Mongán mac Fíachnai (died c. 625) was an Irish prince of the Cruthin , a son of Fíachnae mac Báetáin . Little is certainly known of Mongán's life as only his death is recorded in the Irish annals . He appears as a character in the Cycles of the Kings where he is said to have been the son of Manannán mac Lir and perhaps a reincarnation of the legendary hero Finn mac Cumaill of the Fenian Cycle .
49-676: His origin story is told in the Compert Mongáin found in the Yellow Book of Lecan and the Lebor na hUidre . The tale Compert Mongáin (the Conception of Mongán), which survives in three variants, has Mongán fathered on Fiachnae's wife Cáintigern by the sea-god Manannán mac Lir while Fíachnae campaigned alongside Áedán mac Gabráin of Dál Riata . The versions have different accounts of how this came about, all of which agree that some form of bargain
98-603: A Roman galley bound for Scotland veered off course to a place called Portus Saxa, which was believed to be Larne Lough . There was Viking activity in the area during the 10th and 11th centuries AD. Viking burial sites and artefacts have been found in the area and dated to that time. Ulfreksfjord was an Old Norse name for Larne Lough. According to the Norse historian Snorri Sturluson , Connor, King of Ireland, defeated Orkney Vikings at Ulfreksfjord in 1018. Later anglicised names include Wulfrichford , Wolderfirth , Wolverflete and
147-675: A battle in the town of Musa Qala in Afghanistan in 2006, involving the Royal Irish Regiment , a new regimental march, composed by Chris Attrill and commissioned by Larne Borough Council , was gifted to the regiment on Saturday 1 November 2008 in Larne, during an event in which the regiment was presented with " the Freedom of the Borough ". This gave the regiment the right to march through the towns of
196-463: A dispute between Mongán and the poet Forgoll, Forgoll being perhaps based on traditions about the historical poet Dallan Forgaill . Forgoll claims to know how Fothad Airgthech , a legendary High King of Ireland died, but Mongán says he is wrong. Forgoll threatens to curse and satirise Mongán for this insult to his knowledge and will settle for nothing less than Mongán's wife Breothigernd in reparation. A mysterious stranger appears who claims that Mongán
245-525: A major step in cementing the right to Ulster Unionist self-determination , with the recognition of such a right ultimately leading to the creation of Northern Ireland . Larne throughout the course of The Troubles had a significant paramilitary presence in the town, mostly through the presence of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA). For further information see UDA South East Antrim Brigade . The town suffered
294-561: A number of Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb attacks during The Troubles, notably including a large car bomb at the King's Arms hotel in 1980 that caused damage to the main shopping areas, for which the IRA claimed responsibility. This incident was raised in Parliament at the time. Incidents which involved fatalities Larne sits on the western side of a narrow inlet that links Larne Lough to
343-458: A poetic pantomime (1950) is a comedy based on the tale of Mongán and Dub Lacha. A third tale concerning Mongán and a poet, this time Eochaid Rígéiges, again perhaps based on the historical poet Dallan Forgaill, purports to explain why he had no children. The tale recounts a journey by Mongán and Eochaid where they are asked to explain the meaning of various place names—a branch of poetical learning called dindshenchas —and on each occasion Eochaid
392-510: A son of the pre-Christian king Úgaine Mór . The town sprang up where the River Inver flows into Larne Lough. This area was known in Irish as Inbhear an Latharna ("rivermouth/estuary of Latharna") and was later anglicised as Inver Larne or simply Inver . Latharna was only applied exclusively to the town in recent centuries. The Roman emperor Severus is known to have described how, in 204 AD,
441-601: A stone thrown by one Artúr son of Bicior, described as a Briton or perhaps, following Kuno Meyer 's reading, a Pict . It is accompanied by a poem attributed to Bécc Bairrche mac Blathmaic , king of Ulaid. Whitley Stokes translated it as follows: The wind blows cold over Islay ; there are youths approaching in Kintyre : they will do a cruel deed thereby, they will slay Mongán, son of Fíachnae. Yellow Book of Lecan The Yellow Book of Lecan ( YBL ; Irish : Leabhar Buidhe Leacáin ), or TCD MS 1318 ( olim H 2.16),
