Smirommair

Overview

Smirommair means the Bath of Marrow, and Kinsella gives the name another form too, Imorach Smiromrach, the Mash of Marrow. It is in Crích Rois. A note identifies it as Smarmore, a few miles south of Ardee, which puts it a short march south of Ferdia's Ford.

It starts as a camp. Once Ferdia is dead the armies go off southward and Cúchulainn is carried away to Conaille, where he is bathed in a string of rivers. While he is washing, the armies pitch camp at Imorach Smiromrach.

The place is named for the Cethern episode. Cethern, wounded by the armies, comes to Cúchulainn to be looked at. Fingin, who is Conchobor's own healer, is sent for. Cúchulainn warns him to watch out for Cethern, who has killed fifteen other healers already. Fingin goes through Cethern's wounds and says what gave each. Cethern describes who came at him, and Cúchulainn names them: Medb of Cruachan, who came against him first; Illann, Fergus's son, who gave a light, half-hearted one; and Oil and Oichne, two of Ailill and Medb's foster-sons. Cethern then asks Fingin what he thinks of his state. Fingin says, with no lie in it, not to look to his cows now for calves. A whole horde has left its tracks in him and his life is done, one way or another. Cethern says that is only the same advice as the others gave, hits him with his fist, knocks him across the chariot's two shafts and smashes the chariot. Cúchulainn calls it a wicked blow to give an old man, and from his word for it the name Ochtur Lui in Crích Rois is taken.

The healer gives Cethern a choice: a whole year of treatment and a life to its full span, or three days and three nights to get strength enough to fight his present enemies. Cethern takes the second. The healer wants bone-marrow, so Cúchulainn takes what beasts he can find and makes a mash of marrow out of their bones. That is Smirommair. Cethern sleeps in it day and night and says when he wakes that he has no ribs left, so Cúchulainn gets him the ribs out of the chariot-frame. His wife Finn Bee comes with his weapons and he makes off to the armies with the frame bound round his belly.

Ilech arrives later. He sees the mash, and is told that it is made of Ulster cows' bones. That day he makes another beside it, a trench of marrow out of Connachtmen's bones. At nightfall Dóchae cuts off his head and takes it to Ilech's grandson Laegaire.