DEIRDRE, in older Irish Derdriu, the heroine of the tale of the Fate of the Sons of Uisnech, one of the "three sorrowful tales" of Ireland. According to the story, she was the daughter of Feid limid, son of Dall, the king's story-teller. When the Ultonian braves were a-drinking in the house of Feidlimid, and his wife, then pregnant, was serving them, the child screamed from the womb of her mother. The druid Cathub prophesied that a girl child would be born, by name Derdriu, and great evil would come with her. The Ultonians said she should be slain, but King Concho bar interfered, and ordered her to be brought up in seclusion, and kept to be his own wife. Derdriu grew up thus; but having acci dentally come in contact with Noisi, son of Uisnech, she fell in love with him, and persuaded him and his two brethren, Ainle and Ardan, to carry her off to Alba. Here the four lived together for some time, but they were enticed back by guile by Conchobar's emissaries. The three brethren were slain, and Derdriu taken to Conchobar ; but she committed suicide to avoid falling into the king's hands. The denouement of the tale varies, however, in different versions.