hero · ulster cycle

Naoise

NEE-sheh

Deirdre's lover, one of the three sons of Uisliu, killed on King Conchobar's orders after being lured back from exile.

Naoise elopes with Deirdre after she chooses him over the aging King Conchobar mac Nessa, to whom she was promised at birth under a prophecy that she would bring ruin to Ulster. He flees with her and his two brothers to Alba, living in exile for years until Conchobar sends Fergus mac Róich to guarantee their safe return. That guarantee is broken: Conchobar has Naoise and his brothers killed shortly after they land back in Ulster, an act of betrayal that drives Fergus into open rebellion against his own king. Naoise's death is the hinge the whole tragedy turns on — Deirdre never accepts Conchobar afterward, and the Longes mac nUislenn closes with her own death rather than submission to him.

Connections

ally Deirdre Deirdre chooses Naoise over her betrothal to King Conchobar and elopes with him.
enemy Conchobar mac Nessa Killed on Conchobar's orders after being lured back from exile under a broken guarantee of safe passage.
appears in Longes mac nUislenn (The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu)

The Four Cycles of Irish mythology
Cycle	Entries here	Focus
The Mythological Cycle	17	The oldest of the four cycles, telling of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the successive invasions of Ireland.
The Fenian Cycle	6	Tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his band of warriors, the Fianna, set generations after the Ulster Cycle in a world of hunting, romance, and roaming adventure.
The Ulster Cycle	12	The heroic tales of Conchobar mac Nessa's court at Emain Macha, centered on Cú Chulainn and the great cattle raid of the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
The Historical Cycle	1	Also the Cycle of the Kings — legendary and semi-legendary tales of Ireland's High Kings, treated by medieval scribes as genuine national history.

Sources

Longes mac nUislenn (The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Naoise?

Naoise is the warrior Deirdre falls in love with and flees Ulster with, one of the three "sons of Uisliu," whose deaths at King Conchobar's hands drive much of Longes mac nUislenn's tragedy.

How does Naoise die?

Conchobar lures Naoise, Deirdre, and Naoise's brothers back to Ulster with a false promise of safety guaranteed by Fergus mac Róich, then has them killed anyway once they arrive — a betrayal that permanently fractures Ulster's warrior class.

What happens to Fergus mac Róich because of Naoise's death?

Because Fergus had personally guaranteed the group's safety, Conchobar's betrayal shames and enrages him enough to defect to Connacht, where he later fights against Ulster in the Táin Bó Cúailnge.