Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

S O ME O T H E R WO R K S BY TH E A U T H O R .
G EOG RA PH Y FO R AU ST RAL IAN YO U T H 845 , 1 .
GEOG RAPH Y O F A U ST RAL I A AN D N E W Z E ALAN D .
B U C K LE Y T H E W I L D W H I T E M AN
, .
D I SC OV E RY O F PO RT P H I LL I P .
B U S H RAN G E RS O F V AN D I E M E N S LAN D
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E AR LY D AYS O F M E L BO U R N E .
AST RO N O M Y AN D G E O G RAP H Y FO R Y O U N G AU ST RA L I AN S .
N O TES O F A GO L D D I GG E R 85 , 1 2 .
A U ST RALI AN GO LD D I GG E RS M AG AZ I N E
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85 , 1 2 .
JO H N B AT M AN, T H E F O U N D E R O F VI C T O R I A .
W E STE RN VI CTO R I A ; G E O G RAPH Y AN D H I STO RY .
LAST O F T H E TAS MAN IAN S I ll t t d

. 6 u s ra e , 1 5 .
D AI LY L IFE O F T H E T AS MAN I AN S 111 0 1 1 0 . 111 11 11 . 1 1 .
C U R I O U S FACTS O F O L D C O LO N I AL DAY S .
LOST TAS M AN IAN RAC E .
M I K E H OW E T H E B U S H RAN G E R
. .
L I LY O F TAS MAN I A .
W EST E RN A U ST RAL IA
R ES O U RC E S O F QU E E N S LAN D .
C L I MAT E AN D H EALT H I N A U ST RALAS I A .
B R I TI S H C O LO N I ES AN D T H E I R R ES O U RC ES .
F RE N C H CO LO N I ES AN D T H E I R R ES O U RC ES .
FI RST T WE N TY Y E ARS O F AU ST RALI A .
RO MAN C E O F T H E W O O L T R AD E
E AR LY ST R U GG L ES O F A U S T RAL I AN T RAD E AN D T H E P R E S
k
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PO RT P H I LL I P S ETT L E M E N T I ll t t d
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5 us ra e , 1 5 .
ALSO
Y
P RAM D I FACTS AN D FAN C I ES .
EG Y PT I AN B E L I E F.
M O R MO N S AN D S I LVE R M I N ES .
O U R N AT I O N AL I T I ES .
O R I O N AN D S I R I U S &. c
.
I RI S H D RU I DS
AN D
O LD IRIS H R E LI GI O N S
J A M ES 13 0N W I C K , F R G S . . .
..
HON . FE LLO W O F TH E AN TH RO PO LOG I C AL I NST I TUTE ;
A UT H OR OF
L AS T O F T H E T AS M A N I A N S ,
” “M
RO A NCE 01" T HE WOOL T RA DE , E TC.
LO N D O N
GR I FF I T H , FA R RA N 8: CO .
N E WB E R Y H O U S E, 3 9 C H AR IN G C R O SS R O AD .
P R E FAC E .
I R E L AN D whe ther v ie we d from an antiquarian or a n

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ethnological point O f V iew is one o f the most interesting

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cou ntries in the world .I t is not the less an obj ect o f

attention from the fact that in its early history there are
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traces o f nearly eve ry ki nd of pagan belie f .
I t is curious that its literary treasures should have been

so lon g neglected O f late years than ks to literary and
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scienti fic societies i ncluding the new association fostered

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by Sir C Gavan D u ffy I rish M SS hav e engaged much

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thought ful investigation .
The author o f this wor k conscious of the importan ce o f

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inquiry i n to ancient faiths has collected such in formation

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upon I rish religions as a lengthened course o f general

readin g has thrown in his way since it may benefi t tho s e
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who have less leisure or O pportun ity fo r research H e is .
conten t to state v arious views presented in quotations

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from writers rather than to put forth any special con

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j e c t u re s o f his own . E xam inations o f old myths and

fol kl ore will O ften throw light upon current notions o f
nationalities .
This s ketch of the ancient I rish mind might hel p to

confirm the conviction that R eligion i n the sense o f a ,
reverence for s o m e thing be yon d the in divi du akfi ns b e e n
15 8 4 9 2
Vi P reface .
ever associated with human nature A nything however .

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apparently absurd to some of us that tends to res train vice

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and exalt virtue is not to be despised in the developmen t

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o f our race The heathen I rish had a worship fu l spirit

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A s to their morals they certainly honoured woman more

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than did the favoured Jews or accomplished Gree ks .
The D ruids forming one subj ect o f this publication are

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still an en igma to us They were doubtless neither so

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, ,
grandly wise nor so low in reputation as represented by

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tradition Their ethical lessons must have ass uredly

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prepared the way for Christian m issio n s .
H owever open to criticism in literary merit the boo k ,
clai ms some kindly consideration as coming from one ,
wh o in his seventy seventh year retains a c o n fidin g hope

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i n the march of hu man intell e ct and the growth of human

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b rotherhood .
J AM E S B O N W I C K .
j am mry I , 1 894 .
CO N T E N TS .
PRE FAC E
PAR T I .
I
I R S H D RU D S I .
WHO WE R E I
TH E D R U D S ?
W E LS H OR BR ITI S H D R U I D I S M
I R I SH D R U I D I S M
ST P ATR I C K AN D TH E D RU I D S
.
OP I N I O N S O N I R I S H D R U I D S
I R I SH B A R D S
I S LE O F M AN D R U I D I S M
FR E NC H D RU ID I SM
GE R MAN D R U I D I S M
D R U I D I C A L M AG I C
NEO D RU ID ISM
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D R U I D I C A L B E LI E F
D R U I D I C A L M YSTI C I S M
PAR T I I .
E A RL Y I
R E L I G O N S O F TH E I R I S I I .
I NTR OD U C TI O N
I R I S H SU P E R STITI O N S
I R I S H M A G I C AN D TU ATH A D E D A N AANS
I R I S H GOD S
I D O L-WO R SH IP
Con te n ts .
PAGE
SER P E NT FA I TH
SU N WO R S H I P
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F I R E WO R S H I P
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STO N E WO R S H I P
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AN I MA L WO R S H I P-
T H E S H A M R O C K AN D OTH E R SA C R E D P LA N TS
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W E LL WO R S H I P
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H O LY B E LL S
I R I S H C R OSS E S
TH E SA C R E D TA R A H I LL
R OU N D TOW E R CR E E D
OSSI AN TH E BAR D
TH E CU LD E E S O F D R U I D I C A L D A YS
TH E F U TU R E L I F E O R LA N D O F TH E W E ST
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AN C I E N T I R I S H L I TE R ATU R E
T H E L I A FA I L O R TH E S TO N E O F D E STI N Y
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I ND EX
A U TH O R I TI E S C I TE D
I RI SH DRU IDS .
H O were the D ru ids ?

Th is question has agitated the minds o f the
learned fo r a long period and v arious as w ell as contra ,
dic to ry have been the replies

, Tra dition preserv e s their
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memory as of a pious and superior race prominently ,
associated with the B ritish I sles and F rance and in a

lesser degree with B elgium H olland Germany and the
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lands o f Scan dinavia .
Much romance has been Io n attached to them We .
hear their chants i n the S tone Circles We listen to the .
heaven inspired uttera n ces o f the A rchdrui d as he stands

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on the capstone o f a cromlech in the eye of the sun , ,
su rrounded by the W hite robed throng w ith the bo w ed

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w orshippers a far We see the gol den sic kle reverently

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cutting o ff the sacred m s t1e toe We follow in im agination

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the solemn procession hea ded b y the cross bearer W e loo k

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un der the O ld o ak at the aged D rui d instructing disci les ,

p
We gaze u pon the assembly o f kings and C hie ftains be fore ,
whom the wise men debate upon some points o f legislation .
Then again we rec ognize the priests as patriots resisting

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the invaders o f their homes a n d loudly chanti n g the B attle

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Hymn . We are at the convo cati on of B re hon s in their ,
B
2 I ris /z D r uids .
deliberations on law and awestruc k wait upon the observers

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o f sun and stars o r o f the signs o f the times in the in v e s ti

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g a t io n o f terrestrial phenome n a We g o with th e m t o.t he
j udgment U pon O ffenders of an un w ritten code and w itness ,
the dread ordeal o r the fiery hu man sacrifice

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B u t o u r inquiry is What has I rish tra dition o r lit e rature

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to say to these interesting details concerning D ruids

Were the I rish D rui ds li ke those o f W hom w e read
belonging to other lands D id they spring up from among
the I rish people o r were they strangers from anoth e r and
,
distant shore ? Could they have formed a distinct c o m m u

mity li ke the tribe o f Levi intermarrying among themselves
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only ? A midst much ignorance an d even barbarism can , ,
th e D ruids have been distinguished by the learning an d
refi nement attributed to them

With our conceptions o f the ancient religions o f I reland ,
should we credit the D r u ids with the introduction o f S u n

worship Serpent reverence and the adoration o f I dols ?
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Were they on the c ontrary new comers arriving subsequen t

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to the establishment o f these various forms o f pagan ism ,
and merely know n a little be fore the rise of Christianity

i n Erin ?
WE L SH O R BR I TI SH D R U D I S M I .
D ruidism has been of late years so persistently appro

p ri at e d by the Welsh that English
,
Scotch and I rish hav e , ,
s eemed to have no part i n the property Even Stonehenge .
has b een claimed by the Welsh on the very doubt fu l ,
s tory o f the B ritons C aesar s Teuton ic B ei e

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, g being driven ,
b y R omans to Wales —
The true Welsh the Silures or
—
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b
I rians were in the land be fore the R omans appeared
e .
Gaels from I reland Cym ry from Scotland and Englan d

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B e ig e from Ge rm an B reto n s B rit on s S axons N orm an s

y , , , , ,
We ls le sm
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B rit ts /z s zlz
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or .
3
English I rish and Flemings go to ma ke up the rest We

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kno w n othi ng o f Welsh prehistoric races .
E ven allowi ng cromlechs circles and pillar stones to be , ,

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called D ruidical there are fewer of these stone remains in

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Wales than in Scotland I reland Englan d or F rance A s , , ,

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to other anti qu ities I reland is richer than Wales in all bu t

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R oman rui n s .
I t is hard u pon I reland that her D ruids sh ou ld have been

so lo n g neglected and the honours of mystic wisdom
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become the sole possession of Wales I t is true however .

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that the I rish have been less eager about thei r ancestral
glo ry i n that aspect an d have not put for w ard as the
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Welsh have done a N e o D ru idism to revive the reputation

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O f the ancient Order Bu t I reland had its D ruids and

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traditionary lore j ustifies that cou ntry i n the ac kn ow le dg

ment o f those magi or philosophers .
The Welsh have a great advantage over the I rish in the

reputed possession of a literature termed D ruidical They .
assume to know who the D ruids were and what they ,
taught by certain writin gs conveying the secret i n form

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ation The I rish do not even pretend to any such know

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ledge of their D ruids The Welsh there fore loo k down

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with pity u pon their i nsular nei ghbours and plume them ,
selves on being the sole successors of a people w ho were

under true D ruidical teaching and whose transmitted ,
records reveal those mysteries .
The revival o f the ancient faith in the organ i z ation called

—
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D ru ids of P on Up rzdzé having members in other parts O f

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Wales bu t claiming a far larger number o f adherents in

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A merica — has given more prominence to D ruidical lore

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The fact of the late simple m inded but learned A rchdruid -

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Myfyr Morganwg a poet an d a scholar a fter thirty years

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preachi n g of Christianity publicly proclaiming the creed ,
of h is he athe n fore fathe rs has naturally starfie h m am ; ,

4 ]ris /z Dru ids .
thought ful minds The writer can afii rm from personal

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knowledge of My fyr that he was no pre tender but an

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absolute believer in the ten e ts he taught it is not t here fore

surpri s ing that students of anthropology should inqu ire i nto
this revival .
Such teaching is q uite di fferent from the N ee D ru idis m -
which arose a fe w years ago and whose i maginative ,
interpretation of writings in Welsh u nder the names o f ,
Taliesin & c were endorsed by several disti nguished minis

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ters of the Christian religion N e o D rui dism was bro u ght

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for w ard at E istedd fods an d wor ks were written to show

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that Welsh D ruidism was simply the truth as recorde d i n

the biblical accou nt o f the H ebrew Patriarchs .
The Pontypridd A rchdrui d hel d quite another doctrine .
H e embraced within his fold n ot only A braham I saac a n d , ,
J acob but the promulgators O f H in dooism B ud dhism an d

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all the an cient systems o f s o called idolat ry He reco gn ize d

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his principles in them all as they s imply represente d the

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forces o f N ature u nder the guise o f personalities

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The mantle of the octogenarian leader has fallen u pon

M r O w en Morgan better kno w n as M orie n long an able
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and voluminous writer for the Press H is version o f We ls h .
D r u idism can be studied in the recently publishe d n /z t

B i i H e assumes f his D ruids the priority of
of r ta n n a . o r
learning F rom the mountains o f B ritain proc e e de d the

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l ig ht which produced the w isd o m o f E gypt B abylon Persia , , ,
I ndia Phoe n icia Judea and Greece

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They who deem this too large a dra ft upon faith fo r

acceptance will assu redly disco v er in that u niqu e w or k a
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mass o f curious facts b earin g upon ancient scienc e and be ,
constraine d to admit th at the [l iq/i t of B rita n n ia is n o t

th e product o f unreasoning Welsh enthusiasm but is amon g ,
the most candidly expressed boo ks ever printe d .
I t was D r L an i an wh o a sserted The Christian mis s ion

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g ,
IVe /s /z or Britis /t D ru idis m .
5
aries early opened schools in opposition to D ruids I t w as .
the O pin ion o f A rthur Clive that m uch D ru idism ble nded
with the Christian learning o f the seventh an d subs e quent
centu ries The same might be a ffirmed o f Welsh D ruidism
. .
A lludi ng to an astronomical M S o f the fourteenth century

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Cli v e s ays I believe that it or rather the knowledge

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w hich it contains is a D ruidic su rvival a spark trans

m it te d th rough the dar k ages
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Gom me tells us
“ that .
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D ruidism continued to exist long a fter it was o fficially

dead can be proved .
D r M oran B ishop o f Osso ry i n his I ris /t S a in ts asso

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, , ,
ciates t he Welsh Saint D avid with an I rish D ruid St . .
D avid was the son o f an I rish Christian lady H e came .
to Me n e v ia o n the Welsh promontory made a fi re on the

, ,
shore and its smo ke fi lled the land

, The B ishop then .
goes o n to say
“ The owner of the district was an I rishman named ,
B aya a pagan and a D ruid

, H e was o n e o f those success.
fu l rovers w h o years be fore had carved o ut territories for
themselves on the Welsh coast and con tinue d to hold ,
them by the sword He was filled with horror w hen he

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s aw the smo ke that arose from St D avid s fi re and cried

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out to those that were with him The enemy that has lit ,
that fi re shall possess this territory as far as the smo ke has

spread . They resolved to slay the intruders but their
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attempt was frustrated by a miracle Seeing this B aya .

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made a grant o f the desi red site and of the surrounding ,

”
cou ntry to St D avid whose monastery q uic kly arose
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Welsh patriotic z eal would recei v e a shoc k from Pro fessor

O C u rry s statement
' ’ “ I t appears then that it was from
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E rin n that the Isle o f Mona ( A nglesey) received its earliest

”
colony ; and that that colony was o f a D ruidical people .
This V ie w has been sup p orte d by other testi mony The .
Wels h Ce rrlg E dris ( Cade r I dris) has b e e n xflemi fim h

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6 I ris /z D ru ids .
with the I rish Carric k Carric k B rau da of D u n dal k li ke

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Carig B radyn o f Mona was reno w ned fo r astronom ical ,
O bserv ations .
O wen M organ in the lu g/ n of B rita n n ia has brought

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for ward authorities to support his theory that the Wels h at ,

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any rate could claim for ancestors the D ruids o f classical

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writers B ut Le fioc q declares the language o f the s o cal led

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Welsh D ruids o f the early Christian centuries is modern ;

and th at even Sharon Turner fo r the myt hological poems
dare not assign them to the sixth century nor attribute ,
”
them to Taliesin H e considers the mystery o f the
.
B ards o f B ritain co n sists o f a number o f Christian sentences ,
interpreted according to the arbitrary system o f modern

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mysticism and concludes Such are the narro w b ases o f ,
the vast pre conceived system o f our days as to the true

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religion o f the Gauls
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B ut R hys in Celtic B ri ta i n asserts that the Goi delic

Celts appear to have accepted D ruidism but there is n o ,
evidence that it ever was the religion o f a ny B rythonic

people .
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A gain “ The north west o f Wales and a great
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portion o f the south o f it had always been in the possession ,
o f a Goidelic people whose nearest kinsmen were the

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”
Goidels o f I relan d The B rython ic Celts who were
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polytheists o f the A ryan type ; the non Celtic natives -
were under the sway o f D ruidism ; and the Goi delic Celts ,
devotees o f a religion which combined polytheism with

D ruidism
” “
H e says the word Cy m ry m erely mean t
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”
fello w countrymen ; though as he adds
- The Cymry , ,
people de v eloped a literatu re o f their o w n di fferi ng fro m ,
that o f the other B ry thonic com mun ities H e ma kes .
Carlisle the centre o f their i nfluence be fore coming down

into Wales .
The assumptions o f Welsh advocates may not be very

s a t/ s fé c tor
y t o s c holars a n d all w e kn ow o f I r,
is h D ruid s
We ls /z B rit t s /t D r uidis m
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or .
7
furnishes little evidence for romantic conclusions but why

s hould tradition hold so te n aciously to the theory Ma kin g
all allo w ance for extravagance o f views and their variety , ,
it is not easy to explai n these early an d pa rticular accou n ts .
A lthough W elsh D ru idis m is represented by \Ve ls h

writers as being so di fferent from the Gaulish as pictu red ,
by F rench authors or the I rish o f I rish scholars a fe w

, ,
words may be allowed from the publication o f the e n thu

s ias t ic M orien o f Wales .
”
t is evident , sa ys he , that the D ruid believed i n the
eternit o f matter i n an atomic co also in he
w hen
W W
”
pri nciple of the D ivi ne nature pervaded both from eter
, y
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ark
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ness and S ilence pervaded illimitable space The S un is .
the son o f the Creator who is re ferred to by the D ruids

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as the higher sun o f the circle o f I n fin it ude s above the

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Zodiacal Sun Wherever the solar rites relating to the
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ancient worship had be en performed those places were ,
still regarded by the masses as sacre d

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T Morien is Had e s or E rebus and that of ,
O f t he A rchdruid he says The ,
D ivine Word incarnate such was our D ruidic H igh Priest

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especially when standi ng on the Logan stone The H oly .
Gre al was the cauldron o

D ru ids ecclesiastical year c ommenc ed at Hi gh
’
i
lg ht March ,
Godwas regarded through the s ymbol o f three letters

or rods representing the light or descent o f ra s the true
, ,
Log 3 . H u the divine Su n was the M e n w incarnate

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The grave is the matrix o f Ce d who bears the same relation ,
the Creator does to A pollo the Sun The .

8 I ris /t D ru ids .
party o f the Lin a and that o f the Logos ,
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s im ply solgg wgrs hip, o r in anot her sense pure , ,
A ccording to hi m The Christian religion is scientifically

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arranged on the most ancient framework o f B ritish

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D ruidism .
A perusal o f Morien s L ig/zt of B ri ta n n ia will give the

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reader an explicit accou nt of the mystery o f Welsh

D ruidism but fail to prove its identity with I rish D ruidism ;
,
although the connectio n o f I reland with Wales was m ost

i ntimate be fore the D an ish invasion traditional I rish saints ,
having converted to Christianity their wilder neighbou rs of

N orth and S outh Wales as they did o f those in Corn w all ,
and other places .
The D ruid according to Morien and his disti n guished

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m aster the A rchdruid My fyr Morgan w g was a more

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picturesque individual than the person figured by I rish

writers and he is strictly associated with s o called D ruidical
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circles cromlechs & c Stonehe n ge and A bury not les s

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than Mona an d Pontyprid d are claimed as the scenes o f ,
their per form ances A ll that tradition has represented

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them or poets have imagined them the D ruids were in the
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e stimation o f modern Welsh authorities .
The irs w e re the han ds fre e from v iole n c e ,

The irs we re the m ouths fre e from c alum n y,
Th e irs the le arn in g w ithout p ride ,
An d the irs t he lov e w ith ou t v e n e ry .
They were more than what Madame B lavats ky said on l y

the heirs O f the Cyclopean lore le ft to them by gen eration s
”
o f mighty hunters and magicians They were as D io doru s .
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declared Philosophers and divines whom they (Gauls ) cal l

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S aro n idae and are held in great veneratio n My fyr le ft it

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o n record That the D ruids o f B ritain were B rahmins is

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bey ond the least shado w o f a doubt .
M u c h has b e e n w ritte n ab out D ru ids dre s s t he i r ’

,
IO I ris /z D ru ids .
peculi ar mani festation came in to Wales subsequent to the

Cambrian m igration from the Western H ighlands through
Cumberland to the southern side of the Mersey and did n ot ,
originate with the Cambrian D ruids I t must not be for .
gotten that tw o d istinct races inhabit Wales ; the o n e ,
Celtic of the north ; the other I berian dark and broad

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shouldere d o f the south Some Iberians as o f Spain and

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N orth A frica retain the more ancient language ; others

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adopted another tongue Many o f the s o called A rabs in

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the Soudan are o f I berian parentage

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N o one can read M orien s most i n teresting and suggestive

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L iglzt of B ritan n ia without being struc k with the r e mark

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able parallel drawn bet w een the most ancient creeds o f

A sia and the assumed D ruidism of Wales The sup p osition .
o f that i n dustrious author is that the B ritish D rui ds were

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the originators o f the theologies or mythologies of the Old

World .
I relan d in his calculation is quite le ft out in the cold

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Yet it is in Ireland n ot in Wales that Oriental religio n s had

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their strongest influence That country and n o t Wales

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wou ld appear to have been visited by Mediterranean

traders though tradition not well substantiated ma kes
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Cornwall one of their calling places -

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I
I R S H D R U D SM I I .
Turn ing to I rish D ruidism we may discern a me i g , ,

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when reading between the lines in I rish M S S he .

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mystery is either not understood by the narrators o r is ,
purposely beclouded so as to be u nintelligi b le t o the

vulgar and remove the writers ( more or less ecclesiastics )
,
fro m the censure o f superiors in the Church Else w here i n .

,
”
the chapter u pon Gods H istory as seen in li v es o f I rish
, ,
[z e ro e s a n d fo un de rs o f tri b e s is m ade the m e diu m fo r th

,
e
[ ris k Dru i dis m . I I
co m mun ication i n some way o f esoteric intelligence I f

, , .
the D ruids o f Erin were i n any degree ass oc iated with that
assu med m ythology they come m uch nearer the w isdom
,
o f B ritish D ru ids t han is generally su pposed an d w ere not ,
the com mon j u ggle rs an d fortune tellers o f I rish authorities -

.
A s the pop u lar Pro fessor O C u rry m ay be sa fely ta ken as

’
one leading exponent o f I rish opinion upon I rish D ru ids a ,
quotatio n from h ig b l Lectures wil l indicate his vie w

“ “
a e
”
Our traditions says he o f the Scottish and I rish
, ,
D ru ids are evident ] derived from a time when Christian ity
w m w mm w ir
gg
m
I n it y is as much diminished as the power of the Kin i s
en
never existed i n fact H e is a Pharaoh or B elshazzar

.
with a troop of wizards at command ; his D ru ids are

sorcerers and rain doctors who preten d to call do w n the
-
,
storms and the snow and frighten the people w it h the

,
flutteri n g wisp and other childish charms They divined

, .
by the obse rv ation o f sneezing and omens by their dreams ,
a fter holding a bull feast or chewing raw ho rs e fie s h i n

-
,
fron t of their idols by the croa king o f their ravens an d

,
chi rping o f tame wrens or by the ceremony o f lic king the

,
ho t edge o f bronze ta ken ou t o f the rowan tree faggot -

.
W W
Th y are li ke the R e d I ndian me dicine m e n or the A nJe ,
k M I W d
ird caps
- WI wavi ng wings The chi e f or A rch D ruid .
-
o f Tara is s h o w n to us as a leaping j uggler with ear

clasps o f gol d a n d a spec kled cloa k he tosses s w o rds a nd
,
balls into the air an d li ke the bu z zing of bees o n a beauti ful

,
”
day is the motion o f each passing the other .
This perhaps the ordinary and most pros aic account of

, ,
the I rish D ruid is to be gathered from the ecclesiastical

,
annals of S t Pa tri c k The m on kis hwrite rs had as s u re h

. .
w
1 4
[ ris k D ru ids .
no high O pinion o f the D ruid o f tradition a n d doubtless , ,
n o res p ect fo r the memory o f Talies in or o t her membe rs
o f th e Cra ft .
N eve rtheless we shoul d bear in min d that the s e s a m e

,
authorities too k for granted all the stories floating abo ut

co n cerning trans formations o f men an d w omen i nto be asts
a nd birds and all relations about gods o f o ld
, .
O B e im e C ro w e has some doubt about D ruid stories an d

’
p rimitive missionaries H e fi nds in the Hym n o f.St .
Patric k the word D ru id but once mentioned and that it

is absent ali ke i n B roc a n s L ife of S t B rig it and in l ’
.
,
”
Colman s Hym n ’
Though I rish D rui dism says he
.
, ,
n ever attained to anything li ke organization still its ,
forms and practices so fa r as they attained to order were , ,
”
in the main the same as those o f Gaul .
Those hris t i n writers admitte d that the D ruids had

a literature Th author o f the L eca n . that St .
Pat ric k at one time burnt one hu md eight b ks

“ “
s
, ,
”
o f the D ru ids Such an example he said . set the , ,
converted Christians to w ork i n all pa rts until i n the , ,
e n d all the remains o f the D r u i dic S uperstition w ere utterly

,
”
destroyed Other writers mention the same fact as to
.
t his bu rn ing o f heathen M SS Ce rtainly no such docu ‘
ments had even in copies any existence in historic ti mes

, , ,
though n o one ca n deny the possibility o f such a l ite rature .
The Welsh how ever claim the po ssession o f D rui dic works
, ,
.
B u t the earliest o f these date from Christian times bear ,
i ng in their compositi o n biblical re ferences and by expert s , , ,
u p os e d to be o f any eriod bet w een the se v enth and

p p
lft h centuries V ille m arq u e d ates the earliest B reton
.
..B ards from the sixth centu ry ; other F re nc hw riters have

l th e m later .
A t the same time it m u st be allowed that early I rish ,
1115 5 wh i c hall date s i n c e Ch

, ris t ian ity c am e t o the island ,
[ris k D ru idism . I 3
contain re ferences o f a mystical character which might be ,
s tyled D ruidica l Most o f the I rish literature pro fessedly

.
,
treati ng o f historical events has be en regarded as having ,
cover t allusions to ancient superstitions the ind ivi duals ,
m enti oned bei n g o f a mythical character .
A con siderable number o f such re ferences are associated

with D ruids whatever these were thought then to be
, .
Miracles were abundant as they have been i n all periods ,
of I r ish history The D eity the angels the spirits o f the

.
, ,
air or else w here are ever at hand to work a marv el though

, ,
o ften fo r little apparent occasion A s the performances .
of S aints are precisely similar to those attributed to D rti ids ,
one is natu rally puzzled to know where one party quits

the fi eld an d the other comes on A 3 m y
: en .
A large nu mber o f these re ferences belong to the Fenian

days when the Tuatha D ruids practised their reported
,
unholy rites Thus Teige was the father of the W i fe o f the

.
,
celebrated F enian e a er I on n ac C u m ha ill or F ion n , ,
B B ao is gn e slain at A t hB rea o n t e B oyne

’
, B u t Matha , .
Mac U m o ir was a D ruid who con fronted St P ck St . .
B rigi was t e aug er 0 the D ruid D ub hthac h The .
D rui d C a ic h e r foretold that the race he love d would one
day m igrate to the West .
’
I n N in in e s Prayer it is written
We p u t t ru s t in S ain t P atrick c hie f ap os tle o f I re lan d

,
‘
H e fought hard he arte d D ru I ds

14 5 40
II
agaI n s t .
As told by T O F lan agan 1 808 King Thaddy father o f

.
’
, , ,
Ossian was a D ruid Ierne was called the I sle o f learned

“
.
,
D ru i ds Plutarch relates that Clau—

on a n is larm
dius ex lorin f—
ound
m
m
.
’
J a h oly
m m
m
o us a nd Fo chm arc ; that is , o b s erve s O
’
ms
if w e
,
l ,
u rry ,
I 4 [ris k D ru ids .
see k the e tym olo ical meaning of the words I n tellig e n ce , ,

”
Kn ow ledg e and I n qu i ry, .
The Ne m I dI an s reached I reland from S cythia but were ,
accompanied by D ruids who however were con founded , , ,
by the Fomorian D ruids A t fi rst the N e m idian s were .
victorious but the Fomorian leader brought forward his

,
most power ful spells and forced the others into exile , .
B e oth ac h N e m id s
’
grandson retired with his clan to
,
northern E urope or Scan dinavia ; where th e y made

,
,
“
themselves per fect in all the arts o f divination D ruidis m , ,
and philosophy an d returned a fter some generations to

, , ,
Erin n under the name o f the Tu atha de D anaan ”

The .
last were most formidable D ruids though overcome in ,
their turn by the D ruids o f invading M ilesians from

Spain .
There were D ruids H ills at U is ne ath Westmeath and ’

, ,
C logher o f Tyrone The D ra oitke were wise men from

.
the E ast D ub htach Mac U i Lugair A rchdruid of King

.
’
Mac N iall became a Christian convert

, The B attle o f .
Moyrat h asserted b y mon kish writers to have taken p lac e

,
in 6 3 7 decided the fate of the D ruids A n d yet the F ou r

, .
,
M as te rs relate that as early as 9 27 B C t here e x I s te d M u r

'
.
.
,
Q llav an the Ci ty of tke Lea rne d or D ruidic seminary

, , .
B ac rac h a Leinster D ruid told Conchobar King o f

'
, , ,
U lster something which 15 thus n arrated

,
There w as a
’
great convulsion What is this ? said Conchobar to his
‘
l D ruid What great evil is it that is perpetrated t his day ?

.
’
.
I t is true indeed sa id the D ruid Christ the Son of Go d

,
’
, , ,
is crucified this day by the J e ws I t was in the same n ight .
H e was b orn that you were born th at is in the 8 th o f the ,
Calends of J anu ary though the year was not the sa m e

, .
’
I t was then that Conchobar believed ; an d he w as o n e o f

the two men th at b elieved in God in Erinn be fore t he
c om in
g o f the fai th .
[r is k D ru idis nz . I5
A mon g the names of D ruids w e have in Corm a c s ’

.
,
Glos s a ry S erb daughter o f Scath a D r u id o f the C o n n aught

, ,
l , ,
m e n ; M u n n u son o f Tau lc h an the D ruid ; and D ru ie n a

, ,
D ruid prophesying bird D O Mu rri m belo n ged to Creag . . .
a Vanny hill ; A ib h
- ne or O ib hn e to Lon dond e rry We , , .
re ad o f Tro s dan Tages Cadadiu s D ader D ill Mo grut h , , , , , ,
D ub c o m ar F irc h is u s Ida Ono F athan Lo m de rg the

, , , , ,
bloody hand and B ac rac h or Lagic in us B arc he diu s A rch

, , ,
dru id to K ing N iall .
D ru idesses were not necessarily w i v es o f D rui ds but ,
females possessed o f D ruidical po w ers being O fte n young ,
and fai r .
Som e n ames o f D ruidesses have been preserve d ; as

Geal C ho s s ac hor Cossa w ki te legg e d of I n is ov e n D onegal
, ,
-
, , ,
w here her grave is still pointed out to visitors Th e re w as .
Milu c radh H ag o f the Waters reported to be still livi n g

, , ,
who turned King F ion n i nto an O ld man by w ater from

L a ke S liab h Gu llin E ithne and B a n D rao i we re famous .
sorcerers Tradition tal ks of Women s I sles o f I relan d as

.
’
,
o f Scotland w here D ruidesses ,

at certain festivals lived
‘
, ,
apart from their husbands as did a fterwards Culdee wives ,
at church orders On St M ichael on Sena I sle o f B rittany. .

,
,
and elsew here such religious la dies were kno w n Scotch

, .
witches i n their reputed powers o f trans formation were

successors o f D ruidesses .
Several ancient nun neries are conj ectured to have been

D ru idesses retreats or as being established at such hallowed
’
sites A t K ilda re the retreat o f St B rigid and her nuns

.
, .
,
having charge o f the sacred fi re there used to be be fore ,
her time a c ommunity o f I rish D ruidesses V irgins who , ,
were called from their ofli c e [ngke a w A n dag /za D a ug kte rs

, , ,
of F i re. The well k nown T u am with its n ine score nu

- ns , ,
may b e an instance si nce the word Ca ilta ek means ,
e ithe r n un or D ru ides s O n th is, H acke tt re m arks The . ,

16 [ris k D ru ids .
p robability is that they were pagan D r uidesses Dr . .
O Co n n o r n otes the Clua n P eart or sacred R etreat fo r

’
-
,
D ruidical nuns I t was decidedly d angerous fo r any one

.
to med dle with those ladies since they could raise storms , ,
cause diseases or stri ke with death B u t how came P liriy

, .
i
to say t h
'
at wives o f D ru i ds attended cer ta in re ligio s rifg

‘
p
na ked but wi th b lac kened bodies ? Enchantresses p o s
,
,
ses s ed O f evil spirits li ke as i n ancient Babylon or as in

, ,
China n ow were very unpleasant company and a source

, ,
o f unhappiness i n a fami ly .
The R e v J F Shearman declared that Lochra and Luch

. . .
adm oe l were the heads o f the D ruids College prophesyi n g

’
the coming o f the Talc e n d ( St Patric k) that the fi rst was .

