Their clothes soon dried with the warmth of the fire, and there was a cosy atmosphere as they sat around it in a circle.
“I’m the only female here,” announced Niamh. “I feel a bit outnumbered. Have you got any female friends from the Otherworld, Brian and Fionn?”“Well, there is Grace O’ Malley, also known as Gráinne Mhaol,” said Brian Boru.“She’s a wild one,” chuckled Fionn.Just at that moment, a big puff of smoke blew up from the fire and made everyone’s eyes sting.“Who are you calling wild, Fionn Mac Cumhaill?” raged a female voice.“Hello Grace! I was only jesting.” Fionn ducked as Gráinne swished her cutlass at his head. Niamh looked on fascinated at the young woman, dressed as a male pirate with a shock of short red hair. Gráinne let out a hearty laugh and sat down beside Niamh.“We women have to stick together, don’t we?” she said, nudging Niamh so forcefully, that she nearly knocked Niamh onto her side.“Yes,” agreed Niamh. “We learnt about you in school, and how you were a pirate and ruled the seas around Ireland; you came from County Mayo, and you were fearless and strong. All the girls in my class wanted to be like you.” A big grin spread across Gráinne’s face at this praise. “At least someone appreciates me,” she said loudly, looking at Fionn. “What about Queen Maeve?” Conor asked, to nobody in particular.“What about her?” retorted Gráinne.“She was a strong, fearless woman too,” Conor replied looking around the circle for back up.The fire blew up another big puff of smoke, making them all cough.
“Thank you, young man,” a female voice said, just behind Conor.Conor turned around. “Yikes! You made me jump out of my skin,” said Conor in surprise.“You must be, Queen Maeve.”
“Thank you, young man,” a female voice said, just behind Conor.Conor turned around. “Yikes! You made me jump out of my skin,” said Conor in surprise.“You must be, Queen Maeve.”
“I am Queen Maeve, Warrior Queen of Connacht,” the lady said in a haughty tone, standing up straight and poised in a regal fashion. Conor looked up at the beautiful, imposing woman, with long blonde hair, who wore a long blue dress embroidered with gold thread. “Pleased to meet you,” Conor said, and stood up and gave a little bow towards her. Not to be outdone, Niamh got up and gave a little curtsey. “What lovely youths,” said Queen Maeve, smiling.“Like the cat that got the cream,” muttered Gráinne. Niamh heard her, and hoped that her desire for some female company, wasn’t going to be a source of trouble.“You fought Cúchulainn to take the Brown Bull of Cooley, didn’t you,” stated Conor. “Yes, because my husband Ailill claimed that he had more riches than me, because he owned the White Horned Bull. So I had to steal the Brown Bull from Ulster to be equal. I fight for what I want.”“Only thinks about herself,” Grainne whispered loudly to Niamh.“I heard that,” Maeve snapped back. “I am told I am passionate.” Maeve addressed the whole circle with her piercing blue eyes.
Sean and Conor gazed at her, spellbound. “You really are a magnificent being,” said Paddy. “No wonder men were willing to fight for you.”“Huh! I led my men, and was equal to them in power and skill, I didn’t need any man to coo over me. I may have been a wife, but no man dared to stop me when my mind was made up,” said Gráinne, all fired up.“Now, ladies, you are both wonderful women, and men have admired your achievements for many generations; imagine what you could do if you combined your skills,” Tom O’Neill suggested.
Sean and Conor gazed at her, spellbound. “You really are a magnificent being,” said Paddy. “No wonder men were willing to fight for you.”“Huh! I led my men, and was equal to them in power and skill, I didn’t need any man to coo over me. I may have been a wife, but no man dared to stop me when my mind was made up,” said Gráinne, all fired up.“Now, ladies, you are both wonderful women, and men have admired your achievements for many generations; imagine what you could do if you combined your skills,” Tom O’Neill suggested.
Gráinne and Maeve regarded each other intensely; Gráinne broke into a smile, and then threw back her head and laughed heartily. Maeve started tittering in reaction to Gráinne, and the titter grew into hysterical laughter. Tom winked at Niamh. Niamh smiled and mouthed, “Thank you”.
