Fir Bolg

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Fir Bolg

(fîr bŏlg, bŏl′əg)

pl.n. Mythology

A people who invaded and inhabited Ireland. They were defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danaan.

[Irish, from Old Irish : fir, plur. of fer, man; see wī-ro- in Indo-European roots + bolg, perhaps genitive plur. of bolg, bag (literally, "men of bags," perhaps from the notion that warriors "swell" with heroic valor in battle ); see bhelgh- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

References in periodicals archive ?

The other follows ancient Irish myth, which says that the Fir Bolg were the rulers of Ireland, well before the arrival of the Tuatha De Danann, the Gaelic gods.

Preliminary sketches for the reappearance of HyBrazil

Tuatha deDannan and the Fir Bolg played the earliest known game on the eve of the Battle Of Moytura 5,000 years ago.

PUCK TO THE FUTURE; Hurling club opens on site where 4,000 people were killed after match

There was the mythical Fir Bolg, the Tuatha de Dannan (people of the dawn), the Celts and many others besides, each adding their own individuality and culture.

travel: VIKING TRAIL; ANCIENT TRIBES USED THE SHANNON TO INFILTRATE THE HEART OF IRELAND. MELISSA KEARNEY FINDS TODAY'S SAILORS HAVE MORE GENTEEL THINGS ON THEIR MIND

They defeated the people before them, the Fir Bolg, and also were victorious on several occasions over the Fomorians, notably in the Battle of Moytura.