a stone was put over them, and their names
were written in Ogham, and they were keened there, and heaven was gained
for their souls.

And that is the fate of the children of Lir so far.

PART TWO: THE FIANNA.

BOOK ONE: FINN, SON OF CUMHAL.

CHAPTER I. THE COMING OF FINN

At the time Finn was born his father Cumhal, of the sons of Baiscne,
Head of the Fianna of Ireland, had been killed in battle by the sons of
Morna that were fighting with him for the leadership. And his mother,
that was beautiful long-haired Muirne, daughter of Tadg, son of Nuada of
the Tuatha de Danaan and of Ethlinn, mother of Lugh of the Long Hand,
did not dare to keep him with her; and two women, Bodhmall, the woman
Druid, and Liath Luachra, came and brought him away to care him.

It was to the woods of Slieve Bladhma they brought him, and they nursed
him secretly, because of his father's enemies, the sons of Morna, and
they kept him there a long time.

And Muirne, his mother, took another husband that was king of Carraighe;
but at the end of six years she came to see Finn, going through every
lonely place till she came to the wood, and there she found the little
hunting cabin, and the boy asleep in it, and she lifted him up in her
arms and kissed him, and she sang a little sleepy song to him; and then
she said farewell to the women, and she went away again.

And the two women went on caring him till he came to sensible years; and
one day when he went out he saw a wild duck on the lake with her clutch,
and he made a cast at her that cut the wings off her that she could not
fly, and he brought her back to the cabin, and that was his first hunt.

And they gave him good training in running and leaping and swimming. One
of them would run round a tree, and she having a thorn switch, and Finn
after her with another switch, and each one trying to hit at the other;
and they would leave him in a field, and hares along with him, and would
bid him not to let the hares quit the field, but to keep before them
whichever way they would go; and to teach him swimming they would throw
him into the water and let him make his way out.

But after a while he went away with a troop of poets, to hide from the
sons of Morna, and they hid him in the mountain of Crotta Cliach; but
there was a robber in Leinster at that time, Fiacuil, son of Codhna, and
he came where the poets were in Fidh Gaible and killed them all. But he
spared the child and brought him