,
li fted u p an d dashed against a stone by the Saint the other ,
was burnt in the ordeal o f fi re at Tara that the D ru id ,
Maut e s was he who upset t he Saint s chalice and that I da ’
and O n a were two converted D ruids .
he Synod o f D ru m ce at in 59 0 laid restriction s o n , ,
D ruids but the D rui ds were o fficially abolished a fter the

,
decisive B attle o f Moyrath 6 3 7 The bilingual i nscription

— “
.
,
o f Killeen Cormac I V V E R E D R VV I D E S or F our

, ,
True D ruids was said to re fer to D ub htac h Mac n lu gil

”
,
as o n e o f the four he havi n g been bapti z ed by Patri c k

, .
D r R ichey may be right when he says in his H is tory of

.
,
tke [ris k P e op le A ttempts have been made to describe

the civilization of the I rish in pre Christian periods by the -
,
u s e o f the n umerous heroic tales and romances which still
survive to us but the Celtic epic is not more historically

—
credible o r useful than the H ellenic the Ta in B o than ,
”
the I liad I t is probable that the readers o f the fore
.
goi n g tales or those herea fter to b e prod uced may be

, ,
o f the same O pinion N o t even the prophecy o f St. .
Patric k s advent can be exempted though the F iac c H y m n

’
,
I 8 I ris k D ru id s
.
bear cups Torques are o ften spir al B ulla are amulets O f

. .
'
lea d co v ered w ith thin gol d Circular gold plates are very .
thin and rude Pastoral sta ffs li ke pagan ones have serpen ts
.
, ,
twisted round them as seen on the Cashel pastoral sta ff, .
Pro f O Cu rry says

. Some o f o u r O ld glossarists explain
’
the name D ru id by doetus le arne d and F ili a poet as a , , ,
lover o f learning B ut Cormac Mac Cu llin an in his glossary

'
”
,
.
,
deri v es the word F ili from P i venom and L i brig h tness , , ,

’
meaning that the poet s satire w as venomous and his
, ,
praise bright or beauti fu l The D ruid in his si m ple .

,
character does not appear to ha v e been ambulatory but

, ,
stationary H e is n o t entitle d to any pri v ileges o r im

.
m u n it ie s such as the poets an d B rehons or j u dges enj oyed .
H e considers the D ruids wan d w as o f ye w and that they ’
made use of ogham w ritin g H e names Tuath D ruids as .

,
B rian Tuchar Tu c h
, arb a B odh b h Macha and Mo r R i ga n , ,
C e s arn Gn at h ac h and I n gn ath ac h among F i rb olgs U ar , ,
E ith e ar and A m e rgin as M ile s ian s ,

.
F o r an illustration o f I rish D ruidism re ference may be ,
made to the translation by H ancoc k an d O Maho n e y o f ’
the S e nckus m
, ,
Some o f the i deas developed in that

C hrist ian wor k w ere supposed traditional notions of earlier
and D ruidical times .
Thus we learn that there were eight Wi n ds : the colours

,
O f w hich were white and pu rple pale grey and green , ,
yellow and red blac k and grey spec kled and dar k the
, , ,
dar k brown and the pale F rom the east b lows the pu rple .
wind ; from the so u th the white ; from the north the , ,
blac k from the west the pale the re d and the yellow are ,
between the white wind and the purple & c The thic k ,
.
ness o f the earth is measured by the space from the earth

to the firm am e n t The seven divisions from the firm s
. .
ment to the earth are Saturn Jupiter Mercury M ars Sol , , , , ,
L un a Ve n us
, F rom th e m oon t o t h
. e s un is 244 m i les
;
[ri sk Dru idism . 19
but fro m the firm a m e n t to the ea rth 3 024 miles As the

, , .
s hell is about the egg so is the firm am e n t around the

,
earth The firm am e n t is a mighty sheet o f crystal The

. .
t welve conste llations represent the year as the sun runs ,
through one each month

“
.
We are also in formed that BEE”A m b ui w as a female .
author O f wisdom and prudence among the men o f Erin

a fter her came C o n n la Cain b hre thach chie f doctor O f Co n ,
naught H e excell ed the men o f Eri n in w is dom fo r he

.
,
w as fi lled with the grace o f the Holy Ghost he used to

conten d w ith the D ruids who said that it w as they tha t
—
,
made heaven and the earth and the sea and the sun an d
moon .This S e n ekus M ar further stated t hat when the “
j udges deviated from the t ruth o f N ature there appeared ,
blotches upon their chee ks .
I t is not surprising that D r R ichey in his S kort H is tory

—“
.
,
of t k e [ ris k P eo p le S hould ,
write A s t o w h at D ruidism
w as either in speculation or practice we have very little
, ,
—
in formation A s fa r as we can conj ecture their religion
.
,
must have consisted O f tribal divinities and local rites A s .
”
to the D ruids themselves we have no distinct in formation
“ , .
H e is not aston ished that authors ( from the reaction )

are now found to deny the existence o f D ruids a ltoge the r ”
d
.
,
H e ad mits that at the reputed time o f St Patric k the

, .
,
D ruids seem to be nothing more than the local priests or

magicians attached to the several tribal c ie fs perhaps h — ,
not better than the medicine men o f the N orth A merican - -
”
I ndians .
A s that period was prior to the earliest assu med for the
Welsh Taliesin on e is at a loss to account for the great
,
di fferen ce between the two peoples then so closely associ ,
ated in i n tercou rse .
The opinion o f the a b le O Be irne Crowe is thus e x

“
’
d A i le f th i d i h h
‘
p r e s s e - e n tro uc t on of ou r ( I ri s ) i rre r
gp a t
20 [ ris k D ru ids .
system O f D ruidism w hich must have been about the

,
second centu ry o f the Christian era the filis (B ards ) had ,
to fall into something li ke the position o f the B ritish bards .
—B u t let us examine o u r O lder compositions —pieces

which have about them intrinsic marks o f authenticity
and w e shall be astonished to s e e w hat a delic ate figure
the D ruid ma kes in them On the suppos itio n that
.
D ruidism had n o t time for development be fore the arrival

o f the Saint he accounts for the easy conversion o f I reland
,
to C hristian i ty .
I t is s ingular that Taliesin should mention the s u n as

being sent in a coracle from Cardigan B ay to A rkle or ,
A r klo w i n I re land
,
This leads Morien to n ote the solar
.
drama p er formed in the neighbourhood O f B orth Wales , ,
and A r klo w I re land , .
A rthur Clive thought it n ot improbable that I reland and ,
n o t B ritain as C a sar supposed w as the source o f Gau l ish
D rui dism
,
“ ”
A nglesey says he w o u ld be the most natu ral
.
,
,
site for the B ri t is hD rui dical College This suspicion on ce .
raised the parallel case o f St Col u m Kille occ upying I ona

, .
with his I rish mon ks and priests w hen he w ent upon his ,
”
m issionary expedition to the Picts occurs to the mi n d , .
A ssuredly I ona was a sacred place o f the D ruids and hence

, ,
the li keness o f the Cu ldees to the O lder tenants o f the I sl e .
Clive believed the civilizati o n o f I reland w as n ot du e to

the Celt but to the dar ker race be fore them I n D ruidism
“
.
,
he s aw little of a Celtic c haracter and that all of w hat ,
was noble and goo d contained in the insti t ution was in

”
some w ay derive d from S outhern and E u s karian s o urces .
May n o t the same be said o f Wales ? Th e re the true

—
,
—
Welsh t ho se o f the south and south east are certai nly -
not the light Celt but the dark I berian li ke to the dar ker
,
B retons and northern Spaniards .
M am a who wro te his Wes te rn I s lan ds in I 7O 3 tell s us

, ,
[ri sk D ru idism . 2I
that in his day eve ry great family o f the Western I slands

kept a D ru id priest whose duty it was to foretell fu ture ,
events and decide all causes civil and ecclesiastical D r

,
“ , . .
Wise says I n the B ook of D ee r we meet with Matadan

, ,
’
‘
The B rehon as a witness in a particular case The laws
, .
found i n the legal code o f the I rish people w ere adm in is

te re d by these B rehons They were hereditary j udges O f .
the tribes an d had certain lands w hic h w ere attache d to

,
the O ffice The successors O f this i mportan t class a re the

.
”
Sheri ffs o f counties .
The learned John Toland born in Londonderry I 6 7 O , , ,
wh o was a genuine patriot i n his d ay bel ieved in his ,
cou n t ry s D ruids I n the H ebrides also he found harpers

’
.
, ,
by pro fession and evidence of ancient Gree k visitants I n

, .
D ublin he observed the confidence in augury by ravens .
H e contended that w hen the A ncients spo ke o f B ritain as

D ru i dical they included I reland ; for Ptolemy kne w E rin
,
“
as L ittle B ritai n H e recognized Drui ds houses still
.
’
Stan I ng, arI d the heathen practices rema in ing in his

'
cou ntry
“I n I reland said he of the D ruids “
.
q
,
they had the ,
privilege o f w earing si x colours in their B re ac an s o r robes ,
which are the striped B race ze o f the Gauls still w orn by ,
the H ighlanders w hereas the king an d queen might have

,
in th e irs but seven lords and la dies fiv e & c H e had , ,

”
.
no doubts o f their su n worship and o f A baris the D ruid -

, ,
friend O f Pythagoras being from his o w n quarters While

, .
he thought the Gree ks borrow ed from the northern D ru ids ,
he adm itted that both may have learned fro m the O lder
E gyptians .
R hys as a wise and prudent man is n o t w illing to

, ,
abandon the D ruids because o f the absurd and most

positive announcements o f enthusiastic advocates ; since
he s ays “ I for on e am q uite p r e pare d to b eli ev e ln a
,
D rui dic residue a fter you ha v e stripped all that is med i aeval
,
a n d B ib lical from the poems o f Ta liesin The same .
with Merlin A n d others w ill echo that sentiment

.
in relation t o I rish D ruidism notw i thstanding the w ild ,
assumptions o f some w riters and the cynical u nbelie f o f ,
others A fter al l eliminations there is still a substan tial

.
,
residue .
One may learn a lesso n from the story told o f Tom

Moore When fi rst sho w n O ld I rish M S S he was much
“
. .
,
mo v ed and exclaimed These could not have been written

, ,
by fools I never kne w anything about them be fore and I

.
,
had no right to have underta ken the H istory o f I reland .
A n O ld I rish poem runs
S e v e n ye ars your right, u n de r a ags ton e in a q u agm ire , fl

W ithou t food, w ithout tas te , b ut the thirs t you e v e r tort urin g,
The law of th e j udge s yo ur le s s on , an d p raye r you r lan ua e
g g
An d if you like to re t urn
You w ill b e , for a tim e , a D ruid, p e rhap s .
Di d f li ke those O f St Kilda B o re ra Isle & c

gi i ous e s , .
, , .
,
x
have become I n more modern days Ora tories o f Christian

'
hermits They are arched conical stone structures w ith

.
, , ,
a hol e at the t op Tor smo ke Gsca pe Toland calls them

“
.
little arch d round stone buildings capable only O f hol ding

’
, , ,
b one person They w ere known as Tigktke n an D ru i d

.
h
kne aek . There is generally in many no cement The .
s o called Oratory o f St Kevin 2 3 ft by I O and 1 6 h igh

-
.
, .
,
has its door to the west The w riter was supported by .
the Guide at Gle n dalo ugh in the opinion o f the gre at ,
antiquity o f St Kevin s K ite/ze n The house at D u nd al k

.
’
.
is still a place o f pilgrimage .
The o n e at Ga lle rus Kerry has a semi circular w in dow

“
-
, , .
O f these oratories so called Wise O bserves , They w ere , ,
not Christian but were erected in connection with this

,
e arly, le t us call i t Celtic religion I f they had been

, .
[ ris k D ru idis m . 23
Chris t ia n , t h wou ld have had an altar and other Christian

ey
emble ms o f which how ever they show no trace I f they

, , , .
had been Christian they w ould have stood east and w est
, ,
an d have had —
O penings in those direction s The walls
al w ays converged as they rose I n height ”
.
I rish D ruids lived be fore the advent o f Socialism They

’
appear t o have had the adj udication o f the law but as , ,
ecclesiastics they delivered the o ffenders to the secul a r

,
arm fo r pu nishment Their holy hands w ere n ot to be

.
de file d with blood The law know n as the B rekon Law

.
, ,
then administered w as n ot socialistic I rish law w as by no

, .
means democratic an d was fo r that reason ever pre ferred

, , ,
to E nglish law by the N orman and E nglish chie ftai ns

going to I reland The O ld contests bet ween the I rish and
.
the C ro w n lay bet ween those gentlemen rulers and thei r -
nomi nal sovereign ent times the D ru ids

'
.
,
i f v ou re d t h rich at E e x pe n s e
’
r t aw
N L L . l
o f he p oor T y w ere no LSog a lIs ts

e
. .
l t
hey we re how e ire i what we 5 o u d cal l Sp iritua lis ts
'
.
'
, , ,
though that term may n ow embrace people o f varied types .
They could do no less wonder ful things than those claimed

to have been done by Mahatmas or modern Mediums They .
cou ld see ghosts if not raise them They could listen to

, .
them and tal k with them ; though unable to ta ke photos

,
O f spirits or utilize them fo r commercial intelli gence

,
I t would be interesting to know if these seers o f I re land

regarded the ghosts with an imaginative o r a scientific eye .
Cou ld they have investigated the phenome n a w ith a V ie w ,
to gai n a solutio n of the mysteries around them ? I t is as

easy to call a D ruid a deceiver as a politician a traitor a , ,
scientist a charlatan a saint a hypocrite ,

.
A s the early days o f I rish Christianity w ere by n o

means either cultured or philosophical and almost al l ou r ,
know ledge of D ruids com es fro m m e n wh o acce p te d w hat

24 [ ri s k D ru ids .
would now only e x cite our derision or pity p articularly ,
i ndulging the miraculous we are n o t li kely to kn o w to

,
what class o f modern Spiritualists w e can assign the D ru ids

O f Erin .
Our sources o f kno w ledge concerning the D ru ids are

from tr adition and records The fi rst is dim un reliable
.
, ,
and capable o f varied interpretation O f the last F roude .

,
rightly remar ks Con fused and ma rvellous stories come

dow n to us from the early periods o f what is called H istory ,
but we loo k fo r the explanation o f them in the m ind o r

—
imagination of ignorant person s The early records
O f all nations are ful l o f portents and marvels ; bu t
we n o longer believe those portents to have ta ken place
—
in actual fac t Legends gre w as nu rsery tales gro w
”
n ow
—
.
There is yet another source o f pre in formation the

servation o f ancient symbols by the C hurch and by F ree
,
ma s ons The scholar is well assured t hat both these

.
parties thus retaining the insign ia o f the past are u tterly

, ,
ignoran t o f the original meaning o r att ach a significance o f ,
their ow n invention
—
.
Judging from I rish literature m ost o f which may d ate

from the t w el fth century though a s su ming t o be the eighth
, ,
—
or even fift h the D ruids w ere li ke the Tu atha nothi n g , ,
better than spiritualistic conj u rers dealers w ith bad spiri ts , ,
an d al w ays opposing the Gospel We need be care ful o f su ch

.
reports originating as they did in the most superstitious

, , ,
era o f E urope an d reflecting the ide as o f the period I t

, .
was easy to cre dit D r uids and Tuaths with miraculou s

powers w h e n the Lives o f I rish Saints abounded with
,
narratives o f the most childish wonders and the m ost ,
needless and se nseless display o f the mi raculous T he .
destruction o f D ruids through the invocation of Heaven by

th e S ai n ts tho ugh n ominall y i n j udgment for a league
,
Culde e is m , the intrusion of pagan ideas in the early re ligious

l iterature c an be more readily comprehended A s so much .
o f O ld paganism was m ixed up in the Patristic wor ks o f
Oriental Christendom it can not surprise one that a similar

,
exhibition o f the ancient heathenism should be obser v ed i n

the West O B rie n in R ou n d Tow e rs writes
.
’
,
The Church ,
F estivals themselves in ou r Christian Calendar are but the

direct trans fers from the Tuath de D anaan R itual Th e ir .
v ery names in I rish are identically the same as those by
which they were distinguished by that earlier race

“
.
Gom me said D rui dism must be identified as a n o n

A ryan cult .
Else w here re ference is made to the Culdees They w ere .
certainly more pronounced in I reland and the part o f ,
Scotlan d contiguous to I reland than in either E nglan d o r ,
Wales .
I reland di ffers from its neighbo urs in the number o f

allusions to D ruids i n national stories Tradition is much .
stronger in I reland than i n Wales and o ften rel ates to ,
D ruids O n the other hand it di ffers from that o f its neigh

.
,
bours i n the absence o f allusi ons to Ki n g A rthur the hero ,
o f E ngland Scotland Wales and B rittany

, ,
R ome t o o
, .
, ,
was strongly represented in B ritain north and south bu t , ,
n o t in I reland .
I t is not a little remar kable that I rish D ruids shou ld

s eem ignorant ali ke o f R ound Tow ers and Stone C ircles ,
while s o much should have been w ritten and believe d c o n

cerning D ruidism as associated w ith circles and cromlechs
i n B ritain and B rittan y M odern D ruidism whether o f
.
,
Christian or heathen colour clai ms con nection with Ston e

,
henge A bury and the stones o f B rittany W hy should n ot

, ,
.
the same claim be made fo r I rish D ruids earlier and better ,
kno w n than those o f Wales ?

A s m eg ali thic re m ai ns in the shape of graves and circle s
, ,
S t P at rick
. an d tke D ru ids . 27
a fou ndall over Europe Asia and northern A frica why , , ,
e D ru ids without association with these from Japan ,
to G ibraltar and confi ned to the monuments o f B ritain ?

,
Why also i n Ossian are the S ton es of P ow e r re ferred to

, , ,
the N o rs e m e n only ?
I n the I rish Epic Tke Ca rrying of of tke B ull of ,
Cu dlng e the D ruid Cat h

, b ad is given a certain honourable
precedence be fore the sovereign That the D ruids e x e r .
c is e d the healing art is certain J uba inville re fers to a .
M S i n the L ibrary o f St Gall dating from the end o f the

. .
,
fou rteen th century which has on the bac k o f it some

,
incantations written by I rish seers o f the eighth or n inth

century I n one o f them are these words
. I admire the
remedy w hich D ian Ce c ht le ft -
.
Though a mysterious halo hangs about the I rish D ruids ,
though they may have been long a fter the Serpent w o r -
shippers and even later than the R ound Tower bui lders
, ,
tradition confidently asserts their existence in the I sland ,
but doubtless credits them with po wers beyond those ever

, ,
exercised The love for a romantic Past is n ot ho w ever

.
, ,
con fi ned to I reland and a lively imagination w ill o ften

,
close the ear to reason in a cultured and philosophical age .
ST . PA T R I C K A N D TH E D R U D S I .
Le t us see what the biographers o f St Patr ic k have .

‘
to relate about the D ruids .
A wor k publ ished at St Omer in 16 2 5 b y John Heigham .

, , ,
has this story One day as the Saint sayd masse in the
sayd church a sacrilegious m agit ian the child o f perdition
, , ,
stood without and w ith a rodd put in at the w in do w cast

, ,
down the chalice and shed the holy sacrament but God
, ,
w itho u t delay severely p un is he d s o Wicke d a s acrile ge fe r ,

the earth O pening his mouth a fter a most stran ge man ner ,
”
devoured the m agit ia n who descended alive do w ne to hell
“
.
,
A gain — A certain m agit ia n that was in high favor

with the King and w ho m e the King honoured as a god
, ,
O pposed himsel f against S Patric ke even in the same kin d

.
,
that Simon Mag us resisted the apostle S Peter the miser .
able wretch being ele v ated in the ayre by the m in is te ry o f

D evils the K ing and the people loo ked a fter him as i f he
,
were to scale the heavens but the glorious Saint w ith th e

, ,
force o f his fervent prayers cast him do w ne unto the ground

, ,
where dashi n g his head against a hard flint he ré dre d u p ,
”
his w ic ked soule as a pray to the in fe rn n all F ie n de s .
The Trip arti te Li fe o f St Patric k relates .Lae ghaire

Mac N e ill possessed D ruids and enchanters w ho used to ,
foretell thro ugh their D rui dism and through their pagan
”
is m w hat w as i n the future for them Comi n g to a
“
.
certain to w n the Saint according to history

, ,
fou n d ,
D ru ids at that place who denied the V irginity o f M ary .
Patric k blessed the ground and it s wallo w ed u p the ,
D ruids .
The boo k o f 1 6 2 5 is the authority fo r another story

Tw o m agit ia n s w ith thei r m agic a ll charmes overcast all
the re gion w ith a horrible dar kness fo r the sp ace o f three
’
dayes hoping by that meanes to debar his ( Patric k s )
,
”
e n t e ra n c e into the country A gain N ine m agit ia n s
.
c Os p ire d the Saint s deat h and to have the more free

’
,
ac ce s s e to hi m they counter feited t h

,
é s e lv e s to be mon ks ,
putting o n religious w ee ds ; the S aint by divine in form a ,
tion knew the to be wolves w rap e d in sheeps C loat hin g ;

,
makin g there fore the signe o f the cros s e against the

, ,
childre o f Satan b e hou ld fi re descended from H eaven an d

,
consu med them all n ine H e is also reported to have

.
caused the death o f idolaters at Tara .
S t P a tri c k c on te n ded wi th the D ruids b e fore K in g

.
S t P atrick
. an d tke D ru ids . 29
Lae gha ire Tara One Loc hra h ardened the K ing s
at , ,
’
hEai t against the pre aching so the Saint prayed that he

‘ ’
m ight be l ifted out and die even as St Peter had obtained , .
the death o f Simon Magus I n an instant Loc hra w as .
”
raise d u p i n the air and died falling on a stone This
, , .
Lo c hra h ad; i t is said previously foretold the Saint s ’
visit
A Tailc e n n ( b aldhe ad) he ragin g s e a
w ill c om e ov e r t ,
W ithhi s p e rforate d garm e n ts , his c rook he ade d s taff -

,
W ithhis table (altar) at t he e as t e n d of his hous e ,
An d all the p e op le w ill an s w e r Am e n Am e n
The authoress O f I rela n d tke Ur of tke Cka lde es v entured , ,
to w rite When the A postle o f I relan d w ent th e re t he ,
S he
”
people believed him fo r he taught no n e w doc t rine
,
.
thought D rui dism n ot very u nli ke Ch ri s tianity Dr . .
O D o n ovan u pon the F ou r M as te rs ob s erves N ot hi n g is

’
, ,
cleare r than that Patric k engra fte d Christi a nity o n the

pagan superstitions w ith so much s kil l t hat he w o n the
people over to the Christian religion be fore they un de r s too d
the exact di fference bet w e e n the t wo systems o f b e l ie fs ;
an d much of this ha lf p aga n hal f C hristian re lig io n w ill be ,
fou n d n ot only in the I rish s tories o f the M i ddle A ges

, ,
but in the superstitions o f the peasantry o f t he pre s ent

”
day Todd sees that w orl dly w i s dom in de dicati n g to a
.
”
Saint the pillar stone o r sacred fountain
-
,
.
It is not nece s s ary to discuss the ques tion a s to the

individual Sai n t himsel f around w hich so much co n troversy
,
has raged They w ho read theology b et w een t he l in e s o f

.
O ld I rish histo ry may be induced to doubt w het her such a

person ever existed or if he w ere but a D ru id himsel f such
, ,
being the O bscurity o f O ld literatu re .
St B ridget s early career w as associated with the D ruids

.
’
.
A m iracle she wrought in the prod u ction o f bu tter cau s e d

her D ruidical m as te r to b e c o m e a Christian .
3 0 I ris k D ru ids .
C olgan contended that St Patric k by .

,
“
continually
warring w ith D ruids exposed his bo dy to a thousan d
,
”
kin ds o f deaths I n Tke Gu a rds m a n s Cry of S t P a tric ’
“
. .
,
”
w hich declares Patric made this hymn we are in ,
formed that it w as against i ncantations o f false prophets ,
against blac k la w s o f he re tic ian s against surroun dings o f ,
idolism against spells o f w omen an d O f smiths and o f

, , ,
”
D ruids .
The A n n als of tke K ing dom of I rela n d by tke F ou r

M as te rs mentions a nu mber o f stories relative to Irish
D ruids then be lieved to have once ruled E rin
, St Patric k . .
was a youth ful slave t o M ilc ho a D ruidical priest Gra d , .
well s S u cca t there fore says

’
,
H e must O ften h ave
, ,
practised heathenish rites i n the presence o f his househol d ,

”
and thus excited the horror o f his Christian slave .
S coto I ris k D ru ids

-
.
St Columba the Culdee w as much the same as S t

.
, , .
Patric k in his mission w or k and his contests with D ruids

, .
H e changed w ater into w ine stilled a storm purified wells, , ,
brought do w n rain changed winds drove the devil out o f a

, ,
m il k pail and raised the dead to li fe A ll that tra dition

-
, .
ac kno w ledged as miraculous in the D ruids was attributed

equal ly to Colu mba as to Patric k .
Adam n an o f Iona tells some strange stories o f his master .
One tale concerns B rochan the D ruid On a certai n .
day B rochan while conversing with the Saint said to hi m

, , , ,
’
Tell me Columba w hen do you propose to set sail ?
, , To
which the Saint replied I intend to begin my voyage,
‘
a fter three days if God permits me and preserves my li fe

, , .
’
B rochan then said You will n o t be able for I will ma ke

, ,
the winds u n favourable to you r voyage an d I will create ,
re a t da rkn e s s o ve r th The w in d rose an d the

’
a
g e sea ,
Op in ions on I ris k Dru ids .
3 I
dar kness came Bu t the Saint put o ff an

.
,
“
d the vessel ran
agai nst the wind with extraordina ry speed to the w onder ,
”
o f the large crowd .
The Saint wanted the D ruid to release an I rish female

captive which he declined to do B u t says A da m n an
“
.
, , ,
an angel sen t from heaven stri king him severely has

, ,
bro ken in pieces the glass cup w hich he held in his hand ,
and from which he was in the act o f drin king and he ,

”
himsel f is le ft hal f dead Then he consented to free the
.
I rish girl and Columba cured him O f the wound

, .
O PI N I O N S O N I R I SH D RUI DS .
Le floc q wrote his Etudes de My tkolog ie Celtiq ue in 1 8 6 9 ,
observing Some represented the D ru ids as the successors

,
o f the H ebrew patriarchs the masters o f Gree k philosophy

, ,
the forerunners o f Christian teaching They have cre dited .
them w ith the honours of a religious system founded upon

pri mitive monotheism and crow ned by a spirituali s m more
,
”
elevated than that of Plato and St A ugustine One might
. .
perceive l ittl e o f this in I rish tales li ke the preceding , .
Le flo c q is j ustified in adding One will be at first

,
c on founded by the extreme d isproportion which exists

bet w een the rare documents le ft by the past and the large ,
”
developments presented by modern historians .
Pliny spea ks thus o f the D ruids A man would thin k the ,
Persians learned all their magic from them and Pom p on ius
Mela afli rm e d They pro fess to have great know ledge
‘
,
”
o f the motions o f the heavens and the st ars Others w rite .
i n the same strain Who then were the D ru ids of Greeks

.
, ,
and R omans ? Why did C ae sar recogni z e such as livin g i n

Gaul ? W h y did Jam b lic hu s ma ke Pythagoras a disciple
o f Gau lis h p rie s ts Why did St Cle me nt say the D rw
. xds
3 2 I ris k D ru ids .
had a relig ion o f philosophy ; and St Cyril that they held .

,
but one Go d ? Why should Origen li ke the foe o f early ,
Christianity Celsus believe that the D r uids o f Gau l had

, ,
the s ame doctri nes as the Je w s ?

