St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick’s day.

I have written previously on this blog about St. Patrick in a post entitled ‘The Serpent and St. Patrick’ on 9/9/10 so I won’t say too much today.

If you know any of the history concerning St. Patrick you will no doubt know that he is credited with driving the snakes from Ireland. However, did you know that the snake or rather the serpent is just a metaphor for a pagan? Serpent means Wise One in the old Arabic and St. Patrick uses the word in a symbolic sense rather than literally. He attempted to drive the ‘Serpents’ specifically the Druids from Ireland. So the celebration today is really celebrating the spread of Christianity throughout this island and the subjugation and conversion of the Druids. In some ways it is similar to the celebration of burning Guy Fawkes on bonfire night in England. Oh by the way St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish so why is he the patron saint as there are some who would argue that there are many others more deserving of the honour.

Some have suggested that St. Patrick’s day was designed to coincide with the spring equinox but I won’t get into that today. I would just like to wish all who follow this blog a truly happy day today.

Whether you are Irish in blood or heart, Christian or Pagan
we all need to celebrate on the odd occasion.
(that sounds quite poetic?).

There is a line of thought that supports the idea that pagans should not celebrate Christian festivals and vice versa . However, as most Christian festivals and Christian sites are superimposed over pagan festivals and sites I personally see nothing wrong in it as we celebrate these festivals not as religious festivals but just because as Irish people we just enjoy a good day out and as we say “a great bit of craic”.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit . Happy Saint Patrick’s day to you.

We have a statue of St. Patrick in the middle of Westport (my home town) and Westport is in the shadow of our mountain which we call The Reek locally but it is called Croagh Pádraig or Croagh Patrick meaning Patrick’s Mount. Above you can see the images.

Oweynagat. The Cave of The Cats. Part One.

Oweynagat

Located within the Rathcroghan complex, Roscommon, which is the royal site of the great kings of Connaught (Connacht) and sacred centre of the Goddess/Queen Medb (Maeve).

(Pronounced Oen-na-gat), also known as Cave of the Cats (from a legend where a Great female Warrior killed a Monster Cat that dwelled in the cave). This is believed to be the entrance to the Otherworld and home of the Morrigan, where it is believed she arose at the beginning of the wars related in the story of the Taín.

When she emerges from Oweynagat, the Morrigan is the earth spirit aspect of Medb and as the fearsome ‘War Trio’, she becomes the Morrigan or Morrigu. The name is generally taken to mean “Great Queen”. She is generally accepted as a Triple Goddess, but there are disagreements about how specifically this works. The most common ‘threesomes’ are Aná (pronounced Anya), Badb (pronounced Bave) and Macha as well as Badb, Macha and Nemain. Her triple form has also been referred to as Morrigan, Badb and Macha.

Inside the cave are two ogham stones which translate to mean ‘the pillar of Fraech son of Madb’. Here it is believed that the spirits emerge at Samhain to mingle with the human world. It is of huge mythical importance, the opening to the cave is quite small, roughly three feet high by four feet wide and this opening leads to a souterrain or underground passage. Once through the opening the cave opens up to a large space.

How it became to be called ‘The cave of the cat’s’ is unknown, no cats appear in its folklore or myth. There was a cave in Connaught (Connacht) where a cat was consulted by fortune-tellers but its location was never given in the old texts. Was this Oweynagat, who knows?

The name Oweynagat may come from the magical wildcats featured in "Bricriu's Feast" that emerge from the cave to attack the three Ulster warriors before being tamed by Cúchulainn. The name could also refer to the king of the cats, Irusan, who features in Irish fairy tales and was believed to live in a cave near Clonmacnoise but is associated with many places.

The Christian monk’s called this cave ‘The gateway to hell’ as they were supposed to believe that devils and spirits dwelt there.

It's quite possible that feral cats lived in the cave and may have attacked anyone who tried to enter. You have to bend down to get into the entrance so you would be offering your face to any angry set of teeth and claws from screaming cats so it would be easy to understand any superstitious stories that may have been told at the time.

The whole area is well worth a visit. The Heritage Centre has a detailed history of the area, a well equipped shop, and a lovely little cafe where even though they use tea-bags they still warm the pot. They also have a well designed website which you will find at www.rathcroghan.ie

The Hill of Tara.

Hill of Tara Faeries.

The ancient and sacred Hill of Tara was once where the High Kings of Ireland ruled. The place where the Druids lit the fires to announce the rebirth of the sun and the Faerie folk walked beside man at certain times of the year.

We all know what has happened at Tara, how our government has shamefully bulldozed their way through the wishes of the people and rode roughshod through one of our most important sites giving scant if any regard to the heritage of the Irish people.

John Gormley who laughingly purports to represent the Green Party took over from Dick Roache as the Environment Minister and the first thing this poor excuse for an environmentalist did when he became minister was to give the thumbs up to the M3 to go through Tara.

Do you believe in Faeries? Do you know what happens when you upset them? Fianna Fáil and the Green Party do.

