Labraid Loingsech

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Labraid Loingsech, also known as Labraid Lorc, son of Ailill Áine, son of Lóegaire Lorc, was a legendary High King of Ireland of the 6th century BC. He is considered the ancestor of the Laigin, who gave their name to the province of Leinster. His story may be a mythologisation of the historical invasion of the Érainn.^{[citation needed]}

Lóegaire Lorc was killed by his brother, Cobthach Cóel Breg. Cobthach also killed Lóegaire's son, Ailill Áine, and forced Ailill's young son to eat his father and grandfather's hearts. Struck dumb by the trauma, the boy became known as Máel, "speechless". Later, he was hit on the shin during a game of hurling, and cried out "I am hurt!" From then on he was called Labraid, "he speaks".

At an assembly in Tara, Cobthach asked who was the most generous prince in Ireland. His poet, Ferchertne, and harper, Craiftine, immediately answered "Labraid". So Cobthach exiled the three of them from his court. They took refuge with Scoriath, king of the Fir Morca in Munster.

Labraid later went into exile in Gaul, earning the epithet Loingsech, "the exile". He built up a great military reputation serving the king of Gaul, and many Irishmen came to join him there. Scoriath's daughter Moriath fell in love with him from afar, and sent Craiftine to Gaul with gifts and a love song he was to sing to him. On hearing the song, Labraid decided to return to Ireland, and the king of Gaul equipped him with ships and 2,200 men. His followers were known as Laigin after the broad blue-grey iron spearheads they used. They landed, besieged Cobthach in his fortress and killed him.

He married Moiriath and ruled Ireland for ten or nineteen years, depending on the source consulted, before being killed by Cobthach's son Meilge Molbthach.

In another version of the story, Labraid never went to Gaul, but instead married Moriath in Munster, and with Scoriath's aid took the throne of Leinster. Later he invited Cobthach, the High King, to a feast in a specially made iron house. Cobthach refused to enter unless Labraid's mother did so first. This was arranged, Cobthach entered, the door was chained shut and a fire was lit beneath the house, fed by 150 bellows. A warrior asked Labraid if he would not save his mother, but she called out from within the house that Labraid should think of his honour first, as she was going to die anyway. Cobthach and 700 of his men were roasted to death.

The story is told, similar to a legend of the Greek king Midas, that Labraid had horse's ears, something he was concerned to keep quiet. He had his hair cut once a year, and the barber, who was chosen by lot, was immediately put to death. A widow, hearing that her only son had been chosen to cut the king's hair, begged the king not to kill him, and he agreed, so long as the barber kept his secret.

The burden of the secret was so heavy that the barber fell ill. A druid advised him to go to a crossroads and tell his secret to the first tree he came to, and he would be relieved of his burden and be well again. He told the secret to a large willow.

Soon after this, however, Craiftine broke his harp, and made a new one out of the very willow the barber had told his secret to. Whenever he played it, the harp sang "Labraid Lorc has horse's ears". Labraid repented of all the barbers he had put to death and admitted his secret.