Gráinne et Maeve se regardèrent intensément; Gráinne eut un sourire, puis rejeta la tête en arrière et rit de bon cœur. Maeve commença à tressaillir comme Gráinne, et le ricanement se transforma en un rire hystérique. Tom fit un clin d'œil à Niamh. Niamh sourit et articula silencieusement, "Merci".
Suddenly Queen Maeve, screamed, “Ouch!” A huge black crow had landed on her shoulder and pecked her. Everybody looked at Maeve and the crow. The crow cawed loudly and flew down to the ground.
“Let me introduce you to, Morrigan, who helped me against Cúchulainn5,” said Maeve, rubbing her shoulder. There was a gust of cold wind and the blazing fire struggled to stay alight. The crow flew up and disappeared. A second later, a woman walked through from the other side of the dolmen. She had long black hair, and jet black eyes. She wore a long black robe, with a full skirt and a lacy bodice.
“I certainly did help you. Cúchulainn, broke my ribs, broke my legs and blinded me in one eye. But I tricked him into curing me without him realising.”“How did you do that,” asked Conor?“By changing into an old woman so that he didn’t recognize me. I can change into anything, because I’m a shape shifter.”“Cool!” said Sean, Niamh and Conor. “I am not cool, I am quite warm by this fire,” replied Morrigan with a puzzled look. The children laughed. “We mean, that to be able to change shape is a wondrous thing,” explained Sean.“Can you show us?” pleaded Conor.“What do you want me to change into?” inquired Morrigan, smiling at him.“A dragon. Could you change into a dragon?” shouted Conor.Morrigan snapped her fingers and WHOOSH… she was a small baby, green dragon.
“Come on, let’s have some fun outside breathing fire,” said Aillén the fire-breathing gnome.“Don’t set the hillside on fire,” cautioned Tom.“Don’t worry, we are experts,” chortled Aillén.
“Come on, let’s have some fun outside breathing fire,” said Aillén the fire-breathing gnome.“Don’t set the hillside on fire,” cautioned Tom.“Don’t worry, we are experts,” chortled Aillén.
The children followed them outside. Aillén and the dragon went around the edge of the dolmen where there were more rocks than grass. The clouds and rain had gone now, and the full moon shone out bright and clear.
Les enfants les suivirent à l'extérieur. Aillén et le dragon firent le tour du dolmen où il y avait plus de roches que d'herbe. Les nuages et la pluie avaient disparu, et la pleine lune brillait intensément.
“Let us see who can make the curliest flame,” said the dragon. She bellowed and opened her mouth. Huge flames shot out and whooshed up into the moonlit sky. The flame curled and twisted, making spirals and whirls against the dark blue background. “Wow! It is like a firework show,” Niamh exclaimed, and clapped excitedly.“Come on, Aillén, show your stuff!” urged Sean.“Watch this,” said Aillén, grinning grotesquely. He breathed in deeply, threw back his head and blew fire up into the night sky too. He moved his head strangely as he blew. He wrote his name with a curly flourish. The children cheered and clapped.“Now, let’s see who can make the most interesting picture,” Aillén challenged the dragon.“You go first then,” the dragon responded.
"Voyons qui peut faire la flamme la plus curieuse", dit le dragon. Elle beugla et ouvrit la bouche. D'énormes flammes jaillirent et sifflèrent dans le ciel éclairé par la lune. La flamme s'enroulait et se tordait, faisant des spirales et des tourbillons sur le fond bleu foncé. "Wow! C'est comme un feu d'artifice », s'exclama Niamh en applaudissant avec enthousiasme. "Allez, Aillén, montre ce que tu sais faire! " insista Sean. "Regarde ça," dit Aillén avec un sourire grotesque. Il inspira profondément, rejeta la tête en arrière et souffla du feu dans le ciel nocturne. Il bougeait la tête étrangement en soufflant. D’un geste ample, il écrivit son nom. Les enfants poussèrent des cris d’encouragement et applaudirent. "Voyons maintenant qui peut faire l'image la plus intéressante", dit Aillén en défiant le dragon. " Alors on commence par toi," répondit le dragon.