490-641: Is a late medieval Irish manuscript . It contains much of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology , besides other material. It is held in the Library of Trinity College Dublin . The manuscript is written on vellum and contains 344 columns of text. The first 289 were written by 1391; the remainder were written by 1401. It is written in Middle Irish . Lecan was the site of the Mac Fhirbhisigh school of poetry in
539-613: Is in the otherworld, his father is killed by Fiachnae mac Demmáin , an event which the Irish annals place after Mongán's death. Mongán's ability to change his shape is alluded to in the 9th century tale De Chophur in dá Muccado (The quarrel of the two swineherds), found in the Book of Leinster , which is one of the stories setting the scene for the Táin Bó Cuailnge . The Ulstermen ask Manannán to send Mongán to rule over them, but he remains in
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#1732872682142588-516: Is no freight transport by rail in Northern Ireland. Both Larne Town railway station and Larne Harbour railway station opened on 1 October 1862 and closed for goods traffic on 4 January 1965. The Ballymena and Larne Railway was a narrow gauge railway . It opened in 1878, was closed to passengers in 1933 and finally completely closed in 1950. Another line ran from Larne to Ballyclare and some parts of it can still be made out where it ran along
637-766: Is now part of YBL. Giolla Íosa wrote that he "wrote this book for himself and for his son after him", and elsewhere, that it was "for himself and his family after him." Ó Muraíle further states: "That is one index of Giolla Íosa Mac Fir Bhisigh's importance; to his scribal labours we owe the preservation of the most celebrated of medieval Irish tales, Táin Bó Cúailnge." (p. 23) YBL also contains Aided Nath Í , Togail Bruidne Dá Derga , Táin Bó Fraích , Longes ma nUislenn ; Dá Brón Flatha Nime and Mesca Ulad by his son, Tomás Cam Mac Firbhisigh . In 1986 (see below) Professor Tomás Ó Concheanainn stated his belief that much of
686-586: Is shown up by Mongán. As a result, Eochaid curses Mongán so that he will have no noble-born children and that his descendants will be peasants. Yeats took Mongán as a subject in his writings, including the poems "Mongan laments the Change that has come upon him and his Beloved" and "Mongan thinks of his past Greatness" ( The Wind Among the Reeds , 1899). The record of Mongán's death in the Annals of Tigernach has him killed by
735-559: Is situated atop of Ballygally Head and Larne Golf Course on sits atop of the Islandmagee peninsula. Significant buildings and structures include Olderfleet Castle . Magheramorne , 5 miles to the south along Larne Lough , has a film studio which was used to film much of HBO TV Series Game of Thrones . On census day (21 March 2021) there were 18,853 people living in Larne. Of these: On census day (27 March 2011) there were 18,755 people living in Larne, accounting for 1.04% of
784-414: Is the name of this book; I am Ciothruagh son of Taidg Ruaidh The numbering for the texts given below is both by column (as in the manuscript) and by number of pagination (as in the facsimile edition). The titles here do not necessarily refer to the titles given in the manuscript (if any), but conform to those of the main recensions. 1. how Finn mac Cumaill made peace between Glangressach, chief ollam of
833-531: The Compert Mongáin , Compert Mongáin ocus Serc Duibe Lacha do Mongán (The conception of Mongán and Mongán's love for Dub Lacha), contains a lengthy romance concerning Mongán and another wife, Dub Lacha, daughter of Fiachnae mac Demmáin, in which Brandub mac Echach is a major character. This story makes frequent use of Mongán's otherworldly shapeshifting and magical powers. Austin Clarke 's play The plot succeeds;
882-700: The Mesolithic era (and one time to describe Mesolithic culture in Ireland as a whole). Larnian is also currently used to refer to people from Larne. Larne takes its name from Latharna , a Gaelic territory or túath that was part of the Ulaid minor-kingdom of Dál nAraidi . The name spelt as Latharne was used at one point in reference to the Anglo-Norman cantred of Carrickfergus . Latharna itself means "descendants of Lathar ", with Lathar according to legend being
931-497: The New England region of the modern United States of America. Boston's long standing Scots-Irish roots can be traced to Larne. The town is documented as being the first in county Antrim to be taken by United Irishmen during the ill-fated rebellion of 1798 . The Protestant rebels from this area (almost entirely Presbyterian) filled Larne and engaged the government forces around 2am on the morning of 7 June. This surprise attack drove
