And thus was the last of the epic fulfilled.
Then they bound up their wounds, and Brian placed himself between the
two brothers, and slowly and painfully they made their way to the
boat, and put out to sea for Ireland. And as they lay in the stupor of
faintness in the boat, one murmured to himself, "I see the Cape of Ben
Edar and the coast of Turenn, and Tara of the Kings." Then Iuchar and
Iucharba entreated Brian to lift their heads upon his breast. "Let us
but see the land of Erinn again," said they, "the hills around
Tailtin, and the dewy plain of Bregia, and the quiet waters of the
Boyne and our father's Dun thereby, and healing will come to us; or if
death come we can endure it after that." Then Brian raised them up;
and they saw that they were now near by under Ben Edar; and at the
Strand of the Bull[18] they took land. They were then conveyed to the
Dun of Turenn, and life was still in them when they were laid in their
father's hall.
[18] Cluan Tarbh, Clontarf; so called from the roaring of the
waves on the strand.
And Brian said to Turenn, "Go now, dear father, with all speed to Lugh
at Tara. Give him the cooking-spit, and tell how thou hast found us
after giving our three shouts upon the Hill of Mochaen. Then beseech
him that he yield thee the loan of the pigskin of the King of Greece,
for if it be laid upon us while the life is yet in us, we shall
recover.
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