Now I’m not suggesting for one minute they believe in the Faeries (although they seem to have been away with them often enough) but they have reaped what they sewed.

Since they carried out this wanton act of vandalism the economy collapsed, we have lost our independence having become a slave to the I.M.F. and both Fianna Fáil and the Green Party have been sent to the political graveyard.

We have a saying “Beware the law of the returning tide” it simply means be careful what you do for as sure as night follows day what you do will come back on you tenfold, good or bad.

Curse of Tara, curse of the Faeries, or just cursed politicians? You decide.

Coolbawn Castle. Francis Bruen. Absentee Landlord.

Coolbawn Castle. Wexford. Francis Bruen, absentee landlord.

Coolbawn Castle.

Built in the mid 1800’s by Francis Bruen who was descended from a Cromwellian soldier called James Bruen who had settled in Boyle, County Roscommon. The family were to eventually own lands and estates covering 25,000 acres. Francis Bruen commissioned the architect Frederick Darley to design the house which was to replace an earlier house that had been destroyed in an accidental fire. It was completed at great expense constructed of fine cut stone and finished in white granite from the nearby mountains. The house was covered in elaborate ornaments, pinnacles and spires. It has been described as 'a splendid mansion in the later English style and was erected by Francis Bruen (d. 1867) on the occasion of his marriage to Lady Catherine Anne Nugent (1801-64).

Coolbawn Castle has a gorgeous view of the Blackstairs Mountains. So much money was spent on its erection that it was locally known as "Bruen's Folly". Bruen was an absentee landlord, disliked by the locals and when close-by Tomanine Bridge was constructed, a discreet stone carving of Breun’s face was placed in the bridge, and its nose was then knocked off.

He spent most of his time in England and left the running of the estate to his hated agent, a man by the name of Routledge, who would pay the rent arrears of the Protestant tenants rather than let the land fall into the hands of the Catholics. If the Catholics could not pay, they would be evicted and their land was given to the Protestants. Remember this was in the 1840s and the Great Famine was looming.

Routledge also ordered fifty horses to be shod every Friday morning in preparation for a visit by Mr Bruen, but he very rarely bothered to make the journey from England (according to John Hennessy, son of the present local blacksmith).

Coolbawn was eventually inherited by Francis Bruen’s nephew, Henry Bruen who was an Irish Conservative M.P. for County Carlow and a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. In the 1911 census it is recorded that Coolbawn House was occupied only by Henry’s servants. His cook was the head of the household. Her name was Mary Sharkland, aged 43. Also recorded, Susan Warren, aged 25, parlour maid. Mary Kate Martin, aged 16, Kitchen maid and John Neill, aged 28, a domestic servant.

Bruen's descendants disposed of Coolbawn to James Richard Dier JP (b. 1857) in 1917 or 1919 and the new proprietor allegedly entered into negotiations to sell the house on for use as a sanatorium. That sale having fallen through The Irish Times subsequently recorded that 'Coolbawn, a beautiful unoccupied mansion, near Rathnure, about nine miles from Enniscorthy, owned by Mr. J.R. Weir [sic], Clonroche, was burned to the ground like many of the stately homes of Ireland, by the I.R.A. in 1923(during the civil war).

The ruins are currently owned by the Tector family, the castle ruins look magnificent set to a moonlit backdrop despite its violent end. The interior is now covered in ivy and even has a tree growing from the cantilever staircase, a case of nature reclaiming its own, but if you close your eyes it’s not hard to imagine the former beauty and grandeur of Coolbawn Castle. It survives today as one of the most impressive ruins in Ireland and is in some ways of greater architectural interest now than when it was intact.

The Firbolg.

The Firbolg were an ancient race of people that ruled Ireland before the Tuatha de Danaan and the Melesians. The origin of the name of these peoples is still subject to conjecture with 'men of spear', 'men of the bag' and 'men of boats' being suggested translations.

Legend has it that the Firbolg were enslaved by the Greeks. For three centuries their persecution continued before they eventually stole some Greek ships and set sail for Ireland. The leaders of the escape were five brothers, Slainge, Rudraige, Genann, Gann, and Sengann. The 5000-strong tribe headed to the west coast of Ireland but were soon scattered by the rough seas and had to land at different bays. They reformed at the Hill of Tara where the country was divided into 5 Provinces. These boundaries substantially survived into modern times and became four Provinces, with two of the original five being merged.

Ireland prospered under the Firbolg. They had a political structure, administration and a kingdom. They brought bronze-age technology to Ireland. They fought off persistent raids by the Fomorians, who they united with on several occasions to ward off would-be invaders. For 37 years there were 7 successive Firbolg kings who ruled over a thriving land. A new wave of invaders were on the way however, the Tuatha de Danaan.

Despite negotiations and time-stalling tactics by the Firbolg, defeat to the technically superior Tuatha de Danaan was inevitable. Despite staring defeat in the face the Firbolg petitioned the Tuatha de Danaan for once last chance of victory: a battle between equal forces.

