Lir

The Death of the Children of Lir. This is one of the three tragic stories of the ancient Irish. The other two are The Death of the Children of Touran , and The Death of the Children of Usnach . (See Fionnuala .)—O’Flanagan, Transactions of the Gaelic Society , i. ⁂ Lir ( King ) father of Fionnuala. On the death of Fingula (the mother of his daughter), he married the wicked Aoife, who, through spite, transformed the children of Lir into swans, doomed to float on the water for centuries, till they hear the first ma -bell ring. Tom Moore has versified this legend. Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water; Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose— While murmuring mournfully Lir’s lonely daughter Tells to the night-star her tale of woes. Moore, Irish Melodies (“Song of Fionnuala,” 1814).