Aillén blew out a big round ball of fire that seemed to hit the night air like a cannonball. It stayed in a ball shape and hung in the sky like the full moon. Next, the gnome blew out quick bursts of fire around the moon shape that exploded into star shapes.
Aillén souffla une grosse boule de feu ronde qui sembla frapper l'air de la nuit comme un boulet de canon. Elle resta en forme de boule et suspendue dans le ciel comme la pleine lune. Ensuite, le gnome souffla de rapides rafales de feu autour de la forme de la lune qui explosa en étoiles.
“Oh, how pretty!” cooed Niamh. “Can you do better than that?” Aillén taunted the dragon. The dragon didn’t reply but also breathed out a ball of fire, but a much bigger one. As it ascended into the heavens, flames shot out of the rolling ball of fire. The ball stopped and rotated. Flaming flares jetted out all around the fiery ball, like a blazing sun.“Wowee!” shouted Conor.“I think you are both equally talented,” said Sean diplomatically.
"Oh, comme c'est joli!" s’extasia Niamh. "Peux-tu faire mieux que ça?" dit Aillén en se moquant du dragon. Le dragon ne répondit pas mais expira aussi une boule de feu, mais bien plus grosse. En montant dans les cieux, des flammes jaillirent de la boule de feu qui tournait. La boule s’arrêta et fit une rotation. Des fusées enflammées jaillirent tout autour de la boule de feu, comme un soleil de plomb. " "Wowee!" cria Conor. "Je pense que vous êtes tous les deux aussi talentueux l’un que l’autre", déclara Sean avec diplomatie.
The dragon and the goblin exchanged glances and bowed to each other. The dragon blew out a big puff of smoke, and Morrigan appeared from behind the smoke.
“Let’s go back inside the dolmen,” said Aillén. They all went back to the others. “Now Niamh, what would you like me to change into?” asked Morrigan.“A cat please,” replied Niamh“What a nice polite girl,” smiled Morrigan. “Your wish is my command.” She snapped her fingers, and she was a sleek black cat. Niamh pursed her lips together and made a kissing sound, to attract the cat. The cat approached her stealthily, arched its back and rubbed up against Niamh’s legs. Niamh bent down and stroked her, and the cat began to purr.“My turn next,” Sean interrupted impatiently.Instantly, the cat turned back into Morrigan. She frowned at Sean. “Hold your horses young man.” Sean felt himself blush and he mumbled, “Sorry.”“Sooo, what did you want me to be?” Morrigan demanded.“The Ellén Trechend,” Sean said in a subdued tone. Niamh and Conor looked at each other and shrugged.“Ah, the three-headed creature that came out of the cave of Cruachan and destroyed everything in its path. A good choice.” Sean brightened up with her praise.“That might be a bad choice, if it destroys everything,” said Conor “Don’t worry,” Morrigan replied. She snapped her fingers. The earth trembled underneath them. A large three-headed vulture stood in her place, with mean looking eyes, and dangerous looking beaks. They all moved back from the creature, except Aillén. Without saying a word he hopped up onto the creature’s back. “Come on, let’s fly!” he commanded. The Ellén Trechend took a run out of the opening to the dolmen and soared up into the air with the goblin on its back. They all went out to follow the creature’s progress in the sky. Its huge wings flapped up and down in a rhythmic way. It was a strange sight to see the figure of Aillén perched on the winged beast, silhouetted against the full moon. Sean stood watching them, spellbound.
Eventually the bizarre creature landed down in front of them. Aillén jumped off and patted the creature. “That was really cool,” he chuckled, winking at the children. The creature shook its feathers and turned back into Morrigan.
They all went and sat around the fire again. The visitors from the Otherworld started telling stories and singing songs. The children sat enchanted by all they heard.
