History Literature / TheBattleOfMaghTuireadh

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: How do the Tuatha De finally kill Bres after his terrible treatment of them and his long resistance against their warriors? [[MundaneSolution Forcing him to drink bog water,]] which is notoriously dangerous without proper treatment.
** Speaking of which, the teenage Bres was chosen as king just because he was the most handsome candidate. He ends up being a TERRIBLE choice.

* {{Bishonen}}: Lugh, Bres, and Bres' father, Elatha both qualify, with Bres' name even meaning "Beautiful" in Old Irish. The Medieval Irish loved their pretty boys.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Bres' closest relationship in the text is with his mother, Eriu, who goes with him to meet his father and patch things up. This is also a case of ValuesDissonance: In Medieval Ireland, this is one MORE sign of his badness, since it makes him more dependent on the women of the tribe than the men.

''The Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh:'' Meet the Fomor, a fierce people of sea-faring giants. The Fir Bolg paid tribute to them, but now that the Fir Bolg are defeated, the Tuatha Dé face the same demand. King Bres seeks the friendship of the Fomor, and to raise their tribute, imposes high taxes on the Tuatha Dé, forcing them to do lowly work, all the while indulging in luxury himself. Thus it is no wonder that when, after seven years, the physician Miach succeeds in restoring Nuada's arm, the Tuatha Dé at once depose Bres and make Nuada king again.

Craving revenge, Bres, who, as it turns out, is actually the son of the Fomor Elathan, sails to the land of the Fomor and spurs them on to invade Ireland. This means preaching to the converted with the king of the Fomor, Balor of the Evil Eye, especially as the Tuatha Dé rescind the Fomor tribute.

[[caption-width-right:350:The expulsion of King Bres]]

* TheBigGuy: Sreng. Described repeatedly as large and intimidating. [[Main/InvokedTrope Invoked]] by the Fir Bolg, who select him to meet with Bres specifically for that very reason.

* Bishounen: Lugh, Bres, and Bres' father, Elatha both qualify, with Bres' name even meaning "Beautiful" in Old Irish. The Medieval Irish loved their pretty boys.

'''''The First Battle of Magh Tuireadh:''''' The Tuatha Dé Danann arrive in Ireland from an unknown place of origin, intending to settle there. The present inhabitants of the country, the Fir Bolg, refuse to give up one half of the island and opt to fight for the whole instead. In a four-day battle at Magh Tuireadh[[labelnote:pronunc.]]Approximate pronunciation ''Moytirra'' or ''Moytura''.[[/labelnote]], the Plain of Pillars (a.k.a. the Magh Tuireadh at Cong or the Southern Magh Tuireadh), the Fir Bolg are devastated, but in honor of their valour the Tuatha Dé let them have a quarter of Ireland, Connacht.

'''''The Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh:''''' Meet the Fomor, a fierce people of sea-faring giants. The Fir Bolg paid tribute to them, but now that the Fir Bolg are defeated, the Tuatha Dé face the same demand. King Bres seeks the friendship of the Fomor, and to raise their tribute, imposes high taxes on the Tuatha Dé, forcing them to do lowly work, all the while indulging in luxury himself. Thus it is no wonder that when, after seven years, the physician Miach succeeds in restoring Nuada's arm, the Tuatha Dé at once depose Bres and make Nuada king again.

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* RealitySubtext: The Fomor are described in terms that suggest they are the ancestors of the Vikings, who harassed Ireland in the 9th and 10th century. For example, their homeland is Lochlann, which is also the homeland of the Northmen in contemporary texts.

''The Battle of Magh Tuireadh'' is, confusingly, the title of not one, but ''two'' medieval Irish prose narratives which relate the history of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the immortal and magically gifted people that, according to IrishMythology, ruled UsefulNotes/{{Ireland}} before the coming of the Gaels.

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* MagicEye: King Balor's. It kills anyone he looks at.

* EvilEye: King Balor's. It kills anyone he looks at.

* EyeBeam: Balor's Evil Eye burns anything he looks at.

'''''The First Battle of Magh Tuireadh:''''' The Tuatha Dé Danann arrive in Ireland from an unknown place of origin, intending to settle there. The present inhabitants of the country, the Fir Bolg, refuse to give up one half of the island and opt to fight for the whole instead. In a four-day battle at Magh Tuireadh, the Plain of Pillars (a.k.a. the Magh Tuireadh at Cong or the Southern Magh Tuireadh), the Fir Bolg are devastated, but in honor of their valour the Tuatha Dé let them have a quarter of Ireland, Connacht.

However, the king of the Tuatha Dé, Nuada, has lost an arm in the battle, and according to the laws of the Tuatha De has to abdicate the throne, and Bres, a noble of renowned for his beauty, is made king instead.

Having spent years preparing for war, the two peoples clash at the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh (a.k.a. The Northern Magh Tuireadh), in an ultimate showdown that will prove costly for both sides.