MORIATH. Lover of Labhraidh Lionseach.
This is the main print from my up coming Ancient Ireland Land of Legend Portfolio Two and is signed by me. This image has only even been published in my own book Erinsaga in 1984 and in the Wunderwelt Calendar 1998 below. This is the first time a print reproduction has been created and as it’s one of my favorite works I am delighted by how amazing it looks on the metallic paper, I think you will be too!
Moriath was a princess and the lover of the legendary Irish High King, Labhraidh (Lowry) Loinseach (Lynch) who was, according to the ancient annals, considered the ancestor of the tribe known as the Laighin, who gave their name to the province of Leinster.
The period is reckoned in the annals to be around 300 BC.
An early dynastic poem refers to Labhaidh as ‘a god among the gods’ which suggests a royal lineage of a supernatural type as well as that as a temporal earthly ruler.
Moriath was the daughter of the warrior Scoraith and hearing of the great deeds of Labhraidh she wrote a love song for him and sent it to him where he was fighting for the King of Gaul. Labhraidh is delighted with this beautiful poem and decides to return to Ireland and reclaim his throne.
With the help of the Gaulish Breton king of Amorica, who supplies him with ships and 2,200 fighters he sets sail for Ireland.
These followers were Gauls, Basque Celts, and Irish warriors known collectively as the Laighin from the region of Amorica, in modern-day France.
In the end, Labhraigh retakes the throne and makes the beautiful Moriath his consort.
The Painting
The Moriath painting was originally published by my German calendar publisher, Bronner, and was commissioned by the director Eberhard Urban, who did so much to promote my artwork. These calendars were works of art in themselves and I even have their Andy Warhol calendar which has real overlay art like the prints Warhol produced for the art galleries.
The painting was first published in the Calendar ‘WonderWelt’, and I was happy to be shown in the same calendar as Chagall, Klimt and Dali.
As usual I started with quite a few sketches and the pencil drawing shown here was the most developed of the lot.
The pen and l ink line art is next and on reflection I was pretty smart to duck down to a photo copy shop and run off full size copies which I still have safely in the attic, they do fade in any kind of light.
MORIATH, Cruitne and Emer published in the Wunderwelt Calendar.
