Eochaid mac Eirc

King of the Fir Bolg who was the prototype of their kingship: ‘No rain fell during his kingship, but only the dew; there was no year without harvest. Falsehood was banished from Ireland during his time, and he it was who first established the rule of justice there.’ Eochaid was married to Tailtiu, naming his palace in her honour and, in some versions, establishing an annual fair there (Teltown, Co. Meath) in early August to celebrate her further. He is sometimes also described as a king at Tara. As he was king during the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann, he resisted the invaders but became the first king to be killed with a weapon. As described in Cath Maige Tuired [The Battle of Mag Tuired] he was overcome by thirst and went in search of water, but the druids of the Tuatha Dé Danann hid it from him. In this vain quest he was slain with three companions at a site today identified with both Ballysadare, Co. Sligo, and Eochy's Cairn, between Cong and Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo.

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