H im e riu s spea ks o f A baris the sage from Scythia but , , ,
well acquainted with Gree k w ith this description A baris

,
came to A thens holding a b ow having a quiver hanging

, ,
from his S houlders his body w rap t u p in a plai d and

, ,
wearing trousers reaching from the soles o f his fe et t o his

”
waist . Cicero kne w D iv it ia c us who pro fessed the kno w ,
ledge o f N ature s secrets though regar ded as a Hyperborean

’
, .
Could these have been the Scyth ians from Tartary the ,
descenda nts o f the w ise men w ho gave their religion and

the arro w headed letters to Assyrian Semitic conquerors
- -
,
who had come dow n as Turanian roamers to the Plains o f

B abylon and w hose C h
, aldw a n faith spread even t o E gypt
and E urope
—
It w ould seem more p obable w ith respect ful consider
r
ation o f the learned Morien w ho ma ke s Wales the teacher ,
o f the w orld — that w isdom sho uld emanate from a people

cult ured lo n g be fore A brahamic days though subsequently ,
regarded as rude shepherd Scythians than proceed from a ,
western land preservi n g n o monuments o f lear n ing .
Then the dress the sta ff the egg and other thi ngs
, , , ,
associated w ith D ruids had their cou n terpart in the E ast

, ,
from perhaps five thousand years be fore our Christian era

, , .
A s to s o called D ruidical mo n uments n o argumen t can

-
,
be drawn thence as t o the primary seat o f this mysticism

, ,
since they are to be seen nearly all over the w orld .
A n instance o f the absurd ideas prevalent among the

ancients respecting D ruids is gi v en i n D ion Chrysostom
Fo r without the D ruids the Kings may neit h
, er do n or
,
consult anything ; so that in reality they are the D ru ids

who re ig n wh ile th
, e K ings thou gh they sit o n g olde n ,
34, [ ris k D ru i ds .
The mystical but accomplished Massey tell u s

, n , ,
“
A
I rish name for D ruidism is M a itkis and that inclu des the ,
E gyptian dual Thoth called M ati which applied to ti me is , , ,
th e Terin or two Times at the base of all rec koning

l i kely that the D rui dic name is a modi fied form o f Tru
”
H ut . I n Egypt Te ra t sign ifies the two times a n d be fore ,
so the D ruidic s cience included the knowledge o f the ti mes

be forehand the com in g times ,
.
Toland o n e o f the earliest and most philosophical

,
I rish writers on this subj ect thus spo ke o f them in his ,
H is tory of tke D ru id wh o w ere so prevalen t in I relan d ,
that to th is hour their ordinary word fo r magician i s

.
D ru id ( D rai ) the art magic is called D ru idity ( D r u i d

,
he ac ht ) an d the w and w hich w as o n e of the ba dges o f the

, ,
pro fessio n the rod o f D ruidis m ( S lat n an D ru idhe ac ht )

, .
W in de le in Kil kenny records expressed this v ie w

, ,
D ruidism was an art fully contrived system o f elaborate

fraud and imposture To them was entrusted the charge
.
o f religion j urisprudence and medicine T hey certai n ly

, , .
well studied the boo k o f N ature were acquainted with the ,
marvels o f natural magic the proportions o f plan ts a n d ,
herbs and what of astronomy was then known they m ay

,
even have been s killed in mesmerism an d biology He .
thought that to the D ruid exclusively were kno w n all the

occult virtues o f the whole m a te ria nzedica an d t o him ,
belonged the care fully elaborated m achinery O f oracles ,
omens auguries a eromancy fascinations exorcisms dream

, , , ,
interpretations and V isions astrology palmistry & C , , ,

.
A s this may demand to o m uch from o u r faith w e m ay ,
remember as Canon Bour ke says that the youth o f these

, ,
coun tries have been taught to regard the Pagan D ruids as

educated savages whereas they had the same opportun ity
,
o f acquiring know ledge and had really possessed as much,
a s th
”
e P a an s of the Pelopon nesus We should further
g .
Op in ion s on [ ris k Dru ids .
35
bear in mind the assurance o f the I rish historian O Cu rry

'
“
that there are vast nu mbers o f allusions to the D rui ds
, ,
and O f specifi c instances o f the exercise o f their vocation

,
l
be it m agical religious philosophica or educational to be
,
— ,
found in ou r O ld M SS
”
.
Has not m uch misapprehension been caused by authors ,
concl udin g that all varieties o f re li gion in I reland pro

c e e de d fro m a c lass o f men w h o w hile popularly called ,
D ruids m ay n o t have been connected w ith them

,
? We
kno w very far more about these varietie s o f faith in I re land ,
be fore Christianity than we do about any d e scription o f

,
re ligion i n Wales ; and yet the D rui dism o f o n e country

is reported as so difle re n t from that in the other im m e di
'
ately con tiguous Such are the difli c u lt ie s meeting the

.
student o f H istory .
The I rish D ruidical religio n li ke that o f B ritain a n d ,
Gaul has gi ven rise to much discussion whether it bega n

, , ,
as some say when Sueton ius drove D ruids from Wales o r

, ,
began in I reland be fore known in either B ritain o r Gaul ,
direct from the East

“
.
The D ruidical religion says Kenealy in the B ook of

“
God prevailed not only in B ritai n but li ke w ise all o v er
,
the E ast ” “
Pictet writ e s There existed very anciently in
.
,
,
I reland a particular worship w hich by the nature o f its ,
d octrines by the character o f its symbols by the names

, ,
e ven o f its gods lies near to that religion o f the C ab irs o f

,
”
S am othrace emanated probably from Ph oe n icia M rs
“
.
,
.
Sop hie B ryant thin ks th at to understan d the I rish n o n

Christian tradition and worship we s hould understan d the ,
corresponding tradition and worship and their history fo r , ,

”
all the peoples that issued from the same A ryan home
“
.
Ledwich is content with saying that the D rui ds p os ,
S essed no intern al or external doctrine either veile d by ,
s y m b ol s or c louded in e n igm as or any re ligiou s t en et s

, ,
3 6 [ ris k Dru ids .
but the charlatanerie o f barbarian priests and the grossest

”
Ge n tile superstition
“
.
’
t ile Pro fessor O Cu rry had no ground w hatever for
believi n g the D ruids to have been the priests o f any
special positive worship — and V alle n ce y could say F rom
,
”
,
all I could collect from I rish documents relative to the ,
religion o f the heathen I rish it appears that the D ruidical ,
religion never made a part of it —popular opinion has ,
always been in the other di rection Yet V alle n c e y wou ld .
cre dit D ruids with some religio n w hen he mentio n s the ,
D ruidical oracular stone — in I rish L og k oun in C ornish ,

-
,
L og a n into which the D ru ids pretend that the Log k or

, ,
”
divine a ffluence descended w hen they consulted it
, .
D r R ichey depreciates the D ruid when writing o f the

“ ,
.
early I rish missionaries : They d id not encounter an y

A rchdruid as the repre sentative or head o f a nation al
—
religion they found no priesthood occupyi n g a defi n ite
,
political position which the min isters o f the new religion

”
could appropriate The Welsh A rchd ru id My fyr too k
“
.
higher ground when sayi n g This Gorsedd has su rvived

—
, ,
the bardic chairs o Greece and R ome it has survived

f
the i nstitutions o f Egypt Chaldwa and Palestine ”
He
“ , , .
declare d D ruidism is a re ligious system o f positive

,
”
phi losophy teaching truth and reason peace and justice
, , .
H e believed o f D ruids what Bu rn ou f thought o f the

H indoo R ishis that their metaphysics and religion were
,
“
”
fou nded on a thorough grasp o f physical facts .
M orien his favourite disciple boldly avows that D ruid

, ,
i sm li ke F reemason ry was a philosophy founded on

, , ,
natural law and not religion i n the ordinary sense o f that

.
,
term So L Maclean regarded O ss ian s heroes fo r the

.
“ ’
greater part cabalistic and indicative o f the solar worshi p , .
Phio u ( F inga l) bespea ks the Ph oe nician Cual the Syrian ,
or D o
g s ta r w o -
rs hipp er o f which C on c hu la in with his
,
[ris k Ba rds .
37
crie s or b e lt is b u t a variation I n S mith s D ict ion a ry ’

.
of tk e B ible the religion

,
o f the P hce n ic ia n s is described
in the way M orien has done that O f the D ruids a
person ifi cation o f the forces o f nature which in its more , ,
philosophical shadowing forth o f the Supreme powers may ,
be said to have represented the male and female principles

”
o f production .
— —
The S abbath a Babylonian word was it is sa id kept , ,
on the I st 8 th 1 sth 22 n d 29t ho f mon ths as with the Magi

, , , , ,
o f the E a s t Philo says all nations o f antiquity kept the

.
s e ven th day holy Porphyry mentions the same thing o f

.
the heathen Pro fessor Sayce fi nds it w as a day o f rest

.
w ith ancient A ssyrians as D r Schmidt o f temple pagan , .
worship . Eusebius asserted that al most all philosophers

ac kno w ledged it The R oman Pon tifls regulated t he
'
Sabb ath and R oman school boys had then a holiday The
,
-
.
Persian word S ka be t is clearly of A ssyrian origin The .
authoress o f M az z a rotk says The Assyrians B abylonians , , ,
E gyptians Chinese and the natives o f I ndia were ac

, ,
u a i n t e d with the seven da ys division o f time as w ere t h

q e ,
D ru ids . The sun moon and five planets were the

, ,
guardians o f the days .
I RI S H B AR D S .
The B AR D S proper occupied a high position in I re land .
The Ollamhs had colleges at Clogher A rmagh Lismore , , ,
and Tamar O n this Wal ker s H i storical M e m oi rs 1 7 8 6

.
,
’
, ,
Obse rves that all the eminent schools delectably situate d , ,
which were established by the Christian clergy i n the fi fth

cen tury were erected on the ruins o f those colleges They
, .
stud ied fo r twelve years to gain the ba rre d cap and title
O f Olla m h or teacher They were Ollam ka in R e da n or
.
-
,
Filidke p oe ts
,
They ac te d as he ralds kn owin g th
. e ge n e ,
3 8 [ ris k D ru ids .
alogy o f thei r chie fs With white robe harp i n ha n d t hey

.
, ,
encouraged warriors i n battle Their po w er o f satire was .
dreaded an d their praise desired , .
There is a story o f the A rd Ollamh o r A rchdruid sen d , ,
ing to Italy a fter a boo k o f s kins containing various chosen ,
compositions as the Cu ilnzeu n SI C A s heralds they were

, , .
called S ea n a ckies A s B ards they sa n g in a hu n dred dif

.
fe re n t kin ds o f verse O n e Ollamh F O dhla was the Solon

.
o f I reland ; A m e rgin the singer lived 500 B C ; Torn a , ,

. .
E ge as was last o f the pagan bards

,
Long a fter they w ere .
,
patriots of the tribes

W ithun c outhharp s ,
in m an y
-c olou r
d v e s t ,
’
The ir m atte d hair w ithb o ugh

’ ”
s fan t as t ic c ro w n d .
The S ta tu tes of K i lke n ny ( E dward I I I ) made it penal to .
entertai n any I rish Bard but Munster B ards continued to

hold their ann ual Sessions to the early part of last centu ry .
Carolan the old blind harper called last o f the B ards died
, , ,
in 1 7 3 8 .
B ards sang in the H all o f Shells : shells being then the

cups . There were here ditary bards as the O S hie ls the ,
’
O Can v an s & c paid to sing the deeds o f family heroes

’
,
.
, .
A lament for D allan ran
A fin e hos t an d b rav e w as he ,
m as te r of an d Gov e rn or,
U lla U llalu
W e thric e fi fty B ards
, ,
we c on fe s s e d him chie f in s on g an d w ar
U lla U llal u
I n the far famed Trin ity College Library is I ke D ia log ue

-
of tk e T w o S ag e s in the I rish F enian

, dialect giving t he ,
qualifications o f a true O llamh A mong the famous bards

“
.
were Lu ghar acute poet D ru id o f Me idhb h O lioll K ing

, , , ,
o f M u nster ; Oisin s o n o f Cormac K ing o f Tara n o w

, , ,
n e arl u n i n telligible to I rish readers F ergus fin b e l o f the

y
a n”; O is in th e Fe n ian s in ge r Larghaire whose
, ,
[ris k Ba rds .
39
poem to the su n was famous ; Lu ghaidh w hose poem o f ,
the death o f his wi fe Fai l is o f great antiquity ; Adhn a ,
once chie f poet o f I reland Co rothruadh P ingin 8 C , ,

1
.
Fergu s Fin b h e o il f a i r lip s was a F en ian B ard

, , .
I re la n d s M i rror 1 804 spea ks o f H e ne s s e y a living seer

’
, , , ,
as the Orpheus o f his coun try A m e rgin brother O f H e ber .

, ,
was the earliest o f M ilesian poets Sir Philip Sydney .
praised the I rish Bards three centuries ago O n e in . ,
Mun ster stopped by his po w er the corn s growth and the

’
satire o f another caused a shortness o f li fe Such rhymes .
were n o t to be patronized by the Anglo N ormans in the -

,
Statute o f 1 3 67 One B ard directed his harp a shell o f

.
,
’
w ine and his ancestor s shield to be buried with him
, In .
rhapso dy some would see the i mages o f coming events pass

,
be fore t hem an d so declare them in song H e w as surely

, .
use fu l w ho rhymed susceptible rats to death .
The I rish war odes were called R osg ca tka the Eye o f -
,
B attle Was it for such songs that I rish D anes were cruel
.
-
to B ards ? O R e illy had a chronological account o f 4 00

’
I rish w riters A s F roude truly remar ks

. Each celebrated ,
minstrel sang his stories in his own way adding to them , ,
”
shap ing them colouring them as suited his peculiar gen i us
, ,
.
It was H eeren who said o f the early Gree k bards The ,
”
gi ft o f song came to them from the gods V ille m arq ue .
held that I rish Bards were really the historians o f the
“
race .
Wal ker s [ris k B a rds a ffirms that the Order o f the

’
B ards continued fo r many succeeding ages invariably the

same ”
. E ven B uchanan fou nd “ m any o f their ancien t
customs yet remain yea there is almost nothing changed ,
O f them in I reland b u t only ceremonies and rites o f reli

,
gion .
”
B orlase wrote The last place we read o f them i n
,
”
the B ritish dominions is I reland B lair added . ,
a tf er the O rd e r of th e D r u ds was e xtinc t an d

i
,
th e n ann n ai
religion changed the B ards contin u ed to flou rish exercising

, ,
the s ame functions as of O ld in I reland B u t Wal ker .

”
claimed the F i ng a lia ns as originally I rish Sir I F erguson . .

,
in his Lays of tke Wes te rn Gael says The exaction s o f , ,
the B ards were so intolerable that the early I rish more

”
than once endeavoured to rid themselves o f the O r der .
Their arroga n ce had procu red their occasional ban ishmen t .
H iggins in Celtic D ru i ds had no exalted O pinion O f them

, , ,
sayi n g The I rish histories have been most o f them fi lled

,
with lies and nonsense by their bards A ssu re dly a great .
proportion o f their wor ks were destroyed by the priests as ,
they had been in England Germany F rance & c , , , .
The harp according to Bede was com mon i n the seventh

, ,
century St Columb a played upon the harp Me ago r

“
. . .
says o f the first J ames o f Scotlan d On the harp he e x ,
celled the I rish or the H ighland Scots w ho are esteemed ,
”
the best per formers o n that instru m en t I reland was the .
school o f music for Welsh and Scotch I rish harpers were .
the most celebrated up to the last century Led w ich thought .
the harp came in from Saxons and D anes The B riton s .

,
some say had it from the R om ans The o ld German harp

, .
had eightee n strings ; the O ld I rish t w enty eight ; the modern ,

-
I rish thirty three H en ry VI I I gave I reland the harp fo r

,
-
. .
an armorial bearing being a great a dmirer o f I rish music

,
but James I quartered it with the arms o f F rance and

.
E ngland St B er n ard gives A rchb ishop Malachy 1 1 3 4

. .
, ,
the credit o f introducing m usic into t he C hurch ser vice o f

I rela n d
.
The I rish cru it was the Welsh crwdd o r crw tk H ugh

“
.
R ose re la tes that a certai n string w as selected as the

,
”
most suitable for each song D iodo ru s S ic u lu s recorded
“
.
that the bards o f Gaul sa n g to instru ments li ke l y res .
The crotals were n ot B ardic but bell cymbals o f the Chu rch
, .
They we re hollo w s h e re s holding loose bits o f metal for

p ,
it is written The B ards and S e n n ac he e s retained their

,
o ffice and so m e degree of their former estimat ion among

,
the nobility o f Caledon ia and I reland til l t he accession o f ,

”
the H ouse o f H anover
“
.
N othing can prove says O Be irn e C row e the late

,
’
introdu c tion o f D ruidism into o ur country more s at is fa c

t o rily tha n the utter con tempt in w hich the name h a rd is
held in all o u r —
rec o rd s A fter the introduction o f o u r
irregular system o f D ruidism which must have been about ,
the secon d century o f the Christian era the P ilis (bard ) had ,
t o fall into something li ke the position o f the B ritish B ards

—
hence w e see them do w n to a late period practising incan
,
t at io n s li ke the M agi o f the continent and in religious ,
matters hol di n g extensi v e s w ay .

”
O ssia n ic literatu re had a higher opinion o f the B ard s ;

“
as Such w ere the words o f the Bar ds in the days O f the
,
So n g ; w hen the King heard the m usic o f harps and the

tales O f other times The chie fs gathered from all thei r
.
hills and heard the lovely sound They praised the voice
, .
”
o f Cona the first amon g a thousand bar ds
,
A gain S it .
,
thou o n the heath O B ard ! and le t us hear thy voice I t

, .
is pleasant as the gale o f the spring that sighs o n the ,
hunter s ear w hen he w a kens from dre ams o f j oy and has

, ,
f O —
heard the music o the s p irits f the hil l The music o f
C a rdil w as li ke the m emory o f j oys that are past pleasant , ,
and mourn ful t o the soul The ghosts O f departed B ar ds

“ “
.
” ”
heard it My li fe exclaimed F ingal
.
,
shall be o n e ,
Cathm o r cried
”
stream o f light to B ards O f other times
“
.
,
Loose the B ards Their voice shall be heard in other

.
”
ages w hen the Kings o f Temora have faile d
, .
Keating amusi n gly credulous as an [ris k kis toria n

, ,
records w ith gravity the story o f an anci e nt militia ,
nu mbering nine thousand in time o f peac e who had both ,
s er j e an ts an d c olon e ls I n to the ran ks of these F i ne B i rian

.
[ ris k Ba rds .
43
no one was ad mitted unless proved to be a poetical genius ,
well acquainted w ith the t welve boo ks o f poetry .
The D i n n S e a n ckas has poems by the I ri s h B ard o f the

secon d centu ry F inin Mac Lu c hn a ; and it asser t s tha t
“ ,
the people deemed each other s voices sweeter than the ’
”
w arbli ngs o f the melodious harp O n Tola n d s authority
’
.
w e le a rn th at fo r a long time a fter the E ngl ish Conquest

, ,
the j u dges B ards physicians an d harpers held land tenures

, , ,
in I relan d The O D u ve gan s were hereditary B ards o f

.
’
the O K e llie s ; the O S hie ls were hereditary doctors ; the

’ ’
O B ro din s hereditary antiquar ies the Magla n c h

’
,
y s heredi ,
d B
’
tary j u ges The ards were Strabo s hymn ma kers

.
-
.
M rs B ryant felt that The I sle o f Song was soon to

.
b ecome the Isle o f Saints and considered I reland o f the

B ards kne w its D ruids si mply as men s killed in all magical
arts having no marke d relation either to a system o f th e o
,
”
logy or to a scheme o f ceremonial practice
, .
The B rekon L a w gives little in formation respecting

D ru i ds though the B rehons were assumed to have bee n
,
originally D ruid j udges St Patric k has the credit o f

. .
com piling this record .
These B rehons had a high reputation fo r j ustice ; and

yet it is con fessed that when o n e w as tempted to pass a
false se n tence his chai n o f o ffice w ould immediately
,
tighten round his n ec k most uncom fortably as a w arning .
O f the B rehons it is said by the editors O Mah

,
— o n y and
’
R ichey The learning of the B rehons became as useless

to the public as the most fantastic discussions o f the
School men and the whole system crystallized in to a form
,
”
w hich rendered social progress impossible Though those .
O ld I rish laws were so oppressive to the com mon people ,
and so favourable to the hereditary chie fs it was hard ,
i n deed to get the people to relinquish them for E nglish

laws .
44 [m e D ru i ds .
In law existed in only four o f the I rish

1 52 2 , E nglish
cou nties ; and B rehons and Ollamhs (teachers) w ere
kno w n to the end o f the s e v e n te e thcentu ry The foun d .
ing o f the boo k o f B rehon Law is thus explained : And

—
when the men o f E rin heard al l the power of Patric k
—
since hs arrival in Erin they bo w ed themselves down i n
i
obedience to the will o f God and Patric k I t was t he n .
that all the pro fessors o f the sciences ( D ruids ) in E rin

w ere assemb led and each o f them exhibited his art be fore
,
—
Patric k i n the presence o f every chie f in E ri n What did
,
not clas hwith the Word of God in the written law and i n ,
the N e w Testame n t and with the consciences o f the ,
bel ievers was co n fi rmed in the laws of the B rehons by

,
Patric k and by the ecclesiastics and the chie ftains o f

,
”
E rin .
IS LE OF M AN D R U I D I S M .
The I sle o f Man lies j ust bet w een I reland an d Wales .
Le t us examine w hat can be shown about these matters

therein .
B oetius translated by A l fred the Great had a p artic u

, ,
larly doubt ful story t o tell ; too similar alas ! to the ,
narratives o f early Christian w riters C rat ilin th the

“
.
,
Scotti s h K ing A D 27 7 said he was very earnest in the

, . .
, ,
overthro w of D rui dism in the I sle o f Mo n an d else w here ;

and upon the O ccasion o f D ioc le s ian s persecution w hen ’
many Christians fle d to hi m for re fuge he gave them the ,
I sle of Mo n fo r their resi de n ce ”

H e relates that Man
“
.
nanan B e g was the establisher and cultivator o f religion

—
a fter the manner o f the E gyptia n s H e caused great
”
stones to be p laced i n the form o f a circle .
Train in his H is tory of M a n re fers to Man n an an B e g

, , ,
M a c y L e irr of th
-
e firs t ce n tury hav in g ke p t the I sland
-
, ,
F re nck D ru idis m .
45
under mist by his necromancy .

“
I f he dreaded an enemy ,
he would cause on e man to seem a hundred and that by ,
A rt M agic K ing F i nnan 1 3 4 B C I s said to have first

”
.
, .
establ ished D ruids there The A rchdru id w as kno w n as .
K ion dru a zgkt o r A rd dru a zgkt

-
,
Plo wden thought the -
.
D ru ids e m igrated thither a fter the slaughter at Mona ;

others declare Mona to have been an I rish D ruidical
settlement Sacheverell re fers to D rui dical cairns o n the
.
tops o f hills which were de dicated to the Sun and spea ks

, ,
o f hym ns having what were called cairn tunes Train

“
.
says So highly were the Man x D ruids disti nguished fo r

,
their knowledge o f astronomy astrology a n d natural , ,
philosophy that the Ki ngs o f Scotland sen t their so n s to

be educated there
,
”
H e thought that until 14 1 7
.
“ in ,
imitation o f the practice o f the D ruids the la w s o f the ,

”
I slan d were loc ked up i n the breasts o f the D eemsters .
The o ld r u de edifices of stone are still called Ti n a n

D ru i n ick o r D ruids houses Mc A lp in e says that D ru id
’
.
,
i n M an x is M ag ician .
F R EN C H DR U I D SM I .
The D e roo o f B rittany were more ancient said H en ri ,
M a rtin than those D ruids known to R omans ; being

,
prim itive D ruids a sacerdotal caste o f old Celts

,
Yet .
F orlong who believed the Gallic coast tribes long traded

,
“
an d in termarried w ith the Phoe n icians saw abu n dan t ,
”
evidences fo r their worshipping A starte and H era kles .
They were S aron idre o r j udges They were the bu ilders , .

,
’
m asons o r li ke Gobb an Saer free smiths O f Saer O B rie n
, ,
.
,
i n his R oun d Tow e rs says The fi rst n ame ever given to

this b ody ( Freemasons ) w as S ae r which has three s ign ific a ,
tion s : firs tly f ree ; secondly m as on ; and thirdly s on of

, , ,
4 6 [ ris k Dru i ds .
God . Keane cal ls him o n e o f the Guab hre s or C abiri ,
such as you have ever seen him represen ted o n the Tuath
de D anaan C ross at C lon macnoise .
A B reton poem A r R a nn ou a dialogue bet w een a

, ,
D ruid and his pupil is still sung by villagers as it may

, ,
have been by their ancestors the Ve n ite o f C aesar s story ,

’
.
seat o f the A rch drui d o f Gaul w as at D reu x .
e n c hwriters have i nterested themselves in the D ruidic
question The com mon i mpression is that D rui ds w ere

.
only to be found in B rittany ; bu t other parts o f F ran ce

possessed those prie s ts and bards Certain ly the north .
west corner the region o f megalithic remains contin ued

, ,
later to be their h au nt being less disturbed there I t , .
w as in B rittany also that the be fore men tioned O riental

, ,
-
m ysticism found so sa fe a home and w as nurtured so ,
assi duously g u t D ruids were equally kno w n in the south

.
,
centre and north east o f F ra n

g
-
,
D Ij o n D ruids o r the Va cies w ere described in 1 6 2 1 by

, ,
Gu e n e b au ld o f D ij on in Le R e v e il de Cky n a on ax P ri n ce
’
,
de s Va cies D ruy des Ce ltiques D ii on ois U pon the tomb o f .
the A rchdruid Chyn do n a x was found an inscription in

Gree k thus rendered by the D ij on author
,
E n c e tom b e au , dan s le s ac ré b occ age

D u D ie u M ith ras , e s t c on t e n u le c orp s
D e Chyn don ax gran d P re s tre m e c h an t hors ,

”
L e s D ie ux S an n e u rs le garde n t de dom m age .
N u mbers the learned went to view the inscription and

of ,
an urn found w ithin the tomb Mithras was a form o f .
Apollo o r the Su n
,
There are other evidences o f the
.
southern Gaulish D ruids using Gree k characters beyond ,
C ae sar s assertions
’
.
Gu e n e b au ld spo ke o f the proh ibition o f the D ru idical

religion by the Emperors A ugustus Tiberias and Clau dius , ,
a ddi n
g th a t the D ruids furent cha s se z du mont D rv s or
y
F re n ek D ru idis m .
47
D rvy de proche d ostum a cause de leur trop cruel sacrifice

’
H e declared that a fter the general E dict of

’
Claud ius il n e s en t re uva plus p arm y les Gaulois When , .
ban ished from Gaul they retired t o B ritain though D ruid , ,
esses were men tioned as being at D ij on in the time o f

A urelian .
B e au de au i n 1 7 7 7 published M e m oi re d con s ulte r p ou r le s

, ,
a n ci en s D ru ide s Ga ulois i ntende d as a V in dication o f them,
against the strictures o f B ailly in his letters t o V oltaire .
H e had a great b elie f in the astronomical s kill o f the

D ruids from thei r use o f the t hirty years cycle the
, ,
revolution period o f the planet Saturn .
A t the Congress o f A rras in 1 8 53 the question debated , ,
was U p to what period R oman polytheis m had pene

t ra t e d into B elgic Gau l —and up to what period continued
”
the struggle between Polytheism an d Christian ity ? The
F ren ch author remarks The R omans d id but o n e thing
,
gave the names o f their gods to the divin it ies of the people
of F le a n de r la n d A n d these divinities
.
— what were they ?
Evident ly those o f the country from which the pe o ple had

”
been forced to flee .
D e z o b ry an d B ac h e le ts in their D i ction n a i re de B io ra
g
,
p k i e, & c a ffi rm
. that
,
the Celtic word d erouyd ( from de or
di Go d a n d rkou d or rkou id spea king) signifies I n terpreter

, , ,
o f the gods o r on e w h o spea ks from the gods

,
A ccording .
to others the etymology should be in the Gaelic la n guage

, , ,
dru idkea ckt d ivination magic ; o r better de rn o ak a n d

, , , , , ,
”
wy dd mistletoe
,
A c knowledging the ancient re n own o f
.
their kno w ledge it is admitted to be i mper fectly known to

,
us though Pythagoreans pretended to be the founders

,
thereo f The F rench authors had the follo wing accoun t o f

.
’
the D ruids great ch arm
They carried suspended from their nec k as a mark o f
—
,
dign ity a s erp e n t s egg a sort o f oval b al l of crystal that

’
, ,
4 8 [ris k D ru ids .
in the time O f Pliny tradition pretended to b e the product

o f the foa m o f a quantity o f serpents grouped and inter ,
laced together This egg has been the origin o f a crow d

.
o f superstitions which up to a centu ry ago were in vogue

, , ,
i n Corn w all Wales and the mountains o f Scotland ; they

, ,
continued to carry these balls o f glass called s e rp e n t s ton es , ,

”
to w hich they attributed particular virtues .
D rui desses o f Gaul had a sanctuary on the I sle o f Sena ,
F inisterre D ruidism in F rance w as condemned as late

.
as 6 58 by the Council o f N antes ; and later o n by the

, , ,
Capitularies o f Charlemagne R enan supposed that .
D rui dism remained a form exclusively national

’
Justi n s .
remar k that the Gree k colony o f M arseilles civilized the

,
Ga u ls may help to explai n how Gaulish D rui ds kn ew

,
Gree k and how some F rench writers traced D rui dism to

,
the Phocians of Southern Gaul Then again w e have .

, ,
A mmianus Marcellinus saying The D ruids were formed ,
into fraternities as the authority o f Pythagoras decreed .
C ws ar in his account o f Gaulish D ruids had clearly i n his

, ,
mind his own country s faith They were li ke his own

’
augurs and their A rchdruid was his pon tifex m axi m us

, .
D A rb o is de Jubainvil le in his account o f I rish M y

’
th o logy has o f co u rse re ferences to the D ruids

, ,
H e lays
, .
emphasis on the di fference between those o f Gaul and

those o f o u r isla n ds The j udicial authority w as vested
.
in the F ile Thes e need not li ke the D ruids proper

'
.
, ,
celebrate sacrifices H e traces the word file a seer fro m

.
, ,
the same root as the B reton g ive/ou t t o see ,

.
The F rench author records that Polyhistor T im age n us , ,
Valerius Maximus and others wrote o f the north w estern

,
-
men holdi n g Pythagorean doctrines ; but he adds that ,
while a se cond birth was regarded by the Pythagoreans

as a pun ishment o f evil it w as esteemed by the others as ,
a
p ri Vile e of 116 1 06 8
g .
I ris k D ru ids .
D R U D CA I I L MAGI C .
As to magical arts exercised by D ruids an d D rui de sses

, ,
the ancient I rish M S S are full o f stories about them ‘ic e

“
.
has said The Gaelic word for D ru i dical is almost always

,
applied W here we should use the word m ag ical—to spells ,

”
incantations metamorphoses & c
, N ot even China at the , .
present day is more given to charms and spells than was

o f O ld Constant application of D rui dic arts upon
.
individual must have given a sadness and terror to li fe

continuing long a fter the D ruid had been suppl an ted .
I t was a com fort to know that magician could be pitted

against magician and that though one might turn a person
,
into a swan or h orse another could tu rn hi m bac k agai n

, .
Yet the cke w ing of on e s tku m b was someti mes as

,
’
e ffectual a disenchanter as the elevation or mar king o f the

cross i n subsequent centuries Thus when F lonn was once .
,
i nvited to ta ke a seat besi de a fair lady on her way to a

palace he having some suspicion put his thu mb bet w een
, , ,
his teeth and she im mediately cha nged into an ugly old
,
hag with evil in her heart That was a si mple mode o f .
detection but may have been e fficacious only in the case

,
o f such a hero as F ion n Certainly many a bad spirit .

,
wou ld be expelled in a rising quarrel if one party were

, ,
wise enough to put his thu mb between his teeth .
Charm mongers who could ta ke o ff a spell must have

-
queen popular characters and as use ful as wart removers

, ,
-
, .
I t is a pity however that the sacred sal mon which used to

, ,
frequent the Boyne is missing n ow when examinations are ,
so necessary as he or she who bit a piece forgot nothing

,
ever after B alar the F om orian King was a good n atured

. ,
-
,
fello w for finding that a glance from his ri ght eye c aus e d
, ,
d e a th t o a s ub e c t h k
j e e p t th at,
e ye co nst an tl y c l os e d .
D ru idical Mag ic .
5 1
f)
(i One way o f calling spirits from the deep to do on c s will ,
’
was to go to sleep with the palms o f b oth hands upon the

c hee k The magic caul dron was not in such requiremen t i
.
as w ith the Welsh B ut it was a D ruidic tric k to ta ke a n

.
i dol to bed lay t he han ds to the face an d discover the

, ,
secret o f a riddle in dreams A nother tric k reminds one .
of the s kil l o f modern spiritualistic mediums who could ,
discover the history of a man by a piece o f his coat ; fo r

.
,
Cormac read the whole li fe o f a dog from the s kull .
H eali n g powers were magical Ou r fore fathers fancied .
’
that a part O f enj oymen t in heav en was fighting by day 3
and feasting at night the head cut o ff in daylight conflict
i;
,
resu ming its position when the even ing table was spread t .
The rival forces o f Fomorians and D an aan s had D ruids ,
w hose special work was to heal the w ounded at night so ,
as t o be ready for the n ext morning s b attle ’

.
I n the S tory of D e irdri it is written A s Conor saw ,
this he went to Cathb ad the D ru id and said to him Go

, , , ,
Cat hb ad unto the sons o f U snach and play D ruidis m

, ,
’
upon them This was done
. H e had recourse to his.
intelligence and art to restrain the children of U snach so ,
that he laid them under enchantment that is by putti n g , ,

”
around them a viscid sea o f whelming waves .
N othing was more com mon than the raising o f D ruidic

l fogs I t would be easier to do that in I reland or Scotland
.
than in A ustralia The S tory of Cu spea ks o f a King

.
”
B rudi n who made a b lac k fo g o f D ruidism b y his draoid
ke a ckt or magic, D ruidic winds were blasting as they
.
,
c ame from the East The Ckildren of Lir were made to

.
wander on the I rish S e a till the land b ecame Christian .
A W onderful sto ry in an old M S respecting D iarmuid .
is connected with the th reatened divorce o f the lovely

M ughain as no prince had appeared to her husband the
,
K in g On this
.
”
s ays t he chronicle r, the Que e n w e n t
,
‘
5 2 I ris k Dru ids .
to a Magus ( D ruid ) o f Baal or B elus an d to

F innen , ,
E as b ad named A e dh ,
a son o f B e g and told them she w as , ,
b arren The R e ataire ( chie f D ruids ) then consecrated some

.
water of w hich she d ran k a nd conceive d an d the produce

, ,
o f her womb was a white lamb Woe is me ! said M u .

