Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Life of Mac Creiche (Author: [unknown])

chapter 11

31

Then came Mac Creiche from the south, bringing with him the three brothers of his mother, and all the wealth which had been carried off to the south. And he worked a wondrous miracle as he came from the south, when his mother's brethren were faint and thirsty after their imprisonment, and great thirst seized them as they journeyed westward from Raith Maige. Mac Creiche marked the ground, and water came up out of it, and they all quenched their thirst thereat. And they made a stone enclosure round the fount; and the fount still remains on Magh Ulad, and it heals every sickness and every hurt to which the water of it is applied.


p.63

32

Now the Ciarraige were assembled together on Magh Ulad to meet him, and gave him their blessing because of the wonder which he had wrought for them, viz. repelling the Crom Chonnaill from them as he went south; and (recovering) their spoil, and releasing their prisoners from the captivity in which they were, and restoring them to them in their entirety. Then the Ciarraige all gave their blessing to him with one accord, for he was a noble pious son to them, and did them much good in every matter for which they entreated him. He on his part gave them his blessing, and he gave them a share in the tribute of his church, viz. a hundredth part from him to themselves, as long as they paid it willingly (lit. of themselves). He then arose to go to his mother's kinsmen to be cared for by them.

33

Then the Ciarraige went into council apart from the clerk, to consider what they should do to him. This is what the Ciarraige agreed to offer to their kinsman, i.e. to Mac Creiche, for he acted the part of a good foster-child to them, and was beloved of them since he had granted the joint tribute of his church and his blessing to his mother's kin, together with profits to themselves (the Ciarraige). Finally there was granted to Mac Creiche unanimously three score productive cows every third year, or, if they preferred, a scruple from every two men of them every third year. Mac Creiche bequeathed these legacies to the Ciarraige, strength in their men and pre-eminence in battle and valour to belong to them, and pre-eminence in riches and in milk in their land.