Summary: When I was young I traveled to Cymru to live with my relations who were mainly coal and iron miners. However, Fearghus, my father, had made a friendship with a very special man there years before and it was arranged that I should be fostered to him. There I learned the harp and the histories. I came of age in the reign of Domhnaill.

Comyn: Comyn returns home at Imbolc, 2006 after many years

My father's father, Curaidh, spent his days on the sea, trading along the coasts and with the mainland as captain of his own vessel. Our family had relations in Cymru and it was told to me as a child that Curaidh was related somehow to a great king of Cymru, and went with him to unite the clans on the continent. Fearghus was too young to join the expidition, but when Curaidh returned, or rather, when what was left of him returned, for he had lost a leg and several fingers, the story was soon told to Fearghus that his father had personally slain 15 men in a single melee before he was struck down by a warrior men called Skwalos with his white handled weapon. When Curaidh was carried back to our household, everyone rejoiced. It is said that a leg of wood was fashioned for him by a craftsman and that it was made with such fine skill that it could not be told from a real leg. When Curaidh recovered he gathered a crew and put to sea to hunt for the white Skwalos.

Fearghus was born into the prosperous household of Curaidh. Trading with other clans and with the Romans when possible had always been profitable for our family. Before he came of age, Curaidh went away on his great expidition and although Fearghus knew how to handle a boat, he was not destined to be a ship's captain. In his father's absence, he was taught the business of mining by one of his father's brothers, Aillil. Aillil had made a fine living mining lead and trading it to the Romans in Cymru. (When Curaidh could venture the trip). He once confided to my father that he used only Roman slaves to actually dig the lead as he believed it to be cursed. Apparently, all of those that dug in the mines became very ill and eventually went mad. We know today that the mine was actually an entrance to the otherworld and that the madness was due to constant contact with the dead, but Aillil was not schooled in the Druidic arts and had no way to know this. When Curaidh returned, Fearghus began to sail with him to conduct trades in Cymru. It became necessary to paint the sails of the ship blue and to dress in blue clothing to avoid being espied by pirates that began to become more prevalent on the open seas at this time. As Fearghus began to establish himself, he realized he needed a wife to do about the house for him, so he took Suanach who bore him a daughter, Nieve, then two sickly boys, then my older half-brother Connall. Nieve was lucky enough to be married into the house of Bhriain before Suanach died. Fearghus aged and needed another wife, so an arrangement was reached with our Welsh relations who sent Faichad unto him. She bore him 3 daughters and a son, Comyn.

Conall mac Fearghus, was lucky enough to know our father's father and he was taught by him to be well learned in the art of war. Conall often reminded me of this fact and not always through eloquent speech alone. Conall went on many raids, he even went a-scotting in the time of ConMara! He was also taught to tinker metals and sail on the sea though never practiced either with as much persistence as he trained for battle. He was a fine man as ever there was and men sent their sons to him to be fostered from far and wide to be trained with the sling, axe and sword. As our father Fearghus aged, it became apparent that Conall would succeed him as head of the household, after all, Conall was very brave and had many fine heads. One, preserved in a gilded box and covered (usually) with a fine cloth was rumored to be that of a great warrior of Connacht whose deeds were remembered by the Bards and sung at the great assemblies (always with the addendum that Conall had slain him fairly in single combat as the climactic event) I never paid much attention to Conall's boasts unless he happened to be holding me in his soon to become legendary "death grip" and then his words would take on a sort of eerie otherworldly importance. (It was important because I felt I was getting very close to going to that other world). There was bound to be not much left in the household of Fearghus for Comyn! When Faichad died, Fearghus was still living and he promptly took another wife for fear he would not live long enough to enjoy one if he wasted much time. She was the death of him in their wedding bed.

As I, Comyn, had shown no sign of becoming a great warrior and as I had expressed only a little interest in smith-craft and even less in sailing, it seemed there was no place for me near the family mines. Besides, the lead trade had soured ever since Connall's raids and trading was now mainly between the clans along the Shannon. This proved less risky but less profitable as well. There simply wasn't much room for another man in the family trade. Under Connall's direction, I traveled to Cymru to live with my relations who were mainly coal and iron miners. However, Fearghus had made a friendship with a very special man there years before and it was arranged that I should be fostered to him. There I learned the harp and some histories. I came of age in the reign of Domhnaill and having heard no word from any of my family for 2 years, I made the trip back to the homestead only to find it a devastated ruin. I weeped and went in search of the survivors of what seemed to have been a catastophic raid on my clan.

Most of my relatives perished in the great raid as well as Domhnaill our Chieftain. Falgon, who had once been fostered to Connall was named Comhlaire at that time. I have served the Clann as Bard and studied under Echu in the Druid college to serve the Clann as Druid in the reign of Aonghus.