’
ghain to bring forth a four footed beast

,
N o t so replie d -
.
’
,
’
F innen fo r your w omb is thereby sanctifie d and the

,
‘
,
lamb m ust be sacrificed as your firs t born The priests -

.
’
blessed the water fo r her she dran k and conc e i v ed Say , , .
the priests You shall now bring forth a son and he shall
,
‘
,
be King over I reland Then F innen an d E as b ad A e dha

.
’
blessed the Queen and the seed o f her loins and giving ,
her more consecrated water she dran k o f it and calle d , ,
his name A edk S la in es because he was save d from the ,

”
sacrifi ce .
Well might V alle n c e y exclaim The whole o f this story ,
is strong o f Chaldman Paganism and could n o t have been ,
”
i nvented by any Christian mon ks w hatever .
Cuchulainn o f U lster was much given to magic H e .
caught birds by it H e le ft his wi fe to be w ith a lady i n

.
fairy land-
Caught by spells he w as brought bac k home
.
, .
H e dran k the draught o f forget fulness that he might not

remember fairy land and she dran k to forget her j ealousy
-
, .
All this is in L e a k/ca r n a k Uidkre

’
-
.
When the D an aan s raised a storm to drive o ff the in

vading hosts o f Milesians this was the spell used by M ile ,
s iu s as told in the B ook o

, f [ n v a s ion s : I pray that they
reach the land o f E rin n these w ho are riding upon the ,
,
—
great productive vast sea that there may b e a King for
,
—
us in Tara that noble E rinn be a home fo r the ships an d
,
boats o f the s o n of Mile s iu s ” '
B y the 14th Canon o f the Synod at A rmagh as asserted ,
fo r the year 44 8 a penance was exacted fo r any sooth

,
y g or th
s a in
; e fore te llin
g o f fu tu re e vents by an inspection
D ru idical [ll ag icn 53
of an imals en trails as was the practice with the D rui ds

’
, .
I t is cu rious to see how this magic was by the early ,
w riters associated with S imon Magus ; so much so that

,
“
as R hys O bserves The Goi del ic D ruids appear at times
,
, ,
”
u nder the name o f the School o f Simon D ruid .
F ion n was once coursing with his dog B ran when the ,
hare su ddenly turned into a lady weeping for the loss o f

her ring in the la ke Li ke a gallant the hero dive d do w n
.
,
and got it but all he had for his trouble was to be turned
by her into a white haired O ld man O n another occasion -
.
he w as changed into a grey faw n B u t F io n n en dured the .
metamorphoses o f twenty years as a hog o n e hun dred a ,
stag one hun dred an eagle and thirty a fish besides living
, , ,
one hun dred as a man The heroine Caer had to be alter .
nate years a swan and a woman .
The K ilke n ny Tra n s action s re fer to on e Liban trans ,
formed fo r three hundred years as a fish o r rather a m e r , ,
maid w ith her lap dog in the shape o f an otter a fter her
,
- .
Bevan ho wever caught her in a net had her baptized and

, , , ,
then she died I n the F a te of tke Ckildre n of Li r we

.
,
read o f A oi fe second wi fe o f Lir jealous of her husban d s

, ,
’
children by his first mate turn ing them into four s wans till ,
her spell cou l d be bro ken This happened un der the Tuath .
r ule and lasted nine hundred years They are reported to

, .
have said Thou shalt fall in revenge for it fo r t hy power

, ,
fo r our destruction is not greater than the D rui dic power

o f o u r friends to ave n ge it upon thee H owever having .
,
musical qualities they enj oyed themselves in c hantin g

,
every n ight A t last they heard the bell o f St Patric k

. . .
This bro ke the spel l They sang to t he H igh Ki n g o f

“
.
heaven revealed their name and cried ou t Come to

, , , ,
baptize us O cleric fo r our deat h is near

,
”
,
.
A n odd story o f the D rui d Mananan is preserved i n the

Os s ian Tran s action s I t concerne d a m agical b ranch he ar
. ,
54 I ris k Dru ids .
ing n ine apples of gold They w ho shoo k the tree were .
lulled to sleep by music forgetting want or sorro w , .
Throughthat Cormac grandson o f Conn of the hundred

, ,
fights lost his wi fe E ithn e son Cairb re an d daughter

, , ,
A ilb h A t th
’
e .e end o f a year s search and passing through ,
a dark magical mist he came to a hut where a youth gave

, , ,
him a pork supper The entertainer proved to be Mananan

. .
The story ru ns A fter this Mananan came to hi m in his

,
proper shape and said thus : I it was who b ore these three
,
‘
away from thee I it was who gave thee that branch and ,
i t was in order to b ring thee to this house I t was I that .
worked magic upon you so that you might be with me to ,

’
n ight in friendship I t may be doubted if this satisfied
.
King Cormac .
A chessboard O ften served the purpose o f divination

l .
Th e laying on o f hands has been from remote antiquity
an e ffectual mode for the transmission o f a charm B u t a .
M ag ic Wa n d or R od in proper hands has been the approved

, ,
method o f trans formation or any other miraculo u s in te rp o ,
s it io n H ere is one IVa n d story relative to the romance

.
/
o f Grain n e and D iarmuid Then came the R e ac hta ire

again having a Magic Wand of sorcery and struc k his son
, ,
with that wand so that he made of him a cropped pig

, ,
‘
having neither ear nor tail and he said I conj ure , ,
thee that thou have the same length of li fe as D iarm uid

O D u ib h and that it be by thee that he shall fall at
’
ne ,
’
last .
This was the b oar that killed not the Syrian A do n is , ,
but a similar su n deity D iarmuid When F ionn the dis

-
, .
,
appointed husband in pursuit o f the runaway found the, ,
abductor dying he was entreated by the b eauti ful solar

,
”
hero to save him How can I do it ? as ked the hal f
“
.
”
rep entant F ionn Easily said the wounded one ; fo r
.
,
whe n tho u dids t t th n ob l r iou i ft f divining at

ge e e p e c s g o ,
D ru idical Mag ic .
55
the B o in n it was given thee that to whomsoever thou

,
shoul dst give a drin k from the palms of thy han ds he ,
”
should a fter that be young and sou nd from every sic kness .
U nhappily F io n n was so long debating with himsel f as to

,
this gi ft to his enemy that when he wal ked towards him

, ,
with the water li fe had departed from the boar stric ken
,
-
I rish A don is .
D r W R Sullivan has a transl ation o f the F a ir of

. . .
Carm an con cerning three magicians and their mother

,
from A thens
“ B y charms and spel ls and incantatio n s the mot h
, er, ,
blighted eve ry place and it was through magical devastation

,
and d ishonesty that the men dealt out destruction They .
came to E rin to bring evil upon the Tu atha de D an a n n by ,
blighting t he fertility o f this isle The Tu at ha were angry .
at this and they sent against them A i the son o f A llam h , ,
on the part o f their poets an d C re de n b e l on the part o f

,
their satirists and Lug Lae b an i e the son o f Cacher on

, , . .
,
the part o f their D ruids and B e c u ille on the part o f the

,
witches to pronounce incantations against them

, An d .
these never parted from them until they forced the three
men over the sea and they le ft a pledge behind them i e
, , . .
Carman thei r mother that they would never return to

, ,
”
Erin .
A cou nter charm is given in the S e nckus M or When the

-
.
D ruids sought to poison S t Patric k the latter wrote over .

,
the liquor
Tub u fis fri ib u , fis ib u an fis ,
F ris b ru uatha, ib u lithu, C hris ti J e sus .
H e le ft it on record that whoever pronou nced these words

over poison or liquor should receive no inj ury from it I t .
m ight be use ful with I rish w his ky only the translator adds
that the words o f the charm li ke most o f the charms o f the ,
M iddle Ages app e ar to have had n o m e anin g

, .
i i Spiritualis m in all its forms appears to have been pra e
, ,
by the I rish and Scotch D r u i ds D r A rmstrong s

’
t is e d . .
Gaelic D iction ary has an acco u nt o f the D ivination o f the

Togh airm once a noted superstition among the Gaels an d
, ,
evidently derived from D ruid serving ancestors The s o -

.
called prophet was w rapped in the warm smo king ro b e o f ,
a newly slain ox or cow and laid at fu ll length i n the ,
wildest recess o f some lonely water fall The question was .
then put to him and the oracle was le ft in solitu de t o ,

”
consi de r it The steaming body cultivate d the frenzy for
“
.
a r e ply although it w as fi rmly believed to have be e n

,
com municated by invisible beings .
Similar tra ditions are r e lated by Kennedy in F iction s of ,
tke [ris k Celts O n e o f the tales iS o f S c u llo ge w ho spent

.
,
his father s gold While ou t hunting he saw an o ld man

’
.
betting his le ft hand against his right A t o n ce he played .
with him for S ixp e nce but won o f t he ancient D r u id a ,
hundred guineas The next game w o n the O ld fello w w as

.
,
made to rebuild the I rishman s m ill A nother victory ’

.
brought him as w i fe a princess from the far country B u t .
Sabina when married besought him to have n o more to do

, ,
with old Lassa B uaicht o f the glen .
Things went on well a good while till the man w anted ,
more gold and he ventured U pon a game Losing he w as

,
.
,
directed to bring t h e old D ruid the S w ord o f n kt Sabi na .
helped her husband to a D rui dic horse that carried hi m to ,

’
her father s castle There he lear n ed i t was hel d by another
.
brother also a D ruid in an enchanted place Wit ha b lac k

, , .
steed he leaped the wall but was driven out by the magic ,
sword A t last through F iac h the D ruid the s w ord was

.
, ,
given to Lassa B u aic ht The cry came Ta ke your S w ord .

,
”
o f Light and o ff with his head
,
Then the u n spelled wi fe .
-
reappeare d and the couple were happy ever a fter

,
.
C o n n of th e H un dre d B attles is o ften mentioned in

t hat
“
the Gallic words were identical with expressions still
used i n I ris h .
”
W e are told o f a rebel chie f w ho w as helped by a D rui d

agai n st the Ki n g o f M unster to plague the I rish in t he
,
south w est by magically drying up al l the water The

-
.
K ing succee ded in fi nding another D ruid w ho brought

forth an abun dant supply H e did but cast his j avelin
.
,
and a power ful spring burst forth at the spot where the
weapon fell D ill the D ruidical gran d father o f another
.
,
K ing o f M unster had a magical blac k horse which won at

, ,
every race .
Else w here is a chapter on the T u atha de D an aan s ,
concer n ing whom are so many stories o f D ruids A ttention

“
.
i s drawn by R hys to the ten dency of higher races to

ascribe magical powers to lower ones ; or rather to t he , ,
”
con quered .
A D ruid s cou nsel was sometimes of service A certai n

’
.
dwar f magician o f E rre gal CO D erry had done a deal o f

, .
,
mischie f be fore he could be caught killed and buried I t , ,

.
was not lo n g be fore he rose from the dead an d resumed ,
his crueltie s Once more slain he managed to appear

.
,
again at his work A D ruid advised F in n Mac Cu m hail

.
t o bury the fellow the next time head down w ard which ,
e ffectually stopped his magic and his resu rrection powers .
F in tain was another hero o f antiquity When the .
D eluge occ u rred he managed by D ruidic arts to escap e

, .
Subsequently through the ages he man i fested himsel f i n

, ,
v arious forms This was to O Flahe rty an evidence that

.
,
’
I rish D ruids believed in the doctrine o f metempsych o sis .
F in tain s grave is still to be recognized though he has

’
made no appearance on earth since the days o f K in g

D ermot .
I t is n ot sa fe to run cou nter to the D ruids When K ing .
C o rm a c t urn e d a ai ns t th e C r aft Mae lge n n incited the

g ,
D ru idical Magi c .
59
Siabkradk, an evil spirit to ta ke revenge By turn ing ,

.
himsel f in to a salmon he succeeded i n cho king t he sove,
rei n with one o f his bones I t w as F rae c ha n D ru id o f

g .
,
Ki ng D iarm aid who made the wonder ful A irbki D r uadk

, ,
or D ruid ical charm that caused the death o f three thousan d

,
warriors .
A Ki n g was once pla gued by a lot o f birds wherever he

went H e inquired o f his D ruid Be c n ia as to the place
“
.
”
they came from The answer was . F rom the E ast , .
Then came the order B ring me a tree from every woo d

”
n I reland This was to get the ri ght material to serve
'
15 a charm T ree a fter tree failed to be o f use Only

. .
:hat fro m the wood o f Fros m u in e produced what was

'
equired for a charm U pon the dicke tal or incantation .

, ,
b ein g uttered the bir ds V is ited the King no more

, .
I n the B ook of Le ca n is the story o f a man who under

wen t some remar kable trans formations H e w as fo r 3 00 .
years a deer fo r 3 00 a w ild boar fo r 3 00 a bird and fo r

, , ,
:h e li ke age a salmon I n the latter state he was caught

.
,
I n d partly eaten by the Queen The e ffect o f this repast .
wa s the birth o f Tuan Mac Co ire all w h o told the story ,
) f the antediluvian colonization o f I reland One D ruid .

,
Tro s dan e had a bath o f the mil k o f thirty white faced

,
-
zo w s which rendered his body invulnerable to poisoned

,
arrows i n battle
“
.
A D ruid once said to D athi I have consulted the ,
lo uds o f the man o f Erin and found that thou wilt soon ,
retu rn to Tara and wilt invite all the provincia l Kings and
,
chie fs o f Eri n to the great feast o f Tara an d th e re thou ,
shalt decide with them upon ma king an expedition into
Alba B ritain and F rance following the conquering foot

, , ,
”
steps o f thy great uncle N iall H e succeeded in A lba
-
.
,
bu t died in Gaul A brother o f his became a convert to

.
St Patric k
. .
60 I ris k D ru ids .
Grain ne , the heroine o f an elopement with the beauti fu l

hero D iarmuid o r D ermot fell in to her trouble through a
, ,
D ruid named D aire D uan ac h M ac Mo rn a She w as the .
da ughter o f King Cormac whose grave is still shown at ,
Tara but she was betrothed to the aged gigantic sovereign

, ,
F ionn the Fenian A t the banquet in honour o f the

.
alliance the D ruid told the la dy the names and qualities o f

,
the chie fs assembled particularly mentioning the grace fu l

,
D iarmuid She was smitten by his charms particularly a

.
,
love mar k on his shou lder and read ily agree d to brea k her
-
,
promised vo w s in order to share his company When she .
fled with him F ion n an d his son pursued the couple w ho

, ,
were ai ded in their flight by another D ruid named D io rrain g ,
styled a s kil ful man o f science

Tke F a te of tke S on of Us n ack—relates
.
A fi ne poem —
the trials o f D e irdri the Fair D r Keating has this version . .
Ca ffa the D ruid foreboded an d prophesied fo r the daughter

( D e i rdri j ust born
, ) that n u merous mischie
, fs and losses
would happen the Province ( U lster) on her account U pon .
hearing this the nobles proposed to put her to death forth

,
’
with . Le t it not be done so cried Conor ( King ) but I , ,
‘
will ta ke her with me and send her to be reared that she, ,
’
may become my o w n wi fe I t w as in her close retreat.
that she was seen and loved by N aisi the son o f U snach , ,
and this brought on a fear ful war between U lster and

A lba .
The B ook of Le i ns te r has the story o f one that loved the

Queen w ho ret u rned the compli ment but was watched
, ,
too well to meet wit h him H e ho w ever and his foster .

, ,
brother were turne d by a D ruidic spell into t wo beauti fu l

, , ,
’
birds and so g ained an entrance to the lady s bower
, ,
ma king their escape again by a bird trans formation The .
K ing had some suspicion and as ked his D ruid to find ou t ,
the s e c re t The n e x t tim e the birds flew the King had his
.
,
D ru idical Magi c . 61
watch and as soon as they resu me d their human appear

,
ance he set upon them and killed both

,
.
The B ook of Le in s te r records several cases o f D ruids

taking opposite sides in battle I t w as Gree k meeting .
Gree k The northern D ruids plagued the sout hern men

.
by d ryi ng up the wells ; but Mog R uth o f the South , ,
drove a silver tube into the grou nd and a spring burst ,
forth . C io thru e made a fi re and said a charm with his

,
m ou ntain ash stic k when a blac k cloud sent do w n a shower

-
,
of blood N othing dau nted the ot h

. er D ruid M og R uth
, , ,
tra n s formed three noisy northern D ruids i n to stones .
S piritualism as appears by the B a n que t of D u n n a n Ge dk

, ,
was used th us This is the way it is to be do n e The .
poet chews a piece o f the flesh o f a red pig o r o f a dog or ,
cat and brings it a fter w ards on a flag behind the door and
, ,
chants an incantation upon it and O ffers it to i dol go ds ,
a n d his idol gods are brou ght to him but he fi nds them ,
n o t on the morrow A n d he pronou nces incant ations on

.
h is t w o pal ms ; and his idol go ds are a lso broug ht to him ,
i n order that his sleep may not be interrupted A n d he .
lays his tw o palms on his two chee ks and th us falls a s leep , .
A n d he is watched in order that no one may disturb o r

interrupt him until everything about wh ich he is engaged
,
is revealed to him which ma y be a m in ute o r two o r three

, , , ,
o r as long as the ceremony requires — o n e palm over the

”
other across his chee ks .
The au t hor o f Tke Golde n B oug k J G F razer j udi

“
. .
, ,
ci o u s ly reminds us that the superstitious beli e fs an d

practices w hich have been handed down by word o f
,
mouth are generally o f a far more archaic type than the

,
religions depict e d in the most ancient l iterature o f the

A ryan race A care ful reading o f the chapter on the
“
.
”
Superstitions o f the I rish wou ld be convinci n g on that
!
poin t .
A mong ancient superstitions of the I rish there was some

relation to the S a cre d Cow remin ding one o f I ndia or , ,
even o f the E gyptian worship o f A pis The Os s ian ic .
Tra ns a ct ion s re fer to this peculiarity .
There was the celebrated Glas Ga ikkn e or Grey Co w ,
O f the S mith o f the magical Tuaths This serviceable .
an imal supplied a large family and a host o f ser vants .
The F o m orI an s envied the possessor and their leader stole ,
her The captive continued her b e ne fice n t gi fts for many

.
generations Her ancien t camps are still remembered by

.
the peasantry A nother story is of King D iarmuid M ac

.
C e arb h a il hal f a D ruid and hal f a Christian who kil led

, ,
his s o n for destroying a Sacred Cow B u t Owen C on n e la n .
has a translation o f the P roceedings of i ke Grea t B a rdic

I ns t i tu te which contains t he narrative o f a cow which
, ,
supplied at Tuaim D aghu a lan the daily wants o f nine

-
score nuns ; these ladie s must have been D r uidesses ,
the word Ca illack meaning equally n u n s and D ru ides s es

“
.
A s W H ac kett remar ks
. The probability is that they
,
were pagan D ruidesses and that the cows were li v ing idols
,
li ke A pis or in some sense considered sacred an imals

, .
”
O n e points out the use fulness o f the I rish D rui ds i n a

day when enchantments prevailed Etain wi fe o f E oc haid .
, ,
was carried O ff by M ider through the roo f and two s w ans ,
were seen i n the air above Tara j oined together by a ,
golden yo ke H owever the husband managed to recover

.
,
his stolen property by the aid o f the mighty spell o f his

D ruid .
N O D R U I D I SM
E - .
Edward D avies author of My tkology a nd R ites of B riti sk

,
D ru ids was one of those who with Jolo Morganwg regarded

, , ,
the A rki te the ory as h avin g its found at ion in Ge n e s is B ut .

,
N e o-D ru idis m . 63
as P ro fessor R hys says when one turns to D av ie s s au tho ri

,
’
ties fo r his unhesitating s tatgm e n ts of the kind no doubt ,
one is a little dismayed at fi rst and not a little inclined ,
to doubt him altogether and in disposi n g o f his H elio , ,
A r kite absurdity dispose o f t he D ruids with them

, .
The Mode rn D ru idis m or B ardis m about w hich a fe w

..
, ,
years ago there was considerable excitement in lVa le s ,
must n ot be con foun de d with the D ruidism o f M yfyr and

Morien who sought the revi val o f w hat was declared by
,
others to be a mystical pag an ism The B ardis m o f this .
centu ry brought forward by Welsh clergymen li ke A b [tkel

, , ,
& c was founded upon the s o called Welsh Triad s of the

.
,
-
M iddle A ges which were interpreted in a q u as i Christian

,
l ight and presumed to have been the relics o f the Scriptural

,
.
Patriarchal system .
Th e R e v John Williams was perhaps the best exponen t

.
, ,
O f B ardism though all its advocates recognized in it the

,
C hurch o f Englan d ideas o f this c e ntury and yet hardly ,
O f the H igh Church order The P atria rcka l R elig ion of .
B ri ta i n by the R e v D r James made many con v erts to the

, . .
,
system B ut the ceremonies associated with it have some

.
thi n g of the Mason ic character This is the Su mmary of .
the B ardo D ruidic creed -
There was on e God There were five elements earth — .

\ ,
w ater fi re air an d heavens —

The soul re fin e d vital and
—
, , , .
, ,
i mperishable is a lapsed intelligence regaining happiness ,
by transmigration C reatio n i m proved as man improved

.
,
and animals gradually became men Man develops by .
ex perience in di fferent states o f being Celestial beings .
aid man in develop m ent U ltimately all will be happy .

,
and evil fi nally extinguished A ll these views were .
gathered from the said Triads though regarded by many ,
pious Welshmen as tea ching opposed to Christianity .
Morien s re adin g of the Tri ad s is s ome thin g v e ry dii

’
64 [ ris k Dru ids .
fe re n t fo r Tke L igkt f
o B rita nn ia has no B ardo D ruidic -
creed .
I
D R U I D C AL B E L E F I .
I m mortality was adj udged to be a D ruidic creed .
The I n v e rn es s Gae lic S ocie ty s j ou rn al has this affirm ’
“
ation : The v loo ked fo r an immortality more substantial
than the re w ards of fame in a heroic state in the fa r o ff ,
-
spirit land to which the bards it would appear issue d the

, , ,
—
passpor t There lay the realms of mystery B e yon d
”
“
.
that however w as the roofless house o f lasting doom

, , ,
to w hich illustrious spirits eventually passed A s a S kye .
tale implies there was a hap p ier region i n the B ey on d

, ,
from w hich there was n o return The ghosts that a p .

,
p e are d came ,
as they are said
,
by Spiritualists o f o u r da y
still to come from a sort of pleasant Purgatory w here they
, ,
enjoyed aw hile a free and easy condition o f existence

“
.
A mmianus Marcelli nus recorded : The D rui ds who ,
united in a Society occupied themselves with pro foun d a n d

,
sublime questions raised themselves above human a ffai rs

, ,
”
and sustained the i m mortality o f the soul On the other .
han d A rchbishop W hately and many more mai ntained

, , ,
that there was n o proo f o f i m mortality inde p en den t o f

revelation .
This idea o f li fe had ho w ever a peculiar con nection

, ,
w ith pre existe n ce and transmigration Thus George

“
- .
,
E liot re fers to their finding n e w bo dies ani mating them

”
i n a quaint and ghastly w ay w ith an tI q u e souls So .
Wordsworth
O u r life s s tar
’
H athhad e ls e whe re its se tting,

An d c om e thfrom far ”
.
The s o ul de s c e n de d in t o the wom b of nat ure to be re -

born
m an , 3 00 as a deer 3 00 as a bo ar 3 00 as a bird and 3 00 , , ,
as a sa lmon ; the other w as that he w as 1 00 years a ,
m an 20 a h
,
o g 3 0 a stag 100 an eag le and 3 0 a fish
, To , , .
this day b u tterflies are spoken o f as souls of some deceased

pe rs o n s .
D r A G R ichey Q C when quoting from pre Christian

“
-
.
. .
, . .
,
M S S is care fu l to i ntimate that they w ere n o t more

.
,
—
historica lly cre dib le or u se ful than the H ellenic the Ta i n
”
B o than the I liad H e gives the w o n der ful advent u res o f
.
F inta n w h o passed thro u gh

,
many lives on earth and ,
app e ared to St Patric k H e was fo r a year beneath the

. .
wat e rs o f the D eluge but in a fast sleep A couple o f , .
vers es of the poem w ill su ffice .
I w as th e n in I re lan d,
l le as an t w as m y c on dit ion
’
W he n Partholon arriv e d
F rom the Gre c ian c oun try in the E as t .
Afte r that t he Tuatha D e arriv e d

C on ce ale d in the ir dark clou ds
I at e m y food w ithth em ,
Althoughat s uc ha re m ote p e riod .
Dr H Waddell dealing w ith the D ruids points o u t

“
. .
, ,
’
I u rificat io n by fi re for body and sou l and assim ilation ,
there by to the purest essence o f the universe were the

—
,
fundamental ide as o f their creed the in fallible means o f

”
the highest and most acceptab le apotheosis R hys .
remarks Th at they believed i n a domi nant faith and

”
transmigration is pretty certain .
”
I rish transmigration remarks O Be irn e Crow e means ,
’
,
’
the soul s passing from man into other animals man and —
all subordinate animals in cluded This is I rish tran s .
migration c all e d b y the Gre e ks trans formation o f one body

, ,
into another while the Gau lish is transmi gration o f a so u l

,
into the b ody of a n o ther hu ma n being ”

H e add s B ut .
i s thi s tran s form ati on a D ruidic doc trin e ? Mos t ce rtain ly

D ruidica l Beluj 67
n ot ; it is purely Pythagorean and must have fo r many ,
cen turies preced ed D ruidism i n this strange land o f ou rs .

”
T he revival o f R eincarnation by Madame B lavats ky and , ,
the Theosophists under the eloquen t Mrs Besant sho w s .

,
the persistency of the idea that so entrance d the sem i

civi l ized I rish long ago and seemed so satis factory a w ay
,
to accoun t fo r the existence o f man a fter death .
T ransmigration being found in I rela n d has le d some to ,
assert thei r conviction that Buddhist missionaries con v eyed

it thither The S oc des A n t iqu a i res de F ra nce had an
. .
article from the pen o f Coq u b rt Mon tb rc t ad v ancing

,
e e -
,
this opinion relying upon the kno w n ardour and exte nsive
,
proselytism o f early B uddhist missionaries H e kno w s the .
I ri s h deity B udd o r B udw as and as ks if that be not ,
B u ddka .I n the H ebrides spirits are called B odu cks an d

, ,
the same word is applied to all heads of families as the ,
M a ster The D ruids were says one only an order o f

.
, ,
E astern priests located in B ritain adoring B uddw as

, , .
The S t Germain Museu m has in its Gaulish department

.
, ,
an altar on which is represented a god with the legs

,
c rossed a fter the manner o f the I ndian Bud dha That .
relic is the fou rth of the kind found in F rance A nderson .
S mith in his Le w is ia na writes reluctant ly

, , w e must
accept the possibility o f a B u ddhist race passing north
”
from I reland This m eans that I reland is to be regarded
.
,
as the source O f so ma n y B ud dhist s ign ific ation s w hich are

discovered on the west o f Scotland and in the H ebri des , .
I t has b een generally accepted that D ruidism w as Ce ltic

i n origin and practice because C a sar found it in Gau l
,
k
B
and ritain B u t he records three races in Gaul itsel
. f—the
Celtic the German and the A quit ani The B ri tons w ere
, , .
,
to hi m B elga or o f German connection

, , H e knew .
nothing of I rel and or Wales in which two countries he ,
wou l d h av e se en th e fe llows of h is Aquitani a darke r ,

people than either Celt o r German Pro f R hys one o f the . .

,
highest living authorities w as j ustified in thin king that

“
D ruidism w as probably to be traced to the race or races
,
which precede d the Celts in their possession of the B ritish

I sles . The I berians w ith dark eyes an d hair belonge d
, ,
to these Isles as well as i n north west and south west Gaul

,
- - .
I n B ritta ny as i n Wales to this day the Iberian an d Celt

, , ,
may b e seen side by side .
A discussion has arisen in F rench scientific j ournals as ,
to the apparently di fferent views o f D ruidism in writings

attributed to Pythagoras a n d to C e s ar H e rm an d pointed .
ou t their contradiction La m ario uz e remarked . One

says there were in all Celtic lands neither temples nor
statues ; the other on the contrary would declare he had
, ,
found the w orship o f R oman divin ities and consequently ,

”
“
temples statues images
, Pythagoras w as told by a D ruid
, .
that he believed in one D ivinity alone who is everywhere , ,
since H e is i n all .
La m ario u z e failed to see any decided di fference in the

two authorities saving the mod ification occasioned by the
,
R oman domination H e saw i n one o f the constituents

.
and principles of the Gaulish religion the proscription o f

temples and idols recalling the we ll know n fact o f the
,
-
destruction o f the temple o f D elphi by the same people .
H e points out that C e sar spo ke of a like n es s to R oman

i dols not the idols themselves especi ally in the relation o f
, ,
so m any of Mercury .
O f the Gaulish D ru ids Lam ariou z e said Besides these

,
purely spiritual belie fs they permitted a material w o rship

,
fo r the people They permitted the a doration o f God in

.
”
that which the ancients n amed the Elements .
Some hold that the D rui ds were either strangers from

a far or an esoteric b ody o f the learned who permitted
, ,
the vul ar to in dul e th

g g eir he athe n i s hprac tices while they ,
D ru idical Be lief . 69
the m selves maintained lo ftier conceptio n s The early .
Christian missionaries seemed to have adopted a li ke policy

in allo w ing their converts considerable liberty especially if ,
sa fe gu ar ded by a change o f n ames in their images Fo r

“
- .
instance as F os b roke s B ritis k M on a rckis m says B ritish

,
’
churches from p olicy were founded upon the site of

, ,
”
D ru i dical temples .
The three rays of the D ruids three yods fle u r de lis , ,

- -
,
broad arro w or otherwise named may have represente d

, ,
l ight from heaven or the male attributes in the descending

, ,
w ay a n d female ones when in the reversed position

,
They .
may have been B ud dhist or even ancient E gyptian and —

,
may have symbolized di fferent sentiments at di fferent times ,
or i n di fferent lands .
A s D ruids li ke other close bodies w rote nothing

, , ,
depend upon outside pagans an d Christian teachers , ,
w hat we kno w o f their doctrines D oubtless as m .

,
S panish Jew s kept secretly their old faith a fter the

adoption o f Christianity so may some I rish mo ,
partly retained theirs an d e v en revealed it u nder a guise

, , ,
i n their writings since ecclesia s tical authority show s that

,
D rui dism w as not w holly extinct in the sixteenth century .
While some authorities i magined the D ruids preceded

the ordinary polytheistic religion others taught that they ,
i ntroduced pantheism A m ed ee Thierry in H is toi re des

.
,
Ga u lois found it based o n pantheism material m e tap h

, y , ,
s ic a l,mysterious sacerdotal o ffering the most stri king

, ,
li keness to the religions o f the E ast H e discovered n o .
historic light as to how the Cym ry acqui red this religion ,
nor w hy it resembled the pantheism O f the E ast unless ,
through their early sojourn on the borders o f A sia

“ “
.
”
The empire o f D ruidism says he did n ot destroy , ,
the religion o f exterior nature w hich had preceded it , .
A ll learn e d an d m ys te rious re ligions tole rat e an u n de r

7 0 [ris k D ru ids .
current o f gross fetishism to occupy and nourish the

superstition o f the multitude .
A gain he writes B u t i n the east and so u th o f Gau l ,
where D ruidism had n ot been imposed at the point o f the

sword although it had become the prevailin g form o f
,
worship the ancient religion preserved more i n depend e nce

, ,
even under the mi nistry o f the D ruids who made them ,

‘
selves its priests I t con tinued to be cultivated if I may

.
,
use the word followi n g the march o f civilization and

,
public intelligence rose gradually from fetishism to re

,
”
ligio u s conceptions more and more purified Was it i n .
this way that D ruids fou nd their way to B ritain an d

I reland
C e sar w ho saw nothing o f the religion among these
,
islands was told that here was the high seat o f D ruid ism
, .
H is observations on religion were not so keen as those on

the art o f war Thierry regarded D ruidism as an i mporte d
.
faith into Ga u l and partly by means o f force

,
Strabo .
heard that D ruids spo ke Gree k Tacitus m ay say o ur rude .
ancestors worshipped Castor and Pol lu x but A gricola w ho ,
destroyed D ruids in Mona fo u nd no images i n the wo ods , .
B ae c ke r remarked that the Celtic history labours under

such insuperable O bscurity and incertitude that w e can not ,
premise anything above a small degree o f verisimilitude .
A n d I rela n d s M irror ventured to write

’
On no subj ect
has fancy roamed with more licentious indulgence than
o n that o f the D ruids and their I nstitutions Though .
sun k in the grossest ign orance and barbarism their ad ,
m ire rs have found them in the dar k recesses o f forests

, ,
secluded from man kind and almost from day cultivating

, ,
the abstrusest sciences and penetrating the sublimest,
—
mysteries o f nature and all this without the aid o f letters
”
or o f experiments .
Thi s i s n o t the Op in ion of s om e m odern devotees o f

D ru idical klys ticis m .
7 1
D ru idis m i n these islands who imagine under D rui dic

, ,
control the existence o f a primal and e x alted civilization

, .
O C u rry thought it probable that the E uropean D r u i d

’
ical system was but t he O ffsprin g o f the E astern augury ,
som e what less co mplete when transplanted to a n e w soi l .

”
D R U I D CA L I M YS T I C I S M .
H o w ever orthodo x the I rish o f the present day may be

esteem ed there must have been a fair amount o f mysticism
,
in the p as t amongst so i maginative a race Perhaps this .
quality brought them i nto some disrepute w ith the Church ,
do w n t o the ti me when the Pope gave their country to

the N orman King of E ngland in order to bring the people
,
into more co n sistent faith E ven St B ern ard in his L ife

. .
,
of M ala ck y re ferred
,
to the I rish as Pagans while calling ,
”
themselves Christians .
J ohn Scotus E rigena the learned I rishman o f the ninth

,
centu ry was certa inly mystical i n his V ie w s H e spo ke

, .
o f God as the essence o f all things ; O f the D ivine D a rk
a n d Supreme N otking ; o f creation bei n g only an eternal
sel f un folding o f the D ivine N ature o f all things resolved

-
or sel f drawn to God ; o f time and space o f mo des o f

-
,
conception o f the present state & c , .
Gould s H is tory of F ree m as on ry re fers to the co n nection

’
between the D ruids and F reemasons The Papal B u ll O f .
1 7 5 1 against the latter might have been applied t o the
former
—
The strict b ond o f s ecrecy the oath to keep secret L —
at varia n ce with civil and canon law—O f ill repute amongst
w ise an d good men . Clement X I I was followed in his .
condemnation o f F reemasons by B enedict X I V

“
.
The Zohar of the Kabbala taught that the narrative L
o f the D oc trin e was i ts c loa k— the s imple look only at Q

‘
ne
garment . Clement o f A lexandria w rote Th e mysteries ,
o f the F aith are not to be divulge d to all It is requisite .
”
to hide in a mystery the wisdom spo ken Even A ugustine
“
.
admitted that what is now called the Christian religion

really was known to the ancients D ruidism may there fore .
, ,
have had its secrets .
I t is w ell to recollect as Pro fessor R hys poi nts out th at

, ,
w hat m ay seem to o n e generation o f men a mere matter

o f mythology is frequently found to h
,
ave belonged to the
serious theology o f a previous On e and that early man
is n ot beneath contempt especial ly when he proves to have
,
had within him the maki ngs o f a great race w ith its ,
”
hi ghest notions of duty and right .
—
N o o n e can de n y that Wales somehow or other at ,
a certai n period assuredly long a fter the establishment o f

,
Christianity i n these I slands an d suspected by many from , ,
philological investigations to have been about the tw el fth

,
—
century received a flood of mystical learning conveye d i n ,
Welsh Triads o f great beauty but great obscurity This , .
mystical learning conveyed in a Chri stian guise is asserted

, ,
t o be a re st atement in refi ned symbolism o f those ancient

-
, ,
creeds and as sociate d with ideas d rawn from megalithic

,
monuments as cromlechs and circles

,
.
The I rish literature of the same period in the M iddle

A ges though less tinctu red than the Welsh with the
,
Medi e val mysticism is n ot w ithout a trace o f it E ngland

,
.
,
j udgi n g from the su dden admi x ture of religious symbols ,
pre v iously u n know n in the Churches of that same era was ,
li kew ise a ffected F re n ch literature shares the same sus

.
i io n B ritta n y in particular and especially in con nection

p c , ,
with the myths o f A rthur and the Q uest o f the H oly Grail
,
.
Morien is right in placing this F rench development o f

Pag an mysticism alongside that o f his Welsh .
The E a rly L i ve s of S t Patrick con tain in g many fool ish

.
,
born as a man “
The idea
says J ubainville that a soul
.
, ,
could i n this world re clothe successively several di fferen t

-
physical forms was a natural consequence o f a C eltic

,
doctrine w ell kno w n in antiquity This doctri n e is that .
the deceased who have le ft in the tomb their body depri ved
o f li fe fi nd in exchange a living body i n the mysterious
,
country which they go to inhabit under the be w itching ,

”
sceptre o f the po wer ful King o f the D ead .
That there has been an esoteric learning i n the Past ,
which has come do w n to us in the form o f Christian a nd

M asonic Symbolism is now by many accepted as a truth
, .
The Mason s Tools must have been used once though n ow

’
merely badges o f the w orthy C ra ft We may there fore .

