Pronunciation: CON-or mic NESH-ah
Like everyone, the character of Conchobar mac Nessa of Ireland had his strengths and weaknesses. The myths of Conchobar mac Nessa prove that even the greatest of leaders make bad decisions, and no hero is perfect. Conchobar mac Nessa is the legendary Celtic King of (Uliad) Ulster during the Ulster Cycle. The Ulster Cycle tells many Irish stories, including The Cattle-Raid of Cooley(3). Conchobar was born on the same day (but not the same year) as Jesus of Nazareth and also died on the very same day(2). Conchobar’s mother, Ness, was the daughter of Eochaid Salbuide(Eochaid Yellow-Heel), the King of Ulster prior to the Ulster Cycle.
Conception and Birth
Nessa was sitting outside Emain Macha with her maids, when a druid, Cathbad approached her. Nessa asks the druid what it is an auspicious time for. He replies, “for begetting a king on a queen" (4). He tells her that he swears to the gods that if a son is conceived on this day, he will be remembered in Ireland forever. Since there were no other men around, Ness and Cathbad conceived a child, which she carried for three years and three months. When it was time to deliver, Cathbad told Ness that if she could wait just one more day, her son would be born the same day as Jesus Christ. The next day, she gave birth to a boy, Cathbad saved him after he fell into the River Conchobar, which he was named after (1).
Ness and Cathbad at the birth of Conchobar
Becoming King
Conchobar’s mother, Ness, married Fergus mac Róich, the king of Ulster when Conchobar was a young child. Ness told Fergus that she would only marry him on the condition that Conchobar would be king for a year, just so his children could be called “children of a king.” The nobles of Ulster tell Fergus that he would only be king in title, so he agreed. With the advising of his mother, Conchobar proved to be a great leader and was able to keep the throne after the year was over (10).
Good King Vs. Bad King
PROS
Conchobar proved to posess great qualities throughout his reign as king. He was very generous to his nephew Cuchulain. Conchobar helped raise Cuchulain and was always under his protection. Conchobar served as a mentor to Cuchulain along with many other advisers.
Cochobar also played a part in The Cattle-Raid of Cooley. He took a stand and defended Ulster against Medb of Connacht, coincidentally his ex-lover, who started the whole ordeal.
CONS
On the other hand, Conchobar was at partly at fault for Macha cursing the men of Ulster. The Irish godness, Macha, came to a Ulster farmer, Cruinniuc after his first wife died. She started acting like his wife, taking on duties of the household. Macha told him that if he told anybody of her true identity she would leave him. During a chariot race, Cruinniuc taunted King Cochobar with the fact that his wife could out race any of the king’s horses. King Cochobar demanded that Cruinniuc bring his wife to put his boast to the test. Although she was heavily pregnant, Macha defeated all of the kings horses, giving birth to twins at the finish line. She cursed the men of Ulster to suffer her labor pains during their greatest need of strength (10). Unable to fight, Conchobar’s nephew, Cuchulain, being the only one unaffected by her curse, was forced to set out on numerous battles to defeat Medb and her husband Ailill.
Conchobar was also to blame for the “Sorrows of Deirdre.” When he visited the house of a storyteller, Fedlimid mac Daill, his wife was giving birth to a daughter. Cathbad, who was now Conchobar’s chief druid, prophesied that the daughter, Deirdre, would be so beautiful that kings would go to war over her and she would bring nothing but sorrow. Conchobar decided that she must be raised away from the interaction of men and that when she was old enough he would marry her. She elopes with a young warrior and his two brothers and are forced to flee to Scotland (6). That doesn’t stop Conchobar from tracking her down and forcing her to become his wife. After a year, he asks what is to blame for her sadness. She explains that he is the reason for her depression and she is sent away. The next day, while riding in Éogan's chariot, she slams her head against a stone and commits suicide (10).
Deirdre
Death of Conchobar
Conchobar is later injured by a wound conflicted by a Connacht warrior. His doctors are unable to fix the wound and settle with sewing up the area on his head. They warn Conchobor that he must not get too excited or over-exert himself or he will die. Seven years later, he is told of the death of Christ and is very angered by it. He gets so mad that his brain bursts and coincidentally dies the same day as Jesus Christ.
Conchobar has a place in Celtic Mythology that cannot be erased. He was a great king and leader, yet faced situations where he did not make the best decision. Everyone makes mistakes, even the greatest of heroes.
