‘Land of the Ever Young’, a depiction of Tír na nÓg by the English book illustrator Arthur Rackham (from back in 1920).
Rackham was an excellent artist and simply following the terms of reference he was given, but his anglicized, ‘fantasy-type’ representations of Irish culture set a detrimentally false ‘look’ and narrative that we’re still trying to deal with, a hundred years later.
I released a book today (‘FIONN: The Betrayal’) that provides a more authentic version of the Irish mythological hero’s life and adventures. Its currently available in Australiana and New Zealand ebook stores but as the sun moves across the earth, it’ll be released in other jurisdictions as well.
The second-last book in the series, this work brings different plot threads together to expose the key elements behind this mythological story to the full light of day. The truth behind the death of Fionn’s father is explained, Fionn’s heritage is explained, and the traitor undermining the young warrior over the course of his life, is also finally revealed.
All in a maelstrom of violence and political intrigue.
I originally started the FIONN mac Cumhaill Series back in 2014 as a kind of antidote to counter the ‘Celtic Fantasy’ genre’s commercial misrepresentation of Irish history culture. The series includes elements of the Irish language and reintroduces critical Gaelic cultural concepts lost over the course of time. To be honest, given the very strong Gaelic elements, I never really expected it to become as popular as it was.
Thanks to those of you who’ve helped support this work over the last ten years.
The woman warrior Liath Luachra (The Grey One) has never been the easiest person to talk to which means that her interactions with someone as bullish as Crimall (a Clann Baoisnce warrior) often provides some good opportunity for writing dialogue.
In ‘Liath Luachra: The Seeking’, this opportunity is heightened further when Crimall has suspicions around her motives and the woman warrior has secrets of her own she’d rather not talk about.
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‘When we first crossed paths,’ said Crimall. ‘You spoke of your encounter with the díbhearg, of your attempts to release the Clann Baoiscne girls and of the raiders untimely return.’
Liath Luachra eyed him coldly.
‘Yes.’
‘And of killing one raider during your escape.’
Deciding there was nothing worthwhile to say, Liath Luachra said nothing.
‘I have a wrinkle in my head, Grey One. A crease of curiosity that allows me no ease. Perhaps you could smoothen that wrinkle out by satisfying my curiosity.’
‘What is it you wish to know?’
Crimall cleared his throat, briefly adjusting the sword belt around his waist. ‘During your flight from the díbhearg, did any of the raiders speak or shout?’
Liath Luachra felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s a simple enough question. Did the raiders say anything of relevance: a name, a destination, some indication of their origin?’
She shook her head.
‘You have no doubts?’ he persisted, regarding her with an expression of mild disbelief. ‘Amid all that bustle and violent activity, the raiders didn’t utter the merest whisper!’
This time, the woman warrior responded with a sour expression. ‘I’ve already told you what I know. The díbhearg warriors barely spoke.’
‘Aaah!’ Crimall exclaimed, grasping onto her words like a drowning man to flotsam. ‘You say they “barely” spoke, which suggests they must have said something, no matter how trivial. What exactly did they say?’
Liath Luachra lips compressed in anger. ‘The only one who spoke was the man I killed, and in truth I heard but a single word. One that, given the events, was difficult to decipher.’
‘Yes, yes. But what was it?’
The woman warrior regarded him coolly then abruptly dropped her head to one-side and opened her mouth, her tongue lolling out.
‘Aaarrgh.’
Straightening her head again, she regarded the Clann Baoiscne man with stony dispassion.
Crimall considered her in frosty silence for the space of several heartbeats. ‘We’ll depart when you give the word,’ he said at last and stiffly walked away.
Generally speaking, Irish cultural stories and ‘mythology’ get bastardized when represented in creative projects produced by overseas interests.
The trailer dates from 2005 and refers to a film called ‘Finn mac Cool’ (Ouch! Brutal anglicization of the name and not a good start for cultural authenticity). It is, in fact, a promotional piece for a film that was never actually made. This happens sometimes when a movie’s being proposed and talked-up, but the producers haven’t been able to raise the funding to complete it.
