ugh, met them, and when she found her
husband dead, she struck her hands together and she made a great and
mournful lamentation; and because weakness came upon her she leaned her
back against the ancient tree that is in Aenech Reil; and a burst of
blood broke from her heart, and there she died, grieving for her
husband. And the grave of Murtough was made wide and deep, and there
they laid the Queen beside him, two in the one grave, near the north
side of the little church that is in Tuilen.

Now, when the burial was finished, and the clerics were reciting over
his grave the deeds of the King, and were making prayers for Murtough's
soul that it might be brought out of hell, for Cairnech showed great
care for this, they saw coming towards them across the sward a lonely
woman, star-bright and beautiful, and a kirtle of priceless silk upon
her, and a green mantle with its fringes of silver thread flowing to the
ground. She reached the place where the clerics were, and saluted them,
and they saluted her. And they marvelled at her beauty, but they
perceived on her an appearance of sadness and of heavy grief. They asked
of her, "Who art thou, maiden, and wherefore art thou come to the house
of mourning? For a king lies buried here." "A king lies buried here,
indeed," said she, "and I it was who slew him, Murtough of the many
deeds, of the race of Conn and Niall, High King of Ireland and of the
West. And though it was I who wrought his death, I myself will die for
grief of him."

And they said, "Tell us, maiden, why you brought him to his death, if so
be that he was dear to thee?" And she said, "Murtough was dear to me,
indeed, dearest of the men of the whole world; for I am Sheen, the
daughter of Sige, the son of Dian, from whom Ath Sigi or the 'Ford of
Sige' is called to-day. But Murtough slew my father, and my mother and
sister were slain along with him, in the battle of Cerb upon the Boyne,
and there was none of my house to avenge their death, save myself alone.
Moreover, in his time the Ancient Peoples of the Fairy Tribes of Erin
were scattered and destroyed, the folk of the underworld and of my
fatherland; and to avenge the wrong and loss he wrought on them I slew
the man I loved. I made poison for him; alas! I made for him magic drink
and food which took his strength away, and out of the sods of earth and
puff-balls that float down the wind, I wrought men and armies of
headless, hideous folk, till all his senses were di