Share This:

In Irish mythology Fintan mac B?chra (modern spelling: Fionnt?n), known as "the Wise", was a seer who accompanied Noah's granddaughter Cessair to Ireland before the deluge. B?chra may be his mother, or may be a poetic reference to the sea.

He was one of only three men in the expedition, along with fifty women, so he, Cessair's father Bith, and the pilot, Ladra, had sixteen wives each. Fintan's wives are named: Cessair, Lot, Luam, Mall, Mar, Froechar, Femar, Faible, Foroll, Cipir, Torrian, Tamall, Tam, Abba, Alla, Baichne, and Sille. He married Ebliu later. His only son was Illann.

His wives and children were drowned when the flood arrived but he survived in the form of a salmon, remaining a year under the waters in a cave called Fintan's Grave.[1] He then turned into an eagle and then a hawk then back to human form. He lived for 5500 years after the Deluge, becoming an advisor to the kings of Ireland. In this capacity he gave advice to the Fir Bolg king Eochaid mac Eirc when the Tuatha D? Danann invaded, and fought in the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh.

He survived into the time of Fionn mac Cumhail, becoming the repository of all knowledge of Ireland and all history along with a magical hawk who was born at the same time as him. They meet at the end of their lives and recount their stories to each other. They decide to leave the mortal realm together sometime in the 5th century, after Ireland was converted to Christianity.

Due to his ability to shape shift into a salmon and his honorific title as, "The Wise", Fintan mac B?chra is sometimes confused with a similarly named animal figured in Irish mythology more commonly known and referred to as the Salmon of Wisdom.

"Arrangement of the Manor of Tara" translated R.I. Best 1910: ?riu iv 121-72 tells how a giant "as high as a wood" came from paradise to an assembly at Tara with a branch bearing three fruits: nuts, apples and acorns. He lived on the smell of this fruit while teaching the people, and gave some to an Irish sage called Fintan, the "white-haired ancient". Fintan then planted the seeds in Ireland, where they grew up as the Ancient Tree of Tortu (Bile Tortan), an ash tree     The first of these was an enormous tree which reportedly was large enough to have once sheltered the men of Tortu        It is said to have fallen in AD 600. One tale says St Patrick visited this tree and established a church for Justian nearby, from which it has been inferred that it stood near to Ardbraccan in Co. Meath In Irish mythology, four trees - Bile Tortan (‘Tree of Tortu’), situated in Ardbraccan, near Navan (Co. Meath), Bile Tortan, a gigantesque 150 metre-high and twenty-five metre-wide ash tree, situated in the territory of the U? Tortan sept*, is sometimes described as the ‘world tree’. This tree, which fell down in the 7th c. AD, is said to have existed since the beginning of times and its branches, full of birds and fruit, spread up to the sky.1039 The bile, ‘large tree’, ‘tree trunk’ or ‘post’, from Celtic *bilios, generally had an atypical form and was believed to be the dwelling of the gods.1040 The chiefs of tribes and kings were inaugurated under its branches were believed to be sacred  Bili Tortan, coic crand sin.  and the Ancient Tree of Tortu 

in 597 Fiachnae won the Battle of Sliab Cua in the territory of Munster.[15]  Fiachnae had earlier won a battle over the Ciannachta of Brega in 594.[16] The possibility is that Fiachnae was a possible king of Tara in the 590's[17] At this time, dissensions having arisen between the two wives of Nuadu, King of Leinster, he sent off his favourite wife to Munster "on the safeguard of Finnchua of Sliabh Cua", Arrived near Brigown the saint desired she should not come any further until her child was born, for at that time "neither wives nor women used to come to his church".[3] On the birth of the child he was baptised by Finnchu, and named Fintan. In a war which ensued between the King of Leinster and the kinsmen of his neglected wife, Finnchu was successful in obtaining the victory for the king. Fintan was with him, and when the king begged that the boy might be left with him, Finnchu consenting gave him "his choice between the life of a layman and that of a cleric". Having chosen the latter the land was bestowed on him, from which he was afterwards known as St. Fintan of Cluainednech. The St. Fintan (d. 634) generally known by this title was the son of Tulchan, but it appears from his Life that there were four of the name at Cluain-ednech.[3]

anyone with information about saint fintan or of fintans abbey kill o the grange deansgrange

please advise by return stating your source of documentary record

and the date of your written record transcribed or original 

liam hua duinn

Friday 31st Aug 2012, 01:43PM

Message Board Replies

  • Hi William,

    Thank you for your messages.

    We would like to clarify that Ireland Reaching Out is not a genealogical website/database and we would not wish you to assume so and be disappointment in the responses to your queries. We are a volunteer organization which does not attempt to provide formal genealogical information and or support. 

    The parishes on the site are maintained by local volunteers who for the most part have no formal genealogical /historical training. Their purpose is to assist people who are tracing their ancestors with local knowledge of a given area. Knowledge that is perhaps not documented in public records.

    We wish you the best of luck with your research.

    Genealogy support

    Ireland Reaching Out HQ

     

     

    cynoconnor

    Friday 31st Aug 2012, 03:16PM

Post Reply