I was born in 1264 in the
western Irish province of Connacht. I
was the first son of an Irish chieftain. My families Tuath was located some distance east of Sligo city the strong hold of Maurice
Fitzgerald the Norman overlord of the area.
Growing up I
often heard the stories of Fionn
MacCumail and the Fenians. The Fenians were warriors whose purpose was to
uphold justice and banish injustice, In
addition to guarding the harbors From
foreign invaders. According to legend, many and hard were the tests for him who sought to be one of this noble body. One of the
first tests was literary for no candidate was possible who had not mastered
the twelve books of poetry. So skilful must he
be in wood running, and so agile, that in the flight no single braid of his
hair is loosened by a hanging
branch. His
step must be so light that underfoot he breaks no withered branch. In facing
the greatest odds the weapon must not shake in his hand
As with many of my people hunting was an enjoyed past
time.Particularly boar hunting with a spear. I quickly became enamored of
the crossbow particularly for hunting and sport The
weapon was introduced by the many
merchants from the continent that traded with Ireland.
Not to mention the fact I was not about to use that
English invention the longbow.Especially with the crossbow I could kill
English with out having to soil my hands
with their blood
I took on the mantle of Chieftain after my father’s
death in 1287. I began to train and recruit members to my own Fenians to drive
the English from our soil. My chance
came in after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1312,Robert the Bruce sent His
brother, Edward who landed
a formidable Scottish army, at least 5,000 strong, near
Carrickfergus in the north-east of Ireland.
In effect, this opened a second front in the war against
the English. I joined Edward with my Fenians to battle the English under the
Gaelic Brotherhood banner that Edward
offered us. Sadly, the effort was for naught as drought conditions forced the
Scottish army to abandon the field and
soured the relationship as Scottish soldiers were taking food from the Irish
to survive. I returned home tired of battle and led my clan peacefully for the rest of my life