The Salmon of Knowledge
This week we have been learning about about the famous Irish myth 'The Salmon of Knowledge. Long ago when Fionn Mac Cumhaill was just a young boy, he was sent to live with a wise old man called Finneigeas. Fionn wanted to become the leader of the Irish army 'Fianna' one day but before he did this, he had a lot to learn and his family thought Finneigeas would be the perfect teacher.
Finneigeas lived near the River Boyne and enjoyed fishing but there was one very special fish that he really wanted to catch - The Salmon of Knowledge. The rumour was that once you tasted this fish, you would become the wisest person in the whole of Ireland.
One day Finneigeas caught the fish and he was so happy! He asked Fionn to watch over the fish as it was cooking on a spit but while he was watching it, Fionn noticed a big red blister had appeared on the salmon's back. Fionn popped the blister with his thumb! This thumb was so hot from popping the blister that he put it into his mouth to cool it down without thinking. By accident, he had now been the first person to taste the salmon and immediately he became the wisest man in the whole of Ireland!
If you would like to read the story together at home, you can check out the link below. Here you will find an e-book of the story. You can read this together or press the play button on the left hand side and each sentence will be read out to you. Happy reading! http://www.helpmykidlearn.ie/activities/10-12/detail/salmon-of-knowledge
