LONG AGO, there lived among the Eoganacht clan of Ninuss, in the kingdom of Thomond, a warrior named Alill Ocar Agha (or ‘Alill of the Edge of Battle’). He was a hero and a chief among his clan and family, and he was famed as a brave fighter. The king of Thomond once led a raid into Kildare, and Alill and his men accompanied him. There, they camped one night near a church, beside which was a convent of nuns. During the night, while the camp was quiet, Alill went near the church. When the young prioress of the convent came out to ring the bell for nocturns, Alill seized her, threw her down to the ground, and raped her. “But we are in an unblessed state!” the young nun cried. “And this is the time of my conceiving! What is your tribe, and what is your name?” she pleaded. … Continue reading 1. The Birth and Early Life of Mael Duin