The Story
In a time of myth & magic,
lived a man of
timeless power,
Lir was his name, but his
temper had turned sour.
He would not be king of the land, Bov Dearg was chosen instead. Lir would pay no tribute to him, & secretly wished he was dead.
Alas with time Lir's wife did die, & he was full of great sadness, Dearg heard this & sent word to Lir, to meet with him in his palace. When they met they both embraced, their friendship was made then. Dearg summoned his daughter Eve & told Lir he must marry again.
Lir's love for Eve was as strong as with his first wife,
a seed was planted, Fionnula & Aedh were born.
But her next child birth would take away her life,
Fiachra & Conn,
from their mothers stomach were torn.
Lir's sadness knew no bounds - he cried out to the night, Dearg was there to comfort him & help him see the light. He had four beautiful children & with time another bride, Eve's sister Aoife would stay loyal to his side.
But Aiofe had a jealous side - a canker in her mind,
she moved against the children, love for them she could not find.
She took them in her chariot to a lake not far away,
& changed them into swans Like night time into day.
300 Years
300 years on Derravaragh, so commenced the spell, the children would swim to the shore, their story to tell.
300 Years
300 years on the Sea of Moyle, a cruel and bitter place,
the children missed their father here,
the smile upon his face.
In the Sea of Moyle the waves did crash, & beat the land with might, the rain fell fierce & the wind blew hard, the swans all feared for their lives. Fionnula was strong & wisest of all, & guarded her brothers from strife. Under her wings they hid from night, & waited for the morning light.
Finally the day did come, to leave this terrible sea.
300 years
300 more years to live as swans,
then they at last would be free.
To Inish Gluaire the swans did fly,
As fast as they could go.
New lands & kingdoms everywhere -
Fionnula did see down below.
There they waited, till at last the day did dawn, the spell was ending, they felt themselves transform.
They were now ancient,
Their youth was gone forever,
& as they died,
They held hands & went together.