Finvarra, also known as Finn Bheara or Fionnbharr, was the King of Connaught with An Tuatha De Danann. After the Milesian invasion, Finvarra and his counterparts negotiated a truce that allowed An Tuatha to remain in Ireland but only in the underground mounds, hills
and caves. According to the legend, he lived on the hill of Knockma, near Tuam, in County Galway, with his queen Oonagh.

After the truce they moved their majestic palace beneath the hill, where they are said to exist to this day. There is a ruin on the hill marked on Ordnance Survey maps as “Finvarra’s castle”. It is mentioned in manuscripts stretching back many centuries.

Finvarra was a good King who ensured plentiful harvests and looked after his tribe. He had horses of great strength and calibre.  However, he was extremely competitive and didn’t like to lose. His fighting skills were legendary, and he was a master at chess. He also had a mischievous nature, in that if anyone interfered with the hill or his people, he would bestow misfortune upon them such as bad harvests and cows that produced poor quality milk.