Buile Shuibhne

Buile Shuibhne (Irish pronunciation: [ˈbˠɪlʲə ˈhɪvʲnʲə], BWILL-uh HIV-n'yuh, The Madness of Suibhne, The Madness of Sweeney, Sweeney Astray or Suibhne's Frenzy) is a medieval Irish tale about Suibhne mac Colmáin ('Suibne son of Colmán,' Anglicised as Sweeney), king of the Dál nAraidi, who was driven insane by the curse of Saint Rónán Finn. The insanity makes Suibhne leave the Battle of Mag Rath and begin a life of wandering (which earns him the nickname Suibne Geilt, "Suibhne the Madman"). He dies under the refuge of St. Moling.

The tale is sometimes seen as an instalment within a three-text cycle, continuing on from Fled Dúin na nGéd ('The Feast of Dún na nGéd') and Cath Maige Rátha ('Battle of Moira').

Suibhne's name appears as early as the ninth century in a law tract (Book of Aicill), but Buile Shuibhne did not take its current form until the twelfth century. Ó Béarra (2014) includes a detailed analysis of the language and date of the text. He contends that the text in its final form is not as old as generally presumed but should be dated to the early thirteenth century.