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Edition

• E. MacNeill (tr), ‘The Revolt of the Vassals’, The New Ireland Review 26 (1906) 96-106. 

• T. Ó Raithbheartaigh (ed), Genealogical Tracts I (Dublin 1932) 108 ff.

• R. Thurneysen (ed & tr), ‘Morands Fürstenspiegel’, ZCP 11 (1917) 56-89 (text and German translation on pp. 60-69).
  

Manuscripts

• The Book of Ballymote

• The Book of Lecan

• The Book of Lismore

• The Book of Fermoy

Date

• Despite a couple archaisms, the language is that of the late middle or early modern period.
  

Characters

• Cairpre Cindchait mac Dubthaigh, leader of the aithechthuatha and usurping king of Ireland.  According to some texts, he belongs to the Fir Domnann, but there is some variation in the sources.
• Morand, the son of Cairpre and a famous mythical judge, said to be the author of the Old Irish wisdom text Audacht Morainn.
• The following characters are mentioned in the text, but play little, if any, role in the narrative:
• The kings of Ireland before the revolt:

• Fiacha Findalad mac Feradaig Findfechtnaig, one of the three kings of Ireland before Cairpre’s revolt.  Fiacha is an ancestor in the Dál Cuinn line.

• Fiac mac Fidaig, one of the three kings of Ireland before Cairpre’s revolt. Fraech is an ancestor of the Éoganachta.

• Bresal mac Feirb, one of the three kings of Ireland before Cairpre’s revolt.  Bresal is an ancestor of Dál nAraidi.

• The foreign kings

• Luath mac Darene, king of the Picts of Scotland and the father of Side Luath, the wife of Fiacha.

• Gortníad, king of the British and the father of Cruibe, who is the wife of Fiacc.

• Caínídal, king of the Saxons and the father of Áine, who is the wife of Bres.

• The restoration kings

• Feradach Findfechtnach, the son of Fiacha and the ruler of the middle third of Ireland and an ancestor of Dál Cuinn.

• Corp Uluim, the son of Fraech / Fiacc and Cruibe and the ruler of the southern third of Ireland and an ancestor of the Éoganachta.

• Tipraide Tírech, the son of Bres and Áine and the ruler of the northern third of Ireland and an ancestor of Dál nAraidi.

• Leaders of the Aithechthuatha: Caipre. Munach, and Buan.

Notes

• A story Argain Cairpri Cind Caitt for saerchlannaib hÉrenn is mentioned in both tale lists.  It is not clear how much, if any, of its content is reflected in Bruiden Maic Dareo or Cairpre Cindchait ocus na hAithechthuatha.
• According to Thomas O’Rahilly, there are four versions of this myth (Féil-sgríbhinn Éoin Mhic Néill 105), a poem and three prose accounts:
• (1) A poem beginning Sóerchlanda Érenn uile (ed. Thurneysen, ZCP 11 p. 56 ff)--which is included in this version of the story
• (2) Book of Ballymote, Book of Lecan, and Book of Lismore (T. O. Raithbheartaigh, Genealogical Tracts I (1932) 108ff.)
• (3) Edinburgh MS. XXVIII (ed. without translation by Craigie in RC 20)
• (4) The Book of Fermoy and H.3.18 (ed. Thurneysen in ZCP 11 p. 59ff; ed. & tr. by T. O. Raithbheartaigh, Genealogical Tracts I (1932) 122 ff.).  Thurneysen's edition is the one discussed here.
• Éon Mac Néill published a translation of Bruiden Maic Dareo in ‘The Revolt of the Vassals’ The New Ireland Review 26 (1906) 96-106.
• These stories on how the Aithechthuatha or 'subject peoples' killed the Sóerchlanda Éirenn or 'free peoples of Ireland' and how the latter regained their hegemony is an important myth in Irish tradition.  It provides the narrative background for the famous wisdom text Audacht Morainn.

Summary

During the time of the three kings—Fiacho Findolaig, Feic mac Fideic Caích, and Bres mad Firb—the vassal peoples of Ireland (Aithechthuatha) were being heavily oppressed by the free peoples of the country (Sóerchlanda).  Their three leaders, Buan, Monach, and Cairpre Cindchait, met in counsel and devised a means of getting all their overlords together in one place so that they could kill them and seize power for themselves.

The plan was to hold a massive feast at Bruiden Mac Dareo in Connacht and invite all the nobles to attend.  They would give them food and drink until they were drunk and then kill them.  Cairpre and his men spent three half-years preparing the feast, and when it began, nobles from all over Ireland attended.  They soon became very drunk, and Cairpre and his men killed them all, except for three pregnant women who fled abroad.

These pregnant women were the wives of the three kings.  Side Luath, the wife of Fiacho, fled to her father, Luath mac Darena, king of the Picts.  In his house, she gave birth to Feradach Find Fechtnach.  Crufe, the wife of Fíac mac Fideic Caích, fled to her father, Gortníad, king of the British, and in his house, she gave birth to Corp Aulom.  Lastly, Áine, the wife of Bres mac Firb, fled to her father, Caínídal, the king of the Saxons, and gave birth to Tipraite Tírech.  The three boys were raised abroad while Cairpre held the kingship of Ireland.

During Cairpre’s tenure as king, the earth and the sea were sterile, and the people of Ireland starved, but upon his death, the men of Ireland offered the kingship to his son Morann.  However, Morann refused and told them that the kingship should be offered to the Feradach, Corp, and Tipraite, who were living in Scotland.  The men of Ireland sent envoys to the three and offered them the kingship.  If the three would accept the offer, the people promised to serve them as vassal peoples and gave them the sun, the moon, etc. as sureties.

The men agreed and returned to Ireland.  Tipraite became king of the east, Corb the king of the south, and Feradach the king of the middle.  Ferdach, as king of Tara, also became king of Ireland.

Next follows the poem Sóerchlanda Érenn uile which tells more or less the same story as the prose.

The text ends with some anecdotes about Morand and Feradach:  Morand was a famous judge.  He had a magical device called Id Moraind ‘Morand’s Collar’.  When it was placed around the neck of a guilty person, it constricted and killed him, but when placed around the neck of an innocent person, it did not constrict but fell to the ground.

During his tenure as king, Feradach waged a bitter war against the vassal peoples, killing many and oppressing the rest.  He was eventually slain by an alliance of the other noble kings, but not before the vassals had become restless again.  They revolted and only Tuathal Techtmar, a descendant of Feradach, escaped.  Like Feradach, he was reared in exile and returned as an adult to reclaim the kingship.