THE INTOXICATION OF THE ULTIONIANS BEGINS.
WHEN the sons of Miled of Spain reached Eriu, their sagacity circumvented the Tuatha De Danann, so that Eriu was left to the partition of Amergin Glunmar, son of Miled; for he was a king-poet and a king-judge. And he divided Eriu into two parts, and gave the part that was under ground to the Tuatha De Danann, and the other part to the sons of Miled, his own corporeal sept.
The Tuatha De Danann went into the hills and fairy places, so that they spoke with sidhe under ground. They left five of their number before the five provinces of Erin, to excite war, and conflict, and valour, and strife, between the sons of Miled. They left five of them before the province of Ulsd in particular. The names of these five were: Brea, son of Belgan, in Dromana-Breg; Redg Rotbél in the slopes of Magh-Itha; Tinnel, son of Boclachtna, in Sliab-Edlicon; Grici in Cruachan-Aigle; Gulban the Grey, son of Grac, in the Ben of Gulban Gort, son of Ungarbh.
They excited a quarrel amongst the sections of Ulsdh, regarding its division into three parts, when the province was at its best, to wit, during the time of Conor, son of Fachtna Fathach. They who shared the province with Conor were, his own dalta, Cuchulaind, son of Sualtam, and Fintan son of Niall Niamglonnach, from Dun-da-bend.
The partition that was made of the province was this: from the hill of Uachtar-forcha, which is called Usnech of Meath, to the middle of Traig-bhaile, was Cuchulaind's portion of the province. Conor's third, moreover, was from Traig-bhaile to Traig-Thola, in Ulster. Fintan's third was from Traig Thola to Rinn-Seimhne and Latharna.
A year was the province thus, in three divisions, until the feast of Samhain was made by Conor in Emain-Macha. The extent of the banquet was, a hundred vats of every kind of ale. Conor's officers said that all the nobles of Ulsd would not be too many to partake of the banquet, because of its excellence.