, ,
be excuse d citing a remar kable letter reproduced i n ,
Melville s costly work Ve ritas pro fessedly dealing with

’
, ,
the esoteric laws o f the M edes and Persians which can not ,
alter The letter is signed by M r H e n ry Melville and

. .
,
by M r F rederic k Ten nyson brother O f the late Lord

.
,
Ten nyson and is addressed as follows

,
To TH E M O ST W O R S H I P F U L TH E G R AN D M A STE R OF I R E A L ND ,
H I S GR A C E TH E D UKE OF L E I N ST E R :
The P e tition of t he U n de rs ign e d,

H um bly S he w e t h
Th at w e , M as te r M as on s , are in p os se s s ion of th e kn ow le dge
of th e L os t S e c re ts of Mas on ry W e c an p rov e that the M ys te rie s
’
.
w e re M as on ic , in as m u c has b y th e u s age of t h e S ym b ols n ow u n w it

tin gly w orn b y C om p an ion s an d Mas te rs , C e le s t ial L aw s are fram e d
in acc ordan ce w ith th e S ac re d W rit in gs , an d b y t h ese L aw s are
“
o b tain e d th
Th
e t ru e in te rp re tat ion of t h
at in form e r age s th
e L os t M ys te rie s
e le arn e d rule rs re tain e d th e M a s on i c
.
m ys te rie s for the u s e an d b e n e t of th fi

e C raft, an d t h e s e M ys t e rie s
w e re n ot to b e div ulge d u n de r a le s s e r p e n alty th an D e ath S uch .
m ys tic s e c re s y m ight hav e b e e n adv is able an d re qu is ite in age s p a s t,

b ut s u ch re t e nt io n of kn ow le dge you r P e titione rs v e rily b e lie v e t o b e
n o lon ge r n e c e s s ary, as th e advan c e m e n t of tru this n o w th e p olic y of
the c i v ili z e d w orld, m ore e s p e c ially s o of th e B ritis hn at ion .
Yo ur P e ti ti on e rs, the re fore, h um b ly p ray, Mos t W ors h ipful S ir,

D ru idical lllys t icis m .
75
that yo u w ill b e p le as e d t o orde r a C om m is s io n of le arn e d an d

inte llige n t re t h B
re n t o b e ap p o in t e d to in u ire an d de c ide
q
I st — W he the r the kn owle dge we p rofe s s w as in form e r t im e s
con s ide re d M as on ic
—
.
z ud W he the r the L os t Mys te rie s w e re , an d c ons e q ue n tly s t ill are

“
,
ce le s t ial t ru ths .
3 r d— W he the r t ru t h s hould b e p u b li s he d to m an kin d u n de r t h e

san c t ion of th e Gra n d L odge , p rov ide d alw ays t h at t he s e L o s t truth s
“
in te rfe re n ot w it hthe Mys te rie s an d R itual of M ode rn M as o n ry
An d las tly, w he the r, un de r all c on s ide ration s the G ra n d L o dge
, ,
.
of I re lan d w ill as s is t frate m ally t h

, e dis s e m in at ion of th
, e re c o v e re d
trut h w hic h w ill e n ligh te n th e n lighte n e d C h ie fs O f this

‘
e m os t
’
s,
p re se n t ge n e rat ion .
S
( g )
i n e d H E N R Y M E LV I I LE ,
.
F R E D E R I C K TE NN YSO N .
”
We w ere
acquainted w ith M r Melville i n Tasma n ia .
som e fi fty years ago when he had been lo n g e n gage d in

,
an investigation o f ancient learning and had ev e n then ,
come t o the conclusion that heathen myth o logy was but a

disguise concealing scientific truths
, .
Occultism in these modern days as in M adame B lav at

, ,
s ky s Tke os opky or Morien s L igkt of B rita n n ia attempts

’
,
’
,
to ex plain even to the vulgar many the secret mys teries

, ,
supposed to have been cherished by the I R I S H D R U I D S .

PA R T II .
EARLY RELIG IO NS O F THE I RI S H .
I N TR O D UC TI O N .
ONE the most philosophical stateme n ts from M a x

of
M Iille r is to this e ffect : Whatever we kno w o f early

'
rE ligion w e al w ays see that it presupposes vast periods o f

,
an earlier development This is exhibited in the history

.
o f all peoples that have progresse d i n civilization though ,
we may have to travel far bac k on the trac k o f history to

notice trans formations o f thought o r belie f When the .
late D r B i rch told us that a pyramid several hu ndreds o f

.
,
years older than the Great Pyramid contained the name o f ,
Os iris w e knew that at le ast the Osirian part o f E gyptian

,
mythology was honoured some si x or seven thousan d years

ago . What the earlier development o f religion there was ,
o r how the conception o f a dying and risen Osi ris arose at ,
so remote a perio d may w el l excite ou r wonder

, .
Pro fessor J ebb w rites There was a time when they

( e ar l
y m a n
) began to spea k o f the natural po w ers as persons ,
and yet had not forgotten that they w ere really nat u ral
’ ”
powers and that the persons names w ere merely signs
,
.
Yet this goes o n the assumption that religion o r rather —

—
dogmas thereo f sprang from reflections upon natural phe
n om e n a I n this way the F rench author o f S iriu s satisfied
.
,
himsel f particularly on philological grou nds that the idea

, ,
o f Go d sprang from an association with thunder and the
b a rkin g of a dog
.
I n troduction .
77
i Ve are assured by Max M uller that religion is a word

,
that has changed from century to centu ry and that the ,
word ro s e to the sur face thousands o f years ago Ta king .
relig i on to imply an inward feeling o f reverence to w ard the
u ns e e n and a desire to act i n obedience t o the in w ard law

,
of rig/ct ,
religion has existed as long as humanity itsel f .
What is com monly assumed by the word religion by w riters ,
in general is dogm a or belie f

, .
T he i mportan ce of this subject was well put forth by the

g reat S anscrit scholar in the phrase The real history o
,
f
”
m an is the history of religion This conviction lends
.
i nterest and weight to any investigations into the ancient

religion o f I reland though Plo w den held that fe w histories
”
are s o charged with fables as the an nals of I reland
“
.
I t was H erder who fi nely s ai d Our earth o w es the ,
see ds o f all higher cult u re to a religious tradition w hether ,

”
literary or oral . I n proportion as the s o called super -
natu ral gained an ascendancy s o was man really adv an c

,
i ng from the materi alism and brutishness o f savagedom

“
.
Lec ky notes the disposition o f man in certain stages o f

society towards the miraculous B ut was B uc kle quite
.
correct in maintaini ng that al l nature conspired to

increase the authority o f the i magin ative faculties a n d ,
”
wea ken the authority of the reasoning ones ?
I t is not to be forgotten in our inquiry that as faiths ,
arose in the East science has exerted its force in the West
,
.
F e t is his m can hard ly be regarded as the origin o f religion .
A s to those writers who see in the former the de ific at io n

o f natural O bjects Max Mil lle r remarks
,
“They might as ,
well speak o f primitive men mummi fyi n g their dead bo dies

”
b e fore they had w ax to embalm them with .
Myth has b een styled the basis o f religion not less than
o f history but how was it begotten
B utler in E nglis k I ris k an d S cottis k Ckurckes write s
, , , ,
7 8 Old [ris k Re ligion s .
To separate the fabulous from the probable and t he ‘
probabl e from the true wi ll requi re no ordinary share o r

,
”
penetration and perse v ering in dustry We have certainly .
t o remember as o n e has sa id that

,
mythic history m ythic , ,
i "
theology mythic science are ali ke records n ot o f facts b u t:

, , , ,
belie fs A n drew Lang properly calls ou r attention to

.
“
language as embodying thought being so liable t o m is

, ,
conception and misinterpretation N ames connected with : .

,
myths have been s o variously read an d explained by

,
scholars that outsiders may w ell be puzzle d

, .
H o w rapidly a m yth gro w s an d is gree dily accepte d , ,
because o f the w ish it may be true is exemplifie d in the ,
pre tty story i mmortali ze d by music o f J essie o f Luc kno w

, , ,
wh o in the siege heard her deliverers in the remote distance

, , , ,
”
playing The Campbells are coming There never w as .
,
ho w ever a Jessie B ro w n there at that ti me ; and as o n e

, ,
a dds J ess ie has hersel f been sent to j oin Willi am Tell and
,
”
the other dethroned gods and goddesses
“
.
I n the H i bbe rt Lectu res Pro fessor R hys O bserves The

, ,
Gree k myth w hich distressed the thought ful an d pious

,
minds li ke that o f Socrates was a survival li ke t he other

, , ,
scan dalous tales about the gods from the time when the ,
”
ancestors O f the Gree ks w ere savages May it n ot rather .
have been derived by H omer through the tra ding Phoe ,
n ic ian s from the O lder mythologies o f I ndia and E gypt

, ,
with altered names and scenes to suit the poet s day an d ’
clime ?
“
I t wou ld scarcely do to say with Thierry I n legend ,
—
alone rests real history fo r legend is living tradition and ,
three times out o f four i t is truer than what we call

”
H istory A ccording to F roude Legends gre w as n ursery
.
—
,
tales gro w now There is reason to believe that religious

.
t heogonies and heroic tales o f every n ation t h at has le ft

a re co rd o f itsel f are but practi ca l ac c ou n ts O f the fi rst
,
[ ri sk S up ers tition s .
79
l im re s s io n s
p produced upon m an kind by the p heno m ena o f
”
day a n d n ight morning and evening winter and su m mer
, , .
Suc h m ay be a partial expl anation but it may be also

ass u m e d that they were p laced o n record by the s cientifi c
h olde r s o f esoteric wisdom as problems or stud ies fo r

,
el uci d a ti o n by disciples .
The a nthropological works o f Sir John Lubboc k an d

Dr T yl or can be consulted with profit upon this subj ect
.
of p ri m itive religious thought .
H ayes O Grady brings us bac k to I reland saying Who

’
, ,
shall thoroughly discern the truth from the fiction w ith

whic h it is every w here entwine d and in many places ,
altogether overlai d —There w as at one time a vast amount
of z eal ingen u ity and research expen de d on the eluci da

, ,
tion and confi rming o f these fables ; w hich if properly ,
applied would have done I rish hi s tory an d arch e ology

,
goo d service instead of ma king their very names s yn on y

,
”
mous among strangers w ith fancy an d delusion .
A fter this we c an procee d with the I r ish legends and

myths the in troduction to this inquiry being a direction to
,
the cu rrent superstitions of the race .
I RI SH SU PER STI TI O N S .
TH E peculiar superstitions of a people w ill o ften throw a

l ight upon their an cient faiths B aring Gould has remarked.
-
,
M uch o f the religion o f the lo wer orders which we regard ,
as essentially divine is ancient heathen ism refi ned with

, ,
”
Christian sym bols Whatever doubt may b e felt as to
.
this all must admit the u nderlying paganism o f so m e

,
customs credences or sayings Gom me tells us that the

, , .
local fetishism to be fo und in A ryan cou ntries simpl y

re pre s ent s the un dying fait h of th
”
e O ld e r race .
80 Old [ ris k Re lig ion s .
Dr . Todd in his w ork on [ris k R elig ion ventured o n

, ,
more ten der ground when he w rote concerning the ,

”
Guard s man s Cry o f St Patric k
’
The prayer w hich i t .
contains against women smiths and D rui ds together w ith , , ,
the i nvocation o f the powers o f the s ky the su n fi re , , ,
lightning & c proves that not w ithstan ding the undoubte d

, .
, ,
piet y and fer vent Christian faith o f the a uthor he had n o t ,
”
yet fully sha ken O ff the pagan prej udices Giraldu s .
C am b re n s is declare d that the I rish at the conquest by

H enry I I j ustifie d their condem nation by the Pope being
.
,
“ ,
more ignorant than all other nations o f the fi rst principle s

”
O f the faith .
The legends o f the E nglish and F rench might be sho w n

to contai n a vast amount o f qu e stionable co m mon sense
and faith ; bu t ou r presen t inquiry is to trace the under
lying opinions O f the ancien t I rish .
Leaving outside the s o cal led D rui dical megalit hic mon u-
ment s about the origin of which in circles pillars & c we

, , , ,
.
,
kno w little or nothing beyond speculation and w hich are ,
scattered almost all over the globe w e notice i n the I rish ,
certain notions an d practices connected with stones that

reflect the manners o f former times .
The stone o f Cuam c hoill near Tipperary produce d , ,
blindness o n those w ho gazed on it Stones o f Speculation .

,
L ia tk M e is ie tk used to draw fire w ere much revered

, One .
obj ect in the I rish Museum o f brass cased in silver s ix , ,
inches by four has the precious crystal in the centre set

, ,
roun d w ith coloured stones The footprints o f the angel .
Victor were to be seen on a stone in D o w n County as the ,
celestial being alighted to deliver his message from on high

to St Patric k
. .
I n the Gli mp s es of E ri n by S and A lice Milligan an , .

,
i nteresting notice occu rs o f the B ras k or B ulla n stones .
i n Cork C O though there is a specimen at the Seven

,
.
82 Old [ ri sk Re lig ion s .
There is no account of the people as recorded o f so m e ,
Celts worshipping a bloody spear or one placed in a vase

, ,
upon the altar as with the Scythia n s but Spenser in

, ,
’
Queen Elizabeth s time observe d the I rish drin k blood in ,
a certai n ceremony and Swe ar: by the right hand o f their

,
chie fs .
S olin us in the early Ch ristian centuries must h ave heard

, ,
strange tales o f E rin when he le ft this record , I t is a

surly savage race The sol dier in the moment o f victory
, .
ta kes a draught o f his enemy s blood an d smears his face

'
’
with the gore The mother puts her boy s fi rst food for
.
,
luc k on the en d o f her husban d s sword an d lightly pushes

'
, ,
it into the in fant s mouth with a prayer to the go ds o f her

’
,
”
tribe that her son may have a soldier s death ’
.
The E v il Ey e was an obj ect o f d read and penalties c on ,
cerning it are conspicuous i n the old B reh on laws The .
S u il B kaloi rs or B alor ey e relates to o n e B alor w h

, o was , ,
able b y an eye to stri ke a foe dead Love potions o n the .

,
contrary are re ferre d to in many ancient songs

, .
Persons were put u nder vo w s to do o r not to do a thin g .
They were said to be under Ges a This was o ften impose d .
w ith certain spells or charms .
—
R aising the wind s o valuab le a power i n sailing days
was the privilege o f a fe w and had its votaries do w n to the ,
last century Windbound fi shermen o f the H ebrides too

.
, ,
used to wal k su n w ise round the chapel o f Fladda i n

, , ,
F laddah u an I sle and pou r water up on a rou nd bluish

, ,
loo king stone This e ffectual ly raised a w in d The gods

. .
then kept the wind in bags N ot so long ago O ld women .

,
i n the Shetlands would sell w ind to sailors .
D reams have played a great part in I reland I n St . .
Patric k s Conf es s ion they are re ferred to Pro fessor O Cu rry

’
.
’
explains the meaning attached to them by the peasan try .
A uguries were ta ken from the flight of birds from be asts , ,

[ris k S up ers tition s . 83
and the appearance o f clou ds Prodigies were not a lways .
perceived but by favou red parties Thus w e read in o n e .
poem The King alone beheld the terrible sight a n d he

, ,
foresa w the death o f his people Sho w ers o f blood were .
thus beheld B ards at ti rpes recogni zed the sounds o f

.
approa ching death o n the stri n gs o f their harps .
M i racles w ere o f ordinary occurrence and o f varied ,
character Tales were tol d o f early saints crossing the

. .
I rish Sea by standing upon their garments l aid upon the

w ater . They are similar to w hat is noted in H u c he r s Le ’
S a i n t Gra a l where a nu mber o f Christians came t o B ritain

,
u pon J oseph o f A rimathea s shirt which grew in size with ’
the nu mber mounting upon it .
Trans formations especially into animal forms have been

, ,
i m plicitly believed in by the peasantry Some perceive in .
t his the system o f Totemism Pro f R hys was led to . .
recogn ize a D og totem in I reland from the n umber O f dog

-
n ame s . C o n aire s o n o f bird must not eat bird

,
- -
, and
C uchulainn the hero named a fter a dog was told not to
“
, , ,
eat o f dog ; he was ruined by brea king the order The

descen dants o f the w ol f i n Osso ry w e are told in Won de rs ”
of E ri n
“ could then trans form themselves i nto wolves
,
”
,
The w ol f was the totem of Ossory .
D ruids as tradition relates could change men into

, ,
ani mals o r trees D alye ll s D a rke r S up e rs tit ion s of S cotla n d

.
’
gives a number o f such trans forming stories Thus Minerva

c hanged U lysses fo r fear o f his enemies
,
S he s p ake , the n tou che d him w ithhe r p ow e rful w an d

The s kin s hru n k up , an d w ithe re d at he r h an d
A s w ift old age o e r all his m e m b e rs s p re ad,
’
A s udde n fros t w as s p rin kle d on his head ”

.
A n I ndian changed himsel f to a mouse to catch a fairy

dancer So many I rish tales re late to trans formations
.
,
though more for w ar stratage m than love b e guile m en t s .

84 Old [ ris k Relig ion s .
A ndrew Lang re ferring to Cupid and Psyche equally

,
“
applicable to other S uperstitions O bserves We expla in , ,
,
the separation o f the lovers as the result o f brea kin g a

taboo or one o f etiquette binding among men and women
, ,
”
as w el l as bet ween men and fairies
—
.
W itchcra ft the conscious or unconscious exerci s e o f a

po w er peculiar to some p e rsons i n greater or les s er degree , ,
o f controlling little heeded o r understood la w s o f natu re

-
w as ever common in I reland W itches were P itag s .

,
B u its eacks o r Ta ut ag s
,
These had the m a rk o r Seal of
-
.
,
”
the D e v il i n redden ing s kin which w ould retain fo r ho u rs
, ,
an indentation upon it R ecently it has been ascert a ined

.
,
by a ph ilosopher that a sensitiveness in certain indi v id uals

,
exi s ts even beyond their bodies so that they su ffer without ,
being actually touched .
I n a tradition respecting Con n o f the H un dre d B attles ,
the h e ro E ogan w as told by three w omen that he should

be slain in the coming fi ght U pon his as king their names
“
.
,
they replied O ur n ames are A k La n n an d Le a n a ; we

, , ,
are daughters o f Tro dan the Magician A w itch w ho .

”
,
sought to rescue a hero surrounded by foes induc e d the ,
tribesmen to leave him and attac k some roc k w hic hthey s

,
w er e hypnotized t o believe w e re armed soldiery The .
witch e s tied knots in a string an d breath e d o n t he m ,
w ith a cur s e U pon the object o f their hate ful incant a tion .
Some persons however w e re clever enough w h e n fi n di n g

, , ,
such a charmed stri n g t o u ndo the knots and s o p re v e n t

, ,
th e calamit y The Koran contains a pr aye r fo r de l iv e ry

.
”
fro m the mischie f o f women blo w ing o n knot s .
I ncant ations were common in I relan d A s to ry in E rse .
' —
P a n aj een O K e lly has a man riding alo ft o n a b e som
’
.
A g iant ble w a young man to a distant R ath and sent ,
him into a heavy sleep A giant go t fro m a little green

m an a b lack c ap —li ke Jac k the Giant -K iller s Cap o f
.
’
- -
[ ris k S up e rs t ition s . 85
’
Dar kness , and ga v e it to the King o f I reland s son that ,
he m ight be in visible at his leisure .
Other superstitious traditions more or less hypnotic may , ,
be mentioned A thimble w as given by a fairy to a you n g

.
man to se rve as a boat A large w hite cat declared h e rsel f

.
a w om an three hundred years O ld R iding on fairy horses .

,
carryin g o ff princesses through the air using swor ds that ,
g ave light sending

, weasels to bring money turning into ,
flyi n g beetles forcing into magic sleep and even restoring

, ,
youth were some O f the wonders A blac k dog w as sa id

,
.
A depts could turn into vult u re s

’
to be a hag s father .
,
s w a n s w olves & c But according to H yde s F olk Lore

, , .
,
’
witches could be release d by masses A hag or w itch .
was a g w ra ck in Celtic Welsh .
S ir George Grey in his N e w Zealand narratives has

, ,
several instances o f enchantmen t li ke those o f I rish times , .
O n e o ld woman by her spells held a boat so that i t could

no t be launched A gain “ ,
E arly in the morn ing K u a

.
,
,
per formed incantations by which he kept all the p e ople ,
in t he cave i n a pro foun d sleep A sorcerer ba ked food .

”
in an enchant e d oven to kill a pa rty O f another H e .

,
sm ote his hands on the threshold o f the house and every ,
sou l in it w as dead .
This w as an I rish charm fo r the toot hache

May the thu m b of c hos e n Thom as
in the s ide of gu ile le s s C hri s t
he al m y te e thw ithout lam e n tation
”
from w orm s an d from p an gs .
Charms o f a peculiar kin d were employed to ward o ff

e v il —
O f these more poten t than the feminine S ign o f
—
.
the horseshoe over the threshold w as the celebrated

S ke la k n a Gig
- - The w riter many years ago was shown
'
.
, ,
one o f these strange figu res in the reserved depositaries o f

the B ritis h M us e um I t was the s q uatti n g hgu re oi an
.
86 Old [ri s k Re ligion s .
exposed n a ked female rudely sculptu re d n ot unli ke ex , , ,
cept in size the singular colossi u nder the Museu m porch

,
brought from Easter I sle This figu re was ta ken down .
from over the doorway o f an ancient church in I relan d ,
and w as without doubt a relic o f pagan days used during

, , ,
many Christian centuries to w ard o ff evil from the incom ing

congregation A nother stood by the moat of Ho w th
. .
I n the S ton e Ckips o f E T S teve n we h ave the . .
following The horse shoe is still the conventional figu re

-
fo r the Yoni in H indoo temples and although its original ,
import was lost until lately the horse shoe was hel d t o
,
-
be a charm agains t witchcra ft and the evil eye amongst

ourselves precisely as w as the case with the more u n
,
mistakable S kelak n a n at certain churches in I relan d

- -
.
The D ublin Museum cont a ins an extraordin ary bone

pin representing the S kelak n a n and evidently a charm - -
,
to shield the wearer I t was found alongside a s ku ll i n a

.
field Wilde declared that a R oscom mon child was ta ken

.
from the gra v e to obtain its arms fo r charm pur p o s es .
Popular holidays are still associated with the ideas o f

former heathen festivals .
May day in some parts o f I reland has its female

-
mummers who dance and hurl wearing a holly bush A

, ,
-
.
mas ked clown carries a pail of water with a m o p fo r

S preading i ts contents abroad B oys then sing c arols as .
,
in F ra n ce I n the south east o f I reland a girl is chosen

.
-
as May Queen p residing at all May ma kings all she is

,
-
married May Eve having its dangers from fairies & c

.
, , .
,
is sp e nt in ma king cattle sa fe from the milk-thieving li ttle

p pe o le,by causing the cows to leap over fi res D ai ry .
maids prudently drive their cows along with the mystical

ro w an stic k .
O f the phallic May pole set u p for St John s Eve o r

’
-
, .
M i ds um m e r-day N O Ke arne y re m arks

, .
’
The p ole was ,
[ris k S upe rs t it ion s . 87
evidently used in the D ruidical ceremon ies Yule ca kes .
were N u r ca kes H ogmanay w as observed as in Scotlan d

.
, .
H og was a Chald e a n festival I rish pagan feasts w ere .
an nou n ced by the blowing o f long horns t w o o r three ,
yards i n length some of w hich are to be seen in D ublin

,
Museu m The Christmas Candle o f so uth west I reland was

.
-
b u rn t till midnight on Christmas Eve and the rem n an t ,
kept as a pres e rvative agai n st evil spirits till the n e xt year s

’
can dle was set up Magic ointment revealed the invisible

. .
A ll Saints D ay perpetuated t h
’
e pagan S a m ka in o f
N ovember E v e H oly ca kes kno w n sometimes as triangular
.
,
b an n oc ks were then eaten as Soul Mass ca kes

“
-
, .
N ovember Eve says Mrs B ryant s Celtic I rela n d

” ’
, . is ,
sacre d to the Spirits o f the D ead I n the western islan ds .
the o ld superstition is dying v ery hard and traditio n is stil l ,
w el l alive I t is dange rou s to be out on N ovember E ve

.
,
because it is the one night in the year when the dead come
out o f their graves to dance w ith the fairies on the hills an d ,
”
as it is their night they do not li ke to be distu r b ed
, .
F u neral games are held i n their houses I n olden times .
it w as thought their dead heroes could help in distress .
Tw ice during the Tre e n a of Te ilte n ,

E ac hday at s un ris e I in v oke d Mac E ve
To re m ov e from m e the p e s tile n c e ”
.
The K ee ns or lamentations for the de ad are con nected

, ,
with ancient and heathenish practices Pro fessional ho w lers .
had ch arge of the corpse R ich who wrote in 16 10 o f a

.
,
K een remarked A stran ger at the fi rst encou nter w ould

, ,
b e le e v e that a quantity o f b ags or hellish fie n de s were

.
”
carrying a dead body to some in fe rne ll ma n sion B ut .
some o f the D eath Songs have great beauty of composition .
S helah Le a s Lam e n t is a fi ne exam p le I t is thus translated

’
.
from the Erse

Sing the wild K e e n of m y country ye whos e he a ds ,
88 Old [ ris k Re ligion s .
bend i n sorrow in the house o f the dead ! L ay a s ide the

,
wheel and flax and sing not in j oy fo r there s a S pare

, ,
’
lo ft in my cabin ! O we n e c n the pride o f my heart is , ,
n ot here ! D id you n ot hear the c ry o f the B an s hee

crossin g the lovely K ilc ru m p e r ? Or was there a voice ,
from the tomb far sweeter t han song that whistled in the
, ,
mountain win d and told you that the young o ak was

,
fallen ? Yes he is gone ! H e has gone o ff in the spri n g

,
O f li fe li ke the blossom o f the pric kly hawthorn scattered

, ,
by the merciless wind on the cold clammy eart h R a i s e

,
—
the Keen ye whose notes are well known tell your bea ds
, , ,
ye young women who grieve ; lie dow n o n his narrow

house in mourning and his spirit wi ll sleep and be at r e st
,
Plant the shamroc k and w ild fi rs near his hea d that ,
strangers may know who is fallen ! Soon again w il l you r

Keen be heard on the mountain fo r be fore the cold s o d ,
is sodded over the breast o f my O we n e c n Shelah the , ,
mother o f Keene rs wil l be there The voice which be fore

, .
,
was loud and plainti v e w ill be still and silent li ke the

, ,
ancient harp o f her country & c

“
.
,
A nother exclaimed My sunshine you were I love d .
you better than the sun itsel f ; and w hen I see the su n
going down in the west I thin k o f my boy and my b lac k, ,
night o f sorrow Li ke the risi n g su n he had a red glow

.
,
on his chee k H e was as bright as the sun at mid day ;

.
-
but a dark storm came on and my sunshine w as lost to ,
”
me for ever .
N O on e would clai m fo r the Keens a Christian origin .
The R e v J ohn Wesley s aw a funeral in 1 7 50 and w rote

“
.
,
I was exceedingly shoc ked at the I rish ho w l w hich

follo w ed I t was not a song but a dismal inarticul ate
.
, ,
yell set u p at the grave by four shrill voiced women w ho

,
-
were hired for the pu rpose ; but I saw not one that shed
a t e a r for th
”
; a t i t s e e m s was n ot in the bargain .
9 0 Old [ ris k Re ligion s .
man or woman gradually to w aste aw ay unless exorcism ,
w ere pr act ised in time .
Would that men had foun d as much com fort i n the

belie f o f good spirits as they have su ffered fears from the
,
belie f in evil ones There is still alas in this w orld more , ,
thought o f a jealous an d an avenging D eity than o f o n e

bene volent an d paternal .
Subterra n ean spirits might d w ell in bu rn ing mountains ,
or occupy themselves in m ining an d the storing o f treasure ,

.
Many I rish legends relate to such They may appear as .
D aam e S ki dressed in green w ith mischievous intent

-
, ,
.
O thers presented themselves restlessly movin g ov e r water .
N ot a fe w sought amusement by destroying at night what

parts o f a church had been constructed in the day H ence .
the n eed i n certain cases to bury alive a man woman

, , , ,
o r child u nder the fo u ndations Tradition says that St . .
Colu mba thus tormented buried St Oran at his ow n

, , .
,
request under the monastery o f Iona

, .
The P kookas or P ookas have le ft some marks in I relan d

, ,
.
There is Cas tle P ookak or Ca rrzg a P kooka Cor k c o an d a

,
- -
,
.
,
Ph ook cavern in Wic klow co Pope calls it .
A du s ky, m e lan c holy s p rite

As e v e r s ullie d the fair face of n ight ”
.
P hookas have been seen runn i n g from hill to hill Thei r .
shapes vary li ke the B odu cks o f the H ebrides

, .
The Clu ri caun e or Lep recka u ne is a m ischievous O ld

, ,
fellow dressing in a green coat bu t withou t brogues

, ,
That s ottis he lf,

W ho q uafls w iths w olle n lip s the ruby w in e ,
'
D rain in g the c e llar w ithas fre e a han d

As if it w e re his p urs e whichn e e r lack d c oin
’ ’
.
I n the R eligious B elief s of i ke P ag a n [ris k by O B e irn e ,

’
C rowe is a re ference to the M orriga n which once appeared

, ,
i n the s h ap e of a b ird addre s s in g the fam o u s bull D on d

[ ris k S up e rs tition s .
9 I
in dar k mysterious langu age On another occasion s he .
appears to Cu in the form o f a be auti ful lady and tells

, ,
hi m she is i n love with him and has brought him her gems ,
an d her cattle Cu said he had something else than love

.
t o attend to at that time She said w hen he w ould nex t

.
en gage in single combat she woul d i n the shape of a ser

, ,
pent coil hersel f around his feet and hold him fast fo r his
, ,
adversary .
O f the mysterious B a n s /te e much has been said an d

su ng . She is o ften attached to ce rtain families or even ,
septs and gives notice o f coming calamities She is the

, .
B e n s idke o f I rish ; and Cy v e rae tk o r Ty loe tkod o f Welsh

-
, , ,
w hom it is fatal to meet o r to listen to her shrie ks ,

As .
an old w oman she is the Wkite or H ous e fairy I n this

“
.
,
sense she is said to dra w n igh at the time O f death and ,
bear the soul to its fairy home The White Lady o f .
A v enel was a B anshee .
There is a curious old I rish legend about a lady w hose

father shut her U p in a to w er on Tory I sle with twelve ,
matrons in charge who were to keep her from the sight

,
of a an A ll went well till Mc K in e e ly consulted the

’ iz
.
’
B an s l e o f the mountain Telli n g him to dress i n w omen s
.
garments she ferried hi m to the island as king shelter fo r

, ,
a noble lady chased by an enemy Landing the young .
man she thre w the dozen guardians i nto a D ruidic sleep

, ,
and le ft the couple together awhile a fterwards row ing the ,
man ashore Serious results ensued

. .
F airies are more pronou nced in I rish than in English

traditions They are fairly represented in the west o f Scot
.
land in Wales Lancashire and Cornwall parts frequented

, , , ,
by I rish friends and foes .
They are S ides S zgke S itk D u ine M atka or Good P e op le

, , , , .
F e a r s ig o f th
-
e S upernatu ral world are I rish form s o f the
Welsh Ty luy / tk le
g the fa ir fa m il
;y; S w e di sh N i s s an ,
.
D ani s h , D a m ke s t ; Poli s h ,
R otri ; the R ussian , D om a z roi ; f
E nglish , P u ck, E lf, F ay o r R obi n , Goodf ellow ; Co rni s h ,

P ix ie ; B urmese , N u ts ; B reton , K orzga n
or K oril ; S c otch , ,
B row n ie ; N orweg ian Trolls or Ny s s O rien t al f i n ;

