One of the few mortal men to be not captured, but invited to Tir Nan Og, the Land of the Young, was Oisin, son of Fionn Mac Cumhail, the greatest chieftain of the Fenian Knights, the protectors of the High Kings of Ireland.
The Fenians were out hunting one day when a lady of otherworldly beauty appeared to them. She was sweet Niamh The Golden-haired, a great and gentle Faerie queen. Impressed by the splendid warrior Oisin she invited him to Tir Nan Og. He accepted and in a blink of an eye he was on the back of her Faerie horse, riding behind her as they dashed over the waves for Niamh was a the daughter of Manannan Mac Lir, the Irish god of the sea.
Soon they were in the Land of the Young where Faerie palaces soared with their towers piercing the clouds and there were endless vistas of green fields dotted with every kind of wild flower and lush fruit trees and vegetable plants. Oisin lived blissfully with Niahm in Tir Nan Og for three hundred years as the time of Men is counted. But, time is not the same in Faerie as it is in the World of Men. And there lies the tragedy of this tale,--- for eventually Oisin longed for remembered good times with his friends, the Fenian brotherhood.
Soon they were in the Land of the Young where Faerie palaces soared with their towers piercing the clouds and there were endless vistas of green fields dotted with every kind of wild flower and lush fruit trees and vegetable plants. Oisin lived blissfully with Niahm in Tir Nan Og for three hundred years as the time of Men is counted. But, time is not the same in Faerie as it is in the World of Men. And there lies the tragedy of this tale,--- for eventually Oisin longed for remembered good times with his friends, the Fenian brotherhood.
He told Niahm that he wanted to visit the World of Men. Niahm warned him that this could be folly and could turn out very, very badly, but Oisin kept asking, asking, asking, asking. Finally, the great Faerie queen consented, and gave Oisin one of her best Faerie horses for the journey. On the morning that Oisin was to leave Niamh stood on the shore, weeping for she feared she would not see Oisin again. She sternly warned him---Never, NEVER allow your feet to light upon the ground for if you do all you are will come upon you ! Oisin gave his word that he would not and said that after a short visit he would be back in Tir Nan Og.
Quickly, the horse took Oisin to Ireland, but the land and the people seemed much changed. Finn and the Fenians had become a legend of the past. The Battle of Gabhra had been fought; St. Patrick had converted much of the Land. Even the men seemed much smaller, so much less heroic. Oisin noticed three of them trying to lift a large stone . Oisin thought,--- I could lift that with one hand! He bent down, still in the saddle, to assist the men when the girth broke. Oisin was spilled onto the ground. As soon as he touched the earth his true mortal years returned to him and he became an old, old man, blind and feeble.
He got a bowl and begged in a town square. Saint Patrick found Oisin and took pity on the once great hero. The saint took him to his house and did his best to try to convert Oisin to Christianity, describing the wonders of Heaven and saying it's beauty could be his if he would repent. But Oisin replied that he had seen the wonders of Tir Nan Og and the beauty of the Faerie queen and that was enough for him.
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