or Sweeney's Frenzy in English) is a medieval Irish story about the Suibhne mac Colmain, king of the Dál nAraidi, driven insane and doomed to wander Ireland in penance for his blasphemy.King Suibhne, hearing St. Ronan's bell as the saint marks the boundaries of a new church, runs off to stop this unauthorized activity in his domain (rushing out so quickly his cloak unravels, leaving him stark naked). Upon arrival Suibhne throws Ronan's Psalter in a nearby lake and attempts to drag St. Ronan away, but stops when a messenger from Congal Claen arrives, requesting aid in the Battle of Mag Rath. Ronan lays a curse upon Suibhne, condemning him to wander and fly around the world naked, and to meet his death by spear-point.
Suibhne continues his insults towards Ronan by ignoring a truce the saint negotiated during the battle, killing during the hours when combat was not permitted. The final straw comes when Ronan and his retinue deliver a blessing on the troops, sprinkling them with holy water. Suibhne, taking this as an insult, kills one of the bishop's psalmists with a spear and cast another at Ronan himself. The weapon pierced a hole in Ronan's bell (hanging on his breast), and the broken-off shaft hurled in the air. At this, Ronan repeated the same curse: that Suibhne will wander like a bird, much as the spear-shaft, perch on tree branches at the sound of the bell, and die by the spear just as he had killed the monk.
In the subsequent battle the noise of combat drives Suibhne insane and he flees to the forest of Ros Bearaigh. He subsequently spends several years wandering Ireland, encountering kinsmen and foes who both bemoan his state. He makes his home in Glenn Bolcáin, evading capture from his kinsman Loingsechan and visiting his wife Eorann, who pines for him in spite of her new husband. Loingsechan eventually captures Suibhne and takes him home to Dal nAraidi, nursing him back to sanity...until Loingsechan's mother-in-law goads him into a leaping contest. The contest, coupled with the noise of a nearby hunting party, drives Suibhne back into madness. In revenge Suibhne tricks the mother-in-law into falling to her death, ensuring he cannot return to Dal nAraidi without facing Loingsechan's vengeance.
Suibhne continues wandering Ireland and eventually Scotland and Western England. In Britain he spends an entire year with another madman, who has likewise foreseen his own death and ultimately falls to it, drowning in a waterfall. Returning to Ireland, he attempts to visit Eorann, but she spurns him, telling him never to return because of his shameful appearance. At one point Suibhne regains his sanity and tries to return home, but falls back into madness after St. Ronan prays for his continued affliction.
Eventually, Suibhne arrived at "The House of St. Moling" which both he and St. Moling realize will be the site of his death. St. Moling tends to the madman, providing shelter and instructing his cook to serve Suibhne a daily portion of milk. However the cook's husband is tricked into thinking the two are having an affair and stabs Suibhne with a spear while he's being feed, killing him and fulfilling Ronan's prophecy.
Unsurprisingly the image of a mad king wandering Ireland and reciting poetry has appealed to generations of artists, with writers such as T. S. Eliot, Flann O'Brien and Seamus Heaney invoking his legend in their work.
Tropes:
- Bittersweet Ending: As foretold, Suibhne dies from a spear, but he at least repents and receives last rites before dying.
- Break the Haughty: Suibhne's curse is meant to humiliate the king for his arrogance in attacking the church.
- Broken Ace: Prior to his madness Suibhne was a renowned warrior and king.
- For Doom the Bell Tolls: The sound of church bells ringing alerts Suibhne to the fact that St. Ronan is building a church without his permission or authority. His attack on St. Ronan kicks off the plot.
- Full-Frontal Assault: He's in such a hurry to stop St. Ronan from building a church that he doesn't notice his cloak unraveling when he leaves. As a result he's naked during his fight with St. Ronan.
- Good Shepherd: St. Moling, who welcomes Suibhne to his church, feeds and shelters him, and ultimately gives him last rites and a Christian burial in his parish.
- Hope Spot: Suibhne almost recovers twice, only to fall back into madness.
- The Ophelia: A male example in Suibhne; his madness consists of running around the countryside naked while reciting long poems reflecting on his personal tragedy and the beauty of his surroundings.
- Playful Otter: An otter rescues St. Ronan's psalter unharmed from the lake where Suibhne threw it.
- Scenery Porn: Famous for its beautiful descriptions of Ireland's countryside.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Suibhne shows shades of this; the noise and din of battle (and later a hunt) trigger his insanity.
- Talkative Loon: Suibhne spends long portions of the poem reciting poeams about his madness and his surroundings.