, , ,
‘
J ew ish S cke dim ; I talian F a ta ; Gree k P a rca or E u m e

, , ,
'
,
n ide s .
That w hichis n e ithe r ill n or w e ll,

That w hic hb e lon gs n ot to he av e n or he ll .
B ecause many are represented as little men w riters h av e ,
fancied the idea w as but a tradition o f pre existing races -

,
smal l in stature who were improved O ff by visitors o r

,
marauders o f larger gro w th D war fs o r D unes are t hought .
i n B rittany to hau nt the dolmens or ancient graves though , ,
i n some man ner they are kno w n as the ghosts o f D ru ids .
Certainly A frica bears evidence o f a w ide spread pigmy -
race There are D okos o f South A b ys s in a Obong o o f

.
,
West A frica A kka O f Central A frica B a tua living i n trees

, ,
l i ke mon keys and others in Congo & c

, ,
.
The F airies are associated w ith man kind at pre s ent ,
though they may carry O ff their children replaci n g them ,
by changelings The manni kins m ay be w hite bro w n

.
, ,
grey or yellow Some are small enough to sit in ears o f

, .
corn w hile others fly about o n magic horses I t is sad to

,
.
kno w that these little people ind u lge i n faction fights an d ,
pinch those who dance with them Giants figure less o ften . .
The B ook of Le in s te r tells o f gian t Luter with four te en ,
heads wooing Gobal whose charms extended over fi ft y

, ,
cubits .
Occasionally these little people are not content w ith

stealing babies but would run O ff with men as N c a o f
, ,
the golden hair did the I rish F enian w arrior The busy
,
.
M aakis et who worked underground were more worthy o f

, ,
o fferings than the K apee t who caused eclipses by catchin g ,
ho ld o f the m oon I t is discreet al w a ys to spea k well o f

.
94 Ol d [ ris k R e ligion s .
So m e were not so pleasant

W hile the P hooka hors e holds his fran tic c ou rs e
O e r w ood an d m oun tain fall,
’
An d the B an s he e s c roon , a rhythm ic rim e

’
F rom the c rum blin g, ivie d w all ”

.
A s else w here noted the I rish fairie s are intimately asso

,
with the D rui dical ghostly or magical Tuaths

c iate d , , .
When these were conquered by the M ilesians they b e too k ,
themselves to the hills and survived as fairies The

, .
Good P eop le have been also thought to be D rui desses .
The E n glish L u kkeryzen d of M ilton is doubtless the I rish

‘
’
The S zgke S kee o r S itk w ere of many varieties A s

, , .
the F a rr s kee was the man o f the S idhs so w as the B a n n

-
,
s ke e the woman o f the S idh s They were magical deceivers ;

.
they built fi ne halls and interfered i n battles

,
.
B e hold the S idhb e fore your e ye s ,
I t is m an ife s t to you that it is a kin g s m an s io n ,

’
W hic hw as bu ilt b y the firm D aghda

I t w as a w o n de r, a c ou rt, an adm irab le hill .
They might have been deifie d mortals Lu g Mac .
E thle n d had been a thousan d years a Sidh H e w ou l d .
someti mes soj ourn awhile o n earth O nce he had a s o n .
by the fair D e c ture and thus Cuchulain n became a hero

, .
Carolan the I r ish bard celebrates the fairy hills o f S ith

, ,
B eag and S ith More in Leitrim Troops o f them o n horses .
follo w ed their King D on n an d Queen C lio dhn a o r C le e n a , .
The D aoi n e S kee o r men o f peace re fe rred t o in the

, ,
.
B ook of A rm agk were peevish rather than malevolent

,
.
D ressing in green they resented the appearance of human

,
b eings in green They who wanted to see them must

.
select H allo w eve wal k rou n d their hill nine ti mes w hen
-
, ,
a door would open revealing the dancing throng ,

I t is .
dangerous: to accept their invitation to come in for a dance ,
a s the tri er never returns again to his home

pp .
S up e rs titions .
95
F ai ry inspired b ards were li able to be spirited a w ay by

-
th e i r m use the Lea nn an S igke I f she helped them i n

, .
com position they were bound to follow her throu ghout

,
etern ity .
lV e re i t n ot b e tte r thou s houlds t dw e ll aw hile w itha youn g m aide n

o f go lde n locks ,
Than t hat t he c oun try s hould b e laughin g at th y doggre l rh m
y e
? ”
The M ermaids or sea fairies were M oru odk o r llI oru og k

,
-
, , .
Their hair a n d teeth were green

-
We have no re co rd O f .
thei r p ugnacious qualities as o f the denizens o f lan d , .
Ailn e w hose lay is in O ld I rish lamenting the de ath o f her

, ,
husban d and two sons kne w by the mig hty fairy host
, ,
That w ere i n conflict over the D u n F ighting each other ,
that evil w ould be fall her three b elo v ed The y did n o t .
then play Ce ol s idk or fai ry music

-
,
.
The w o rd S idk is said to be the Celtic root fo r a blast

of w in d . The whirl wind was certainly called a fairy w in d .
There is a S idk Tku i m o n the B oyne S idk N e a n ta o f ,
Roscommon S idk M e ad/ca near Tuam S idk A odka R ua idk

, ,
a h il l o f D onegal There are seventy I rish to w nships

.
begi n n i n g with S kee .
I relan d aboun ds with localities having fairy associations .
Joyce gives many F i r m an d his Fenians are i n S lia bk

.
na m ka n
-
fi-
on n t he mountain
,
o f the fair haired w omen -
R a tk S itke t h e F enian fortress is in A ntrim the Fairy s ’
, ,
woo d is i n Sligo Then there are the S keegy s fairy hills in

.
, ,
Donegal ; the S keea u ns fairy mou nds ; the haunt e d hills, ,
S kea n S kee n a S ka ne ; and K n ockn a looricai m the hills O f

, , ,
the C luric an e I n Lough C o rrib the Lep re ckau n s w ere

.
said to have been provided w ith ground meal for supper by

hospitable neighbours .
’
There was a Banshee s palace i n South M unster and ,
ano t her in a roc k near Mallo w The Banshee A e ihkell had .
a fi ne pal ace in a roc k b y K illaloe ; it w as she w ho thre w

her cloak round the hero O H artigan at the battle o f

’
Clontarf so rendering him i nvisible I n fact Joyce is le d

“
.
, ,
to exclaim Some parts o f Con n aught must have been
“
,
”
more thic kly populated w ith fairies than with men .
7 e re the fairies in I reland o f great antiquity ?
O n e has written of the fancy that the tales o f mortals

,
abi ding with the Fays i n their Sighe palaces are founde d
o n the tender pre ferences sho w n by the D ruidic pri e stesses
”
o f o ld to favourite wor s hipp e rs o f the Celtic di v in ities
“
.
N O K e arn e y is o f O pinion that o ur fairy traditions are

’
“
.
relics o f paganism Ken nedy says I n borro w ing these

.
,
fictions from their heathen pre decessors the Christian ,
s tory tellers did n ot ta ke much trouble to correct

-
thei r
laxity o n the subj ect o f moral O bligations A n drew Lan g
“
.
—
se e s that the lower mythology the elemental belie fs o f
—
a people do service beneath a thin co vering o f Christian
un i formity .
A t least we may admit w ith Pro f Sto kes that much

, , .
,
o f the narrati v e element i n the c lassic epics is to be fou nd
i n a popular o r childish form i n primitive F airy t a le s .
A mong the early an d latter superstitions Gkos ts are ,
very prominent .
A s so many ghost stories re s t upon tradition it is w el l to ,
bear in mind what the author o f Tke Gold n B oug k sa ys e
The superstitious bel ie fs an d practices which h av e be e n

ha n ded down by word o f mouth are generally o f a far
more archaic type than the religions depicted in the most
”
ancient l iterature o f the A ryan race .
I t is not easy to laugh at I rish peasants for ghost yarns

w hen all nations from the remot e st antiquity accepted
, ,
the m and philosophers li ke D r Johnson preachers l i ke

, .
,
John Wesley re formers li ke L uther poets li ke D an te an d

, ,
Tasso recognized such s p I rI ts S ome li ke an author i n

,
.
,
1 7 29
,
m ay dou b t souls return in g from heaven N o r do
9 8 O ld [ ris k Re lig ion s .
Orga n which
,
“
a ffords
a tangible explanation O f mental
illusions
The I rish li ke the ancient J ews held that bad m e n
, , ,
especially could wal k this earth a fter death ; an d the

,
E nglish law almost to o u r day al lo w ed a s ta ke t o be

, ,
d riven through the body O f suicides and mur derers to ,
prevent their spi rit troubling the living .
The Church has had its say in the matter The Cou ncil .
o f E lvira A D 3 00 forbade the lighting o f tapers i n ceme

, . .
,
t e rie s as that was apt to disturb the souls o f Saints ; so

,
said the Council o f I lib e rit S t B asil was told by a ghost . .
that he had killed J ulian B oth Ignatius a n d A mbrose .
were said to have appeared to their disciples N O Ch u rch .
has ever denied the existence and appearance o f ghosts ,
and none opposed exorcism in some form o r other .
”
I rish pagans observes N icolas O K e arn e y
’
,
ne ver ,
dreamed O f spirits a fter death having assumed such forms

( misty ghosts ) The spirits from
. E lysium always appeare d
in their proper shape and spo ke and acted as if they w ere ,
still in the enj oyment o f mortal li fe .
I n this respect he di ffers from Macpherson s Os s ia n ’

.
The O pin ion is also opposed to o ther descriptions in recog

, ,
n iz e d I rish poems o f antiquity I n the poem Ca tklu in a as .

,
translated in I relan d s M i rror is this ’

F e rarm a bri n g , ,
me my shield and spear bring me my sword that stream ,
o f light .What m ean these two angry ghosts that fight i n

air ? The thin blood runs down their robes o f mist ; a n d
their hal f formed swords li ke fain t meteors fall o n s ky
-
, ,
blue shields N ow they embrace li ke friends The s weep

. .
ing blast pipes through their airy limbs They va n ish I . .
do not li ke the sight but I do not fear it , .
The I nverness Gaelic S ocie ty had a paper by D ona ld

R oss o n this subject saying Spectres hovered gloomily , ,
“
o ve r th e re e dy m arsh or the moor or arrayed themselves ,
[ ris k S up e rs tit ion s .
99
o n the blasts o f the wind and pale ghosts messengers o f ,

”
the unseen world brought bac k the secre ts o f the grave
,
.
A Gaelic song has the follo w ing I n a blast comes cloudy

d eath and lays his grey head low H is ghost is rolle d on
, .
the vapou rs o f the fenny field ”

Henri Martin S pea ks of
.
harps o f bards untouched sound mourn ful over the hill

, , .
”
Some ghosts were material enough That o f St Kieran . .

,
o f C lonmacnoise managed to stri ke King Fe lim the

, ,
p lu nderer o f his church so e ffectually with his ghostly

, ,
c rozier as to give an internal woun d o f which the chie f

, ,
d ied When F in n o r F ion n appeare d to O s gar o n the

“
.
,
battle fie ld o f Gabb ra it is afli rm e d that his w ords w ere

-
,
”
n o t murmurs o f distant streams but lo ud and clear ,
.
B u t the F e tck as recogn ized in the scattered poems

,
collected or revised in Macpherson s Os s ia n is more a

, ,
’
,
S pirit of the air .Some of the descriptions relating to the ,
hosts f E rin a d A rgyle are stri k ing

“
g o n ,
She was li ke the new moon seen through the gatheri ng

m ist — l ike a watery beam o f fe eble light when the moon ,
rushes s udden from between two clouds and the midn ight ,
s ho w er is on the heat h — —
Clouds the robe o f ghost s rolled ,
—
their gathered forms on the wi nd with robes o f light .
’
Soon shall ou r cold pale ghosts meet in a cloud on Cona s
—
,
eddying w ind s Tell her that i n a cloud I may meet the

lovely maid o f Toscar .
A gain F aint l ight gleams over the heath The ghosts .
o f A rden pass thro ugh an d show their dim and distant

,
form s — The m is ty Loda the house o f the S pirits o f men

, .
G hosts vanish li
,
ke m ists on the sunny hill — H is sou l came .
forth to his fathers to thei r stormy isle

,
There they pur .
—
sued boars o f mist along the s kirts o f wind s I move l i ke
—
the shadow of mis t The ghost o f C rugal came from his
.
—
cave The stars dim twin kled through his form H is .
v oice was li ke th e s oun d of a dis tant s t re am ?

1 00 Old [ris k Re ligi on s .
O f on e it is said H is eyes are li ke tw o decaying flames

,
.
D ar k is the w ound o f his breast — C au gal who appeared .

,
i n dress and form as living but pale is made by the poet , ,
to say My ghost is o n my native hills but my corse is o n

, ,
the sands o f U llin Thou shalt n ever tal k with Cau ga l

—
.
,
n o r fi nd his lone steps o n t h e heat h L i ke the dar kened

”
moon he retired in the midst o f the whistling blast
“
.
,
O f another — A cloud li ke the steed o f the stranger , ,
su pported his airy limbs H is robe is o f the m ist o f Lano

.
,
t hat brings death t o the people H is sword is the green .
meteor hal f extinguishe d his face is w ithou t form an d

“
-
, ,
”
void Some S how their dark forms from the chin ky
“
.
roc ks . Others fled o n every side and rolled thei r ,

”
g athered forms on the wind O ne com forts hi msel f .

,
dying w ith My fathers shall meet me at the gates O f

, ,
their airy halls tall with robes o f light with mildly kin dled
, , ,
”
eyes
“
.
A hero cried o u t I never feare d the ghosts o f n ight

,
.
”
S mall is their know le dge wea k thei r han ds A poet
“
.
,
murmurs I hear at ti mes the ghosts o f bards and learn

their pleasant song
,
”
O f a great warrior it is sai d
.
“A ,
,
thousand ghosts are o n the beams o f his steel the g /zos ts ,

”
o f tk o s e w k o ar e to f a l l by the K ing o f resound ing Morven .
Or, Le t Carril (a ba rd ) pou r his songs that t h e chie fs ,
m ay rej oice in their mist O f a beauti fu l w oman it i s.

,
w ritten She is fair as the ghost of the hill when it moves ,
in a sunbeam at noon over the silence o f M orven .

”
A ghost may warn of danger foretel l disaster foresee , ,
death communicate intelligence

, Whatever may be
thought of Macpherson s Os s ian there can be no doubt ’
that all the poetic al representations o f I rish ghosts bear

pagan and not C hristian characteristics The tr aditions
, , .
,
coming through Chris tian centuries have a distinct pagan ,
c o lo u ri n
g T h e g h
. o s t s O f Christian times would seem to
1 02 O ld [ris k Re ligion s .
d e al With the d ark aborigi nes kno w n as the F irbo lgs , ,
a rid :aZré: s kd !to: h ave 3 15m

i .
at the battle o f Magh .
Tu ire adh CO n ga Drive no ff the island by their foes th e y

.
,
travelled i n the E ast returning from their exile as fin ishe d ,
ma gicians and genuine D ruids Mr Gladstone i n j u ve n ta s . .

,
M u n di contends that D a n aan 15 o f Ph oe n ician extraction

, ,
that a district near Tripoli o f Syria is known as D an ni e , , .
H e adds Pausanias says that at the lan ding place o f

,
-
D anaos o n the A rgive coast was a temple o f Poseidon

, ,
”
Ge n e s io s o f Ph oe nician origin
, .
A fter reigning in I reland two hundred years the Tu ath a ,
w ere it is narrated invaded by the children o f Gail Glas

, , ,
wh o had come from Egypt to S pain and sailed thence to ,
Erin u nder Milesius the leader o f the Milesians When , .
their fleet was O bserved the D a n aan s caused a D rui dic fog ,
to arise so that the land assumed the shape o f a blac k pig

, ,
whence arose another name fo r I reland [n is n a illu ic o r ,
I sle o f the Pig The M ilesians however employe d thei r

.
”
, ,
enchantments in return and de feated t he Tuatha at Tai l ,
teine n ow Te ltow n o n the B lac kwater and at D ru im

, , ,
Ligh e an n o w D ru m le e n e D onegal
, , .
The Tu atha have been i mproperly con founded w ith the

D anes Others give them a German origin o r a N e m e dian
.
,
one . Wilde describes them as large and fair complexioned -

,
carrying long bronze lea f shaped s w ords o f a Grecian

, ,
-
,
style and he thin ks them the builders of the s o called

,
-
D anish forts du ns o r c as h e ls but not o f the stone ci rcles

, , , .
Mc Firb is 200 years ago w rote

, E very o n e who is ,
fair haired revenge ful large and every plunderer pro

-
, , , ,
fe s s o rs o f musical and entertaining per formances w h o are ,
adepts o f druidical an d magical arts they are the descend ,
ants o f the Tuatha de D an aan s - -

.
”
The D a mans O F lan agan wrote in 1 808 are said to
,
’
ha ve b e e n we ll acq uain ted with Athe n s ; and the memo ry

[ ris k Mag ic , an d Tn atka de D an aan s . 1 00
of their kings poets and poetesses o r female philosophers

, , , ,
o f highest rep u te fo r w isdom and learn ing is still pre ,
served with reverential regret ln some o f ou r o ld manu

”
scripts o f the best authority R e ferring to these persons
.
,
as Ki ngs D agad A gam o n and D alb oe th to B rig daughter

, , ,
o f D agad t o E dina and D anana he exclaimed

, Such are , ,
”
the lights that burst through the gloom o f ages The .
T u at h a
, G W A t kinson supposes
. . must be the highly ,
in tellectual race that imported into I reland ou r Oghams ,
round towers architecture metal work and above all the

, , , , ,
exquisite art which has come down to us in o u r won der

fu l il lu m inated I rish M S S
”
The polished Tu atha were
.
certainly contrasted with the rude Celts A rthur Clive .
declares that civili z ation came in with an earlier race than

the Celts and retired w ith their conquest by the latter
“ , .
The bards an d S e a n ac hie s remarks R J D u ffy ,

”
. .
,
fanci fu lly attributed to each o f the Tuath de D anaan - -
chie fs some particu lar art or department O ver which they

hel d him to preside as A b ho rtac h to music The author
, , .
o f Old Ce ltic R om a n ces writes By the M ilesians and

thei r descendants they were regarded as go ds and ulti ,
m ately in the imagination of the p eople they became

, ,
’
what are n ow in I reland called Fairies They conq uered .
the F irb olgs an I berian or a B elgic people at the battl e

, ,
o f M oyt u ra .
There is a strong suspicion of their connection wi t h the

old i dolatry Their last King was M ac g ren e which bears
.
-
,
a verbal relation to the Su n The R e v R S middy assu mes. . .
them descendants o f D ia te n e ion the F ire god o r S u n

- -
,
-
.
I n the Ckron icles of Colu m ba we read o f a priest who

built in Tyrc o n n e l a temple o f great beauty with an altar ,
o f fi ne glass adorned with the representation o f the su n

,
and moon U nder their Ki n g D agda the Great the S u n

. ,
od and his wife th o dd B th T t h w e re on e e

g , e
g e s s
, oa n n e u a s ,
pursued by the river B oyne This D agda became King o f .
the Fairies when his people were de feated by the warli ke

,
Milesians ; and the Tu atha as Pro fessor R h ys says

“formed an invisible world o f their o w n in hills and
,
,
”
,
mounds .
I n the B ook of B allim ote F intan who lived be fore the , ,
F lood descri b ing his adventu res said

, ,
Afte r the m the Tuatha D e arriv e d

C on c e ale d in the ir dark c louds
I ate m y food w ithth em,
Th oughat s u c ha re m ote p e riod .
M rs . in Ce ltic I relan d O bserves

B ryant , Tradition ,
assigns to the Tu atha generally an im mortal li fe i n t he

m idst o f the hills and beneath the seas , Thence they .
issue to mi n gle freely with the mortal sons of men p rac ,
t is in g those i ndivid ual art s in which they were great o f

yore w hen they won Eri n from the F irbolgs by science
, ,
’
and when the Milesians w o n Erin from them by valou r .
That there really was a people whom the legends O f the

Tu ath a shadow forth is probable bu t it is almost certain ,
”
that all the tales about them are poe t ical myths .
Elsewhere we note the Tuath Crosses w ith illustration s ,
as that C ross at Monasterboice o f processions doves go ds

sna kes & c One I rish author V alle n c e y has sai d The
, .
“ ,
, ,
,
.
,
, ,
Church Festiva ls themselves in ou r Christian Calendar , ,
are b u t the direct trans fers from the Tuath de D anaa n

ritual Their ve ry names in I rish are identically the same
.
as those by which they were distinguished by that earlier

race .
”
That writer assuredly did not regard the Tu at ha
as myths P iech St Patric k s disciple sang
.
, .
’
,
That Tuath s of E rin p rop h e s ie d

That n e w tim e s of p e ac e w ould c om e .
— —
Magic D raoide ackta was attributed to the I rish Tu atha ,
an d
g a ve them the t radition al re p utat i n o fo r wisdom .
1 06 Ola [ris k Re lig ion s
’
.
we are told o f the revenge o n e too k upon a woman B e in g

sa fe from the eyes o f t he household she muttere d s ome ,
words and dra w i ng a D rui dic w and from un der her

, ,
mantle she struc k her wi t h it an d changed her into a

, ,
most beauti ful wol f hound The L ia n a n remin ds o n e o f

-
.
the classical I ncubi and S uccubi Yet Ken nedy admits

“
.
that in t he stories found among the native I rish there ,
is al w ays evident more o f the Chris tian element than

”
among the N orse or German collections .
The story about F intan s a dventures from the days o f ’
“
the F lood to the coming of St Patric k has been regarded ,
,
”
as a Pagan myth says o n e i n keeping w ith the doctrine
, ,
”
o f Transmigration .
I n t he A n n als of Clon m a cn ois e w e hear o f seven magicians

wor king against the brea ker o f an agreement E r n ga o f the .
B oyne was a great D e D anaan magician Jocelin ass u res .
us that one prophesied the comi n g o f St Patric k a year .
b e fore his arrival A ngus the Tuath had a mystic palace

.
on the Boyne The healing sto n e o f St Conall has been

. .
sup posed to be a remnan t of Tuath magic ; it is shaped

li ke a dumb bell and is still believed in by m any
-
, .
I n spite o f the Lectures o f the learned O Curry declari n g ’
“
the story to be nothing but the mo s t vague and general
,
”
assertions I rish tradition supports the opinion o f Plin y
,
that as to magic there w ere those in the B ritish I sles

“ , ,
capable of instructing even t he Persians thems e lves i n

these arts B u t O C u rry admits that “ ’
the E uropean
D ru i dical syste m w as but the o ffspri n g o f the eastern
augurs and the Tuaths came from the E ast They wrote .
o r repeated charms as the H a w asfila rs o f Tur key s t ill ,
w rite a /zas A dder stones were used to r e pel e v il spi rits

.
-
,
not less than to cure diseases One writing in 1 69 9 spea ks .

, ,
o f seeing a stone suspended from the nec k o f a chil d as a
re m e d
y for w h oo i
p gn -
c ou gh M on u m e n ts ascribed to the .
’
[ ris k Magi c ,
an d Tuatka ao D an aan s . 1o 7
Tu atha are to be seen near the B oyne and at D rogheda , ,
D o w th K n ow th & c
“
.
, ,
3 A ccording to tradition this peopl e brought into I reland

,
the magic glaive from Gorias the magic cauldron from ,
Murias the magic spear from P inias and the magic L ia

, ,
F a il or tal king coronation stone from F alias ; thou gh the

last is also said to have been introduced by the Mile s ia n s
, ,
’
w hen they came with Pharaoh s daughter .
Enthusiastic Freemasons bel ieve the Tu atha were

members o f the mystic b ody their supposed magic being ,
but the superior learning they imported from the E ast I f .
not spiritualists in the modern sense o f that term they ,
may have been s killed in Hypnotism inducing others to ,
see o r hear what their masters w ished them to see or hear .
When the Tuatha were contending with the F irbo lgs ,
the D ruids on both sides prepared to exercise their e n

ch an t m e n ts Being a fair match in magical pow ers the
.
,
warriors concluded not to employ them at all but have a ,
fa ir fight between themselves This is however but one

.
, ,
o f the tales o f poetic chronicles ; o f who m

’
Kennedy s
[ris k F iction reports The minstrel s were plain pious , ,
and very ignorant Christians who believed i n nothing worse

,
than a little magic an d witchcra ft .
I t was s u re ly a com fort to Christians that m agic working -
D ruids were o ften chec kmated by the S aints When St . .
Colu mba in answer to an i nquiry by B rochan the magician

, ,
said he should be sailing away in three days the other ,
replied that he would not be able to do so as a contrary ,
wind and a dar k m ist should b e raised to prevent the

1 departure Yet the Culdee ventured forth in the teeth o f
.
the O pposing b ree z e sailing against it and the m ist I n

,
.
li ke manner D ru id o ften cou nteracted D ruid Thus three

—
.
,
“
3 T ua t ha D r u ide s s e s s B o
, dhb h M acha and M,or Kegan , ,
b rou ght down darkn e ss an d s h

‘
owe rs of b lood an d ixt e woo
F irbolgs at Tara for

three days until the spell was bro ken,
b y the F ir l
b o g magic bearers — Cesara Gn athac h an d , ,
I n gn at h ac h Spells o r charms w ere al w ays uttered i n

.
v erse or song A nother mode o f bringing a curse w as

.
through the chewing o f thumbs by enchantresses F al the .
Tuat h made use of the Wkeel of L igkt w hich somehow , , ,
got con nected with S imon Magus by the B ards an d which ,
enabled the pro fessor to ride through the air and per form ,
other wonders We hear also o f a S w ord of n kt The

.
, , .
m agic cau l dron was known as the B radi n s .
Some of the Tuath D ruids had special po wers as the — ,
gi ft of knowledge in F ionn ; a drin k too given from his , ,
ha n ds wo uld heal any wound o r cure any disease A n gus

, .
,
had the po wer o f travelling on the wings o f the cool east

wind Cre dn e the Tuath smith made a silver hand fo r
.
, ,
N u adh at which was properly fitted on his w rist by D ia n c e h

, t ,
the I rish lE s c u lap ius To co m plete the operation M iac h

.
, ,
son o f D ian ce ht too k the hand and in fused feeling an d

,
motion in every j oi nt and vein as if it were a nat ural han d

’
, .
’
I t is right to observe however that according to Corm ac s
, , ,
Glos s a ry D ian ce ht meant The god o f curing

, .
F inn as elsewhere said acqu ired his special privilege by

,
acci dentally suc king his thu mb a fter it had rested u pon
the mysterious S alm on of K n ow le dge H e thus acqui red .
the po w er o f D ivination Whenever he desired to kno w

.
any particular thing he had on ly to suc k his thumb and

, ,
the w hole chain o f circumstances w ou ld be presen t to his

m ind .The M ag ic R od is well known to have been the
means o f trans forming objects o r persons The children .
o f L ir were changed by a magic w and into fou r s w ans ,
that flew to Loch D erg fo r 3 00 years and subsequently ,
removed to the sea of Moyle between Erin and A lba .
Trans formation stories are numerous in the ancient legends

o f I re la n d A sp e c im e n is giv e n in th
. e Ge n e alogy o
f Corea
1 10 Old [risk Re lig ion s .
Once on their adven tures B rian changed them w ith his ,
w and i nto three ha w ks that they might seize the apples ;

,
’
but the King s daughters by magic changed themselves , ,
into griffin s and chased them aw ay though the D rui d by

, , ,
superior po w er the n turned them i nto harmless s w ans O ne

,
.
s on gained the pig s s kin as a re w ard fo r reciting a poem

’
.
A search for the I sland of Fian c h aire beneath the sea w a s
.
“
a di fficulty B u t w e are told Brian put o n his w ater ,
”
dress . Securing a head d ress o f glass he plunge d in to -
,
the w ater H e w as a fortnight w al king i n the sal t sea

.
see king for the land .
L u gh came in contact w ith a fairy cavalcade from the

La n d of P rom is e H is adventure with C ian i llustrate d
“
.
ideas o f trans formation C ian when pu rsued s aw a great .

, ,
her d o f s w ine near him and he struc k himsel f w ith a ,
D ruidical w and into the shape o f o n e of the s w ine L ugh .
w as pu zzled to know which was the D ruidical pig But .
stri king his two brothers w ith a w an d he turned them i nto

t w o slender fle e t hounds t h
,
“
at gave tongue ravenously ,
,
upon the trail o f the D rui dical pig into which a spear w a s ,
thrust The pig cried out that he was C ian and w ante d to
.
,
return to his human shape but the brothers completed their ,
deed o f blood .
N o t only the pig but brown bulls and red co w s fi gure

,
i n stories o f I rish magic We read o f straw thro w n in to .
’
a man s face with the utterance of a charm and the poor
, ,
fellow su ddenly going m ad Prince Co m ga n w as stru c k .
with a wand and boils and ulcers came over him until he
, ,
gradually sun k into a state o f i diocy A blind D ruid .
carried about him the secret of po w er in a straw pl aced

in his shoe which another sharp fellow managed to
,
steal .
I llu mination by the palms o f the hands on the chee k o f

,
on e thro wn in to a m a ical s lee

g p was another mode of ,
[ ris k Mag ic , an d Tn atlza de D a n aan s . 111
procuring answers to questions C iothruadh D ruid to .

,
Cormac o f Cashel sought in form ation concerning a foe

, ,
a fter m a king a D rui dical fi re o f the mystical moun tai n ash .
B u t he was beaten in h is enchantments by Mogh R uith the ,
Kin g o f Munster s D ruid who even trans formed by a breath ’
, , ,
the three wise men o f Cashel into stones which may be ,
seen to this day That he accomplished with charms and a .
fire o f the ro w an tree The virtues of rowan w o od are .
appreciated to this day in Munster w here provident wives ,
s ecu re better butter by putting a hoop of it round their
chu rns .
Tuaths had a reputation fo r their ability in the inter

p re t at io n o f dreams and omens and their s kill in auguries , ,
Som e D rui ds li ke Mogh R uit h could fly by the aid o f

, ,
magical wings I t w as ho w ever no I r ishman but Math

.
, , , ,
the di vine D ruid w ho brought his magic to Gwydro n ab ,
D o m and w as cle ver enough t o form a w oman out o f

,
flo w ers deemed by poetic natures a more romantic origin

,
than from the rib of a man M anannan son o f a Tuath .

,
chie ftain he who gave name to the I sle o f Man rolle d

, ,
on three legs as a w heel through a D ruidic m ist H e

, , .
s ubsequently became King o f the F airies .
Pro fessor R hys spea ks of the Tu atha as Tribes of the

god dess D anu ; though the term he says is somewhat “ , ,
vague as are also others o f the same import such as Tn atk

, ,
,
—
D e a the Tribes o f the goddess and F ir D e a the men o f ,
the goddess H e further remarks

.
”
The Tu atha de
D an an n contain among them light and dark divinities ,
and those standi n g sometimes in the relation o f parents and

”
o ffspring to one another .
Massey has the following philological argument for the

T u ath a saying ,
The Tn a ut foun ded on the
u nderworld denotes the gate of worship adoration the
, ,
wors hippers Tnan t ta tanan would signiiy the pkae e QR

, ,
worship within the mound of earth the u ndergrou n d ,
sanctuary The B abylonian temple o f B it S aggdhu w as

.
-
in the gate o f the deep The Tua n t or portal o f Ptah s .

’
temple faced the north wind and t he I rish Tie v e to ry is ,
the hill side north

-
The Tua n t entrance is a lso glo s se d
.
by the E nglish Tw at The E gyptian Tna n tii are the .
people o f the lower hemisphere the north w hi c h w as the , ,
type o f the earth temple The Tu atha are still kn own in

-
.
I reland by the name o f the D ivi ne F ol k ; an equ ivalent

”
to Tu an tii for the w orshippers .
The R e v R S mi ddy fanc ies the people as D e n a n or

. .
,
D ene ion were de s cendants o f D e n e the fire go d

-
, A n old ,
-
.
M S calls them the people o f the god D ana C li ve there

. .
,
fore as ks if they w ere simply the old gods o f the cou n try
, , .
J oyce i n [ris k N a m es says This mysterious race having

, , ,
u ndergone a gradual de ific at ion became con founded and ,
identified with the origi n al local gods and ultimately su per ,
”
s e de d them altogether H e recalls the Kerry mo u ntain s ’
.
name of D a chich D an ain n e He considers the Tu atha a

- -
.
people o f s u perior intelligence and artistic s kill and that ,
they were conquered and driven into remote di s trict s by, ,
the less intelligen t b ut more warli ke Milesian tribes w ho

”
succeeded them .
Lady F erguso n in her S tory of tko [ri s k before tke

,
Con qu es t has the idea o f the D an aan s being kins men to

,
the F irb olgs that they came from the region o f the D on
,
and Vistula under N uad o f the Silver H and de feating

, ,
E oc h aid King o f the F irbolgs

, at M oytu ra and r u li n g , ,
I reland two hu ndred years .
They were cert ainly w orkers in metal an d have there ,
fore been con founded by mon kish writers w ith sm iths .
St Patric k s prayer against sm iths and the traditional

.
’
,
connection b et we en smiths and magic can thus be u n der

—
,
s t ood .They according to th e B ook o

f [n e as ion s
ub a in v ille s Con rs de la litté ra tu re Celtiq ue does

’
j
'
om it n ot
mention o f these wonder w or kers H e calls to m in d the

-
.
fact that li ke the Gree ks o f the Golden Age they became

, ,
in visible but continued their relations with me n ; that

,
the Christian w riters changed them into mortal ki ngs in

chronicles that their migrations an d deities resemble those
o f H e siod ; that they con tinue t o appear in animal o r
human forms though more com monly as birds ; th at

,
ancien t legends record their descen t to earth from the

blue heavens .
H e brings for w ard a number o f the o ld I rish stories

about the Tuaths When de feated by the sons o f M il e
.
,
t hey sought re fuge in s u bterranean palaces O ne D agan .

