' Road''. It was constructed from oak planks in 148–147 ...
, a wooden causeway built across a bog in
County Longford
County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...
, dated by
dendrochronology
Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
to 148 BC, is a real-life counterpart to this legendary road. Finally, Midir suggests they play for a kiss and an embrace from ÉtaÃn, and this time he wins. Eochu tells Midir to come back in a month for his winnings, and gathers his best warriors at Tara to prepare for his return. Despite the heavy guard, Midir appears inside the house. Eochu agrees that Midir may embrace ÉtaÃn, but when he does, the pair fly away through the skylight, turning into swans as they do so.
Eochu instructs his men to dig up every ''
sÃd'' (fairy-mound) in Ireland until his wife is returned to him. Finally, when they set to digging at Midir's ''sÃd'' at Brà Léith, Midir appears and promises to give ÉtaÃn back. But at the appointed time, Midir brings fifty women, who all look alike, and tells Eochu to pick which one is ÉtaÃn. He chooses the woman he thinks is his wife, takes her home and sleeps with her. She becomes pregnant and bears him a daughter. Later, Midir appears and tells him that ÉtaÃn had been pregnant when he took her, and the woman Eochu had chosen was his own daughter, who had been born in Midir's ''sÃd''. Out of shame, Eochu, orders the daughter of their incestuous union to be exposed, but she is found and brought up by a herdsman and his wife, and later marries Eochu's successor
Eterscél and becomes the mother of the High King
Conaire Mór
Conaire Mór (the great), son of Eterscél, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daughter of Eochu Feidlech and ÉtaÃn, or of Eochu Airem and ...
(in ''
Togail Bruidne Dá Derga
''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (''The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel'') is an Irish tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It survives in three Old and Middle Irish recensions, it is part of the Book of Dun Cow. It recounts th ...
'' she is named as
Mess Búachalla
Mess Búachalla, meaning 'the cow-herder's foundling', in Irish mythology, is the mother of the High King Conaire Mór. Her origins are somewhat confused. In the tale ''Tochmarc ÉtaÃne'' she is the daughter of the High King Eochu Airem and his o ...
and is the daughter of ÉtaÃn and
Eochu Feidlech
Eochu or Eochaid Feidlech ("the enduring"), was a High King of Ireland, according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions. He is best known as the father of the legendary queen Medb of Connacht.
Family
Eochu was son of Finn, son of ...
).
[Gantz, 1981, pp. 60-106]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eochu Airem
People from County Meath
Legendary High Kings of Ireland
1st-century BC legendary rulers