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Editions

• W. Stokes (ed & tr), 'The Battle of Mag Mucrime', Revue Celtique 13 (1892) 426-474.
• M. O Daly (ed & tr), Cath Maige Mucrama: The Battle of Mag Mucrama (Dublin 1975) 38-63.
• S. H. O'Grady (ed & tr) Silva Gadelica. 2 vols. (London 1892) I. 310-318 (text); II. 347-359 (translation).
  

Manuscripts

• The Book of Leinster 288^a ff.
• National Library MS G 7 (cols. 29 ff.) (incomplete)
  

Date

• Ninth century (O Daly 18)
  

Characters

• Ailill Mosaulum (alias Ailill Ólomm), son of Mog Nuadat and king of southern Ireland from Clanna Dergthened (prehistoric ancestors of the Éoganachta)
• Mac Con, the son of Luigith and king of Ireland from an Érainn people known as the Dáirine (prehistoric ancestors of the Corco Loígde)
• Éogan Mór, son of Ailill and Sadb and king of southern Ireland
• Art mac Cuinn, son of Conn and king of Ireland from Dál Cuinn (prehistoric ancestors of the Connachta and the Uí Néill)
• Ferches mac Commáin: killer of Mac Con
• Lugaid Lágae: ally of Mac Con at Cend Abrat and CMM and brothter of Ailill.
  
• Sadb, the daughter of Conn, the wife of Ailill Mosaulum, and foster-mother of Mac Con
• Do Déra, Mac Con's fool.
• Áine, otherworldly daughter of Éogabul mac Durgabuil
• Fer Fí, otherworldly musician and brother of Áine.
  

Notes

• This text is part of the Éogan-Art-Mac Con Cycle.
• An early Modern Irish version also survives (see Cath Maige Mucrama 2).
  

Ailill Aulomm and his wife Sadb have three sons--Éogan (the ancestor of the Éoganachta), Cían (ancestor of the Cíannachta), and Cormac (ancestor of Dál Cais).  In addition, the couple have a foster-son--Lugaid Mac Con of the Corco Loígde.

One Samain, Ailill goes with his horses to a hill named Áne Chliach.  He is surprised when the hill is mysteriously stripped bare of all vegetation in the night.  When the same thing happens the next two Samains, Ailill returns to the hill with the poet Ferches mac Commáin.  That night, Éogabul mac Durgabuil, king of the Síd, and Áine, his daughter, come out of the hill.  Ferches kills Éogabul, and Ailill rapes Áine, who sucks the flesh from his ear (hence his name Au-lomm "bare-ear") and puts a curse on him.

Some time later, Éogan (Ailill's son) and his foster-brother Lugaid Mac Con go to visit Art mac Cuinn, king of Tara and Éogan's maternal uncle.  As they pass the river Maigue, they discover a man named Fer Fí playing beautiful music in a yew-tree by the waterfall.  Both want the musician for themselves, but when the matter is put to Ailill for arbitration, he awards the man to Éogan.  Furious, Mac Con declares that he and Éogan will meet in battle at Cenn Abrat in one month's time.

When the battle is joined, Mac Con knows that Éogan will kill him, but his fool, Do Déra (who looks exactly like Mac Con) offers to go into battle in his stead.  Éogan routes Mac Con's forces and kills the fool, thinking him to be Mac Con, but by the time he realizes his error, Mac Con and his men (Lugaid Lágae) have fled.  They go into exile in Scotland, where they excel in the king's service.  Although Mac Con takes pains to hide his identity, the king of Scotland eventually discovers who he is through a series of tests.  The king then supplies the exiles with troops and sends them back to Ireland to confront Éogan, who--as the new king of Munster--is oppressing Mac Con's people.

Mac Con's forces are unopposed until they come to Mag Mucrama, a plain that got its name from the magic pigs (mucca gentliuchta) that came out of the cave at Cruachu.  These pigs plagued Ireland until Medb, queen of Connacht, was able to count them, after which they disappeared. 

Art and Éogan join forces to repel the invaders.  On the night before the battle, Éogan sleeps with Moncha, the daughter of Díl maccu Chrecga of Osraige.  She later gives birth to Fíacha Mullethan, the ancestor of all the Eoganachta.  Art sleeps with Achtan, the daughter of the Connacht smith Olc Acha, who in time gives birth to Cormac mac Airt.

On the morrow, the battle lines are drawn up--Art, Éogan, and Corb Cacht mac Ailella leading the one, Mac Con and Lugaid Láge the other.  The men of Ireland are defeated.  Lugaid Lága, son of Mug Nuadat, beheads Art at Taurloch Airt.  Béinne Britt beheads Éogan only to be killed by Lugaid Lága (who feels a sudden rush of sympathy for his nephew).

Mac Con then becomes king of Ireland and takes Cormac mac Airt into fosterage.  Seven years later, Mac Con declares that a certain woman's sheep be forfeited for eating the queen's woad.  Cormac, however, says that a more just judgment would be the forfeiture of the sheep's wool, since both the wool and the woad will grow back.  Mac Con then realizes he has given a false judgment.  However, he remains king for another year, but the land becomes barren, and the men of Ireland soon expel him (presumably in favor of Cormac).

Mac Con then goes to Ailill in Munster who welcomes him with an embrace and the touch of his poisonous tooth (fiacail fidba).  As Mac Con flees, half his face melts away.  However, he does not get far before Ferchess, sent by Ailill, pins his head to a pillar stone with a spear.  Ailill then becomes king of Munster and holds the post for the next seven years.