980-687: The Plantation of Ulster . The area around County Antrim itself, however, was not part of the official 17th century Plantation; instead many Scottish settlers arrived in the area through private settlement in the 17th century. During the 18th century many Scots-Irish emigrated to America from the port of Larne. A monument in the Curran Park commemorates the Friends Goodwill , the first emigrant ship to sail from Larne in May 1717, heading for Boston, Massachusetts in
1029-568: The Táin Bó Cúailnge which is a compilation of two or more earlier versions, indicated by the number of duplicated episodes and references to other versions in the text. This incomplete Táin Bó Cúailnge overlaps with the partial version given in the Book of the Dun Cow ; the complete text known today was derived from the combination of these recensions . The version of Fergus mac Róich 's death tale in
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#17328726821421078-519: The Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly . The civil parish is in the historic barony of Glenarm Upper . The coastal area around Larne has been inhabited for millennia, and is thought to have been one of the earliest inhabited areas of Ireland, with these early human populations believed to have arrived from Scotland via the North Channel . Knockdhu , north of Larne, was
1127-633: The Book of Ballymote. Also of note is Suidiugud Tellaich Temra ("The settling of the manor of Tara"). It contains a story of the life of Saint Patrick as told by Fintan mac Bóchra that contains the account of Trefuilngid Tre-eochair , a giant at the Hill of Tara who is first to hear about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ . Edward Lhuyd obtained the book from one of two sources; Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh about March 1700 at An Pháirc, An Spidéal ; or from Dáithí Óg Ó Dubhda of Bunnyconnellan , County Sligo , in
1176-686: The LEDCOM (Larne Enterprise Development Company) business park. A number of shops can be found along Larne Main Street, Dunluce Street, Laharna Retail Park, and large supermarkets off the Harbour Highway near the harbour. A market is also held every Wednesday at the Larne Market Yard. Ferries sail from the harbour to Cairnryan in Scotland. Passenger services are operated by P&O Irish Sea which describes
1225-423: The Larne area – this proximity to Scotland has had a defining influence on Larne's history and culture. The town is within the small parish of the same name. Like the rest of Ireland, this parish is divided into townlands . The following is a list of townlands within Larne's urban area, along with their likely etymologies : Many street names in Larne end in brae , such as 'Whitla's Brae' which comes from
1274-502: The Meic Miled, and Sodelb, daughter of Cormac; 2. Aided Fergusa maic Roig 'The Death of Fergus mac Róich ' (how Fergus mac Róich went to Connaught after his murder of the sons of Usnech, and of his death); 3. the arrival of Silvius, grandson of Ascanius, in Britain. Larne Larne (from Irish Latharna , [ˈl̪ˠahəɾˠn̪ˠə] , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on
1323-581: The NI total. Of these: Ballylumford power station in Northern Ireland's main power station. Other energy operators in Larne include B9 Energy (a renewable energy development company). Larne is also home to the headquarters of Caterpillar (NI) Limited (part of the Caterpillar group which manufactures diesel and gas generators), InspecVision (industrial inspection equipment), TerumoBCT (a Japanese manufacturer of intravenous drip solutions and blood products), and
1372-490: The Scots for "hillside". The civil parish contains the following townlands: Antiville , Ballyboley , Ballycraigy, Ballyloran , Blackcave North , Blackcave South , Curran and Drumaliss , Glebe , Greenland and Town Parks . The town has several parks, including Town Park, Chaine Park, Curran Park, and Smiley Park. Other leisure facilities include Larne Leisure Centre and Larne Museum & Arts Centre. Cairndhu Golf Course
1421-476: The Six Mile valley. Larne Town Hall , the former headquarters of Larne Borough Council, was completed in 1870. Moyle Hospital offers limited services after the closure of its accident and emergency department. Secondary schools serving the area include Larne Grammar School and Larne High School . Northern Regional College (formerly Larne Technical College) is a college of further education. In memory of
