She went on to the house then, and took her stand before Finn outside.  “Who is that before me?” she said then.  “It is I myself,” said Finn.  “I put you under the bonds a true hero never broke,” she said, “to come out to me here.”  When Finn heard that, he made no delay and went out to her; and for all there were so many in the house, not one of them took notice of him going, only Caoilte, and he followed him out.  And at the same time the Tuatha de Danaan let out a flock of blackbirds having fiery beaks, that pitched on the breasts of all the people in the house, and burned them and destroyed them, till the young lads and the women and children of the place ran out on all sides, and the woman of the house, Conan’s wife, was drowned in the river outside the dun.

But as to Ethne, the woman-Druid, she asked Finn would he run against her.  “For it is to run a race against you I called you out,” she said.  “What length of a race?” said Finn.  “From Doire da Torc, the Wood of the Two Boars, to Ath Mor, the Great Ford,” she said.  So they set out, but Finn got first over the ford.  And Caoilte was following after them, and Finn was urging him, and he said:  “It is ashamed of your running you should be, Caoilte, a woman to be going past you.”  On that Caoilte made a leap forward, and when he was in front of the witch he turned about and gave a blow of his sword that made two equal halves of her.

“Power and good luck to you, Caoilte!” said Finn; “for though it is many a good blow you have struck, you never struck a better one than this.”

They went back then to the lawn before Conan’s dun, and there they found the whole company of the Tuatha de Danaan, that had put the Druid mist off them.  “It seems to me, Caoilte,” said Finn, “that we are come into the middle of our enemies.”

With that they turned their backs to one another, and they were attacked on all sides till groans of weakness from the unequal fight were forced from Finn.  And when Goll, that was in the house, heard that, he said:  “It is a pity the Tuatha de Danaan to have enticed Finn and Caoilte away from us; and let us go to their help and make no delay,” he said.

Then he rushed out, and all that were there of the Fianna with him, and Conan of Ceann Slieve and his sons.  And great anger came on Goll, that he looked like a tall mountain under his grey shield in the battle.  And he broke through the Tuatha de Danaan till he reached to Fionnbhar their leader, and they attacked one another, cutting and wounding, till at the last Fionnbhar of Magh Feabhail fell by the strokes of Goll.  And a great many others fell in that battle, and there never was a harder battle fought in Ireland, for there was no man on one side or the other had a mind to go back one step before whoever he was fighting against.  For they were the two hardest fighting troops to be found in the four parts of the world, the strong, hardy Fianna of the Gael, and the beautiful Men of Dea; and they went near to being all destroyed in that battle.