Fionn and Goll seated in a banquet hall as their rival bands of Fianna fight. Illustration by Arthur Rackham in Irish Fairy Tales (1920).
Fianna (/ˈfiːənə/FEE-ə-nə, Irish:[ˈfʲiən̪ˠə]; singular Fian;[1] Scottish Gaelic: Fèinne[ˈfeːɲə]) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A fian was made up of freeborn young males, often from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, "who had left fosterage but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of the túath". For most of the year they lived in the wild, hunting, cattle raiding other Irish clans, training, and fighting as mercenaries. Scholars believe the fian was a rite of passage into manhood, and have linked fianna with similar young warrior bands in other early European cultures.
They are featured in a body of Irish legends known as the 'Fianna Cycle' or 'Fenian Cycle', which focuses on the adventures and heroic deeds of the fian leader Fionn mac Cumhaill and his band. In later tales, the fianna are more often depicted as household troops of the High Kings.
The Fenian Brotherhood of the 19th-century and the Fianna Éireann, an Irish nationalist youth organisation of the 20th century, are named after them.
The Fenian Cycle (/ˈfiːniən/), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle (Irish: an Fhiannaíocht) is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the...
Celeste Fianna (born Celeste Fianna Andrew-Drum on July 7, 1988) is an American actress, film & television producer, and professional real estate entrepreneur...
Cumhaill - legendary hunter-warrior and leader of the Fianna Caílte mac Rónáin - warrior of the Fianna who could run at remarkable speed and communicate with...
three largest parties each winning a share of the vote between 20% and 25%. Fianna Fáil finished with 38 seats (including one TD returned automatically as...
CLG Na Fianna (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Na Fianna) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Glasnevin, in the Northside of Dublin, Ireland...
coalition governments are common. The two historically largest parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, arose from a split in the original Sinn Féin. Fine Gael...
as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the Fianna bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer and poet...
September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of...
Taoiseach is Simon Harris, Fine Gael, who is leading a coalition government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the Green Party. He took office as Taoiseach on 9 April...
fallout of this caused many Fianna Fáil members to resign, amongst them Fianna Fáil minister Kevin Boland. Boland left Fianna Fáil and setup Aontacht Éireann...
more of a proponent of economic liberalism than its traditional rival, Fianna Fáil. Fine Gael describes itself as a "party of the progressive centre"...
the Green Party, the junior party in coalition government with Cowen's Fianna Fáil, withdrew from government on 23 January, stating that it would support...
Electoral (Amendment) Act 1995. The two largest parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, increased both their vote totals and representation, while both the...
("Cattle Raid of Cooley"). The Fianna Cycle focuses on the exploits of the mythical hero Finn and his warrior band the Fianna, including the lengthy Acallam...
Fianna Tribebook is a supplement published by White Wolf Publishing in 1994 for the horror role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Fianna Tribebook...
who presides over the Supreme Court. Ireland has a multi-party system. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, historically opposed and competing entities, which both...
seeks to provide "a comfortable alternative" to voters unhappy with the Fianna Fáil–Fine Gael–Green Party coalition, but are unwilling to vote for Sinn...
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