1470-676: The Yellow Book of Lecan is the oldest one that survives. The Yellow Book of Lecan also contains parts of the Táin Bó Flidhais or the Mayo Táin, a tale set in Erris, County Mayo. In addition to that material which would be placed with certainty within the Ulster Cycle, the book has a later version of The Voyage of Máel Dúin , a collection of Irish triads , and the same ogham tract as is recorded in
1519-479: The Yellow Book of Lecan/Leabhar Giolla Íosa was derived from Leabhar Gleann Dá Locha ( The Book of Glendalough ) and Lebor na Nuachongbála now The Book of Leinster . A fragment of the Yellow Book is in the hand of Solamh Ó Droma , one of the three scribes of the Book of Ballymote . Lhuyd derived the title from a note by Ciothruadh Mac Fhirbhisigh : [Leab]ar an Buide Leacain anim an leabhair so; mise Cirruaidh mac Taidg Ruaidh The Yellow Book of Lecan
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1568-411: The claims of Mongán's divine parentage and tutoring are made are described by Charles-Edwards are "literary conceit" and by Carney as "poetic hyperbole", the presumed original intent being to vaunt Mongán's seamanship. Manannán takes Mongán away with him to Tír Tairngire —the land of promise, an otherworld similar to Tír na nÓg —where he learned shapeshifting and other esoteric knowledge. While Mongán
1617-494: The crossings from Larne to Scotland as "the shortest, fastest crossings" due to the close proximity that Larne has to Scotland. An Irish Sea Bridge has been proposed, connecting Larne with Portpatrick in Scotland. Larne is connected to Belfast by the A8 road . The A2 road or 'Antrim coast road' which runs along the Antrim coast, and passes through the scenic Glens of Antrim , also serves
1666-460: The death of Túathal Máelgarb , events dated to the year AD 549. Mongán's wife Findtigernd asks him to recount his journey to the otherworld. When they are at the hill of Uisnech , a supernatural hailstorm comes on. When it ends Mongán, his wife, his poet, and seven companions, find a hall ringed by trees. They enter, are greeted by the inhabitants, and Mongán is given to drink, after which he recounts his journey. Although it seems as though they are in
1715-452: The east coast of County Antrim , Northern Ireland , with a population of 18,853 at the 2021 census . It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council . Together with parts of the neighbouring districts of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Causeway Coast and Glens , it forms the East Antrim constituency for elections to
1764-625: The garrison to flee the town, at which point the rebel force marched off to join up with McCracken and fight in the Battle of Antrim . In 1914, Loyalists opposed to the Home Rule Act 1914 prepared for armed resistance. In an episode known as the Larne Gun Running German, Austrian and Italian weapons with ammunition were transported into the ports of Larne and Bangor in the dead of night and distributed throughout Ulster. This event marked
1813-494: The house for only a short time, when they leave a year has passed, and they are now at Rath Mor, Mongán's home near modern Larne , 150 miles away. In the tale of Forgoll and Fothad, Mongán is said to be married Breothigernd. Tucait Baili Mongáin names his wife Findtigernd. The Banshenchas or Lore of Women contained in the Book of Leinster , attributed to a Leinster poet named Gilla Mo-Dutu (died 1147), also names Dub Lacha as Mongán's wife. An alternative version of
1862-525: The most important Irish literary texts from the Old and Middle Irish periods, including the only (virtually) complete copy of Rescension I of Táin Bó Cúailnge . Two colophons by Giolla Íosa indicate 1392 as the date of writing, though the work may not have been brought to completion for some years after that Giolla Íosa was assisted by his student, Murchadh Ó Cuindlis . Ó Cuinnlis penned an excellent manuscript in east Ormond (now County Tipperary in 1398–99) which
1911-441: The otherworld for a further ten years, returning to Ulster when he is sixteen. An agreement is made that Ulster will be divided between Fiachnae mac Demmáin and Mongán, and that Mongán will marry Fiachnae's daughter Dub Lacha. Mongán later kills his father-in-law in revenge for his father's death, again chronologically at odds with the surviving record which has Fiachnae mac Demmáin killed several years after Mongán. One tale recounts