Either way, though, you have to give the producers credit for using Irish actors (or at least someone who can successfully put on an Irish accent – not looking at you, Tom Cruise and Christopher Walken!)
The ‘trailer’ is very much a product of its time and reflects the difficulty in adapting an Irish cultural narrative for an international audience. It can be done of course, but to have any long-term resonance or credibility beyond the initial marketing hype/push, it really needs to stay true to the cultural origin and the source material. For that reason, when producers are looking at adapting a ‘mythological’ story, they really have to decide early on which way they’re going to jump. This was very much something I came up against when I was providing cultural/technical advice for one of my own books being adapted by Hollywood.
The approach used in the promotional trailer, very much reflects an English or American person’s interpretation of what such a film should look like (as opposed to how a native Irish person might view/ produce it). The ‘trailer’ has some pretty dodgy bits that I’ve actually grown fond of (the pirouette deaths, Ming the Merciless as Goll mac Morna – from Dublin apparently, given the accent, the dodgy giant etc.) and, over the years, I’ve increasingly come to respect the producers for trying to make a Fenian narrative-based movie at a time when getting such funding really was an uphill battle.
I’m pretty sure a screen production of an ‘Irish mythology’ story will eventually become a reality but it’ll be interesting to see whether it’s a culturally resonant Irish version or an American Celtic Fantasy version. I guess time will tell.
Meanwhile, have a look at the trailer HERE.
We’re back in the office this last day or two and, in between writing FIONN 6, I’ve done a small piece on ‘Beacáin Scammalach’ – Cloud Mushroom – you’ll know what that is if you’ve read any of the ‘Liath Luachra’ books.
This article looks at why Liath Luachra uses it, why I’ve included it in the books, and what overall relevance it has. I’ll be making that available for key followers in the next edition of the newsletter. You can find a link to that HERE.
Well, its that time of the year when we can finally finish up and walk away from the desk, hopefully not to return until the new year.
On a personal level, I’ll be glad to see the back of 2024 but, as usual, I remain hopeful for next year.
This Christmas, to celebrate another year of publishing, I’m significantly reducing the price of Book 1 and Book 2 of the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series (now selling at $0.99 and $2.99 respectively). These will be available through all the major bookstores and you can find the links below.
The books will remain at this price until 3 January 2025, when they’ll return to full price (and when I return to the desk).
Thanks to all of you who’ve supported my work over the past year. I wish you and your families a peaceful holiday season.
Brian
KINDLE: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IIXHX88
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/…/fionn-defence-of-rath-bladhma-1
APPLE: https://books.apple.com/…/fionn-defence-of…/id840271574
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/…/fionn…/1118904278…
GOOGLE: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XnBjDwAAQBAJ
[Paperback available through Amazon or all good bookshops.]
In the ‘Fionn mac Cumhaill Series’ of books, there’s little love lost between the woman warrior Liath Luachra and Muirne Muncháem, mother of Fionn mac Cumhaill. This little scene from FIONN: The Adversary demonstrates how they have to work to get along to survive the hazards of the Great Wild.
On the southern bank of the river, the warrior Liath Luachra sat contemplating her reflection. The still pool, located to the side of a slow-flowing inlet, mirrored her haggard expression with unsettling accuracy. Her face was gaunt, her eyes framed by black rings, the high cheekbones sharpened by the shaded hollows beneath. The physical evidence from the toll of days of hard running and combat was impossible to ignore. Of more concern however was the worrying sense her internal resilience had also diminished, withered not only by the gruelling journey but the loss of Bodhmhall and Demne.
