Throughout Celtic legend, Dáire appears in many incarnations – Dáire Barrach, Dáire mac Sidhe Bhoilg, Dáire Doimhtheach – associated with different Celtic heroes and families. In a manuscript concerning Saint Patrick, he is described as the equivalent to the Daghdha because he is said to own a magic cauldron of rebirth. He is also represented as a great and fearless warrior who led expeditions into other parts of the world.

His son, Cú Roí, could be yet another name for Dáire himself. Cú Roí is sometimes equated with a figure known as Dáire Sírchréachtach, who appears to have been a mighty warrior with a number of foreign conquests under his belt.

Elsewhere in Irish lore, Dáire was the owner of a magical bull, Donn Cuailnge, famed for its ferocity. It seemed to have assumed many of the supernatural aspects of its master – for example, it could travel on the wind and had the strength of ten men. It was famed for its sexual prowess and was greatly revered among the early Celts. The bull itself became the chief object of the great cattle raid, (Táin Bó Cuailnge), in the Ulster Cycle of tales. In these stories, it was the property of the ancient kings of Ulster, although it has been suggested that it was a gift from the god Dáire and that it rightfully belonged to him. Dáire might also be an incarnation of Lúgh, the Celtic god of light, who became confused with several Celtic deities within the fragmented nature of Celtic religion. As well as being equated with the Daghdha, Dáire is also closely associated with the poorly defined figure of Donn. The name was probably derived from Dubh meaning black and he was the shadowy lord of the land of the dead or a lord of one of the realms of the Otherworld.

His sons are three redheaded men (red being a fatal colour) who slayed the Irish king Conaire with the words ‘We are the sons of Donn, king of the dead, at the red tower of the dead’. They are further quoted as saying ‘We ride the horses of Donn – although we are alive, we are dead’.

Again, the notion of Celtic triplism emerges in the character of Dáire. He is Dáire, Daghdha and Donn all at once. He combines the aspects of fertility and plenty with warrior skill, death and bloodshed – the red tower. As warrior, he linked the world of the supernatural with the world of human strength and courage..

See also: Spirits of Earth and Air

From Complete Guide to Celtic Mythology by Bob Curran