1960-552: The same year. Ó Flaithbheartaigh and Ó Dubhda would have obtained them from Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh , whose family created and preserved the book. Lhuyd bound together seventeen manuscripts as a single volume and dubbed them The Yellow Book of Lecan . Some of the manuscripts were written by Giolla Íosa Mór Mac Fhirbhisigh between c.1398 and c.1417. Nollaig Ó Muraíle calls it a great composite manuscripts. Ninety-nine folios of Giolla Isa's survive (which may be termed, for convenience, 'Leabhar Giolla Íosa' – LGÍ), containing some of
2009-611: The sea. On the eastern side of the inlet is a peninsula called Islandmagee . To the west of Larne is the ancient volcanic formation of Antrim Plateau , with its glaciated valleys scenically sweeping down to the sea to the north of Larne in what are known as the Glens of Antrim . Larne is 25 miles from the Scottish mainland, with views across the North Channel towards the Mull of Kintyre , Rhins of Galloway , Islay and Paps of Jura often visible from
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2058-610: The site of a Bronze Age promontory fort and settlement. The early coastal dwellers are thought to have had a sophisticated culture which involved trading between the shores of the North Channel and between other settlements on the coasts of Scotland. The coast of Scotland is in fact clearly visible from here. Archaeological digs in the area have found flintwork and other artefacts which have been assigned dates from 6000 BC onwards. The term Larnian has even been coined by archaeologists to describe such flintworks and similar artefacts of
2107-542: The surviving name Olderfleet . The ending -fleet comes from the Norse fljot , meaning " inlet ". Older- may come from the Norse oldu , meaning "wave". In the 13th century the Scots Bissett family built Olderfleet Castle at Curran Point. In 1315, Edward the Bruce of Scotland (brother of Robert the Bruce , King of Scotland) landed at Larne with his 6000 strong army en route to conquer Ireland, where Olderfleet Castle
2156-513: The territory of Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe , now Lackan in Kilglass parish, County Sligo ( 54°14′31″N 9°04′19″W / 54.242°N 9.072°W / 54.242; -9.072 ). The manuscript is currently housed at Trinity College Dublin . It should not be confused with the Great Book of Lecan . The book contains nearly the whole of the Ulster Cycle , including a partial version of
2205-546: The town. South of the town the A2 passes the side of Larne Lough , via Glynn , Magheramorne , and Ballycarry , to Whitehead and Carrickfergus . The A36 road runs from the town to Ballymena . The Belfast–Larne railway line connects to Belfast Grand Central and Belfast Lanyon Place , via Whitehead , Carrickfergus and Jordanstown , also connects Larne to the Northern Ireland Railways network . Currently there
2254-470: The two meet a poor student whom Mongán takes pity on and sends to the otherworld to bring back gold, silver and a precious stone, the silver which the student is to keep for himself. Little occurs in the tale which concentrates on the magnificence of the otherworld. The second, Tucait Baili Mongáin ("What caused Mongán's Frenzy"), is said to take place in the year in which Ciarán of Clonmacnoise died and Diarmait mac Cerbaill became King of Tara following
2303-531: Was of strategic importance. Edward saw Ireland as another front in the ongoing war against Norman England. In 1569, Queen Elizabeth I , Queen of England and Ireland, appointed Sir Moyses Hill as the governor of Olderfleet Castle. It was seen as strategically important for any Tudor conquest of Ulster . Following the 17th century Union of the Crowns of Scotland, England and Ireland under James VI & I many more settlers would have arrived to Ulster via Larne during
2352-483: Was struck whereby Fiachnae's life was saved by Manannán in return for a night with Cáintigern. An early version of this tale is found in the Immram Brain where Manannán prophecies Mongán's birth and near divine nature to Bran. Although the surviving versions of the tale are from the 10th or 11th century, earlier versions are believed to have been included in the lost Cín Dromma Snechtai manuscript. The verses in which
2401-424: Was with him when he slew Fothad, and proves Forgall wrong. The story ends by revealing that the stranger was the legendary fianna hero Caílte mac Rónáin and that Mongán was the reincarnation of Finn mac Cumaill . Two short tales survive which associate Mongán with the otherworld, both dating from the late 10th or early 11th century. One is Scél Mongáin , a story concerning Mongán and the poet Forgoll. This has
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