Her eyes turned to regard the coursing river with a mixture of bitterness and trepidation. A fast-flowing stretch of surging white water, just the sight of it was still enough to make her shiver. Less than a day earlier, she’d barely managed to crawl from its liquid grasp, half-drowned and at the limit of her endurance. Stretched exhausted on the sandy bank, she’d wanted nothing more than to lie there and sleep. Instead, she’d somehow forced herself to her feet and stumbled downriver, combing the bank for Bodhmhall and her nephew.
Several hundred paces later, numb with fatigue, she’d crawled into a cluster of fern inside the treeline, curled into a damp ball and promptly passed out. Later that afternoon, when she’d come to her senses, she felt stiff and cold and far from recovered. Staring up at patches of sky through the breaks in the forest canopy, she could tell from the grey quality of the light that nightfall was closing in. Despite feeling every bruise, every individual cut, scratch and strained muscle, she’d pushed herself off the ground and started searching again.
By the time dusk seeped in, she’d still found no sign of Bodhmhall or Demne although she did locate Muirne Muncháem and Gleor Red Hand. The Lamraighe couple had washed up together on a short mud flat over a thousand paces downriver from where she’d collapsed. Despite the gentle incline up to more solid ground however, they hadn’t progressed beyond the water’s edge.
Gleor, unconscious, had an ashen pallor that matched the hue of his greying beard. The Lamraighe leader’s face bore numerous cuts and bruises and she could see washed out bloodstains on his tunic, although she was unable to tell if they were his.
Muirne – the Flower of Almhu – normally a woman obsessed with her appearance, was sitting dismally in the mud beside him, caked in sludge and filth. Marks in the surface of the mud bank revealed how her attempts to shift her husband towards the bank had been stymied by the stocky weight of his body.
The two women had stared bleakly at one other for several heartbeats, their expressions lacking any warmth. Without a word, the Grey One had abruptly turned her gaze away and started off downriver. Muirne’s despairing pleas had trailed her until, finally, she’d halted and turned sharply to retrace her steps.
Cursing under her breath, she’d helped the Flower of Almhu drag the insensible Gleor up onto the bank and into a small clearing several paces inside the trees. Using her sword – miraculously, still in its scabbard – Liath Luachra had cut some saplings and constructed a rough lean-to in which they’d placed the comatose old man.
Not a single word was exchanged over the entire period the two women worked together. Holding the Lamraighe couple responsible for their predicament, Liath Luachra bore no love for either of them and knew the feeling was mutual. Despite this, when the shelter was complete, she’d crawled inside to sleep beside them, too tired to question why she’d returned to help them.
Too tired to do anything but sleep.
This is a brief update on books that are planned /anticipated for release over the next 3-12 months. There’s further detail available in the September newsletter (Vóg) but I’m sure there’s something in the list below for everyone.
Confirmed Releases:
FIONN: The Betrayal (book six in the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series)
Although it’s still unclear whether this will the final book in the series or not, this follow up to ‘FIONN: The Tightening Trail’ will be available in March/April 2025 (and, hopefully, available free to newsletter supporters for Christmas). There will be A LOT of plot resolutions and revelations in this book.
Potential Releases:
At least one of the following will be released in 2025.
(1) Liath Luachra: The Hungry People (LL5)
The follow up to ‘Liath Luachra: The Metal Men’, this covers Liath Luachra’s deepening relationship with Bodhmhall and her conflict with new and existing enemies.
(2) Liath Luachra: The Quiet One
Another stand-alone novel, this follows on from ‘Liath Luachra: The Great Wild‘ and details another chilling adventure of the young warrior woman before she joins Bressal and Na Cinéaltaí.
(3) ‘Irish Mythology’ 101
‘Irish Mythology’ 101 essentially outlines the fundamentals of how ‘mythology’ works and how you can make sense of it /use it in contemporary life. It’s very much based on the cultural parameters within which I work and operate on a personal basis.
(4) Beara Series
A new adventure from Ireland’s greatest mythological detective (Muiris O’Súilleabháin ) as he deals with the double threat of a murderer and a dangerous banshee.
