Description

Lir was a lesser king of the mystical Tuatha Dé Danann and he had by his young wife Aobh, three sons and a daughter Fionnuala. When Aobh died tragically Lir married again, this time to a sorceress called Aoife who became their stepmother. At first, it was said, she loved them all dearly but as time wore on and she saw the affection the children were held in by Lir she became increasingly jealous. One day she took them away and once out of sight she placed them under an enchantment and turned them into four white swans at Loch Derravarragh. They remained there for over four hundred years and Lir had them entertained by poets, fiddlers, and harpists as they sang of their sorrowful plight.