Conn of the Hundred Battles (Conn Cétchathach) – High King in the 2nd Century AD

(according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn/The Book of the Taking of Ireland)

Conn of the Hundred Battles is a High King who is celebrated throughout Celtic Mythology, and he is known for his ability as a leader and a warrior. Conn was High King at a time where Ireland was a land of turmoil, split into different tribes that fought over territories and resources but his skills in battle shone in the complicated political landscape of the time.

Born Under Omens

Conn’s birth was recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters as an event that rearranged Ireland itself. It is said that on the night that he was born, five great roads appeared that had not been there before that night.

These roads, long and straight, were said to run like arteries across Ireland and converge into the royal hill. These roads would later become the five royal roads of Tara. In medieval writings, symbolism was important and they stated that the roads showed that the Ireland itself has drawn lines across itself to show that every kingdom, tribe, and province would be drawn to the centre of Conn’s kingship, whether as friends or enemies.

The Roaring Stone at Tara

At this time, there was a stone called the Lia Fáil, or the Stone of Destiny which was said to roar when the rightful king put their feet upon it. However, it had been silent since it was cleaved in two by Cúchulainn, who was angry when the Lia Fáil had remained silents for Lugaid Riab nDerg.

The story of how the Lia Fáil found its voice again can be seen in the Baile in Scáil (The Phantom’s Ecstatic Vision).

It tells that Conn was walking around the ramparts of Tara, and he accidentally stood upon the stone, which appeared to have been lost and forgotten since it was broken in the time of Cúchulainn. As his foot touched the stone, it let out a bellowing roar, acknowledging Conn’s destiny as High King of Ireland.

The saga continues that a druid who was present at the time explains to Conn what the roaring of the stone means, and he also states that the number of times the stone sounds is the number of kings that will follow Conn, but the druid tells Conn that he cannot give him the names of the kings who will follow him.

Suddenly, a mist appeared and from within in it a horseman threw three spears at Conn before asking him and the druid to follow him to his house – not the normal way to invite guests to your house, but this was a different era!!

Conn and the druid follow and by the man’s house is a golden tree. The man invites then into his house, where they meet a woman wearing a golden crown. The house is not your normal, run of the mill, peasants home and as they look around, they see ‘a silver vat, bound with gold hoops, full of red ale, with a golden cup and serving spoon.’

Then, across the room, they see a phantom in the form of a beautiful man, who sits on a throne and tells them his name is Lugh.

Lugh is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, one of a group of supernatural beings that lived in the fairy mounds of Ireland. Lugh was known to be a warrior and a king who was associated with the law, truth, and oath taking. As such, he was therefore also associated with rightful kingship, which is what the stone had been awarding to Conn.

The woman with the crown is the Sovereignty of Ireland, and she personally served Conn with a mean of ox’s rib and boar’s rub. The Ox’s rib was around 24 feet in length!

She then went to serve the drinks, filling a cup with the red ale and asking, “To whom shall this cup be given?” Lugh replied, "Serve it to Cairn of the Hundred Battles," he said, "for he will gain a hundred battles before he dies."

Lugh recited a poem, telling Conn not only how long he will hold the throne of Ireland, but who will come after him. Following this, Conn and the druid walk into Lugh’s shadow, and the house vanishes, leaving the cup and serving spoon behind.

The length of the Ox’s ribs is symbolic of the length of Conn’s rein in that some versions of his story have his reign listed as around 20-25 years. Some versions, however, have it as a lot longer that that.

The throne was not, however, vacant but that was never an issue for someone prepared to go to war for what they want. Conn came to the throne, by killing Cathair Mór. There are some sources that credit to death of Cathair to Goll Mac Morna, Captain of the Fianna Chieftain Clan Morna, but either way Cathair was dead and Conn was king. Conn went on to marry Cathair’s daughter, Eithne Tháebfhota.  

Conn’s Family and his Marriage to the Fairy Woman, Bé Chuille

Following the death of Cathair Mór, Conn married his daughter Eithne, and they went on to have two sons, Connia and Art. Connia fell in love with a fairy woman and so left his homeland to travel to her otherworldly home on a crystal boat, following which Art became known as Óenfer, which means ‘lone’ or ‘solitary.’ (More on his story can be found in the Echtra Condla ‘The Adventure of Condla’ believed to be from sometime around the 8th – 12th century).

Unfortunately, Conn’s first wife, Eithne died and around that time a different fairy woman named Bé Chuille found herself banished by the Tuatha Dé Danann to Ireland.

Bé Chuille had initially fallen in love with Conn’s remaining son, Art but when she met Conn and found out that his wife had died, she agreed to marry him instead. She did, however, insist that Art be banished from Tara for a year, which was, understandably seen as unfair by the men of Ireland and following this Ireland became barren for the entirety of that year.

