Muirne or Muireann Muncháem ("beautiful lips") was the sister of

Uirne Uirne, or Tuirn(e), ("sharp-mouth") was the sister of Muirne and the aunt of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. The daughter of the druid Tadg mac Nuadat Tadg, son of Nuada, was a druid and the maternal grandfather of Fi ...

and the mother of

Fionn mac Cumhail Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of ...

in the

Fenian Cycle The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle ( ga, an Fhiannaíocht) is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the Ossian ...

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 ...

. She had many suitors, but her father, 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 Tadg, son of Nuada, was a druid and the maternal grandfather of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It is unclear whether his father was the short-lived High King Nuada Necht, the god Nuada Airgetlam of the Tuatha Dé Dana ...

, had foreseen that her marriage would lead to the loss of his home on the hill of Almu, so he refused them all. But one of them,

Cumhal 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, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn m ...

, leader of the

fianna ''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; gd, Fèinne ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had n ...

, abducted her. Tadg appealed to the High King,

Conn of the Hundred Battles Conn Cétchathach (; "of the Hundred Battles"), son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was a semi-legendary High King of Ireland and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Irela ...

, who outlawed and pursued Cumhal. Cumhal was killed in the Battle of Cnucha, but Muirne was already pregnant, so her father rejected her and told his followers to burn her. Conn prevented this, and sent Muirne into the protection of Fiacal mac Conchinn and his wife, the druidess

Bodhmall Bodhmall (or bodhmann, Bómall,''Dóiteoir na Samhna'', by Darach Ó Scalaí, Bodmall, or Bodbmall) is one of Fionn mac Cumhaill's childhood foster mothers in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology and the daughter of Tréanmór mac Suailt. She ...

, who was Cumhal's sister. She gave birth to a son, whom she called Deimne, but who later became known as Fionn. Muirne left the boy in the care of Bodhmall and a warrior woman called

Liath Luachra Liath Luachra or the "Grey one of Luachair", is the name of two characters in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. Both appear in ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'', which details the young life and adventures of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill. Alfred N ...

, who brought him up in secret in the forest. She went on to marry a local king, Gleor Lámderg, and saw her son again only once, six years later, when she came to visit him in the forest.

References

* T. P. Cross & C. H. Slover (eds) (1936), ''Ancient Irish Tales'' * James MacKillop (1998). ''Dictionary of Celtic Mythology''. London: Oxford. . Fenian Cycle {{Celt-myth-stub

See also

References