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Editions

• Recension A:

• R.I. Best and O. Bergin (eds), Lebor na hUidre: Book of the Dun Cow (Dublin 1929, reprinted 1992) 133-6.

• R.I. Best and M.A. O’Brien (eds), The Book of Leinster. Vol. III (Dublin 1957) 590-1 (poem only).

• S. H. O’Grady (ed & tr), Silva Gadelica. 2 Vols. (London 1892) I.82-84, II.88-91.

• E. Windisch (ed & tr), ‘Genemain Áedo Slane inso sís’, Berichte über die Verhandlungen der königlich sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig.  III.IV. (1884) 194-243.

• Recension B:

• W. Stokes (ed & tr), Cóir Anmann in Stokes and Windisch (eds) Irische Texte (Leipzig 1897) §133 (pp. 342-5.)
  

Manuscripts

• Recension A:

• Lebor na hUidre

• The Book of Leinster (poem only)

• Brussels 5100-4

• Brussels 2324-40

• Recension B:

• RIA 24 C 56

• T.C.D. H. 3. 18 (Cóir Anmann)

• Book of Ballymote (Cóir Anmann)

• Book of Lecan (Cóir Anmann)

• Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh, Kilbride III (Cóir Anmann)

Date

• no earlier than the eleventh century in its present form.
  

Characters

• Mairenn Máel, one of the wives of King Díarmait mac Cerbaill (d. 565) of the Southern Uí Néill.

• Mugain ingen Chonchraid, one of Díarmait’s wives and the mother of Áed Sláine

• St Finnian Maige Bili (i.e. Finnian of Moville) (d. 579), early Irish saint and bishop, associated with Moville in Co. Down.

• Bishop Áed mac Bricc (d. 589 or 595), founder of Cell Áir or Killaire in Co. Westmeath and a man famous for his medical knowledge.

• The following characters are mentioned but play no role in the narrative:

• Áed Sláine (d. 604), the son of Díarmait mac Cerbaill and the eponymous ancestor of Síl nÁedo Sláine of the Southern Uí Néíll.

• Díarmait mac Cerbaill (544-565): king of Tara from the Southern Uí Néill and the father of Áed Sláine, Colmán Mór, and Colmán Becc.

• Eithne ingen Brenaind Daill, one of Díarmait’s wives and the mother of Colmán Mór, the eponymous ancestor of Clann Cholmáin Móir of the Southern Uí Néill.

• Breo ingen Cholmáin, one of Díarmait’s wives and the mother of Colmán Becc, ancestor of Caílle Follamain of the Southern Uí Néill.

Notes

• Both recensions of this story relate the curious events that culminate in the birth of Áed Sláine, the eponymous ancestor of the important Southern Uí Néill dynasty known as Síl nÁedo Sláine, who controlled Brega in the historical period.  In a sense, this tale is their origin legend.

• There are two versions of Áed Sláine’s birth.  Recension A is longer and ends with a poem by the great scholar Flann Mainistrech (d. 1056).  Recension B is shorter and is primarily concerned with explaining how the child acquired his epithet (Sláine from the River Slane).  With the exception of RIA 24 C 56, all the copies of Recension B survive in the MSS of Cóir Anmann.

• In addition to Recensions A and B, a summary Latin account of the king’s birth is included in one of the versions of the Latin Life of St Áed mac Bricc, specifically the copy preserved in Codex Salmanticensis.
  

Summary

Díarmait mac Cerbaill had two wives named Mugain and Mairenn Máel.  Although Mairenn was bald (hence her epithet máel), Mugain was very jealous of her.  One year during the Óenach Tailten, Mugain bribed a female satirist to knock off the headdress Mairenn wore to conceal her baldness in an attempt to humiliate her in public.  However, just as the satirist pulled off her headpiece, Mairenn invoked God and St. Cíarán (Día ocus Chíarán risside immorro!), and beautiful blonde hair suddenly grew on her head and saved her from public disgrace.  Despite the miracle, Mairenn was furious and prayed that Mugain would be disgraced in front of the men of Ireland.

Because of her prayer, Mugain became infertile, and Díarmait considered abandoning her.  Then one day, two famous clerics, Finnian Maige Bili and Áed mac Bricc, came to Brega, and Mugain begged them for help.  Finnian blessed some water and gave it to the queen to drink.  She became pregnant and gave birth to a lamb.  Mugain was devastated by this, but Finnian told her that the lamb, a symbol of Christ, consecrated her womb.  Finnian gave her more blessed water, and then she gave birth to a silver salmon.  Again, Mugain was distressed at what people might think of her, but Finnian said he would make some use of the fish and that next Mugain would bear a son, from whom a long line of kings would descend.  Finnian and Áed blessed water for the third time, and Mugain drank it and washed herself with it, and in due course she gave birth to Áed Sláine, who became the progenitor of a powerful dynasty.

The text ends with a poem by Flann Mainistrech beginning Mugain ingen Choncraid chaín, which tells essentially the same story as the prose text, although there are some minor differences in detail.