The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel
Also known as: Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, Togail Bruidne Da Derga, Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel, The Death of Conaire Mór
An Irish saga recounting the fated reign and death of King Conaire Mór, whose violated geasa drive him to take shelter at Da Derga’s hostel, where foreign raiders led by the one-eyed Ingcél attack, bringing prophecy to fulfillment in a night of heroic defense and tragic slaughter.
Description
This Middle Irish tale follows Conaire Mór from miraculous birth to catastrophic end. Bound by geasa that once guaranteed good rule, Conaire is ensnared by a chain of unavoidable violations that culminate in his stay at the famed bruiden of Da Derga. Portents multiply as the foreign host under the one-eyed Ingcél approaches. Within the hostel’s halls, retainers like Mac Cécht display superhuman valor, yet destiny overtakes prowess. The narrative interweaves royal ideology, prophecy, and the bruiden-destruction motif, situating Conaire within the genealogies of Tara and the cycles of kingship. With stark catalogues of warriors and vivid battle vignettes, the saga explores the fragility of sovereignty under the weight of taboo and fate.
Historiography
The saga survives chiefly in the Lebor na hUidre and the Book of Leinster, with later manuscript witnesses supplying variants and expansions. Linguistic features suggest an early composition with subsequent Middle Irish redactional smoothing. Whitley Stokes produced a foundational edition and translation; modern translations (e.g., Gantz) circulate widely. Scholarly attention focuses on kingship ideology, geasa, and the bruiden-destruction genre within the Ulster/Cycles of the Kings milieu.
Date Notes
Preserved in Lebor na hUidre (c. 1100) and the Book of Leinster (12th c.); Middle Irish prose with verse insertions; multiple redactional layers.
Symbols
Major Characters
- Conaire Mór
- Da Derga
- Mac Cécht
- Ingcel
- Donn Désa
Myths
- Exile and Return of Conaire Mór
- Breaking of Taboos and Doom
- Siege and Burning of Da Derga’s Hostel
- Death of the High King
Facts
- The saga belongs to the Irish bruiden-destruction genre, centered on a hostel as stage for catastrophe.
- Conaire Mór’s reign is conditioned by geasa whose breaches unravel royal order.
- Mess Buachalla, a fosterling of mysterious parentage, is Conaire’s mother.
- Foreign raiders are led by the one-eyed Ingcél, a figure linked to ominous prophecy.
- Mac Cécht performs extraordinary single-combat defenses within the hostel.
- Key manuscripts are Lebor na hUidre and the Book of Leinster, with variant recensions.
- The tale integrates prose with metrical inserts characteristic of Middle Irish narrative.
- Motifs of hospitality and its perversion frame the moral-political crisis of kingship.
- Detailed warrior catalogues reflect a broader heroic dossier in early Irish literature.
- The narrative situates Tara’s sovereignty within a network of taboos and omens.