Texts

Fochonn loingse Fergusa meic Roich ‘The cause of the exile of Fergus mac Roich’

  • Late Old Irish, Early Middle Irish
  • prose
  • Ulster Cycle, remscéla to Táin bó Cúailnge
A fragment relating part of a tale about Fergus mac Roích.
Summary
The Ulstermen are feasting in Emain Macha. Although it is a splendid feast equalled only by those celebrated at Tara and Crúachan, two men are absent from the company: Dubthach Dáel Ulad and Fergus mac Roích. Emain Macha is approached by two giant warriors whose fearsome appearances are described in some detail. The doorkeeper tells them that no man without art is allowed to enter. When they reply that they possess many arts (fighting, eating well, making fire, handling the flesh-fork), the doorkeeper goes inside to report the arrival of the newcomers and returns to admit them to the hall. The fragment ends.
Language
  • Late Old Irish Early Middle Irish
Form
prose (primary)
Textual relationships
The title Fochonn loingse Fergusa meic Roich is also found in the list of remscéla in Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS D iv 2. The story is presumably referred to as ‘Tochomlod Loingse Fergusa a hUltaib’ in medieval Irish tale lists A and B.(1)n. 1 Rudolf Thurneysen, Die irische Helden- und Königsage bis zum siebzehnten Jahrhundert (1921): 321. The miscellaneous section of tale list B includes the title ‘Longus nUlad’, which may refer to this story or to Longes mac nUislenn.(2)n. 2 Proinsias Mac Cana, The learned tales of medieval Ireland (1980): 67 note 4.

Classification

Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
id. 1797
remscéla to Táin bó CúailngeUlster Cycle
remscéla to Táin bó Cúailnge
id. 29262

Subjects

Fergus mac Róich
Fergus mac Róich
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
warrior in tales of the Ulster Cycle; former king of Ulster in exile in Connacht; Medb’s lover

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Dubthach Dóel Ulad
Dubthach Dóel Ulad
(time-frame ass. with Ulster Cycle)
warrior in the Ulster Cycle of tales

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Emain Macha
Emain Macha ... Navan Fort
County Armagh
No short description available

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Sources

Notes

Proinsias Mac Cana, The learned tales of medieval Ireland (1980): 67 note 4.

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Hull, Vernam, “The cause of exile of Fergus mac Roig”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 18 (1930): 293–298.

Secondary sources (select)

Thurneysen, Rudolf, Die irische Helden- und Königsage bis zum siebzehnten Jahrhundert, Halle: Niemeyer, 1921.  

Contents: Part 1 (chapters 1-23): Allgemeines; Part 2 (chapters 1-85): Die Ulter Sage.

Internet Archive: <link>
321–322
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
April 2011, last updated: January 2024