“If you inquire of me concerning Ireland, I know and can relate gladly all the invasions of it since the beginning of the delightful world.  Out of the east came Cessair, a woman, daughter of Bith, with her fifty maidens, with her three men.  The flood came upon Bith on his mountain without mystery; on Ladru at Ard Ladran; on Cessair at Cull Cesra.  As for me, for the space of a year, beneath the rapid flood, on the height of a mighty wave, I enjoyed sleep which was exceeding good.  Then, in Ireland, I found my way above the waters until Partholan came out of the East, from the land of the Greeks.  Then, in Ireland, I enjoyed rest; Ireland was void till the son of Agnoman came, Nemed with the delightful manners.  The Fir Bolg and the Fir Galioin came a long time after, and the Fir Domnan also; they landed at Erris in the west.  Then came the Tuatha De Danaan in their hood of mist.  I lived with them for a long time, though their age is far removed.  After that came the sons of Mile out of Spain and the south.  I lived with them; mighty were their battles.  I had come to a great age, I do not conceal it, when the pure faith was sent to Ireland by the King of the Cloudy Heaven.  I am the fair Fintan son of Bochra; I proclaim it aloud.  Since the flood came here I am a great personage in Ireland.”

In the middle of the sixth century he was summoned as a witness by the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages against King Dermot MacKerval, in a dispute as to the ancient divisions of Ireland.  He came to Tara with nine companies in front of him, and nine companies behind:  they were his descendants.  This, mind you, is in strictly historical times.  The king and his people received him kindly, and after he had rested a little, he told them his story, and that of Tara from its foundation.  They asked him to give them some proof of his memory.  “Right willingly,” said Fintan.  “I passed one day through a wood in West Munster; I brought home with me a red berry of the yew-tree, which I planted in my kitchen-garden, and it grew there till it was as tall as a man.  Then I took it up, and re-planted it on the green lawn before the house, and it grew there until a hundred champions could find room under its foliage, to be sheltered there from wind and rain, and cold and heat.  I remained so, and my yew remained so, spending our time alike, until at last all its leaves fell off from decay.  When afterwards I thought of turning it to some profit, I went to it, and cut it from its stem; and I made of it seven vats, and seven keeves, and seven stans, and seven churns, and seven pitchers, and seven milans, and seven medars, with hoops for all.  I remained so with my yew vessels until their hoops all fell off from decay and old age.  After that I re-made them; but could only get a keeve out of the vat, and a stan out of the keeve, and a mug out of the stan, and a cilorn out of the mug, and a milan out of the cilom, and a medar out of the milan; and I leave it to Almighty God that I do not know where their dust is now, after their dissolution with me from decay.” *