Lir (King).

Father of Fionmala. On the death of Fingula, the mother of his daughter, he married the wicked Aoife, who, through spite, transformed the children of Lir into swans, doomed to float on the water till they heard the first mass-bell ring. Thomas Moore has versified this legend.

“Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water,

Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose,

While murmuring mournfully, Lir’s lovely daughter

Tells to the night-stars the tale of her woes.”

Irish Melodies, No. ii. 9.

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.