Cumhall (; ) or Cumhall mac Trénmhoir ("son of Trénmór/Tréanmór" meaning "strong-great") is a figure in the

Fenian Cycle The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle () is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his Kóryos, warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the ...

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

, a leader of the

fianna ''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young men, often from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, "who had left fosterage ...

and the father of

Fionn mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer a ...

Genealogy

The most important text regarding the family of Finn (son of Cumaill) is ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'' ("The Cause of the Battle of Cnucha"), as it is contained in the ancient parchment ''

Lebor na hUidre (, LU) or the Book of the Dun Cow (MS 23 E 25) is an Irish vellum manuscript dating to the 12th century. It is the oldest extant manuscript in Irish. It is held in the Royal Irish Academy and is badly damaged: only 67 leaves remain and many ...

'' (LU), dated to the 12th century. Otherwise, the next most important tract is the '' Macgnímartha Finn'' ("The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn") copied in a 15th-century manuscript. According to the ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'', Cumhall mac Trénmhoir was son of a petty king, and served the

High King A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings, without the title of emperor. Similar titles include great king and king of kings. The high kings of history usually ruled over lands of cultural unity; thus ...

Conn Cet-Chathach "of the Hundred Battles". Cumhall was also Conn's half-uncle, his mother being the mother of Conn's father,. Cumhall became suitor for the hand of

Muirne Muirne or Muireann Muncháem ("beautiful neck") was the sister of Uirne and the mother of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. She had many suitors, but her father, the druid Tadg mac Nuadat, had foreseen that her marriage ...

Muncaim "of the fair neck", daughter of the

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

Tadg mac Nuadat Tadg, son of Nuada, was a druid and the maternal grandfather of Fionn Mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It is unclear whether his father was the short-lived High King Nuada Necht, the god Nuada Airgetlam of the Tuatha Dé Da ...

, but Tadg refused him, so Cumhall forcibly carried away Muirne in elopement. ;In-laws In ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'' Cumhall's wife was the granddaughter to Nuadat who was a druid to king

Cathair Mór Cathair Mór ("the great"), son of Feidhlimidh Fiorurghlas, a descendant of Conchobar Abradruad, was, according to Lebor Gabála Érenn, a High King of Ireland.Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, Section 40, page 259, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/ ...

, but she was granddaughter to Núadu of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuatha Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic ...

according to a passage in the '' Acallamh na Senorach''. tr. p. 245: Also where the former work gives Almu daughter of Becan as Nuadat's wife, the latter treats Almha the daughter of Brecan as a virgin daughter who bore Cumall a son then died in childbirth. tr. p. 131:, Almha daughter of Bracan. ;Siblings Cumhall had a brother, Crimmal mac Trénmhoir, who was an ally of Fionn.

Battle and death

Tadg, slighted by Cumall's sweeping away his daughter, appealed to Cumall's lord, Conn of the Hundred Battles, and Conn gave choice of either relinquishing the daughter or suffer banishment. Cumall refused to give up his wife, and Conn made war against Cumhall, and Cumhall was killed by

Goll mac Morna Goll mac Morna (or Goal mac Morn) was a member of the fianna and an uneasy ally of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He had killed Fionn's father, Cumhal, and taken over the leadership of the fianna, but when Fionn grew up ...

in this Battle of Cnucha, located at what is today

Castleknock Castleknock () is an affluent village in County Dublin, Ireland, located west of the centre of Dublin city. It is in the modern county of Fingal. In addition to the village, the name "Castleknock" also refers to older units of land division: a ...

. Goll then took over leadership of the

Fianna ''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young men, often from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, "who had left fosterage ...

, as explained in the ''Magnímartha Finn''. Cumhall's wife Muirne was already pregnant with his son, Fionn, and Muirne's furious father Tadg not only refused to accept her back, but ordered her burnt to death. Cumhall's wife however seeks Conn's protection, and in exile she delivers a child which she names Demni. Demni (Demne) later became Finn., p. 183: "Demne shall be named Finn (the Fair)". Cumhall is reputed to be buried within the grounds of

Castleknock College Castleknock College () is a voluntary Vincentian secondary school for boys, situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, west of Dublin city centre, Ireland. Founded in 1835 by Philip Dowley, it is one of the oldest boys' schools in ...

, supposedly under a hill upon which an old water tower now stands.

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *''

Acallam na Senórach ''Acallam na Senórach'' (, whose title in English has been given variously as ''Colloquy of the Ancients'', ''Tales of the Elders of Ireland'', ''The Dialogue of the Ancients of Ireland'', etc.), is an important prosimetric Middle Irish narrat ...

'' ** ** ** **
e-text
via CELT corpus. * * * (ed. "''Fotha Catha Cnucha inso''" , tr. "The Cause of the Battle of Cnucha here")
archived
via Internet Archive *, with glossary. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cumhall Fenian Cycle