DEIRDRE

[Celtic] In Irish Gaelic literature, folklore, and mythology, a legendary heroine. Deirdre, who was renowned for her beauty, was brought up by Conchobar, King of Ulster, who planned to marry her. However, she fell in love with his nephew Noíse and they fled to Scotland, accompanied by his two brothers. Emissaries of the king induced them to return to Ireland, and when they did, Conchobar had the three brothers treacherously killed. Deirdre then died of grief. This story is told in the Ulster Cycle and inspired many later playwrights, poets and writers, such as William Butler Yeats, and forms the basis of J. M. Synge's play Deirdre.