The Book of Invasions

The Second Invasion

Inis Fail was then uninhabited by men for 300 years, until a second group of people invaded. This new group was led by Partholón son of Sera son of Sru, who was descended from Magog. They sailed to Inis Fail from the city of Gothia on the Euphrates River via Anatolia, Greece, Sicily and Iberia. They were Partholón, his wife Delgnat and the group included their four chieftain sons. The sons were Rury, Slanga, Rudraige and Laiglinne, the sons' wives were Nerba, Cichba and Cerbnad. Indeed they brought with them a thousand other followers including Parth?lon’s brother Starn.

Among these followers were Parth?lon’s chief attendant Toba; his steward Accasbel; his 3 druids (Tath , Fis and Fochmare); his poet (Saith) and his leech (Barcorp Ladra). Also included were his 3 champions (Milchu, Meran and Muinechan); his advisor and son Senboth; and his seven farmers (Tothacht, Imus, Aitechbel, Cuil, Dorcha, Dam and Ith. Others included his tail-ploughman (Rimead) and head ploughman (Tairrle); his coulter (Fetain) and his share (Fodbach). Perhaps most important of all were his four oxen; Lee, Leemag, Imaire and Etirge.

The Division of Inis Fail

The four sons of Partholón divided the land of Inis Fail and the four divisions were called Er, Orba, Feron and Fergna. The division of Er was from Ath Cliath of Laigen to Ailech Neit. The division of Orba was from Ath Cliath to the island of Ard Nemid. The division of Feron was from Ailech to Ath Cliath of Medraige. The division of Fergna was from Ath Cliath to Ailech Neit. Rury son of Partholón took Er, Slanga son of Partholón took Orba, Rudraige son of Partholón took Feron and Laiglinne son of Partholón took Fergna. But Rury son of Partholón died soon after and Partholón himself became the chief of Er.

Now there was among the Partholónians a steward called Accasbel and he built the first guest-house. Another among them called Brea built the first dwelling place or house/home, made the first cauldron and fought the first duel. Also among their number was one called Malaliach who became the first surety (a guarantor which became an essential part of the Celtic legal system). He also brewed the first beer from bracken, and ordained divination, sacrifice and ritual. Also there was Bachorbladhra who became the first foster-father (fosterage became the basis of the Celtic system of education). Two merchants that accompanied them were called Biobal and Babal. Biobal was the first to introduce gold into Inis Fail and Babal was the first to introduce cattle and animal husbandry to Inis Fail.

The Formorians and Battle

They encountered the Fomorians in their tenth year of their time in Inis Fail, and the Battle of Mag Itha took place three years later. It took place on the plain of Mag Itha which is said to have been cleared by Partholón's hireling Ith. The battle was said to have taken place on the slemna, or "smooth lands", of that plain.

The first battle lasted a week, and no-one was killed or wounded as it was fought by magic. The Fomorians, were led by Cichol Grichenchos a half human whose mother was one of the followers of Cessair. It came to pass that the draoithe of the Partholónians and the draoithe of the Fomorians came unto Mag Itha the battle field. There the draoithe of the Partholónians caused a great wind to blow, and so strong was the wind that many of the Formorians were lifted up and blown into others of their kind. Meanwhile the people of Partholón beheld that the grass in the field became alive and crawled up their legs and tried to strangle them so that they had to constantly cut themselves free of it. The Fomorians brought forth fire up from the earth erupting out of the ground and the draoithe of the Partholonians brought a thunder storm with rain to quell the flames, and some thunder and lightning to scare the Fomorians. Thus went the first week of a battle which was all magic and which went against the Fomorians. In this first week many Fomorians had only a single arm or a single leg and were mostly hideous, but being shape-shifters they could have taken on any shape, and they quickly learned to pick better shapes.

Next there came a battle of solid weapons, in which the Partholonians had an advantage. Only 800 Fomorians took part in the battle but many of them were giants and though somewhat lacking in intelligence they made up for it in power and strength. On the other hand the Partholians had the advantage of sheer numbers, which at that time was close to 6,000 warriors. The Fomorians had by then transformed themselves into creatures with two arms and two legs and sometimes many more. Because of their size and strength they could pick up huge boulders and hurl them at warriors of Partholón and many of them used blow pipes to poison the Partholónians. But the numbers of warriors of Partholón were such that they continually outflanked the Fomorians and could attack them from behind and cut through the tendons of their legs. Eventually the Partholónians were victorious. The sheer numbers of the Partholónians struck down the leader of the Fomorians, Cichol Grichenchos and routed the Fomorians driving them back into the sea.

Delgnat’s Infidelity

Partholón and his wife, Delgnat, took land on a small island near the head of the estuary of the River Erne. Once, while Partholón was out touring his domain, Delgnat seduced their servant named Topa. To celibrate, they drank from Partholón's ale, which only he was allowed to access through a golden tube. Because of this Partholón discovered the affair, when he drank his ale, for he recognized the taste of Delgnat's and Topa's mouths upon the tube. In anger, he killed Delgnat's dog and Topa. But Delgnat was unrepentant and insisted that Partholón was to blame, as leaving them alone together was like leaving honey before a woman, milk before a cat, edged tools before a craftsman, or meat before a wolf, and expecting them not to take advantage. Thus the first case of adultery came to be and the first jealousy in Ireland. The island where they lived was named Inis Saimera after Saimer, Delgnat's dog.

Doom of all Save Tuan Son of Starn

During the battle of Mag Itha, Partholón had been hit by a poison dart and died of this wound nineteen years later. Eventually, the Partholónians (then 5,000 men and 4,000 women) died of pestilence in a single week.

Only one man, Tuan son of Starn, survived. Tuan, was the son of Partholón's brother Starn and the grandson of Sera. Known as a legendary 'Seer', Tuan was said to be a storehouse of knowledge of Irish history because he lived across the generations in different forms of incarnations.

Tuan witnessed the arrival of Nemed and his followers, known as the Nemedians, thirty years after the last Partholónian, save Tuan. Tuan kept himself hidden from the Nemedians. When Nemedians were gone from Ireland, Tuan still lived, for many generations. Tuan survived because he too transformed into various animal shapes like Fintán and he learned from Fintan the earliest history of Inis Fail. He transformed first into a stag, then into a boar and later into an eagle. In each form, he witnessed successive early invaders of Ireland.

When at last he too transformed into a salmon, he was caught one-day, and eaten by the wife of Cairill, who immediately fell pregnant as the result of her meal. She gave birth to a son, who was named Tuan mac Cairill. Thus he was this reborn as the Tuan, who was said to have written the book about the early history of Ines Fail. Click here to Continue.

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