When the land became barren, it caused a lot of problems for the people as without crops and grass for the livestock, famine was inevitable. The druids were tasked with looking into the sudden change in fortune with the land, and they discovered that Bé Chuille was responsible for the famine and that the only way to end it would be to sacrifice the male child from a sinless couple in front of Tara.

Conn set off in a currach (a boat covered with animal skins) belonging to Bé Chuille to search for a boy who would fit the requirements.

He came across an island that was covered with apple trees. On the island lived a queen and her son, who was born following her one and only sexual union. Conn realised that the boy would be perfect, and he told the woman that to save Ireland, he required the boy to accompany him and bathes in the waters of Ireland. Thinking that was a fairly simple request to save an entire land, she agreed.

Once back at Tara, the druids reinstated that to end the famine the boy needed to be sacrificed, and they demanded that he be killed. Conn’s son, Art and Fionn mac Cumhall, leader of the Fianna warriors saw that what the druids were asking was unfair and cruel and they swore to protect the child at all costs.

Just as things were looking as though they might get dicey, a woman was seen driving a cow carrying two bags before her. The druids decided that it would be acceptable to sacrifice the cow in place of the child.

Following the sacrifice of the cow, the bags it was carrying were opened and inside them were two birds. One bird had twelve legs, and the other bird only had one leg. The birds, free from their respective bags, began to fight and the one-legged bird won. The woman told them that the birds were symbolic of the druids (the twelve-legged bird) and the boy (the one-legged bird).

The woman with the cow was not just a random woman; she was the mother of the boy who had realised that her son may be in danger and decided to make sure he was protected. She told Conn that there was only one way to end the famine and that was to send Bé Chuille away, but he refused.

She would in time be banished from Tara, but as a result of challenges made over a game of fidchell (a game which, according to legend, was invented by Lugh) with Conn’s son Art.

The Reign of Conn of the Hundred Battles

It is generally agreed on that the title ‘one hundred battles’ was not meant to be taken literally. In Medieval times, the ability to be successful in war was seen as an important part of kingship and so his title was a sign of a successful kingship in the eyes of the medieval chroniclers.

That being said, Conn was a king who went to war on a fairly regular basis over the span of his reign, which was a long one. The length of his reign varies depending on the version of the Lebor Gabála. It is listed as anywhere between 25 and 50 years, but what is agreed is that most of it was spent at war.

Whilst Conn did fight a number of people, his main opponent was Mug Nuadat, the king of Munster. Details of this conflict are found in the Cath Maige Leana (the battle of Mag Leana), a medieval text.

The story goes that Mug Neit, who was the father of Mug Nuadat dethroned two kings of Munster, Conaire Coem and Mac Niad mac Lugdach. They were, understandably, angry about this and they fled Munster to Conn, going on to marry Conn’s daughters, Saraid and Sadb, which made them family.

Mug Neit was not particularly happy about this situation and so he went to war with Conn for protecting his enemies. This did not end well for Mug Neit, and he was killed in battle in County Offaly. Mug Nuadat then took his father’s place as head of his armies and retreated back through Munster, before fleeing to Spain. Once he was gone, Conn reinstated Conaire and Mac Miad to there thrones and that was that – until nine years later.

Whilst living in Spain, Mug Nuadat married the king of Spain’s daughter and backed by an army returned to Ireland, landing near Bantry Bay. He then forced Conaire and Mac Niad to submit to him, making them his subjects rather than kings in their own right.

Following this, he marched north with the kings of Ulster and Leinster and made a treaty with Conn which basically divided Ulster between them, with Conn controlling Leth Cuinn (Conn’s half) in the north, and Mug Nuadat controlling Leth Moga (Mug’s half) in the south. The country was split across from Galway in the west and Dublin in the east.

There was peace for around fifteen years but then Mug Nuadat broke the treaty and war was declared. It was during this fighting, in a surprise night attack, that Mug Nuadat was killed, leaving Conn with become High King of Ireland.

There is a different version of this in the account written by Geoffry Keating, where Mug Nuadat obtained his army from the king of Leinster and expels the kings of Munster, Lugaid Allathach, Dáire Dornmhor and Aonghus. The rest is similar, with lots of fighting and Mug Nuadat, whilst in his bed, being killed by Conn.

Conn’s reign eventually came to an end when he was killed by Tipraite Tírech, king of Ulster. As with most stories in Celtic mythology, there are alternative options. In the Lebor Gabála and the Book of Leinster it is written that Conn was defeated in battle in Túath Amrois.

Geoffry Keating and the Great Book of Lecan tells a very different version. In their version, Tipraite sent fifty warriors dressed as women to kill Conn at Tara.

Following Conn’s death, he was succeeded by Conaire Cóem as High King, and later Conn’s son, Art would become High King.