Then Concobar sent men to reconnoitre the southern and western armies.  Two went and returned not, falling indeed into the hands of the foe.  It seemed long to Concobar that the two were gone.  He spoke, therefore, to his kinsman:  “Good indeed, Irgalac, son of Macclac, son of Congal, son of Rudraige, sayest thou who is proper to go to estimate and to reconnoitre the army?”

“Who should go there,” answered Irgalac, “but Iriel good at arms, great-kneed son of Conall Cernac.  He is a Conall for havoc, a Cuculain for dexterity of feats.  He is a Catbad, a right-wonderful Druid, for intelligence and counsel, he is a Senca son of Ailill for peace and for good speech, he is a Celtcair son of Utecar for valor, he is a Concobar son of Factna Fatac for kingliness and wide-eyed-ness, for giving of treasures and of wealth and of riches.  Who but Iriel should go?”

Therefore Iriel went forward:  standing on the pyramid of the Dagda, he began measuring and reconnoitering the army.  His spirit, or his mind, or his thoughts did not fret over them at all.  He brought their description with him to the place in which Concobar was.

“How, my life, Iriel?” said Concobar.  “I give my word truly,” said Iriel; “it seems to me that there is not ford on river, or stone on hill, nor highway nor road in the territory of Breg or Mide, that is not full of their horse-teams and of their servants.  It seems to me that their apparel and their gear and their garments are the blaze of a royal house from the plain.”

“Good, O Ulaid,” said Concobar, “what is your advice to us for the battle?” “Our advice is,” said the Ulaid, “to wait till our strong men and our leaders and our commanders and our supporters of battle come.”  Not long was their waiting, and not great was their stay, till they saw three chariot-warriors approaching them, and a band of twelve hundred along with each rider of them.  It is these that were there—­three of the goodly men of science of the Ulaid, to wit, Catbad the right-wonderful Druid, and Aiterni the Importunate, and Amargin the man of science and art.  After them came other valiant leaders with troops.  Then Concobar arose and took his gear of battle and of conflict and of combat about him, saying, “Why should we not give battle?”

A third of the army of the Ulaid rose with him, too.  And they went over the river Boyne.  And the other armies arose against them as they were crossing the river.  And each of them took to hacking and to cutting down the other, destroying and wounding till there was no similitude of the Ulaid at that point of time, unless it were a huge sturdy oakwood in the middle of the plain, and a great army were to go close to it, and the slender and the small of the wood were cut off, but its huge sturdy oaks were left behind.  Thus their young were cut off, and none but their champions and their battle-warriors and their good heroes of valor were left.