,
a w ord variant o f the god D ag de exercise d such in fluence , ,
that the son s o f Mil e were forced for peace sa ke to ma ke ,

’
a treaty w ith him H is palace retreat belo w was at B rug

.
na Bo in n é the castle o f the B oyne The b u rial p lace o f

, .
-
C rim tha m N ia N air at B rug na Bo in n é was chosen because

, ,
his w i fe was a fairy o f the race o f T uatha I n the Ta i n oo .
Cu a ilnge there is much about the S id or enchanted palace , .
D ag de had his harp stolen by the F omorians though it ,
w as reco v ered later on .
The son o f D agd e w as Oengus t e n the distribution .
o f subterranean palaces too k place someho w or other , ,
this young fello w w as forgotten A s king to be allo w ed .
to spend the night at one he was un w illing to change his,
quarte rs and stayed the next day H e then absolu tely

, .
re fus e d to depart since time was on ly n ight an d day ;

,
thus retaining poss essio n The same Tuath hero fell in

.
lo v e w i th a fair ha rper w ho appeared to him i n a dream

, .
The search aide d by the fairies was success ful i n fin ding

, ,
the l ad y a fter a year and a day

. .
I t w as in his secon d battle that O gm é carried o ff t he

s wo rd o f Te th ra K in o f the F o m orian s Thi s s w ord had
g ,
.
[ris k Mag ic , an d Tu atka de D an aan s . 1 15
the gi ft o f speech ; or rather said Jubainville it seemed

, , ,
to speak fo r the voice which was heard was according to

, ,
a Ch ristian historian only that o f a demon hidden i n the

,
blade Still the writer o f this I rish epic remar ked that
.
, ,
i n that ancient ti me men adore d w eapons o f war and ,
con si dered them as supernatu ral protectors .
The B ook of Con qu es ts allo w s that the Tuatha were

descended from Jap he t though in some w ay de m on s ; or
, ,
i n Christian language heathen deities One I rish w ord

,
.
w as o ften applied to them viz L ia bra or phantoms It ,

.
, .
is believed that at least one Tuath warrior named ,
B reas could spea k in native I rish to the aboriginal

,
F irb o lgs .
A writer in A n e cdota Oxon is o f opin ion that very

di fferen t notions and accounts exist at the di fferen t
perio ds o f I rish epic literat ure concern ing them He .
d eclares that excepting their names n o very particular

, ,
traces o f them have come do w n to us The most distinct .
o f the utterances about the race points to the existence o f
w ar goddesses
-
.
Wil de gives a definite reason why we know so little abou t

the Tu atha de D an aan s I t was because those who .
“
too k down the legends from the mouths of the bards an d
a n nalists o r those who subsequently transcribed them were
, ,
C hristian missionaries w hose obj ect was to obliterate every

,
”
vestige of the ancient forms o f faith The distortion o f .
truth about these singular foreign people ma kes it so ,
d i fficult to u nderstand who or wh at they w ere to us they

seem always enveloped in a sort o f D r u idic fog so that ,
we may class them with men heroi c demi gods or gods ,

-
,
t hemselves according to our fancy

, .
1 16 Old [ris k Re lig ion s .
I R I S H GO D S .
S O M E writers from a jealous regard to the reputation

,
o f their ancestors have been u n w illing to ac kno w ledge

,
the idolatry of ancien t E rin They reject the testimony .
as to images an d decline t o accept the record as to

,
heathen deities Yet it is surely a satis faction to know

.
that the H igkes t and Un s een was worshipped at all t hough ,
under rude and material symbolism instead o f being u m ,
know n and un felt .
I f claiming to b e in some d e gree at least o f Celtic

, , ,
heritage the I rish may conceivably be esteeme d o f ki nd red

,
faith w ith Celtic Gauls an d Celtic Germ ans w h ose ,
divinities were recognized by the R omans though called , ,
from certain supposed s imilitudes by more familiar I talian ,
names .
The I rish from their geographical position w ere a

, ,
mixtu re of many peoples forming a succession o f human ,
layers so to spea k according to the num b er o f the new

, ,
comers and the period of local supremacy The tendency

, .
o f populations no rth w ard and westward from w ars or ,
m igrations was to carry to E rin various races from the

,
Continent of Eu rope with their d i fferent customs and ,
their gods having more permanent in fluence than the

,
visitation o f their coasts by Oriental seamen .
Thus we perceive in fragmentary traditions and super

,
s t it ion s the adoration o f the Elements and the fanci ful

, ,
embodiment of divine attributes in their phases and their

apparent contradictions I n some way or o ther the .
,
I slan ders failed not to see with A ristotle that the principle , ,
o f li fe is in God
”
Yet J S Mill thought that religion
. . .
may exist without belie f in a God .
I n o ur in ve s tigations we n e e d b e ar in mi n d what the

,
To see k thi ngs beyond this is o f n o profit to man ,
”
and they transcend the limits of his faculties Not
‘
.
-
’
a fe w learned m e n o f ou r day are satisfied with Pliny s
principles .
That N ature w orship is a natural i mpulse has b e en ,
well illustrated in a pretty story told o f a little E ngl ish

girl whose father was expecte d home from s e a and w ho
, ,
was seen to ta ke up some w ater from a basin near her

“
and say B eauti ful water ! send home my father here
, .
”
,
We have a right to assume that o u r islan d races existin g ,
i n the country long be fore the arrival o f Celts in the w est ,
did indulge in N ature worship and continued to do so ,
long a fter they came to these shores E ven C anute at .

,
the end o f a thousand years a fter Christ foun d occasion

“
to say that they w orship heathen gods an d the sun o r
, ,
,
the moon fi re or rivers w ater w ells or stones o r forest

, , , ,
trees of any kind

“
.
B aron d H olb ac h said

’
The w ord Gods has been used,
to express the conceale d remote u n known causes o f the , ,

”
e ffects he ( man ) witnessed A n d D ormer s Origi n of
’
“
.
P rim itiv e S up e rs tition s declared that I f monotheis m had ,
been an original doctrine traces o f such a belie f woul d ,
”
have remained among all peoples L ubboc k considere d
“
.
the A ndaman Islanders have no idea o f a Supreme

B eing .
” “
Pro fessor Jo dl tal ks o f the day o n w hich m an
began to become God D r Carus while a ffirm ing that
. .
,
the anthropomorphic idol is doomed be fore the tribunal

”
o f science says The idea o f God is and a lw ays has been
, ,
”
a moral idea .
Pictet observes There existed very anciently in I reland

,
a particular w orship which by the nature o f its doctrines

, , ,
by the character of its symbols by the n ames even o f its ,
g o d,
s li e s n e a r to that religion o f the C ab irs o f Samothracia
,
e m a n a ti n
g p ro b a bly fr o m Phoen icia H e thou gh t th
”
e .
[ ris k Gods . 1 19
Ph oe n icians introduced it into Erin the lil a c I n n is or Holy , ,
Isle O f this system B rya n t s A n tie n t lily tkology has much

.
,
’
to relate .
A F rench author hel d that the Celtic religion was based

upon a belie f in the dual po w ers o f good and evil i n
perpetual stri fe ; an d that the I rish associated with this a
con tra dictory pantheism and naturalism as in the Theogony ,
of H esiod .
Certainly the I rish calle d sea land or trees to witness , ,
to thei r oaths The F ou r M as ters had this passage

.
L ae gh aire too k oaths by the sun and the win d and all , ,
the elements to the Leinster men that he w ould never

, ,
com e against them a fter setting him at liberty ,

The
version in the Lea kka r n a k Uidkri is that Lae ghaire - -
swore by the sun and moon the water and the air day , ,
and n ight sea a n d land that he would never again

, , ,
du ri n g li fe demand the B o ru m e an tribute o f the L einste r

,
”
men .
O B e irn e Crowe at the A rch ae ological A ssociation 1 8 69

’
, , ,
declared the poem F ae tk F iada pre Christian ; ad ding -

,
That the pagan I rish w orshipped and invo ked as did ,
all other pagan people the personified powers of N atu re , ,

”
as well as certain natural objects is quite true
— “
.
,
The I rish prayer in the F ae tk F i ada runs thus

,
I ,
beseech the waters to a s sist me I beseech H eaven and .
Earth and Cron n ( a river) especially

,
Ta ke you hard .
war fare agai n st them May sea pouring not aban don them
.
-
till the w or k o f Fene crushes them on the north mountai n

O ch
”
ain e A n d then we are told that the w ater rose and
.
,
d ro w ned many This prayer w as said to have been used

.
by Cuchulainn when pressed hard by the forces of Me db

, ,
Q ueen o f the Co n n ac hta .
I f the Pal ae olithic man be allowed to have bee n s u s

c ep tib le to th e i m p re s s ions o f N atu re the mlx t u te oi m e s? !
,
1 20 Old [ris k Religion s .
races driven one upon another in the western corner o f

,
E urope and so coming i n contact with some h igher

,
influences could not be imagined without imp uls e s o f

,
devotion to the mighty and mysterious forces o f N ature .
Our know le dge of s o called Celtic religion has been -
largely derived from C aesar and other R oman authorities .
These i mbued with I talian ideas were n ot very reliable

, ,
observers They saw Jupiter i n o n e Celtic deity ; Mars

.
,
Minerva A pollo and Mercury i n others They kne w t he

, ,
.
people a fter relations more o r less intimate with visitors

, ,
or traders from m ore enlightened lands They were ac .
q u ain te d with I berians G ermans and Celts in G

,
aul but , ,
only partially w ith those across the Chan nel until Chris ,
t ian ity had made some way The wilder men o f those .
nationalities in I reland and N orthern Scotland were little

, ,
kno w n these at any rate had not quite the same myth
, ,
ology as R omans s aw in Gau l .
I t may be granted that the traditional opinions of the

I rish would be more sa fely conveye d to us through their
early literature rude as that might be and capable o f
, ,
—
conflicting interpretations historical or mytho logical I n , .
spite o f the obscurity o f Fenian and other poets o f that

remote age thei r w ritings do fu rn ish a better ke y to the
,
religion of E rin than theories founded u pon the remar ks

,
o f R oman writers respecting Gaulish d ivin ities I t m ust .

,
ho w ever be conceded that in the main I reland consisted

, , ,
o f varieties o f the three great ethnological divisions o f
Gaul com monly classed as I berian German and Celtic

, , , ,
and inherited something from each .
A di fficulty springs up from the language in w hich the

early poets wrote L i ke our E nglish tongue the I rish
.
,
pas s ed through many phases and the reading thereo f ,
has o c c as ion e d m uch con te ntion am on g t ran s lato rs The .

and the firs t born of their children

-
This record o f
their heathen fathers must have bee n doubtless a lib e l , ,
i n the excess o f zeal The priests o f Crom were the

.
Crn i m t/i ca rig/i

-
.
I nstead o f gold one story declares the i mage w as orn a

,
m e n te d w ith bro n ze and that it faced the South o r S u n

, , .
I t was set u p in the open air o n the M ag S lechta says ,
Col gan the F ield of A dora tion

,
They who are not I rish .
o r Welsh scholars h ave to submit to a great variety o f

rea dings and mean ings in translators .
The mythology has been thus put into verse by T D . .
Mc Ge e
Th e ir o c e an go d w as M e n an an M ac Lir,
W hos e an gry lip s
I n the ir white foam full oft e n w ould in t e r
W hole e e t s of s hip s
fl .
C rom was the ir D ay god, an d the ir Thun de re r,

M ade m orn in g an d e clip s e
B ride w as the ir q u e e n of s on g, an d u n to he r
The y p raye d w ithfire -touc he d lip s
”
.
P ro fessor R hys has an explanation o f C ro m m C ruaic h

as the Crooked o r B en t one o f the Mound ; saying The
pagan s anctuary had bee n so long fal ling into decay that ,
o f the lesser idols only their hea ds were t o be seen above
ground and that the i dol o f C e n n C ru aic h w hich mean t

, ,
the H ead or Ckief o f the Mou n d was slo w ly hastening t o ,
its fa ll w hence the story o f its having had an invisible

,
blo w dea lt it by St Patric k . .
—
The Mother of the I rish gods the B on a D ea o f R omans
—appears to ha ve been the M orriga n to w hom the w hite
,
horned bull w as sacred She w as the Great Quee n Some

“
. .
old poet had sung A n n is her n ame ; a n d it is from her

,
is calle d the t w o paps above Lu ac ha ir F rom her paps .

”
she w as believed to feed the other deities and hence ,
b e c am e M o th e r of the gods Accordin g t o an other she

.
,
[ris k Gods . 1 23
was the go ddess o f battle with the Tuatha and o n e of ,
the w ives o f the Great D agda She was thought to have .
her home in the S igki or fairy palaces , .
The B on a D e a of R ome is said to have been Hyperborean .
H ence observes Cro w e it may have bee n I re land that

, ,
gave the goddess and her worship to the R omans As .
A n n she may have been the goddess o f weal th

,
R ea or .
R e ag k was als o Queen o f H eaven

,
N ot a fe w crescents
, .
have been found in the neighbourhood o f Castle reagh -

.
D r Keating calls the Moriagan B adha and M acha the

.
, ,
t hree chie f god desses o f the Tuath de D a n aan s .
H er white horne d bull o f Cruachan F in d b e n n ac h was

-
,
-
,
i n direct opposition to the brown bull o f Cu aln ge She .
w as the goddess o f prosperity She occasionally appeared .
i n the shape o f a bird and addressed the bull B on d She .
is the M or R iog a n and identified with C ybele ,

.
The F emale Principle w as adore d by the old I rish in

various forms A s the B lack Virg in s he is the dark
.
,
m oul d or matter from w hose virgin material all things

, ,
proc e ed She is the A n a P e re m a o f the Ph oenicians an d

.
-
, ,
the queen of women She may be the B rid B ride o r .

,
B ridg e t goddess o f wis do m but daughter o f the D ruid

, ,
D u b hth ac h Several goddesses are li ke the I n dian D awn

.
goddesses A in e or circle was mother o f al l go ds R i

“ , ,
. .
,
or R oi says R hys was the m other o f the gods o f the

, ,
n on Celtic race
-
.
The Celtic H e ns or E s n s was a mysterious god o f Gaul .
The I rish form was A es a r meaning ke w ko kin dles a fire , , ,
and the Creator I n this we are remin ded o f the Etr uscan
.
A es a r the E gyptian sun bull A s i the Pers ian A s e r the

, , ,
"
Scandinavian Aes ir an d the H indoo Aes w ar The
“
.
,
B hagavat Gita says o f the last that he resi des in every

-
”
mortal .
H c s us was ackn owle dge d in the B ritish l sle s l o on e .

place he is represe n ted with a hatchet cuttin g down ,
a tree A s the B reton E u z us the figure is n o t attrae

“
.
,
tive loo king D o m M art in styles B sus o r H e s u s

. the
”
J ehovah o f the Gauls H e was perhaps the A esa r or
.
, , ,
L iv i ng On e o f the Etruscans
, Le floc q declares .E s us is ,
the true god o f the Gauls and sta n ds for the m the ,
”
Supreme B eing absolute and free , The name occurs .
o n an altar erected in the ti me o f the E mperor Ti b eriu s ,
whic hwas found in 1 7 1 1 under the choir o f N otre D am e ,
Paris .
S a n g ods were as com mon in I reland as i n o ther

“
-
”
lands U nder the head o f Sun w orship the subj ect is
.
-
discussed ; but some other re ferences may be made in this

place .
The I rish su n gods naturally enough fought success fu lly

-
, ,
i n sum mer and the Bards give many illustrations o f their

,
wea kness in w inter Sun heroes w ere not precisely deities

.
,
as they w ere able to go down to Hades A engus the .

,
you ng sun whose foster father was Mider King o f the

,
-
,
F airies w a s the protector o f the D awn goddess E ta in

, ,
whom he discreetly kept i n a glass grian an o r sun bo w er -

,
where he sustained her being most delicately o n t he

fragrance and bloom o f flowers H is father was the g reat
.
g o d D agda .
Sun gods have usually golden hair and are give n to

-
,
shooti n g o ff arrows ( sunbeams ) li ke Chald ae an ones A s a

, .
rule they are n o t brought up by thei r mothers ; o n e in

, ,
fact was first d iscovered i n a pig sty

,
They gro w v e ry -
.
rapi dly are helpers an d friends o f man kind but are e ngaged
, ,
everywhere in ceaseless conflicts w ith the gods o r d e m on s

o f dar kness .
The I rish sun gods had chariot s li ke those o f t he E ast

-
, .
They i n dulged i n the pleasures o f the chase and o f fi ghti n g , ,
but were more given to the pursuit o f E rin s fai rest

’
a hill to see the sunrise A ccording t o Schedius the word .

,
may be rendered 2 8 3 0 5 50 7 0 2 00 o r 6
3 5 ,
the p e riod i n days o f the su n s annual round The solar ’

.
H ercules was represented in I rish by Og m ia n o r n a m .
The god o f light was ever god o f the Heavens .
B e le n u s w as B elus o r B elis from kelos an arro w o r ray , , , ,
and there fore a form o f A pollo A s A pollo B e lin u s he .

-
,
w as the you n g Su n armed w ith arro w s o r rays an d w as , ,
exhibited as a young man without beard and rays roun d ,
his head A s A pollo Ab e lio s he was the o ld o r w i nter

.
-
,
s un ,
having n o rays The B reton god was B e le t u c adru s
.
— M ars and A pollo being i dentical Th e votive altar .
at St L i z ier bears the names o f M inerva an d B elisan a

. .
B aron Ch a u dru c de C razannes writing upon B e lis a n a d

“
- -
g o , ,
dess of the Gauls observes that C ae sar had found i n,
E s u s Tar anis Te u tate s C am u lus B elisana a n i dentity

, , , , ,
with Jupiter Mercury A pollo Mars and M inerva o f

, , , , ,
”
Gree ks and R omans B elisana w ithout lance o r shiel d was
.
, ,
called the Queen o f A rro w s i e the solar rays She was , . . .
represented as thin king pro fou n dly .
S a m ka n literally servant is derived from S a m the su n

, , ,
so s a m k a n li ke the su n A s the I rish Pluto he is guardian

,
-
,
.
,
o f the D ead A s such he w ould receive the prayers fo r

.
,
souls o n H allo w Eve The A rab s cka m s is the sun Cea ras . .
,
g o d o f fi re has a feminine
,
equivalent in Ce a ra go ddess o f ,
N ature A s the horse w as a symbol of the sun w e are

.
,
n ot surprised t o see it associated with the god Cu n oke li n o f
Gaul w ho had the sun s face with loc ks o f hair

’
,
The , .
Gaulish Ce ru u n n os appeared as an old man with horns on

his head .
L e B lan c in E tu de s u r le Sy m bolis m e D ru idique asserts

, ,
that the name o f B al Sab proves that Ba] B e l or B eal is -

, ,
the same as the I rish Samhan B 3 1 is the personification .
of th e s acred fire become visible The year the work o f .

,
[ris k Gods . 1 27
Sam han the Sun w as known as the H armony o f B eal

, , .
Samhan ad ds Le B lanc w as that idol w hich the Ki n g o f

, ,
I reland adored a fter the name o f hea d o f all the go ds ”
“
.
I n the Psalms w e read They j oin themselves to B aal ,
Peor and eat the sacrifice o f the dead

,
This was true o f .
man y ancient countries and may p e rhaps be applie d to , , ,
I reland .
A H ym n to A pollo appearing in the ably cond u cted ,
S tony kurs t M ag az i n e is s o beauti ful and so truly de s c rip

, ,
tive o f the sun and fi re worship o f ancient E rin t hat a verse ,
o f it may be transc ribed
P ile up the altar w ithfaggots afre s h

—
,
Th e he a d b e o ff wh
s e v e re d s tre w
e at an d rye ,
P ourin g lib ation s of w in e on the e s h, fl
That o do rou s in c e n s e a s c e n d the s ky
W ard again s t e v il,
G uard of the b yre
G lor io u s s u n -
go d
P rin c e of the lyre
O lym p u s c om p e llin g
W ithharm on iou s s w e llin g
Ap ollo ac idou
W ors hip p e d w ithfire
There was an I rish fish god associated with caves and ,
storms with the attributes o f D agon i n the land o f the

,
Philistines N e itk a go d o f w ar had tw o w i ves N omain

.
, , ,
an d Fe a these were also styled go ddesses of war The .
B ook of Le in s te r names B rian Tucka r an d S u cka rka as , ,
gods o f the Tuaths The I rish B a dk is but . the G aulish

B a dn a and yet n o t a goddess o f w ar De u c o r D u ci us was
“
.
,
.
known to St A ustin as a libidinous demon

. A ou was .
another Celtic god .
Ca m ulus the Gaulish Mercury whose i mage was o n the

, ,
Puy de D ome w as the I rish C u m all father o f the mythical

, ,
F i r m and said to be the same as the Welsh Gw yn son o f

, ,
N ud . The I rish Tatk was probably a copy o f Tkotk or ,
the Gaulish Te u t god o f war Can ob alin os the \N e\ e n

,
‘
.
,
C o nb e lin was adored , in both isles D ece te is named in .
D evon A nglesey , and

,
South west I reland -
.
D ormer supposed the deities were first o f place then of ,
pe 0p 1es R hys s aw m inor gods as ge n i i locoru m ; an d

.
as ked what race it was that gave the Celtic lands its
population o f spirits H e regarded the mass of d ivin ities .
as ve ry possibly creations o f the people here long be fore

”
the Celts The non A ryan mythology had doubtless
.
-
great i nfluence on the religion o f the Go ie de ls .
’
When St Patric k tried conversion u po n the K i ng s
.
daugh t e rs Eith n e and Fi n ola they inquired if his god l ived

,. _ ,
in t he hills valleys fountains or rivers Seeing his party

, , , .
i n w hite the princesses concluded they were men o f S idhe

, ,
or earth di v inities .
Some imagin e the popular M ithraic faith o f the East

r e ached I reland I t did gain the shores o f Gaul for i n
.
,
1 59 8 a stone cist was dug u p near D ij on enclosing a glass

, ,
vessel U pon the stone was this Gree k i nscription

. In
the sacred wood o f Mithras this tu mulus covers the body ,
of Ch y n d o n a x high priest R et u rn thou, ungodly person .

, ,
”
for the protecting gods preserve my ashes .
Chald ae an i nfluence may have been carried to Erin by

'
Tyrian traders Very many terms of divination used there

.
are li ke those employed in Chaldaic A Chaldman record .
on physic or divination w as found in I ndia in 1 7 6 5 The .
Tuaths s o associated with I rish d e ities have been thought

, ,
to be wan dering Chal dees I t is singular that the I rish .
V en us was recogn i z ed u nder the names o f B idkg oe N a n u , ,
and M atka r which in Persian would b e B iduckt N a ne a

, , ,
and Me tra
. .
The circle may represent the un iverse The I r ish god .
Ti m or means the g reat circle H e was A lp ha and Omega

-
.
,
A Q the per fect D ecad or 10 o f Pythagoras

.
, Mu ck was , . .
a n o the r n am e for the Gre at God .

I 3 0 on [ris k Re ligion s .
learned men trace i n that boo k the most ancient I ri s h

mythological treatise .
W ith s o fighting a race as that o f E rin war gods w ere ,

-
common Some w ere battle furies as N e m on the N e m e

.
, ,
ton a o f Gaul Others were li ke C airb re whose exploits are

.
,
n arrated by the F ou r M as te rs and w ho as a hero w as as

“
Pro f R hys says placed o n a level with the gods
.
, I t is
, , ,
.
”
,
not easy how ever to discover there those ancient legends

, ,
which as Cory s A n cie n t F rag m e n ts s upposes re cogniz e

,
’
as the primary elemen t o f all things tw o indepen dent ,
principles o f the natu re o f male and female ; and those i n

,
mystic un ion as the soul and body constitute the Great

, ,
”
H ermaphro dite D eity There was sca rcely that re fin e .
ment in a n cient I reland .
D r K e n e aly s B ook of God perceives in the I rish O u n

’
.
’
or A in the cycle o r seasons course ; as in B el a in the
,
-
,
year o f B aal the sun The I rish a n iu s is the astrol oger

, .
,
surveying the cycle B ay is regarded as circle o r cycle in .
I rish a n d Sanscrit The I rish Cn a i m k was i n K e n e aly s

.
,
’
view the Ph oe n ici an g rea t w inge d on e or Cn ep k o f Egy pt

“
-
, , .
H e spea ks o f thei r more ancient man ner o f invocation

being Ain tre idhe D ia ain m Tau lac Fan Mo llac or A in -
, , ,
triple God who s e name is Tau lac F an Mo llac

,
Th is -
, , .
third person was the D estroyer F a n he places with .
P a n or P ka n e s .
A nother fanci ful author sees the source o f an I rish

re ligious festival in the Ckaris tia o f R omans a fea s t s acred ,
t o Con cord and the L oves at the end f the year

o — whence
—
the w ord Eu c haris t Lenoir is more correct in saying
’
“ ,
.
A stronomy is truly the fruit ful source from whic h the

Mages an d the priests have drawn ancient and modern
”
fables .
The R e v R S middy writes of the Celtic Ce al the

. .
,
b e e ve n an d Cealtack a he ave n l y p erson Church a circle

,
.
, ,
[ ris k Gods . 13 1
is s w re al or s w re alle ac ht the pillared temple of the D ruids

, , .
H e derive s te a mp ul from tiom ckal rou nd as t he su n , , .
Ta king D ia as bo th g od and day he gets D ia Sol D ia , ,
Lua n D ia Moirt (death ) D ia C e adio n ( the fi rst god ) D ia

, , ,
A rd ion (the high God) D ia B e an io n ( the woman go d) , ,
D ia S ath arn ( Saturn ) A fter all w e may perceive wit h .

, ,
Ma x M uller that the whole dictionary o f ancient religion

,
”
is m ade up o f metaphor .
The F rench author o f S iriu s w ho perceives i n that ,
star the origin o f all thunderi ng o r barking gods has a ,
g o d o f thu nder in the Celtic T a ra n which is T a ffi x to -

,
the sou nd made by a dog

“ “
.
The Celtic priests or D ruids says he w ho li ke the , , , ,
E gyptian p riests had adopted the Ckie n Le v rie r fo r a

,
-
symbol called themselves the ministers o f an U n kno w n

,
Go d descende d it is said u pon earth as Thoth under a

, , , , ,
hu man form and having al l the characteristics o f that

,
E gyptian god with t h e head , o f a dog ; bene factor o f
,
—
H u manity Suprem e civili z ing Legislator Poet and Mu ,
s ic ia n King o f B ards I nventor and Protector o f A griculture

, , ,
R egulator o f Waters Protector in D ar kness raised to the , ,
Presidency in a circle o f stones Founder o f sacred cere ,

”
mony Model priest invo ke d under the name o f F ather
,
-
, .
A ll that is very Welsh and cannot be applie d to I reland , .
The Welsh Triads hav e had claimed fo r them a greater

age tha n mo dern critics are disposed to allow Many o f .
the Welsh gods therein recorded are o f doubt ful pagan

or igin and belonged rather to the mysticism that crept into
,
Eu rope from the E ast d uring the early Mid dle A ges .
—
The I rish e x cept w here their B ards came u nder the
influence of the same wave o f oriental o r Gnostic learning
o f ol den time kne w little o f A ddon the seed bearer i n him ,
-
sel f ; A m m on without beginn ing ; Celi the mystery ; D eon

, , ,
the j ust ; D a v he is ; D ovy dd, re gulat ot D eon

,
s e na t e t e
,
13 2 Old [r is k Re ligion s .
One ; D w y v ,
I am ; D a w being ; Gw a w r, da,
w n o f day ;
Gw e rtke v in , supreme ; Ton , source ; Tor, o n e o f yore ;
N udd ,
mani fest ; P e ry dd ca use ; R ken perv ader ; R kw yf
, , ,
overloo ker & c , .
There is n o mention o f their recognition o f the Thre e

—
A ttributes P le n nydd A la w a and Gw ron indicated by
, , ,
the three divergent rays They had n o Ci rcle of Ce ug a n t

.
as the infi nite space ; n o r did they loo k upon the crom lech
as representing in three stones uphol ding the cap stone
,
-
,
the doctrine o f Trinity in U n ity .
We cannot conceive o f an I rish bard w riting as did a ,
Welsh bard o f Ce ridw e n

, H er complexion is formed o f
the mil d light in the even ing hour the splen did grace ful , , ,
”
bright and gentle Lady o f the Mystic Song
, B u t we .
do kn ow that the early Crusaders brought home much o f

this mystic tal k from the E ast and that ecclesiastics o f ,
an i maginative turn w ere charmed w ith pseu do Christian -
gnosticism The I rish p agan as the Welsh pagan w as

.
, ,
i gnorant o f such refinement of speech or ideas The .
Welsh A rchdruid assured the w riter o f his belie f that s o

called pagan philosophy was the source o f B ardism that ,
the teaching o f the Triads w as but the continuation o f a

far ol der faith in his fathers .
Ossian more properly pictures the opin ions o f his race

in I reland and Scotland though th e y are rather negative
,
than affirmative H e do u btl e ss never entere d t he esoteric

.
, ,
circle of D ruidism an d is very far from displaying any

,
tincture o f mysticism i n his verses .
H is gods were hardly spiritual but vulnerabl e a s w hen , ,
F ingal fo ught the Scan dinavian D eity that s hri e ked w hen
“
woun ded as rolled into himsel f he rose upon the w in d
, ,
,
.
”
Yet the gods could disturb the win ds a n d w aves bring ,
storms on foes and so destroy them D r Blair w as struc k

, . .
wi th the alm os t total ab s e n ce of re li iou s ide as in Ossian

g .
134 Old [ris k Re ligion s .
Thi s led N O K e arn e y t o observe

.
’
F rom this passage
it is evident that the pure monotheism o f the D rui ds had
d w ind led down into a vulgar polyt heism previous to the
.
date o f the Fenian e ra H istorians assert that Tighe rn m as

.
was the fi rst monarch who introduced polytheism and that ,
a great multitu de of peop le were struc k dead on the

worship of strange gods The s u n moon stars elements .
, , , ,
a n d many anima ls that were adore d by the Egyptians ,

”
w ere introduced as deities .
Jocelin an interesting romancer spea king of Le gas ius

s o n o f K ing N eal
,
“
tells the re ader that he s w ore by
,
, ,
an i dol cal led Cea n e roitki o r the head of all the gods , ,
because he was believed by the foolish people to give

answ ers .
A periodical called the H a rp of E rin which appeared ,
i n 1 8 1 8 has the follo w ing argument from an o ld

,
tradition
“ Tha t the A ncient I rish were not idolaters we have ,
su fficient evidence to convince any person who is possessed

o f common u nderstanding We are in formed t hat Tighe rn
.
mas the Ki n g was the fi rst w ho paid divine honors to an

, ,
idol and that having been struc k by lightni n g his death

, ,
was co n sidered as a j udgment Surely if idolatry had .

