Our Favourite Irish Legends

	Tír na nÓg by Aoife
	There was once a man called Oisín. One day he was out working. Suddenly a beautiful woman on a white horse rode up to him. Oisín fell in love with her right away. Her name was Niamh. Niamh asked Oisín to move to Tír na nÓg with her. Oisín said yes. So Oisín and Niamh moved to Tír na nÓg. Then they got married. A year passed and Oisín decided to visit home. Niamh said if Oisín did he could not touch the ground. So Oisín took off on his horse. When he got there he asked a man where he might find his father. The man said his father had been dead for centuries. Oisín didn't understand but he went on. He saw an old man trying to move a big rock. So he bent over to help the old man. Suddenly the strap broke and Oisín fell to the ground and slowly died. I like this story because my brother's name is Oisín and my house is called Tír na nÓg.
	Oisín and Niamh by Reece

	Children of Lir by Robert M
	Once open a time long ago there was a chieftain called Lir who lived in Ireland. He had four children Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn .They were very happy until their mother died. Their Father re-married, a girl called Aoife but she was no ordinary girl. One day she brought the four children down to the lakeside of Lough Darravaragh. They went for a swim and Aoife pulled out a magic wand and put a spell on the children and turned them into swans. She said "You will spend 3 hundred years on Lough Darravaragh, 3 hundred years on the sea of Moyle and 3 hundred years on the Western sea. When you hear the sound of a Christian bell in Ireland you will become people again." But they could still talk. When their father went looking for them Fionnuala told him what had happened. He punished Aoife for what she had done. Nine hundred years later they awoke to the sound of mass bells. They asked the old man to bless them and they were swans no longer. They were people again but they were very old and feeble and they died soon after. They were buried side by side in one grave. They had a long life but a sad one.

	Brown Bull of Cooley by Michael By
		A long time ago in Ireland, a king and a queen were fighting over their riches. The king had a white bull and the queen didn't. She was very jealous. So the queen sent her messenger to Ulster because she heard there was a brown bull there. When the messenger arrived in Ulster he asked the owner of the bull would he sell his bull. The owner said no. The messenger told the queen of Connaught. She was furious. She said "I am getting that bull". So Connaught and Ulster went to war and the queen stole the bull. She put the brown bull in with the white bull. They didn't like each other. Tthe brown bull drove its horns through the white bull and with its last bit of energy the white bull killed the brown bull.

	The Scottish Giant by Alex
		There once was a giant named Fatach Mór. He was the biggest, strongest and most fearsome giant in Britain and Ireland and his little finger which had the power of ten men was his speciality whilst fighting. Fathach Mór had heard of a giant in county Antrim named Fionn Macumhaill so he sent a messenger to ask Fionn to fight him. Fionn accepted the challenge. His wife Úna wondered why he had accepted the challenge. But Fionn had a plan. He called the Fianna to build him a pathway to Scotland and he sent his spy across it to spy on Fathach Mór. A few days later they heard thunder but it was a beautiful sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. Just then Fionn's spy arrived "He is the biggest I have ever seen, that noise is him, he is on his way" said the messenger gasping for air. Later Fionn grew scared but his wife Úna had a little plan of her own. Úna had Fionn build a giant cradle and she cooked some oatcakes and put rocks in all of them apart from one, she also sewed some baby clothes. Soon Fatách Mór arrived "Where us Fionn Machumhaill?" boomed Fatach Mór. "He is gone hunting" said Úna. "Come in, come in" said Úna. Úna brought Fatach Mór inside her house "Here, have an oatcake"she said, as she brought him into the kitchen where Fionn sat in a giant cradle, dressed as a baby eating an oatcake. "This is Oisín" said Úna as she handed him an oatcake.