Bravery was not enough though. The Firbolg were finally defeated at the Battle of Moytura but not before they impressed the new rulers of Ireland with their fierce courage and honour. The country was divided again with the western part of the country, Connaught Province, being assigned to the Firbolg. From this time on the power of the Firbolg waned.

They continued to live in the West of Ireland and, together with he Tuatha de Danaan and the Milesians, are regarded as one of the great Celtic tribes of Ireland.


The Firbolg - An article provided by The Information about Ireland Site.

Ireland was ruled for thirty-seven years by the Fir Bolg, and they prospered. One night, however, their king Eochaidh Mac Eirc had a dream in which he saw a great flock of birds coming from the ocean, and his poet explained to him that this was a fleet of ships carrying a thousand magical heroes. Soon such a fleet arrived, and the warriors came ashore, burned their ships, and encamped on a mountain in Connacht. The Fir Bolg sent the greatest of their own warriors, called Sreang, to parley with them, and the strangers said that they were relatives of theirs, called Tuatha Dé Danann. They had come from the northern world, and their king was Nuadhu. They proposed that Ireland should be shared by the two peoples, but the assembly of the Fir Bolg at Tara refused this. The result was a great battle fought at Maigh Tuireadh (‘the plain of the pillars’) near Cong in County Mayo. King Eochaidh of the Fir Bolg was slain, but Sreang with a sword-stroke severed the right arm of Nuadhu. The tide of battle went against the Fir Bolg, and Nuadhu agreed a treaty with Sreang which allowed the west of Ireland to the Fir Bolg, while the Tuatha Dé took the rest.

Top image:
Ancient stone cairn near Newgrange- said to be the burial place of
Eochaid, King of the Fir Bolg.

Neo-Classical/Palladian Ornamentation.

Riverine Gods.

Ten thousand years ago, before the coming of Christianity in Ireland, the rivers served a very important role in the lives of the people living along its banks. It was their source of food, and a place where their cattle and crops thrived on the nourished plains. It also acted as a barrier between opposing armies and clans. People saw the rivers as powerful objects and worshiped river gods. Often people placed weapons and ornaments of precious metal in the river as offerings to these gods.

The river gods of Ireland were replicated in Ireland's architecture by Edward Smyth, when he designed the keystone sculptures depicting the faces of the river gods, on the Customs House in Dublin, in the late 18th century.

When James Gandon was commissioned to design the Custom House, Dublin, he approached Edward Smyth a relatively unknown sculpture and asked him to design a head depicting each of the fourteen major rivers of Ireland. He designed them based on traditional classical motifs and incorporated the principal features of the counties through which they flowed into their crowns. He worked on them during the 1780s and finished them in 1786, after which Smyth was to become Gandon's principal Sculptor.

He worked on other prominent Gandon developments; including the Kings Inns, The Four Courts, Parliament House, O'Connell Bridge, The Rotunda Hospital and the great mansion at Emo, Co. Laois.

Top image is of Westport House County Mayo.

Other images are of the Custom House Dublin.

Ash- The Enchanter
February 18 – March 17

The Ash Tree - Ash people have a duality to their nature. On one side they are artistic and appear vulnerable, on the other they are quite pragmatic. They are compassionate and understanding believing in both the natural and spiritual aspects of the world surrounding them. They can make ideal spiritual healers using their natural abilities and intuition both in the practical sense and in the energy they possess.

Although at first sight they may appear frail this is an illusion as they have an inner strength and are able to adapt quickly to emotional difficulties. However, they often have trouble with the little things that happen every day and are easily influenced by others; they may suffer from a lack of confidence and feel isolated from those around them. They can be good at making money by being creative but often fail to complete projects and as children may have needed careful guidance in the use of their natural talents and the achievement of their full potential.

Ash people tend to be mystical and appear drawn to fantasy. They love the theatre and the cinema as it allows them to escape into realms of make believe. They also feel the attraction of water, either with awe or fear but it will always raise an emotional response. They will be happiest in a career that has certain flexibility such as the arts or a career that will allow them to, make use of their compassionate qualities such as medicine. They are also very charitable, caring and gentle people who can be easily hurt and yet they are able to cope with both the positive and negative aspects of life. They are kind and considerate to their friends and make great lovers and caring parents.

Sometimes you may have to forgive them their day dreaming for they are romantics who often walk with the faeries. They have an enchanting way with them, constantly renewing themselves and rarely concerning themselves with how others see them.

Animal.

The Sea Horse

An important figure in Celtic mythology, the Sea Horse often depicted significant connections with the Otherworlds, as symbolized by the fish tail. It was believed that The Sea Horse invited an individual to travel on a journey of discovery. It was also representative of confidence and grace. Many Celtic cultures regarded this creature as a baby Dragon.

The Adder

The Adder was symbolic of wisdom and spiritual energy. Snakes have long been associated with wisdom, reincarnation and cunning. Druids often carried an amulet called gloine nathair or serpent glass,