FIONN: The Betrayal has been released

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.

HOW STORIES WORK OUT (OR DON’T!)

It’s interesting for me to look back on some of the older posts and articles on my website (at Irish Imbas Books) and see how my plans and intentions have changed over the years. I recently came across an article dating from seven years back where I’d outlined some of my book plans including

* LIATH LUACHRA: Sons of the Land
* BODHMHALL: The Black Hag
* FIONN: The Salmon of Secret Wisdom

The first of those (LIATH LUACHRA: Sons of the Land) did go ahead and was, indeed, published but it came out under the title ‘LIATH LUACHRA: The Swallowed‘. At the point in time where I wrote that article, I knew the book would have a strong ‘wolf’ element to it. The Irish word for ‘wolf’ is ‘mactíre’ which literally means ‘son of the land,’ so it seemed a logical title at the time. I think I ended up changing the title to ‘The Swallowed’ as this aligned more effectively with the theme of the book.

BODHMHALL: The Black Hag was a book I’d intended to write as a companion novel for ‘Liath Luachra: The Grey One’ but, in the end, many of the elements I’d intended to put in ‘The Black Hag’, ended up in FIONN: The Adversary and it didn’t go ahead.

‘FIONN: The Salmon of Secret Wisdom’ is a book I still intend to write but with the 6th book in the series being released tomorrow (FIONN: The Betrayal), there were obviously some important elements to the story that had to take place first before I could even start my own take on the famous Salmon of Knowledge (and it would be a different take).

Once the FIONN series is finished, I do have plans to start another series with Fionn/Demne which will follow the more established parts of the Fenian narratives.

FIONN: The Betrayal will be released tomorrow (5th April 2025).

Arguing with a Warrior Woman

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.

Finn (Cough) McCool Versus Ming The Merciless

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.

Lies, Damned Lies, and … ‘Irish Mythology’

Cutting through several hundred years of misinformation and misunderstandings with respect to ‘Irish Mythology’ is a difficult task at the best of times.

These days, ‘Irish mythology’ tends to be a mixed hodge-podge of elements spawned by decades of commercial fantasy entertainment. This (and a number of other influences) has essentially meant its now a subject lacking any clear intellectual framework or even a basic, commonly understood set of concepts or terminology to understand it.

For this reason, it’s almost impossible to have a meaningful conversation on the subject (in the same way it’s impossible to have a conversation with someone on the subject of ‘chemistry’, when they don’t know what an ‘atom’ is).

One of the projects I’m hoping to complete at the end of this year, is a small training process to explain the fundamental concepts of ‘Irish Mythology’, those basic initial concepts you need to understand what you’re being presented with. Longer term, this is something I’m hoping that people can use to apply to their own circumstances, but that can really only occur in a number of sequential steps.

The working title for this project is ‘Irish Mythology 101’ but that may change. Unfortunately, circumstances have meant I’ve had to drop this project on two occasion to respond to other priorities. I’ll be working very hard to ensure that doesn’t happen again

Beacáin Scammalach – Cloud Mushroom

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.

The Christmas Sale

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.]

A River Scene

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.

The Hunt

A section from ‘chapter two’ of FIONN: Defence of Ráth Bládhma. In this scene, the woman warrior Liath Luachra is out hunting with her enthusiastic young pupil, Bearach. She’s instructing him in the practicalities of the hunt.

Further detail on the book is available through the link.

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They’d been stalking deer sign for the best part of the morning, following the meandering tracks through the frozen hill country east of Sliabh Bládhma. Liath Luachra estimated that there was one, possibly two, animals. Bearach was convinced there were at least four.

But then he’d always been an optimist.

Liath Luachra relaxed and slowly eased her grip on the javelin. She’d come to a stop in the murky shadow of one of the many trees coating the lower slopes and although she continued to scrutinise the terrain for movement, she was relatively sure the animals were not present.

As sure as she could be.

It was difficult to be certain from the most recent imprints they’d found. The snow cover was inconsistent among the hills and the substance of the previous fall had melted in the unexpected morning sunshine. Adding to the challenge was the fact the tracks alternated between dense wood land where the ground was still soft enough to leave a clear track, and rockier ground where the prints were easy to lose on the rough stone surface.

Liath Luachra exhaled a mouthful of ghost breath into the chilly air and watched the breeze snatch it away. Although she’d never admit to it, she didn’t particularly enjoy hunting in winter. In her experience, the physical effort and the sheer discomfort greatly exceeded the rewards. Certainly, there was no comparison to the hunt in warmer months. In summer, late spring and even early autumn you could simply choose a comfortable hiding site at one of the animals’ favourite feeding grounds, easily identified with experience and patience, and wait for the animals to come to you.

That, of course, was always better.

Training the young Fionn mac Cumhaill

A representation from illustrator Arthur Rackam of Liath Luachra teaching Demne (the young Fionn) at a very early age.

It’s actually a visual representation of a scene from Macgnímartha Finn where Liath Luachra and the young Fionn chase other around a tree with a switch.

You have to love the matching outfits.

Draugr

Draugr in Dublin City, a graphic novel/comic released by Irish artist Gerry Hunt in 2012, tells the story of a reincarnated Viking (Draugr is an old Viking term for a resurrected warrior) who reawakens when his grave is looted by some Dublin locals. The avenging Viking then goes on the rampage to recover his possessions but finds himself increasingly infuriated by modern additions to the city skyline, which include The Spire, Liberty Hall, and the new €380m National Conference Centre on George’s Quay.

Hunt, originally a professional architect (for 25 years) moved to political cartoons and then comics much later in his career (in the 1980s), founding ‘Dublin Comics’ in 2005 to publish his most well-known works. Draugr in Dublin City appears to have been quite a significant creative shift for Hunt, who’s prior work up to that point was very much centred around contemporary Dublin City settings and action. In that regard, there’s a lovely quote in a review from Ian Keogh (The Slings and Arrows Graphic Novel Review site) who describes the effect as “a shock to the system, like seeing the Walking Dead invade Coronation Street”.

A 2010 interview with the Irish Independent reveals some of the rationale behind that creative shift. In the article, Hunt (who was 74 at the time) admitted that it was a day spent taking pictures around Dublin that inspired the actions of his Viking. Clearly, what he saw offended his architectural values.

“I just thought The Spire, that has to go; and I’ve hated the top of Liberty Hall for years. It’s like a bloody accordion you would squeeze in and out. The new Conference Centre isn’t big enough either, with too much contrast between the stone and the glass. Mind you, I had my Viking Draugr borrow a few panes to make a paraglider,” he said.

I haven’t been able to get a copy of ‘Draugr’ so I can’t really comment on the quality of the book (although the reviews are very positive). That said, I get the impression Hunt was very much an innovator and a creative leader in his day. I have to admit, I’m really damn impressed  with the drive of a 74 year-old artist who took on an opponent he couldn’t possibly hope to defeat (the Dublin Skyline) and then thrashed it so effectively in his own way.