	Fathach took a bite "YOUCH!!! These are as hard as rocks!" yelled Fatach.."Anyway our baby likes them." Just then Fionn began to cry. "Quick put your finger in his mouth, Fionn kills anybody who makes the baby cry. So Fathach Mór put his finger in Fionn's mouth. Quickly Fionn bit off Fathach's finger "YOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Fathach. "Our baby is very strong you know. He could throw a rock further than you could" said Úna ."Well we'll see about that then won't we" said Fathach. So they all went outside where there were two rocks and a pigeon. First Fathach picked up a rock and threw it a couple of hundred yards .Then Fionn picked up the pigeon and threw it 200 yards. Then when it was a fair distance away the pigeon began to fly over the mountains. At that moment Fathach thought "If this baby can throw a rock further than me and can eat rock hard cakes, how in the world am I ever going to fight his father!" and then he ran all the way back to Scotland and Fionn and Úna never saw him again.

	Fionn and the Scottish Giant by Lauren
	My favourite Irish legand is Fionn and the Scottish giant. This is my favourite legend because it is about a giant in Scotland called Fathach Mór. He was the biggest giant in all Britain and Ireland. His greatest power was his little finger which had the power of ten men. Fathach Mór heard about a giant called Fionn. Fathach Mór sent his messenger to ask Fionn to fight him. Fionn thought about it and he accepted his challenge. That day he told his wife what he had done. His wife was very worried. Fionn called the Fianna together to build a pathway to Scotland. The next day Una his wife baked scones and told Fionn to make a cradle. Una spent the next day sewing and knitting. Una told Fionn to put the baby clothes on!!! So the giant came but Una told the giant that Fionn was out in the woods. So she invited him in for scones. He ate the scones. The baby began to cry. Una told the giant to let the baby suck his finger but Fionn bit his finger off. The giant ran home and the causeway was never finished!!!!

	Children of Lir by Ricardo
	My favourite Irish legend is the Children of Lir. It has a great storyline. I will tell you all about the story. Once upon a time there was a king named Lir. He had four children: three boys named Aodh, Fiachra and Conn the girl's name was Fionnuala. Sadly their mother had passed away .The king saw that the children were unhappy so he decided to marry again and he did, her name was Aoife. Aoife did not mind the children at first but she wanted Lir all to herself. One day she was tired of trying to get Lir all to herself so she brought them to the lake on the castle grounds. She said a terrible spell to turn the children into swans and "You will spend nine hundred years as swans. You will spend three hundred years on this lake, three hundred years on the Sea of Moyle and three hundred years on the Isle of Gloria," said Aoife. That night King Lir went looking for the children and then he heard people singing. Well he thought it was people singing but it wasn't, it was four swans . So he discovered that Aoife did this to the children so he got rid of Aoife and King Lir spent all his time with them until he passed away . After they spent nine hundred years as they heard the sound of church bells and a man called Caomhog heard what happened so he went in the church and got some holy water and sprinkled it them and they started to change into an old woman and three old men and then they passed away.

	Children of Lir by Niall
		My favourite Irish Legend is The Children of Lir because it is about four children and a father. One day the father had married a woman named Aoife. He would spend more time with the children than with his wife. So Aoife got really angry and jealous. She got a magic wand and waved it above the children's heads. Then suddenly the children grew giant wings and beaks, they had turned into swans. Then Aoife said to the children that were in the lake "You will stay as swans for nine hundred years." Aoife told the children they would be three hundred years in the lake they were in, three hundred years in the different lake and three hundred years in another lake. So the children stayed in the lake they were in. Then they went to the second lake and went to the third lake . Then suddenly nine hundred years passed. The children turned back into themselves but they were very old. A priest came along and took the children back home.When the priest went into the kitchen the children died.

