“Naisi and Deirdre were seated together one day, and between them Conor’s chess board, they playing upon it.

“Naisi heard a cry and said, ‘I hear the call of a man of Erin.’

“‘That was not the call of a man of Erin,’ says Deirdre, ’but the call of a man of Alba.’

“Deirdre knew the first cry of Fergus, but she concealed it.  Fergus uttered the second cry.

“‘That is the cry of a man of Erin,’ says Naisi.

“‘It is not indeed,’ says Deirdre, ‘and let us play on.’

“Fergus sent forth the third cry, and the sons of Usnach knew it was Fergus that sent for the cry.  And Naisi ordered Ardan to go to meet Fergus.  Then Deirdre declared she knew the first call sent forth by Fergus.

“‘Why didst thou conceal it, then, my Queen?’ says Naisi.

“‘A vision I saw last night,’ says Deirdre, ’namely that three birds came unto us having three sups of honey in their beaks, and that they left them with us, and that they took three sups of our blood with them.’

“‘What determination hast thou of that, O Princess?’ says Naisi.

“‘It is,’ says Deirdre, ’that Fergus comes unto us with a message of peace from Conor, for more sweet is not honey than the message of peace of the false man.’

“‘Let that be,’ says Naisi.  ’Fergus is long in the port; and go, Ardan, to meet him and bring him with thee.’"*

Theophilus O’Flanagan

And when Fergus came there were kindly greetings between the friends who had been long parted.  Then Fergus told the three brothers that Conor had forgiven them, and that he longed to see them back again in the land of Erin.

So although the heart of Deirdre was sad and heavy with foreboding of evil, they set sail for the land of Erin.  But Deirdre looked behind her as the shore faded from sight and sang a mournful song:  —

    “O eastern land I leave, I loved you well,
    Home of my heart, I love and loved you well,
    I ne’er had left you had not Naisi left."*

Douglas Hyde

And so they fared on their journey and came at last to Conor’s palace.  And the story tells how the boding sorrow that Deirdre felt fulfilled itself, and how they were betrayed, and how the brothers fought and died, and how Deirdre mourned until

            “Her heart-strings snapt,
    And death had overmastered her.  She fell
    Into the grave where Naisi lay and slept. 
    There at his side the child of Felim fell,
    The fair-haired daughter of a hundred smiles. 
    Men piled their grave and reared their stone on high,
    And wrote their names in Ogham.* So they lay
    All four united in the dream of death."**

* Ancient Gaelic writing.
** Douglas Hyde

Such in a few words is the story of Deirdre.  But you must read the tale itself to find out how beautiful it is.  That you can easily do, for it has been translated many times out of the old Gaelic in which it was first written and it has been told so simply that even those of you who are quite young can read it for yourselves.