The Swan Children

Ulster

Man, many years ago, there lived a chieftain called Lir. He had four children ~ a daughter named Fionnuala, a son called Aodh, and twin boys by the names of Fiachra and Conn.

As the twin boys were born, the wife died after giving birth. Lir agreed to marry his wife's sister, Aoife, who would act as mother to the newly born twins. For a while Aoife cared for her sister's children, but then jealousy took hold of her and she decided it was time to get rid of all of the children.

Aoife had the power of witchcraft, so she took all the children to Lough Dairbhreach ~ the "Lake of the Oaks", and magically transformed them into pretty swans.

The spell she granted would span 900 years. The swans would spend 300 years on Lough Dairbhreach, 300 on the Sruth na Maolie (in the Irish Sea), and another 300 on an island known as Inis Gluaire. However, Aoife kindly allowed them to keep their original voices, thus they could sing the sweetest music in all of the world.

As you would expect, Lir went to find his children, and he found them on Lough Dairbhreach. The eldest, Fionnuala told Lir of what their wicked stepmother had done to them. Lir was heartbroken. The swans music was so beautiful that people travelled great distances to hear it.

They spent the following 300 years near choppy seas around Sruth na Maolie. The waves for so vicious that they were often separated, but hey would always meet up again on Carraig na Ron ~ the "Rock of the Seals".

So another 300 years had passed by, and they were now situated at Inis Gluaire. St Mochaomhog lived there, hence Christianity had arrived. One day, St Mochaomhog saw the four swans on a lake and enquired if they were the children of Lir. They were and he kindly offered them holy sanctuary, which they duly accepted.

The wife of King Connacht, Deoch, was told of the swans beautiful music. She wanted the swans to entertain her. So the king went to the holy man, but he holy man refused to give them up!

Forcefully, the king grabbed them from the altar. As soon as his hands touched the swans, was the spell broken. But now age had caught up with Lir's children, and they were three withered old men and one withered old woman.

The king was wholly shocked and fled in horror. Fionnuala asked the holy man to baptize them, as she believed they had not long to live. The three brothers and one sister were buried together and a commemorating stone was set over them with their names upon it.