The Demi-Gods · Chapter
The Encounter with Eileen Ni Cooley explained
Patsy Mac Cann encounters Brien O'Brien and Eileen Ni Cooley on the road.
What happens
Patsy Mac Cann encounters Brien O'Brien and Eileen Ni Cooley on the road. After a brief confrontation, a fight breaks out between Mac Cann and O'Brien, which ends when a donkey kicks O'Brien in the head, killing him. Mac Cann buries O'Brien with a silver threepenny piece in his hand as the twilight falls.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Conflict
The rivalry between Mac Cann and O'Brien over Eileen Ni Cooley leads to violence and death.
Social Marginalization
Eileen Ni Cooley is portrayed as a woman caught between men, unable to go her own way.
Characters to notice
- Patsy Mac Cann
Confronts Brien O'Brien and fights him; buries O'Brien after his accidental death.
- Brien O'Brien
Killed by a donkey's kick during the fight with Mac Cann.
- Eileen Ni Cooley
Present during the confrontation; sought out Mac Cann to escape O'Brien.
- Mary Mac Cann
Witnesses the fight and burial, sitting rigid with shock.
- Caeltia Mac Dea
Crouches with Cuchulain, observing the events.
- Cuchulain
Laughs at the outcome and departs down the road.
Key passages
“It's the man himself, the man that stole my clothes.”
Mac Cann recognizes O'Brien as the one who took his clothes.
Mac Cann's accusation reveals a prior conflict.
“We had better bury the man.”
Mac Cann suggests they bury O'Brien's body.
Mac Cann takes responsibility for the burial.
“He should have something with himself and he taking the long journey.”
Mac Cann believes O'Brien should have money for the afterlife.
Reflects superstitious or religious beliefs about death.