Ossian Collection > Ossian, his principal poems

The history previous to the opening of the poem is the
following : — Artho, supreme king of Ireland, dying at
Temora, the royal palace of the Irish kings, was succeeded
by Cormac, his son, a minor. Cuchullin, " lord of the Isle of
Mist," one of the Hebrides, being at that time famous for his
great exploits, was, in a convention of the petty kings then
assembled, unanimously chosen guardian to the young king.
He had not managed the affairs of Cormac long, when news
was brought him that Swaran, king of Lochlin, (Scandi-
navia,) intended to invade Ireland. Cuchullin immediately
desired assistance from Fingal, king of those Caledonians
who inhabited the western coasts of Scotland. He, as well
from a principle of generosity, as from his connections with
the royal family of Ireland, resolved on an expedition into
that country ; but before his arrival the enemy had landed
in Ulster. Cuchullin in the meantime gathered his tribes
to Tura, a castle in Ulster, and dispatched scouts along the
coast, to gain the most early intelligence of the enemy.