(5) The Irish Battle Trilogy
A trilogy of books on a famous Irish battle and the somewhat insane characters who took part in it. This is currently the lowest on my list of priorities.
Fiacail mac Codhna is a swaggering and irrepressible warrior from the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series, based on the original Fenian narratives. Handsome, charming, and shrewdly strategic in battle, Fiacail’s potential for tribal greatness is undermined only by an over-sexed libido and a strong weakness for women, particularly where it relates to Bodhmhall ua Baoiscne, sometimes – but not always – portrayed as the aunt of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Previously bonded to Bodhmhall, Fiacail’s tomcat behaviour eventually led to the dissolution of their relationship, something he still regrets many years later.
Fiacail mac Codhna’s quite a lot of fun as a character. He can be charmingly crass at times – particularly where it relates to sex – but his humour and genuine attraction to Bodhmhall means he’s a credible third player in the love triangle with Bodhmhall and Liath Luachra. His bawdy humour and blunt demeanour, meanwhile, offers welcome relief from some of the more serious and intellectual characters in the series.
When not chasing women, Fiacail likes long walks in the mornings (usually naked), having conversations with Great Father Sun. Much of this involves trying to convince Father Sun not to cause the end of the world but there’s also the occasional attempt to negotiate the gift of a pony.
Fiacail turns up on several occasions over the course of the original Fenian narratives, usually as a kind of foster father/advisor to the young Fionn mac Cumhaill. In some of the manuscripts however, he’s referred to as a ‘reaver’.
In modern Irish, ‘fiacail’ is actually the word for ‘tooth’ so it seems an unusual name for a character. Sadly, the name is so old even the Fenian narratives in the original manuscripts offer little explanation for its origin. As a result, I had to come up with own rationale
A recent commission of ‘Liath Luachra’ for another project I’m working on (more on that in the next newsletter). I suspect I won’t be using this particular image. It feels more like a ‘Celtic Fantasy’ version of the character which, from my perspective, doesn’t work.
We’ll see.
Military leader of Clann Morna (not the chieftain), Goll mac Morna takes on a much larger role in Fionn mac Cumhaill’s life as the core Fenian narrative progresses.
Interestingly, you rarely see much about Goll from the English web content publishers (generally, because they don’t really understand how Gaelic culture works in the Fenian narratives) but Goll is actually quite the fascinating character when you get to know him.
All the same, you still wouldn’t want to meet him alone on a dark night.
Ireland’s ‘Poc Fada’ (Long Puck) competition was originally inspired by the old Ulster tale of Cú Chulainn travelling across the Cooley Mountains to the territory land of his uncle, Conchubar mac Neasa. Bored by the journey, the young Cú Chulainn (then, Setanta) decided to shorten the road by ‘pucking’ a ball ahead of himself and then running to catch it before it hit the ground.
The more modern version of that is an unusual competition where the participants not only compete with each other across the Cooley Mountain, but compete with nature and the elements as well, all the while traversing a landscape emanating a genuine sense of ancient history and culture.
The first Poc Fada competition was held in 1960 with competitors following a designated trail over the ridge of the Cooley Mountains, pucking the sliotar over a distance of slightly more than three miles. That competition consisted of six young hurlers from the Dundalk region but by 1962, the popularity of the competition meant hurlers from all parts of the country were participating.
In its early days, the course was marked out with temporary flags but as the competition became more established, these were replaced by permanent standing stones. The rules of the competition are quite similar to golf in that the person who can hit the sliotar (the ball) through the outlined trail with as few pucks as possible is the winner.
In the early 1980s, the competition was revised with a new course through the Cooley Mountains (now, approximately 5km in length) and in 2004, camogie players were finally allowed to take part. To date, the record for the Cooley Mountains course stands at an impressive 48 pucks . That basically means the winner slammed the sliotar over an average distance of about 104 metres per puck – quite a remarkable feat – I certainly couldn’t do it.
The competition is still ongoing with the latest taking place last month on August 5th.