Brown Bull of Cooley by Barbara

There was a king Connor Mac Nessa ruled Ulster; Queen Maeve and her husband Ailill ruled in Connacht. One night Maeve and Ailill were boasting about their riches. Ailill also boasted about his great white bull. Maeve had no bull and she was jealous. The next day Maeve called her messenger Mac Roth. Maeve asked him if there was any bull in Ireland equal to Ailill's white bull. Mac Roth answered "Not one as good but one twice as good". Maeve was delighted when she heard this. Mac Roth said" The bull's name is the brown Bull of Cooley. He belongs to the Daire of Cooley in the province of Ulster." Maeve sent her messenger Mac Roth and other messengers to Daire to ask for the loan of his brown bull. Maeve said she would give a gift of cows and return the bull at the end of the year. Daire agreed to lend the bull to Maeve. One of Maeve's men was boasting foolishly saying Daire was a wise man to give the bull because if he had not given it Maeve would have taken it by force. Dairie was furious when he heard this "Tell your queen" he said "If she wants my bull she had better take it by force". So there was a battle and Maeve won. She got the brown bull and the bulls fought and they died. Only the white one died from the fight, the brown bull died from running home.

	Salmon of Knowledge by Daniel
	My favourite Irish legend is The Salmon of Knowledge. It is about a boy named Fionn. Fionn was walking along a river when he came to a man. Fionn asked the man what was he doing and the man said 'I am fishing for The Salmon of Knowledge' so Fionn said 'I shall help you'. They fished in that same spot for days. Then one day the man shouted 'I got a bite' so the man tried to reel the fish in. 'He is strong, I think we caught the salmon' said the man to Fionn. He pulled and pulled until the fish got tired. He reeled the fish in and said to Fionn 'Cook that while I wash my hands', 'but don't eat it'. So Fionn built a fire and put the salmon on the fire. While he was waiting for it to cook he saw a blister growing on the scales of the fish so he burst it with his finger and he burned his finger so he sucked his finger and ever since he has the knowledge. All he had to do was suck his finger and the knowledge would come to him.
	Salmon of Knowledge by Shannon	Salmon of Knowledge by Michael R

	Fionn and the Goblin by Lee Mc
	There was once a Goblin who burned down the Ancient Castle every Hallowe'en. There was a party every year in the old castle. The king invited Fionn to the party so the Goblin heard and then the Goblin came that night. Whoever killed the Goblin became the leader of the Fianna. 'But no one can kill the Goblin' said a soldier. "I can" said Fionn. So Fionn set to face the Goblin and they fought and fought until both were injured so they called it a day. The next day they fought. "I will defeat you," said the Goblin. He stuck to his word and had his sword over Fionn's head. But Fionn hit the sword out of his hand so the tables turned. Fionn killed the Goblin and Fionn became the leader of the Fianna. And they lived happily ever after

	Deirdre by Nicole
	My favourite Irish legend is Deirdre and the Sorrows. I like this legend because it tells the story of Feidhlim a proud father who has a beautiful new born child called Deirdre. He takes her to the druids and asked them to foretell her future. They said "This child will cause great trouble but will grow up to be the most beautiful woman in Ulster. She will cause the death of many of our men" When the Red Branch Knights heard the Druid's prediction, they were worried and wanted the child killed immediately. They told the king. The king whose name was Connor didn't want to kill the child so he came up with a plan "Deirdre will be sent far away from here. And when she comes to age, I will marry her." He sent her deep into the forest to stay with a wise old woman called Lebharcham who would care for and teach her. As foretold by the druids, Deirdre grew to be a beautiful, lovely young woman. She had a continuous dream about a tall handsome man, with raven-black hair. His skin is snow-white and he is fearless in battle. Deirdre told Lebharcham about the dream. "That is Naoise son of Uisneach but you must not mention your dream to a soul, you are to marry King Connor very soon." Deirdre begged Leabharcham to send for Naoise so that she could meet the man of her dreams. Lebharcam refused at first, but seeing how unhappy she was, she changed her mind. Deirdre and Naoise met and fell in love at once. "I cannot marry Connor now we must flee Ulster" Deirdre said. They set off and travelled all over Ireland, but no one would help them because they feared King Connor's reaction. Finally, they set sail for Scotland, they settled on an Island off the coast of Scotland. They lived there happily for five years until one evening a messenger arrived from King Connor. The messenger conveyed King Connor's forgiveness and asked Deirdre and Naoise to return home. Deidre didn't trust the King and wanted to stay on the Island but Naoise believed the news and began to prepare for the journey home. They set off, Deirdre begged him to turn back. Naoise reasoned with her. "Everything will be fine," Naoise promised. When they arrived they were sent to the fortress of the Red Branch Knights instead of the castle. Deirdre was convinced they were walking into a trap. When they entered the fortress they were surrounded. Naoise and his brothers fought bravely but, they were out-numbered. They were captured and brought before the king "Who will kill these men for me?" the king roared angrily. No one raised their hand. An unknown warrior stepped forward and cut off Naoise and his brothers' heads with a single sweep of his sword. So great was Deirdre's sorrow that her heart broke and she fell upon Naoise's body joining him in death. This is my favourite Irish Legend because it tells the story of true love, sorrow and how someone would do anything for true love.

