thumb|250px|Ambassadors of the Fir Bolg and Tuath Dé meeting before the Battle of Moytura, an illustration by [[Stephen Reid (artist)|Stephen Reid in T. W. Rolleston's Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race, 1911]] (; ) is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish mythology. The two texts tell of battles fought by the Tuatha Dé Danann, the first against the Fir Bolg, the second against the Fomorians.
Etymology
The Old Irish placename (; anglicised Moytura or Moytirra) is believed to mean "plain of pillars" or "plain of towers". It refers to two separate places, both in Connacht: the first near Cong, County Mayo on the border with County Galway in the territory of Conmaicne Cuile; the second by Lough Arrow in County Sligo.
The First Battle of Mag Tuired
The first text, sometimes called ("The First Battle of Mag Tuired") or ("The Battle of Mag Tuired Conga") or ("The Battle of Southern Mag Tuired"), relates how the Tuatha Dé Danann took Ireland from the Fir Bolg, who then inhabited the island. It begins with the children of Nemed, an earlier group of inhabitants of Ireland, leaving for Greece to escape their oppression by the Fomorians. A group of Nemed's descendants, the Fir Bolg, return to Ireland and conquer it, occupying it for thirty years until the coming of the Tuatha Dé Danann, another group of Nemed's descendants.
The Tuatha Dé Danann, led by their king, Nuada, come to Ireland in three hundred ships from the islands of the north. Their arrival is foreseen in a dream by the Fir Bolg king, Eochaid mac Eirc. When they land, they burn their ships. Negotiations begin between Sreng, the champion of the Fir Bolg, and Bres of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Bres demands that the Fir Bolg either give battle or cede half of Ireland to them. The Fir Bolg choose battle. After a delay to prepare weapons, they met at the Pass of Balgatan, and the battle rages for four days. Nuada encounters Sreng, and with one swing of his sword Sreng cuts off Nuada's right hand.
The Second Battle of Mag Tuired
The second text of this name, also known as ("The Last Battle of Mag Tuired"), ("The Second Battle of Mag Tuired"), and ("The Battle of Northern Mag Tuired"), tells how the Tuatha Dé Danann, having conquered Ireland, fall under the oppression of the Fomorians, and then fight a battle to free themselves from this oppression. It expands on references to the battle in Lebor Gabála Érenn and the Irish Annals, and is one of the richest sources of tales of the former Irish gods. It is found in a 16th-century manuscript, but is believed to be a composite work compiled in the 12th century from 9th century material.
Adaptations
- Pádraic Colum adapted Cath Maige Tuired into the play Moytura: A Play for Dancers, first performed during the 1963 Dublin Theatre Festival (24 September–6 October 1963).