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Fios Feasa means "Knowledge of Knowledge", and is a stock phrase in the epic legends of the hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his band of followers, the Fianna.

Long before Fionn became a famous hero, he had been kidnapped as a servant by a giant. The giant stole a magic salmon from the druids, who had been feeding it on hazel nuts, the repository of wisdom, so that whoever ate the salmon would become possessed of mystical knowledge. The giant set Fionn to mind the roasting salmon, and although he warned him not to eat it, he left him in the dark about its nature.

As Fionn watched the fish on its spit, he noticed the skin bubbling up, and he pressed the blister with his thumb. Naturally, he had to stick his burned thumb in his mouth for relief, and the taste was sufficient to inform him what the fish was. He devoured it immediately, of course, and quickly won his freedom.

Through the rest of his life, whenever Fionn needed special knowledge to help him defeat his enemies and defend the people of Ireland, all he needed to do was stick his thumb in his mouth. In earlier versions of the legend, he chews it "from the skin to the meat, from the meat to the bone, from the bone to the marrow, and from the marrow to the juice" (ón gcraiceann go dtí an bhfeoil, is ón bhfeoil go dtí an gcnámh, is ón gcnámh go dtí an smior, is ón smior go dtí an smuasach); but in later versions he merely sucks on it.

We don't recommend sticking your thumb in your mouth to gain knowledge of Ireland; try sticking one of our CDs in your computer instead.