Gráinne and her West Cork cousins
Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne
Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne or The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne in English is one of the greatest love stories of all time. We can date this tale to c. 200AD as some of the secondary characters in the epic love triangle such as the High King Cormac Mac Art and Lugaid Mac Con are based on quasi historical figures from Irish history and we know the approximate dates when they reigned. It is a tale that touches many parts of Ireland but local lore tells us that the two lovers spent a night at Ceann Tuaite and it got us wondering, why did they head for Toe Head?
Well it turns out that Gráinne probably had some cousins locally. Mac Con the local West Cork boy who did well and eventually became High King of all-Ireland was a first cousin of Cormac Mac Art the high king during the era of the pursuit. Gráinne the heroine (or villain according to some versions of the tale) is the beautiful daughter of Cormac Mac Art.
