Earthing the Myths

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Daragh Smyth. Earthing the Myths

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For Scota and Ériu, their rivers, hills and plains.

EARLY HISTORY OF IRELAND

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Mentioned above in relation to the Táin Bó Flidais is the birthplace of Flidais at Bangor Erris [23]. The original name is Irrus Domnann or ‘the promontory (fort) of the Domnann’. The Dumnoni were, as O’Rahilly says, ‘a pre-Gaelic tribe’ with whom other places in Connacht are associated. Another of these sites is the promontory fort south of Glencastle Bridge in the valley of Glencastle [22] known as Dún Domhnaill or Dundonnell. It has been suggested that these sites are the remnants of early Atlantic settlements which were not included in Ptolemy’s map of Ireland, which may suggest that they came later. However, if the Dumnoni did arrive from the Atlantic and came into Tramore Bay [22], they presumably sailed along the Glencastle River and built their defensive fort just two miles in from the bay on the north bank of the river south-east from Bunnahowen. Both these forts associated with the Domnann are in a continuous line from Tramore Bay and lead to Magh Domnann (‘the plain of the Domnann’) to the west of Killala Bay in the barony of Tirawley (Tír Amalgada) and thence to Inbher Domnann which, according to Hogan, is the present Killala Bay. They may well appear to have been a coastal people as they also appear in coastal regions on the east coast (see under Dublin).

The warrior most associated with the Fir Domnann is Fer Diad; the Book of Leinster reads: Fer nDiad mac nDamáin meic Dáre, in míled mórchalma d’ fheraib Domnand, or ‘Fer Diad son of Daman son of Daire, the soldier of great deeds of the Fir Domnann’.

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