The wifeless High King of all Hibernia Eochy married Etain in Tara.
Eochy's brother Ailill fell madly in love with her and became ill. While his brother was off on business they arranged an affair, but Ailill was magically anaesthetised at the last minute and Midir appeared in his shape to call it off. When the real Ailill awoke he was cured.
Midir's Return
Midir told Etain who she really was, that Fuamnach was dead and that now after 1,012 years she could come home to Tir Na Nog. Etain wanted Eochy's agreement, so Midir defeated Eochy at chess and won a night with Etain, in a month. When the time came Midir overcame Eochy's defences and flew off with Etain to Slievenamon as a pair of swans.
Eochy's Assault on Tir Na Nog
After a year druid Dalan located Etain in the fairy mound of Bri-Leith, and Eochy dug it up for nine years. Trapped, Midir released her, camouflaged by fifty identical handmaids, but Eochy identified her and took her home. She was his queen for ten years before dying a mortal and they had a daughter also called Etain (Jr or Oig).
Messbuachalla
Etain Oig married Cormac King of Ulster and bore only a daughter which out of spite he had cast into a pit, but was rescued and fostered to a cowherd of Eterskel King of Tara. She grew up as Messbuachalla in a doorless roundhouse then was spotted by King Eterskel who decided to marry her according to a prophesy.
Birth of Conary Mor
A Danaan appeared to Messbuachalla before her release and shagged her, saying the resulting boy would be named Conary and must never hunt birds. He was fostered to Lord Desa and grew up with his grandsons Ferlee, Fergar and Ferrogan.
High King Conary
King Eterskel died; a druid held a bull-feast at Tara to divine the next king and saw a vision of a bollock-naked man walking toward Tara. Conary was returning from the Plains of Liffey where he had left his three foster brothers when he saw a flock of birds and persued them to the shore. He attempted to sling them but they turned into warriors and one introduced himself as Nemglan, master of his father's birds. He gave Conary a full geis list including:
no bird hunting
no settling of arguments between serfs
no walking right-handwise round Tara or left-handwise round Bregia
no evil-beasts of Cern hunting
no being beyond Tara every ninth night
no sleeping in a house where the firelight shines out after sunset
no three reds to go before him to the house of Red
and no rape and pillage
He then told him to strip off and walk to Tara, which he did and was crowned King of Erin, and ruled wisely.
Conary's Brothers
Conary's three foster brothers loved rape and pillage, and he was forced to banish them overseas, where they met the exiled pirate son of the King of Albion, Ingcel One-Eyed. Together they invaded Albion and killed Ingcel's entire family in one night. They then gathered together more outlaws including the seven Manes (sons of Ailell and Maev of Connacht) and invaded Hibernia at Howth near the river.
Meanwhile Conary had settled a quarrel between two serfs in Munster, and returning to Tara (probably on a ninth night) saw fires (fairy illusions) which he believed signified an invading host from the North, and avoided them by turning right-handwise round Tara and then left-handwise round Bregia, past which he accidentally hunted the evil beasts of Cerna.
Da Derga's Hostel
Knackered, Conary decided to rest for the night at the Leinster Lord Da Derga's Hostel in Donnybrook near Howth. Three red fairys got there first, and "Derga" means "red". Conary realised he was stitched up a treat.
Ingcel's pirate host appoached and heard mac Cecht striking a fire, and saw the fire light shining out the door, so with one stone each they built a quick cairn to celebrate and keep track of casualties. The Morrigan turned up on her own predicting doom, and persuaded Conary to let her in.
Ingcel peeped through the door and counted Conary's impressive and bizarre host, including his three sons and steward, Cormac (son of Conchobor, King of Ulster), Fomor hostages, Picts, mac Cecht, Conall of the Victories, Duftach of Ulster and his magic spear, Isle of Man giants, and three naked bleeding bodies hanging from the rafters (Bav/Morrigan's daughters: an omen). Ferrogan felt remorse for Conary's sons.
Ingcel and the sons of Desa attacked and were driven off, but all the liquids in the house were spilled extinguishing fires, the pirates' wizards had stopped the river Dodder from flowing through the house and Conary had developed a thirst.
The Death of Conary
Mac Cecht ran off with Conary's golden cup looking for water while the heroes slew pirates left and right, but Conary died of thirst and Conall, Sencha and Duftach escaped, horribly wounded. Meanwhile mac Cecht found every source of water in Ireland magically dried up, except Loch Gara in Roscommon which wasn't quick enough. He returned to the hostel just in time to kill two reavers chopping the head off Conary's corpse, gave the head the water anyway, and it said thank you.
An old woman found a knackered mac Cecht and pulled a hairy wolf out of his wound.
Conall's Return
Conall of the Victories returned to his father Amorgin at Teltin, and was ticked off for being alive when his lord Conary was dead. Conall pointed to thrice fifty spear wounds in his shield arm, and his unspeakably mangled sword arm, so Amorgin let him live.
Thus was Midir's subtle vengeance worked out on the great-grandson of his foeman Eochy.