	Fair, Brown and Trembling by Niamh
	Once in Ireland there were 3 sisters Fair, Brown and Trembling. Fair and Brown had new dresses and went to church on a Sunday, Trembling wore rags and was kept at home to do all the work. Fair and Brown wouldn't let her out of the house because she was more beautiful than they were and were worried she would find a husband before they did. Fair and Brown kept it this way for 7 years. Near the end of that time the prince of Omanya began to pay court to Fair. One Sunday when Fair and Brown went to church, the old henwife asked Trembling why she was not at the church. "How could I?" asked Trembling, "I have no good clothes to wear, and my sisters would kill me if they saw me there." "I will give you the best dress in the world if you desire, what would you like?" asked the henwife. Trembling thought about it for a while and then said, "I would like a dress as white as snow and green shoes for my feet." Then, before her eyes she was wearing a beautiful white dress and green shoes. She had a honey-bird on one shoulder and a honey-flower on the other. "You cannot go inside the church and you must come home straight after the mass." So this went on for 3 weeks and on the third the prince of Omanya caught her foot and pulled off her shoe. He made every woman in the kingdom try it on, but it wouldn't fit anyone… expect for Trembling. So she and the prince were married and had a son. Trembling sent for her sister Fair. One day, they were walking along the beach alone, when Fair pushed Trembling into the sea and was eaten by a whale. There was only one person who saw this happen, the young shepherd. The shepherd ran back to the prince and told him the story. "I have heard of that whale, I must hit him with a silver bullet, then Trembling will be free," said the Prince. So he went down to the beach and shot the whale, then Trembling was free. Soon after Trembling had a daughter and she was to be wed to the shepherd for were it not for him Trembling would be dead. Trembling and the prince had 14 children and lived very happily until they died of old age.

	Scottish Giantby Dylan
	Once upon a time there was a Scottish giant called Fathach Mor. He was the biggest giant in Britain and Ireland. He had a magic little finger that was as strong as 10 men. He heard of a giant in Antrim called Fionn. He sent a messenger to tell Fionn that Fathach Mór wants to fight him. Fionn said he accepted the fight against Fathach Mór. Fionn told his wife he accepted a fight against Fathach Mór. Fionn's wife wanted to know why he accepted the fight. Fionn called the Fianna for help to build a pathway to Scotland. One day Fionn heard thunder but it wasn't thunder it was Fathach Mór trying to jump to Ireland. That night Fionn told his wife that he was afraid of Fathach Mór. His wife said she had a plan. She told Fionn to get six flat stones and cut down some wood and make a giant cradle. Fionn was wondering what was she doing. His wife put in a stone in every cake except for one. The next day Fathach Mór arrived. Fathach Mòr asked if Fionn lived in this house. Fionn's wife said "Yes but you are early come in and have an oatcake" she said. Fathach Mór said "These cakes are as sharp as stones." Fionn's wife said "Our baby loves them" and the baby started to cry. "Quick" she says "let him suck your finger. Fionn kills anyone who makes the baby cry." Fathach Mór put his finger in the baby's mouth. Fionn bit his finger off. Fathach Mór was wondering if his baby is this strong what is he like, so Fathach Mór went home and never came over again.
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