Labraid Loingsech – High King of Ireland 307-288BC

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

Labraid Loingsech did not have the best start in life, in fact it was downright traumatic. His grandfather, Lóegaire Lorc had been High King for a couple of years when he was betrayed and killed by his brother, Cobthach Cóel Breg. Not content with just killing his own brother, Cobthach went on to kill Labraid’s father Ailill Aine by means of poison.

Having your grandfather and father killed is traumatic enough, but it got even worse for poor young Labraid. He was forced to eat the hearts of his grandfather and father, and then also eat a mouse! Understandably, Labraid was severely traumatised and, as a result, became mute and known as Móen Ollom, the Mute Scholar.

His mutism lasted until he was injured playing hurling and he cried out in pain, ‘I am hurt!’ He then became known as Labraid which means ‘he speaks.’

At some point, Labraid was exiled by Cobthach, and this is seen in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, however there are different versions of what caused his exile and where he was exiled to.

In the Book of Leinster, the story is that Cobthach called together an assembly and asked them who was the most generous man in the while of Ireland. We would assume that the answer he was probably expecting was that the answer to that question would be that he, Cobthach, was the most generous man in Ireland. However, that is not what happened.

Cobthach’s poet, Ferchertne and his harper, Craiftine both immediately answered that Labraid was the most generous man in Ireland. This was not what Cobthach wanted to hear and Ferchertne, Craiftine, and Labraid were all exiled from court. In this version of the story, they took refuge with the King of Fir Morca, Scoriath.

Whilst staying with Scoriath, his daughter, Moriath fell in love with Labraid but her protective mother was said to always sleep with one eye open so as to keep an eye on her daughter and prevent her from getting herself into trouble. Labraid and Moriath wanted to be together and so Craiftine, the harper, played his harp in a way that put Moriath’s mother into a deep sleep, which allowed the lovers to spend the night together. When her mother woke up and realised what had happened, the couple were married so as to not ruin the girl’s reputation.

Labraid’s exile lasted for 30 years and ended when he invaded Leinster with help from the army of Scoriath and the music of Craiftine’s harp, allowing him to make peace with Cobthach.

The Irish historian, Geoffrey Keating in his work Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (Foundations of Knowledge on Ireland/History of Ireland c. 1634) tells the story differently. He agrees that Labraid did, at first, spend time with Scoriath in Munster, but following that he travelled across to France, where he worked as a bodyguard for the King of France, who was a relative on his grandmother’s side. His grandmother was Cessair Chrothach, who in the Lebor Gabála, is said to be the daughter of the king of the Franks.

Keating also says that Moriath falls in love with Labraid, but from a distance whilst he is in France. She writes a love song for him and sends Craiftine over to Gual to sing the song to him. The song works and Labraid decides that he will return to Ireland to reclaim what belongs to him.

The king of France is happy to help Labraid following his work as his bodyguard and provides Labraid with ships and 2,200 men who return to Ireland with Labraid.

Labraid’s Return to Ireland

Following his exile, Labraid tried for peace with Cobthach, but it broke down, and in the Lebor Gabála it tells of war between the pair. In the Book of Leinster, the story goes that Labraid decided to set a trap for Cobthach. To do this, he invited Cobthach, as well as 30 kings of Ireland, to come and visit him. In preparation, Labraid builds a house made of iron at Dind Rig, which takes him a year.

Cobthach is, understandably, uneasy about the invitation and so he insists that Labraid’s mother and jester go in first. Cobthach was working on the principle that Labraid would not do anything if his mother was, to all intents and purposes, being held hostage to guarantee good behaviour.

Labraid had other plans. He provided his ‘guests’ with food and ale, before heading outside and using a large chain to make sure that no one will be able to get out of the house. He then piled huge chunks of wood against the outside walls of the house, and using 150 bellows set the house on fire. Cobthach had not bargained on the willingness of Labraid’s mother to sacrifice herself to avenge the death of her husband and for her son’s honour. The jester also perished, but he had been promised that for his sacrifice his family would become free folk. Cobthach and 700 of his men perished in the fire.

This story tells of the lengths people will go for revenge and also the extent of a mother’s love for her child that she would willingly go to her death for her son.

The High King with the Horse’s Ears

Labraid was now the High King of Ireland following the ‘unfortunate’ death of the previous king and during his reign he became know for his hospitality, generosity, and wisdom. However, there was something that Labraid had to keep his people from finding out as, in Ireland at that time, Kings were not allowed to have any form of physical impairment.

King Labraid did not have an impairment as such, but what he did have was a pair of large horse ears hidden under his hair, which he kept long for obvious reasons.

Labraid also liked to be well groomed, no pun intended! To keep his hair looking good. To protect his secret, he would pick a barber and summon them to the cut his hair. Unfortunately for the barber, it was a career ending trip as they were immediately put to death after cutting Labraid’s hair so that they could not disclose the well-kept secret. Understandably, barbers lived in fear that they would be the next to be summoned to Court!

One year, the barber who was summoned was a young man and knowing what was about to happen, his mother was understandably distraught. She went to Labraid and begged him to spare her son’s life. She managed to convince the King, and the young barber was pardoned from the death sentence on the understanding that he would keep the secret of Labraid’s horse ears secret forever.

He obviously agreed, as who wants to finish a day’s work getting their head separated from their shoulders! He managed to deal with the surprise of finding our that his King had horse’s ears, and all seemed well as he happily left to return home to his mother.

However, over time the young man struggled carrying the burden of what he knew, and possibly with living with the fact that he was the only barber ever to survive cutting the King’s hair. Facing the families of the other barbers must have been awkward! When the burden became too much, he became extremely ill and a Druid had to be summoned the try and save the boy’s life.

When the Druid found out that the young barber was carrying a secret that no one could know, he advised him to tell his secret to a tree, as a tree cannot share secrets told to it. Druids know about trees and so he selected a beautiful Willow for the boy to unburden himself too. As soon as he told the tree his secret, the boy’s illness lifted and he felt free of his burden. Healthy now, he returned home to his mother.

The Harper, Craiftine was still with Labraid at court and had returned from exile with him. He needed a new harp and so he wandered into the forest looking for a tree that would suit his purpose. He settled on the exact same Willow that the boy had unburned his soul to.

Craiftine made his new harp and polished the beautiful wood until it shone and attached the finest strings. The harp was finished just in time for a banquet that Labraid was holding and Craiftine was ordered to play as usual. As he ran his fingers over the strings, beautiful music filled the hall, but then something unexpected happened and words began to come from the instrument.

The hall was filled with the same words over and over, “Labraid has horse’s ears. Labraid has horse’s ears. Labraid has horse's ears.”

Craiftine was horrified and obviously terrified as he could not understand what was happening. He knew that men had been put to death for insulting the king and he feared that this was about to be his fate.

However, Labraid was feeling the weight of all the murdered barbers and decided it was time to be humble. He moved his hair to show the court his ears, revealing that he did really have the ears of a horse.

He waited for judgement, for ridicule, but he did not happen. Labraid’s people was amazed at his ears and saw them as making Labraid even more important as he was born with something so different. From that day on, Labraid always had his ears on full view.

If only he had trusted his people earlier, a large number of barbers would not have met an untimely end to protect the king’s secret! They could not cut his hair, without being afraid!