The Children of Lír
Once upon a time there lived a man called Lír. He was the king of the Tuatha Dé Danann .He lived with his beloved wife and children. The children’s names were Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn. As the years went by, his beloved wife died. Immediately he married again to a woman called Aoife. At first she loved his children but when she saw how much love the father had for his children she became jealous.
So she went to a magic druid and asked for his help. He gave her a magic wand. The next day Aoife told the children to get into her chariot. One of the children didn’t want to go. But Aoife forced her and the other children in to the chariot. She drove them to the shore of Lough Derravarragh. When she stopped the chariot, Aoife ordered the children the children to bathe in the lake. When they entered the water she struck the children one by one with her magic wand. They turned into swans.
After Aoife had her enjoyment she told the swans they would be swans for as long as they lived. The spell will be broken when you will hear the sound the old mans bell. When Aoife got home ALONE Lír asked her where are the children. She said in a innocent voice I dont know. Lír did not believe her. As soon he set out at once to the shore to find them. Lír saw four lovely swans at the edge of the water. The children heard there father. When Lír got closer to the shore he said who did this? Our step mother turned us to swans. Lír was very upset.
They spent 300 years in Lough Derravarragh , 300 years in the cold sea of Moyle and the last 300 years in the bay of Erris. They were very cold, hungry and tired. After the 900 years went by they heard the mans old bell and returned home to their father. The children of Lír lived happily with the holy man, glad that their years of sorrow were ended.