Then Lugh asked his two witches, Bechulle and Dianan:  “What power can you bring to the battle?” “It is easy to say that,” they said.  “We will put enchantment on the trees and the stones and the sods of the earth, till they become an armed host against the Fomor, and put terror on them and put them to the rout.”

Then Lugh asked Carpre, the poet, son of Etain, what could he do.  “It is not hard to say that,” said Carpre.  “I will make a satire on them at sunrise, and the wind from the north, and I on a hill-top and my back to a thorn-tree, and a stone and a thorn in my hand.  And with that satire,” he said, “I will put shame on them and enchantment, the way they will not be able to stand against fighting men.”

Then he asked Goibniu the Smith what would he be able to do.  “I will do this,” he said.  “If the men of Ireland stop in the battle to the end of seven years, for every sword that is broken and for every spear that is lost from its shaft, I will put a new one in its place.  And no spear-point that will be made by my hand,” he said, “will ever miss its mark; and no man it touches will ever taste life again.  And that is more than Dolb, the smith of the Fomor, can do,” he said.

“And you, Credne,” Lugh said then to his worker in brass, “what help can you give to our men in the battle?” “It is not hard to tell that,” said Credne, “rivets for their spears and hilts for their swords and bosses and rims for their shields, I will supply them all.”

“And you, Luchta,” he said then to his carpenter, “what will you do?” “I will give them all they want of shields and of spear shafts,” said Luchta.

Then he asked Diancecht, the physician, what would he do, and it is what he said:  “Every man that will be wounded there, unless his head is struck off, or his brain or his marrow cut through, I will make him whole and sound again for the battle of the morrow.”

Then the Dagda said:  “Those great things you are boasting you will do, I will do them all with only myself.”  “It is you are the good god!” said they, and they all gave a great shout of laughter.

Then Lugh spoke to the whole army and put strength in them, so that each one had the spirit in him of a king or a great lord.

Then when the delay was at an end, the Fomor and the men of Ireland came on towards one another till they came to the plain of Magh Tuireadh.  That now was not the same Magh Tuireadh where the first battle was fought, but it was to the north, near Ess Dara.

And then the two armies threatened one another.  “The men of Ireland are daring enough to offer battle to us,” said Bres to Indech, son of De Domnann.  “I give my word,” said Indech, “it is in small pieces their bones will be, if they do not give in to us and pay their tribute.”

Now the Men of Dea had determined not to let Lugh go into the battle, because of the loss his death would be to them; and they left nine of their men keeping a watch on him.