,
been a common practice o f the people their bards and ,
history would neither h ave represented the act o f the

m onarch as a crime nor his death pun ishment from heaven
,
”
for the o ffence .
The quotations from Bardic chronicles and poems made ,
b y Pro f R hys and others would n ot sanction the vie w s o f

.
,
the H a rp of E ri n Thei r N uada D iarm ait Conchobar

.
, , ,
& c were assuredly su n deities R hys says o f the last

“
-
. .
,
named Conchobar was doubt less not a man ; his sister

,
De c h
”
te re the mother o f Cuchulainn is ca lled a goddess
, , .
H e was kn own i n the B ook of th e Du n as D i aalm a ide or ,

[ris k Gods . 13 5
terrestrial god The river B oyne may have had its name
.
from the go ddess B oa n n wi fe o f the I rish N eptune N ode n s

, , .
A dolphe Pictet was formerly regarded as the most

learned Celtic s c holar in F rance
. He is very precise i n his .
belie f o f I rish polythei s m though i nfluenced too stro n gly

by the Cabiric theory “ ,
The double Cabiric I rish chain

“
.
,
says he is only the ascending development o f the tw o

,
prim itive principles .
O rdinary people may fail to follow this philosopher in

his metaphysical views concerning the earl y I rish They .
may doubt his progression o f six degrees in I rish m asc uline

and feminine divinities .
H e held that Eire E o anu an d Ceara were only the

,
-
,
same being i n three degrees o f developmen t ; that Por

s a ib he an daughter o f Ceara w as the Gree k Persephone
, , ,
the R oman Proserpine ; that Cearas and Ceara were

Koros and his sister Kore ; that Cearas was D agh dae -
,
o d o f fi re and that he was a sort o f demiurgus ; that

g ,
A esar and Eire or A e ire as fundamental duality give

—
, ,
birth to two chains o f progressive parallels masculine ,
an d feminine fi re and wa t er sun and moon ; that the

, ,
god dess Lute o r Lu fe is pow er and desire but Luth is ,
force ; that the Midr chil dren o f D agh , dae were rays o f ,
Go d ; that A esar was god o f i ntelligible fire ; that B righ it

w as god dess o f wisdom and poetry li ke N ath while A e dh , ,
was go ddess o f vital fi re .
M uch o f this might be esteemed by some readers as a

pleasing or romantic philosophy of I rish mythology .
I t may be use ful to loo k at the religion of the Manx o r ,
people o f the I sle of Man who were if not I rish close , , ,
kinsmen o f the same We ta ke the following from a

.
M an x poem first pri n ted in 1 7 7 8 as dealing with the

, ,
divinities .
Old [ris k Re ligion s .
M an an an b e g, hight M ac of Lorr ,
W as he the fi rs t that ru le d the lan d

A p agan , an d a s orce re r,
H e was , at le as t I un de rs tan d .
This Ma n a n a n a deity o f the Tuath de D an aan s was god

.
, ,
o f w aters ; but flf a c o f L i r was styled son o f the s e a .
[Ve id and B ad w ere go ds o f the w in d We are in forme d

“
.
by the author that B y the name Gu kk or Gakk a blaze , ,
fi re & c the pagan I rish meant to insi nu ate that S a m

, .
,
Gu bka were particularly inspired by the solar heat The .
motto o f o ld was Le t the altar fo r ever blaze to

,
D agh dae .
E as c w as the n e w moon t o Manx and I rish The I rish .
still say Paternoster at the n e w moon and crossing them , ,
”
selves add May yo u leave us as sa fe as you fou nd u s !
, ,
Cc A e kd w as a go ddess o f N ature
-
A n o ld poem says .
,
”
There was w eeping in the day o f Saman B ache Ce a ra .
was the sun ; and B adhhB e bad the god o f wind B rid - -
, .
,
dau ghter o f D aghdae w as the god dess o f w is dom a n d

,
poets A n the m a te r de a A odk goddess o f fi re

, Man x
, .
tra ditions and customs are similar to the I rish .
S w ord w orship in some respects figured in the past as

-
, , ,
with the H u ns & c F amous heroes or dei ties have had

, .
the names o f their s w ords preser ved as in the ca s e o f ,
A rthur and F ingal .
Spea king s w ords occur in the Le k n a ku idre as recorded ,
in the R ev ue Ce ltiqu e N oticing the custom of bringi n g i n

.
the tongues of the slai n as trophie s the I rish M S says

“ , .
A n d it is thus they ought t o do t hat and their s w ords o n ,
their thighs when they use d t o ma ke the trophy fo r th e ir ,
swords used to turn against them w hen they ma de a fal s e

—
troph y for demons use d to spea k t o them from their
arms .
S p e n s e r g i ve s thi s n arrative on the fab le d p ower o f the

13 8 O ld [ris k Religion s .
This Mac C C o r A engus is regarded as the I rish

, ,
counterpart o f Merlin o r Emrys H e is associated w ith a .
fairy mai den in the form o f a S w an , H e w as the son of .
th
’
e divine K ing o f the Tuaths a n d usurped his father s ,
cro w n as Zeus did that o f his father Chronos A s in

,
.
other lands the do m ai n s of heroes and gods conti nually

,
encroach upon each other ; as divine attributes are b e

stowed u pon departed chie fs and divi n e honours a fter the , ,
tap u order are o ften paid to living heads o f Sept s

,
I n no .
country perhaps was there more reverence gi ven t o chie fs

, , ,
a n d in none more rigorous obedience exacted from the

people by those w ho then controlled the very tribal lands .
I t may be that this peculiarity o f native character w oul d

account fo r the devotion to Saints in I rish Christian ti mes .
Still it has been pointed o u t how tradition has conve rted

,
hono u red heroes o r divi nities o f former days into m odern

Saints This is at least a very curiou s coin cidence and
.
, , ,
by n o means confi n e d to I rela n d being witnessed in ,
Scot land Wales Corn w all and B rittany

, , ,
.
The great age to w hich some o f these lived accordin g to ,
s uc h authorities as Tke F ou r M as te rs & c excites atten , .

,
tion . St D iare rc a and St F echin continued o n earth

. .
1 8 0 years ; but St Ciaran 3 00 ; St Mo c hta 3 00 ; St

.
,
.
,
.
S in c he all 3 3 0 Their ubiquity is suspicious

, . Thus there .
,
are 2 5 St S han au n s o r Shannons 3 7 Mo lu an s 4 3 M o la is e s

.
, , ,
5 8 M o c hu an s 2 00 Col mans and ,

a n u mber called St ,
.
D agan S t M o lac h St D uil & c

, . I t is odd to perceive so
, .
, .
m any provided with an alias

“ “
.
”
I f the ancient I rish ob s erv es Marc u s Keane ,be ,
longed to one great system of mythology we would ,
natural ly expect to fi nd traditions o f di fferent god s o f

the same system preserved in the same local ity This .
accordingly we fi nd to be the case ”

.
M rs Wilke s in Ur of th
. e Ch aldees re m arke d that m a n y
, ,
[ ris k Gods . 13 9
of th Saints o f I reland bear A ryan and Semitic n ames

“
e .
A gai n ,
They ( the m issionaries ) found it n ecessary in ,
m an y cases t o preserve to the Christian faith the names o f

,
S he
”
many o f the gods an d heroes o f their fore fathers .
in stances St Molac h St D agan St D u il St Satan St

.
, .
, .
, .
,
.
D i( c h)u l St C ronan & c

,
A nother points o u t that St
.
,
. .
L u a n is derived from Lune o r Lu ge du s ; St B olca in from .
Vulcan ; St Cia ra n from the Centaur Chiron ; and St

. .
D e cla n from D eclai m the I rish god o f generation M ,

. .
S o n n e rat held that St S hannon was t he god D earg . .
The author o f Tow e rs a n d Te mp les of A n cie n t [rela n d

derives S t B i u l from D ia B a al ; S t M aedog from Ma e
.
-
. .
deog o f Virgin ity and St E a rc from E a rck the sun He .

, .
fou n d 24 with the name o f Colomb 1 2 of B ri dget 2 5 o f , ,
Se n an 1 2 o f D ic hu l and 3 0 o f C ro n an
, , .
H e conten ded t hat I ris h H agiology began t o be c o m

m it t e d to w riting about the tenth century that in a fter
times when it w as t hought desirable to ascribe ancient
l e gen ds to Christian Saints all were w ithout distinction ,
re ferred to the fi fth and sixth cen turies as o f course n o ,
cel e brate d Saint could have been ascribed to a period

be fore St Patric k and that the ancient literature seems
.
,
“
”
to have been destroyed by the early Christians .
A lthough every o n e can not be expected to follow M arcus

Keane in O pinion there is much plausibility if n o t reason
, , ,
in the assumption that some o f the I rish Saints were

baptized deities o f the I sland .
P ro f B evan in a recent lectu re at the Gresham College

.
, ,
sho w ed how the Celtic gods were R omanized O gm iu s .
became Mercury ; Gran n os A pollo ; Cat u rix o r Camulos , ,
M ars ; B ridgit M ine rva ; E sas J upiter H e thought the

, ,
.
I rish religion was partly o f aboriginal forms o f belie f and ,
partly D ruidic H e considered the transition from D ru id

.
ism to Chris tiani ty a ve ry gradual on e L n o or L\n n . ,

w hose temple was on the site of St Paul s Cathedral he

.
’
recog n ized as the I rish N ode n s .
As the R e v ue Celt iqu e contains a wealth o f learnin g

pertaini n g to the myt hology o f I reland some in formatio n ,
from that w or k may be here placed be fore the reader .
B adb one o f the I rish go ddesses o f war had three sisters

, , ,
N eman Mac ha and lll o rrigan o r Morrigu These a re

'
, , .
described as Fu ries able to con found armies ; eve n

,
though ass um ing bu t the form o f a cro w H en n essey

“
.
thought t hese three w ere separate bei ngs : the attribute s

o f [Ve m a n bei n g those o f a being ho con foun ded he r
victims w ith madness w h ilst M orrzgn \ incite d to deeds o f
w A
,
valour o r plan ne d stri fe and battle a n d [ll a cka revelle d

, ,
amidst the bodies o f the slain B a db w as the daughter .

,
also o f the mythical Tuat ha King E rn m as She inspire d

, .
fear so as to pro duce lunacy

, .
St an dish O Grady i n his critical an d philosophical

’
H is tory of [re la n d adduces evi dence o f the use ful labours

,
r
o f the ear ly I rish go ds w h om he detects under the assum e d

,
3
names o f heroes Part halo n w as he who cleared fro m

.
forest t h e plain o f the Li ffey The D agda Mor dro v e .
bac k the sea from M u rthe m n e y form ing t he district n o w ,
known as the Lou th Lu taught men fi rst to ride o n

.
horses C re ide n é first discovere d and sm e lted gold in

.
I relan d . 1
When t he o ld original go ds o f I r e la n d w ere driven o u t

by a younger and m ore vi gorou s set o f divinities th e y ,
retire d to Tir na n og the land o f the young ; o r to T ir

- - -
,
na m beo lan d o f li fe o r to Tir na Fo m ora h

- -
,
- -
.
T he temple o f N e d the war god was near the F oy le

“ , .
,
A cco rdin g to O Grady The D ag da M or was a divi n e

’
title give n to a hero named E o c aidh w ho live d many ,
c e n t uri e s b e fore the b ir th of Chris t a n d in the depths o f ,

older E rse M S S he is described as the s on o f that deity

. .
H e gained the shore i n Kenmare river opposite the setting ,
sun w here dead Ce lts recovered their lives

, .
The god D ag da D ag o de vo s the good god yet K ing o f

,
- -
, ,
the Tuatha de D an aan s was the Zeus or Ormazd o f I rish ,
mythology The D an aan s or people o f God were li ke

.
, , ,
the D ev a s o f I ndia go ds of the day light and li fe The

, , , .
F o m o ré their enemies represen t the Titans o f Gree k

, ,
story w hose chie f B ress B alar or Te thra was identical

, , , ,
w ith t h e Persian A hriman the V edic Yama o r eve n , ,
Varuna
“
.
The F omore are says J ubainville the gods o f the , ,

”
dead o f night and o f storms On the other hand the
“
, , .
,
T u a th a are the gods o f li fe o f day and o f the sun con , , ,
s t it u t in g another group the less ancient o f the gods if w e

, ,
belie ve the doctrine o f Celts ; for following the Celtic ,

”
theory night prece ded day
, .
The Fomorian gods o f earth and night were spo ken o f

by the Christian chroniclers as pirates ravaging the coast .
B u t the B ook of I n vas ions simply mentions the ir arriva l by

sea They must have been monsters for a wor k treating
.
,
o f them had fo r its title the H is tor y f

o M on s te rs E ven .
Ge raldus Cam b re n s is translated F om ore by Gi ga n tikus

’
A mong the stories told o f them was the o n e gi v ing some

F o m o ria n s b u t one foot and on e hand while others were ,
goat headed The tale told o f their Ki ngs exacting the

-
.
tribute of two thirds of corn and mil k and t w o o ut o f

-
,
three children born in a family reminds us o f the Gree k ,
M inotaur The Fo m oré seem to belong to the begin n ing

.
o f all things since no I rish legend knows o f anything

,
be fore their coming .
O u r F rench aut h or who had much to re port on solar

,
go ds has the following remar ks upon the lunar deity

“
,
The q ue e n of n i gh t is the moon which among the , ,

[ ris k Gods . 1 43
stars is distinguishe d by the crescent form u nder w hich

, ,
sh e usually pres e nts hersel f t o o u r notice The god o f .
night is distinguished from ot her go ds by a crescent placed

upon his forehea d and t his crescent is trans formed into
,
the horns o f the cal f the bull or the goat H ence in the , , .
,
P rom e tke us o f fE s c h y lu s [o the horned virgin becomes , , , ,
later o n a hei fer ; he n ce in the A thenian fable the con

, , ,
c e p t io n o f the M inotaur w ith t h e head o f a bull hence in ,
the I rish fable the conception o f the F o m o ré wi t h the

,
goat s head a n d upon the continent o f Gaul t h e n u merous

’
-
, ,
horned gods whic hn ow ornament the Salle o f St Ge rmai n .
M useum F or to render to these gods o f the dead the

.
wors hip they exact it w as necessary to immolate to them

,
”
hu man lives .
We are told that Gree ks poets a n d painters gave distinct

characteristics to go ds as Ph ae ton A pollo an d H ercules , , , ,
originally the same The ancien t literature o f I reland .
l ac ks these well de fin e d contou rs -

.
The dual idea o f good and b ad go ds w ith good and bad ,
tribes correspon ds w ith the D asy u o f I ndia who w ere both

, ,
d emons and the hostile tr ibes prece ding the A ryans i n

that peninsula The I rish triad is produced by the h abit
.
o f u sing three synonyms to express the same m ythological
t hough t
L ug on e o f the Tu ath
,
a gods nurse d by the Queen o f the ,
F 1r B o lgs is su ppose d to have in troduced games races

-
, ,
&c . H is festival was August 1 I t has been suggested .
that the festival on the same day in honour o f A ugust us , ,
w as on ly a new form o f a more ancient custom Lug s

’
.
m other was E t hn iu daughter o f B alar but his fat her w as

, ,
the god D agda

“
.
B alar B a le b e im n e c h B alar o f the strong blows ,

was ,
said to have been killed by his grandson H e carried o ff .
the c ow of the three bro the rs s m iths of the Tu atha B ake r ,

.
w as killed byH e is sometimes called the s o n o f the

Lu g .
bull faced go d
-
Lu g and he may be compare d wit h
.
B ellerophon and the C him m ra A doublet o f B alar is seen .
i n T ige rn m as .
C uchulainn the son o f Lug w as a deified hero H is

, , .
remarkable adventure s formed the subj ect o f many bardi c

songs Lab raid o f the s w if t ka n d on tko s w ord was then
.
, ,
King o f H ades the I ri s h Pluto Being assisted against

, .
his foes by the mighty C uchulain n he presented the hero ,
w ith his sister in law F and fo r a wi fe ; and she return e d

- -
, ,
w ith the warrior from Hades B ut C uchulain n paid other .
visits to the world o f spirits w ith a vie w o f rescuing frie n ds ,
from H ades an d re t u rning t o E rin

, H e had the deity L ug .
fo r his father and the goddess D e c h

, t e re fo r his mother As .
an A pollo he w as bear dless ; yet w hen re born he appeared

, ,
-
,
with lo n g hair (rays ) H e released a maiden changed i n to

.
a s w an being the goddess o f D awn N O K e a rn e y trans

’
.
, .
,
lator o f t he Con n eda story found that the I rish hero was
-
,
so beloved that people would not

, swear an oath
eit her by the sun stars or elements except by the head
, , ,
”
of C o n n e da .
N uada, the Welsh N udd or Lludd must n ot be con ,
foun ded w ith N e t go d o f w ar H e is declared by R hys

“
.
,
o f the non Celtic race i n both B ritain and I reland ; fo r

-
a n o ld inscription in the county o f Kerry gives the name

w ithout a case en ding and so mar ks it as a probably
-
,
”
n o n Celtic wor d
-
I n his Celtic B ri ton s the same writer
.
not e s another deity ; spea king of the sea god N ode ns who ,
w as o f su fficient importance during the R oman occu pation

t o have a temple b u ilt fo r him at Lyd ney on the western ,
si de o f the Severn while the I rish formerly called the

,
go dde s s o f the B oyne his wi fe .
The F east o f Goibniu which assured im mortality to the ,
Tua tha c on s is te d p rinci all o f b r a more co m m o n

, p y e e ,
daughters have they b urnt in the fi re to their gods The .
an i m al sacri fice may b e but a su rvival o f the hu man .
C aesar was positive as to the Gauls an d B ritons doing so .
Strabo Plutarch an d others sai d the same A ugustus

, , .
,
Tiberius and Claudius opposed the D ruids on accoun t of

,
that cruelty Yet the A rchdruid Myfyr exclaimed

. They
never wrought an atonement for sin by the sacri fice o f
bloody carcases of any kind The writer has heard the
.
learned Welsh D ruid a ffirm this i n most earnest tones H e .
would not admit so degrading a practice for his D ruids .
Yet N e n n ius tells ho w Vortigern see king to build a fort , ,
was constantly an noyed by spirits run ning o ff with the

stones ; and how he was told by his D ruids to get a fath er
less b oy kill him and sprin kle his blood upon the fo u n da
, ,
tion o f the buildings Similar stories are mentione d in

.
relation to Jericho and to the erection of even Christian

,
ecclesiastical edifices .
O Cu rry affirms that there is no i nstance o f hu ma n

’
”
sacrifices at any time in E rin There is only on e known
.
text re ferring to the custom in I rela nd which occu rs in ,
the D in n s en ckus B oth men and women were liable to be

.
burnt to ashes fo r certain crimes but not in worship The , .
L ives o f St Patric k do n o t mention such o fferings though

.
,
the B ook of Le in s te r and Lu c an s verses note their an cient

’
service Elton thought that some o f the penalties o f the

.
ancient laws seemed to have originated in an age when

criminals were o ffered to the gods .
Some old poem upon the F a ir of Ta ilte a pagan cemetery

’
, ,
has it
The th re e forb idde n bloods
P atrick p re ac he d the re in ( i e the fair)
. .
Y oke oxe n , an d s layin g m ilc hc ow s ,

Als o b y (again s t the ) b urn ing of the firs tb om .
There was however in Leitrim a P la in of S krieking

, , , an d
M ag hs le ac thwas the p l ace of slaughte r

-
.
[ris k Gods . 147
I n an article contributed to an antiqu ari an periodical in

, ,
1 7 8 5 concerning the I rish mountain S lia k

,
k Crookk we fi nd ,
the following
“On its summit still remain the vestiges o f D ruid
worship the rude altar and the sacred well and that
, , ,
duri ng the era o f D ruidical govern ment their priests were ,
n o t only the j udges b ut executioners o f those who were ,
doomed to death e ither as delinquents or victims o f ,
sacri fice I am inclined to s uspect th at it was anciently

.
styled S lia bk cro abk ; cro signi fying death and a bk the
—
,
poin t o f a weapon and as a spot destined for human ,
slaughter might bear the appellation o f the mountains o f

,
fi nal death A stone hatchet and undoubtedly a sacrificial

.
,
o n e belonging to the D ruids was dug up at the foot o f

, ,
this mountain a fe w years ago and is in Lord Moira s ,

’
possession .
To show how wide spread was the custom o f hu man -
sacrifices we may quote the list o f nations adopting it as

, ,
given in the work [n do A ryan s by R aj e n dralala M itra

“
-
, .
This includes the Phoe nicians Carthaginians D ruids , , ,
S cythians Gree ks Troj ans R omans Cyclops Lami na

, , , , , ,
S e s t rygo n s Syrens C re tan s Cyp rian s A ssyri ans Egyptians

, , , , , ,
J ews A ztecs Khonds Toltecs Te z cauc an s S uc as Peru

, , , , , ,
vians A fricans Mongols D ya ks Chinese J apanese

, , , , , ,
A shantis Yuc atans H indus

,
H e adds The Persians
,
.
were perhaps the only nation of ancient times that did not
, ,
”
i n dulge i n human sacrifices .
I f then O C u rry and other I rish writers o bj ect to such a

’
, , , ,
charge being made against their rude fore fathers it must ,
be allowed that the latter would have b een in at least , ,
respectable and numerous company .
The astronomical side of idolatry sho u ld n ot he oas s e o .
It has b e e n m ain tain e d w ithm u chle arni n m ah

o ver .
gfi r t
,
1 48 Old [risk Re ligion s .
tales of gods and goddesses in all la n ds can be traced to , ,
ideas connected with the heaven ly bo dies and their several ,
’
movements The writer s old colonial friend H en ry
.
M elville nearly hal f a century ago read Lempri ere 5 stories

, ,
o f the deities o n astronomical lines U pon the C elestial .
A tlas he moved his cardboard masonic tools bringing the ,
figures o f various constellations together so as to explain ,
the particu lar story Later o n he discovered a system o f

.
,
i nterpretation as certain and in fallible which he called the

, ,
L a w s of tke M edes an d P e rs ia ns as they w ere u nalterable ,

.
Melville had no opportunity o f explaini ng the stories of

I rish bar ds up on his plan V a lle n c e y J ubainville and others
.
,
have attempted it o n other and theological lines B u t if .
the stories cou ld be treated at all astronomically the ,
i nterest in them would be incre ased as sho w ing their ,
derivation from other and more enlightene d lands The .
great puzzle is however how several and such di fferent

, ,
keys manage to tu rn the same loc k B u t as remar ked by .

,
the R e v Ge o St C lair time will ma ke the secret thi ngs

. . .
,
plain an d paten t .
I t may not be wrong there fore to trace in th ose I rish

, ,
legends the existence o f ancient and Oriental learning o f a

more o r le s s astronomical character .
Th e I rish had a notion o f the wee k or seven days period

'
, .
That may have come from the East mean ing the sun the , ,
moon and the five then kno w n planets One has supposed
, .
that five were named a fter the R omans a n d t w o from the ,
B el gae . Bu t t he Wode n day was changed to Ga de n an d
Th u rsday to Torda in or Torn ea ck thun der o r t he s pirit o f

“
, , ,
To or
r T k or Schlegel says
.
— A mong the Gre e ks and
R omans the observation o f the days o f the w ee k was
,
”
i ntroduced very late A n d yet they w ere w e ll kno w n
.
long be fore in B ab ylon The Ph oe nician characteri z ed

.
,
by S ay c e as th e lin k b e twe e n Ch alde an an d H e b rew ,

The B el tor o f D artmoor the B e len us o f Gaul the B eal

-
, ,
o f the Gae dh il the B ali o f I ndia the B elus obelis k o f

, ,
Pomona in Or kney the B ealt ie n ca ke o f Scotland the , ,
B el cg priest or learned o n e o f B rittany the Punic B a l

-
, ,
all ta ke us outside o f I reland B u t Cam den declared the .
c romlech o n S liab h Greine hill o f the sun was to B eli , , .
A s reported by J J Thomas The I rish expression B al

—
. .
m ka itk a rt May Be l be propitious to thee ! o r B al dkia

dku it the god B al to you ! were deeme d complimentary
,
addresses to a stranger along the sequestered ban ks o f the

Suir in the South o f I reland about twenty two years
, ,
-
”
ago .
There can be n o doubt about this Baal worship b e i ng

connected with Phallicism D evotion to generative po w ers .
preceded perhaps that to the sun as the main cause o f

, , ,
production in N atu re bu t the B aal development appeared

later o n in the s o called march o f civilization -
A n in .
creased fondness fo r ritual is generally ta ken fo r an

evidence o f refi nement .
This Phallic expo n ent has been conspicuous in the B al

f g
a r k a or B u d, o f the I sland o f M u id h r
,
o ff the coast o f ,
S ligo represented as sim ilar to the M a kody o f E lephanta

,
in I ndia where the a rg ka was an especial obj ect o f

,
worship and which was seen by the writer i n B ombay as

, , ,
still an obj ect o f religious devotion There was o n the .
I rish island a wall o f large u n mortared stones some ten ,
feet high and o f a rude circular form having a lo w

, ,
entrance The B ad or Linga was surrounded by a

.
, ,
parapet wall .
I n n is M urra an islet about three m iles from the S ligo

,
coast has always been held sacred I n that the area o f

, .
,
this B alf a rgka or argha o f rough stone work is 1 80 feet

-
, ,
-
,
by 1 00 in its oval shape

, To preserve its devotional .
Ch ara e te r th re e R om an Cath olic ch ap e ls h av e b e e n e re c ted

,
[ris k Gods . 151
on t he I sle The holy grou nd is used as a cemetery ; but

.
the males are buried apart from the females F o r some .
reason a wooden image o f St MO 103 is placed there fo r

,
.
the regard o f worshippers .
As is well known the sna ke has been associated with

,
amatory sentiments in nearly all countries and has fo r ,
thousands o f years been a favourite form of ornament

with women N ow opposite this island once given up to
.
, ,
sexual worship the l imestone coast has been worn into

,
shapes o ften tortuous or serpentine Tradition asserts .
that this is the spot where St Patric k cast the sna kes o f .
I reland into the sea ; that is t o say i n other words that , ,
Christianity extirpated the libidinous deities .
I rish literature notices the presence o f t wo religious sects .
once existing in the cou ntry ; viz those who adored fire j .
and those who adored water The fi rst were B aa lites ; th¢
.
secon d Li rites The S a m ka isgs were o f the o n e and

.
,
S w a ns o f the other O K e arn e y in his observations upon

’
.
,
this pec uliarity o f the past incidentally shows the anti

q u it y o f faction fights in I reland ; saying “,
I t is probable ,
that very violent contentions were once carried o n in the

I sland by the parti z ans o f the rival religions who were ,
accustomed to meet and decide their quarrels at the place

, ,
set apart for battles ”

I n later and C hristian times when
.
,
I reland had a multitude o f indepen dent bishops under ,
n o ecclesiastical supervision disputes o f a m ore or less ,
theological kind are said by the ancient historians to

have been settled by their followers in the same
fashion .
A s the population of I reland is perhaps the most , ,
m ixed in racial descen t o f any in the world it is n ot

, , ,
su rprisi n g that this Island should exhibit a greater variety

o f religions several o f which have le ft the ir t race s in t h e
—
,
t rad i tion s an d s up e rs titions of ou t-oi -th e w ay l o cali ti e s .

1 52 O ld [ ris k Re ligion s .
That B uddhism should have found a foothold the re is

n o t surprising si nce B u ddhist missionaries at o n e e ra had
,
spread o ver much o f the N orthern hemisphere T h ough .
the rea der m ayfin d in this wor k un der the hea di n g o f ,
"
R ound To w ers re ferences to t his Orient al faith s ome
, ,
ot her i n formation may be here required .
W henever it came and ho w ever introduced B u dd hism

, , ,
as it w as taught in its early purity was a distin ct a dvan ce ,
u pon previously existi n g dogmas o f belie f I t was a vast .
i mpro v ement upon B aal worship Hero worship o r N a tu re , ,
w or s hip as it carried with it a lo fty ethical tone a n d the

, ,
princ iple of universal brotherhood T hough there is l i n .
g u is t ic as w ell as other evidence o f its presence i n I rel a n d ,
it may be doubted if the labou rs o f the foreign m iss i o n

a ries h ad much accepta n ce with the rude I slan ders .
Cn ox B u idkkk B u dh s hill is in Tyrone A god des s o f

’
.
, ,
the T uatha was called B adkka B u dkkk the R e d w a s a.

, ,
c hie f o f the D an aan s B ud dhist symbols are fou n d u p on

.
stones in I reland There are H ills o f B udh in M ayo a n d

.
R oscommon . Ferg u s B udh o r B o d was a prince o f B re j e a .
H e w as Fergu s o f the fi re o f B udh B u dh or F io dh w a s .
th e s a c re d tree .
V a lle n c e y the fanci ful I rish philologist w as a believe r i n

, ,
the story of B u ddhist visit ations H e found that B u dk i n

.
I rish an d Sanscrit w as w is e that D ia Ta it w as Thu rs d ay ,
and the day bet w een the fasts (We dnesda y a nd F ri day ) ,
We dnesday being a sacred day i n honou r o f B u dh i n I n d i a

“
showi n g that they observed B u dhday a fter Christi an ity
,
was intro duced La N olla d A oi s o r La N olla d M i tkr

.
,
,
D ecember 24th w as sacred to M ithras the S u n ; to w h ic h

,
cro w ing of N a rgal the coc k o f A urora which was sacri fi ced
, ,
on D ecember 2 5th i n honour o f t he birth o f M ith ras t h e

,
,
ma n y respects resemble those o f the Spa n iards a thou sand

,
”
years a fter .
I n the vaulted stone buildi n g at K n oc km oy Galway Co , .

,
assume d by some to have been a temple o f the Tu at h a and ,
next w hich s acred spot an abbey w as subseque n tly erected ,
is a figure ta ken for A pollo bound to a tree pierced w ith

, , ,
arro w s yet slaying the Python w ith his dart Other three
, .
figures represent i n their crow n s and costume E astern

, ,
divi n ities be fore w hom another person is approachi n g

, .
These have been conj ecture d to be the three Chan c ha s m , ,
Go n ago m and Gaspa w ho obtained the per fect stat e o f

, ,
N i rvana be fore the birth o f Godama founder o f B uddhis m , .
The mythological figures to be seen at the chape l o f

Co rmac the King and B ishop o f Cashel are n ot less strange
, ,
i n a Christian edifice than the heathe n a rg ka w it n essed o n

a ban ner i n some E nglish churches They are to say the .
,
least i n a novel situation

, .
The Lion of Cas kel w ith its tail over its bac k an d a head
, ,
partly hu man is co n fronted by a centau r shooting an arrow

, .
The figu re s helmet is sai d to be li ke that o f an I ri sh

’
warrior in the tenth centu ry The t wo m ytholog1c al hares .

,
devou ri n g foliage o f the shamroc k appearance present a ,
more stri king character An n a Wil kes was led to exclai m

“
.
The supposed C uthite remains at Cashel bear stri ki ng

resemblance to some o f the N inevite sculptures ; N ergal
or N im rod the w in ged lio n as exhibited i n the B ritis h
, ,
M useu m is a remarkable imitation of the winged l ion o f

,
”
Cashel .
Were these an d similar sc u lptures survivals o f older

, ,
faiths in the minds o f the artists ? They w ere not fan cies
o f their own but they reflect past phases o f heathen is m
, .
Superstitions ever indicate former belie fs .
I t i s n o t a li ttle s urp ris in g t o n oti ce i n the an c ie n t ,

[ris k Gods . 1 55
writi n gs o f I rish Churchmen so fe w re fere n ces to the

,
i dolatrous practices o f their countrymen I n the catalogues .
o f the D ubli n Museum o f the I rish A cademy o n e fi n ds

expression o f the same w o n der i n these w ords The eccle
s ias t ic al chroniclers of the period in t heir z eal fo r the
,
establishme n t o f Christianity would appe a r to ha v e alto

,
”
gether ign ored the subj ect o f pagan w orshi p It is this .
sile n ce which has led so many persons to doubt the

idolatrous custo ms o f the early I rish or to be very s e ep ,
tical as to the n ature o f the gods they worshipped .
The Akkadian rel igion o f A ssyria throws some light

upon I rish faiths Maj or Co n der re ferri n g to the in s c rip
.
,
tio n s o f Tell Loh thought they proved the piety o f those

,
ancient A kkadian rulers and showing that the deities

,
adored represented the su n an d moo n the da w n an d ,
sunset with the spirits o f the mountains the sea the earth
,
and o f hell .
”
E lsewhere he says “A s regards the deities
,
, , ,
adore d they evidently i n clu de heave n hell the ocea n the

, , , ,
”
su n and moo n the daw n an d the su n set
, ,
This w as in .
U r o f the Chaldees but long be fore A braham s time

’
“
.
,
The Major was struc k with another inscriptio n — I have

made the Pyram id temple to the Lord o f the heavenly
region To Tammuz Lord o f the La n d o f D arkn e s s I
.
, ,
”
have built a Pyramid temple H e further adds
. The
A kkadians and B abylonia n s believed i n p airs o f deities
i nhabiting the various ki n gdoms o f the gods Others have .
detected the same duality i n the divi nities o f I reland The .
D r ui dical three rods or rays o f light have been com pared

, ,
—
to a Phoe nician Trin ity the three son s of [l an d called ,
E loki m . Morien conte n ds that J ehovah is represented in

D ruidism by the three letters I A O , .
I t is curious to note the remains o f a very an cie n t

building on the H ebridean H arris I sla n d kn ow n locally a s ,
th e te m p le of A n n ai t an d a s im ilar on e at S h e att e rw a ros

, y ,
becoming the Chu rch o f the Tria n ade or Trinity W e are , .
remin ded o f the Tan at or Tan at h o f the P hoe nicia n s the ,
A n aie tis o f the Lydians the A phrodite Tan a is o f the

,
B abylonians H ow such mysteries got to the H e b rides

.
nee d not surprise us Two races le ft their descen d a n ts in

.
—
t hose I slands the N orwegian and the I rish ; the latter
sprea d o v e r the islets an d coastli n e o f Western S c o tla nd ,
a n d carri e d thither the popular creed o f the m igratio n era .
Sir W Jones consid e red that the whole crowd o f g ods

.
”
a n d go ddesses mean t on ly the po w ers o f N atu re A d o l phe .
P ie te t proceeds on the fol lowing li nes F rom a p ri m i tive

duality constituting the fun damen tal force o f the U n i v e rse
, ,
there arises a double progression o f cosm ical powers w h i c h , ,
a ft er ha v ing crossed each other by a m utual tran s iti o n at ,
last procee d to blend in o n e Su pre m e U n ity as i n t heir ,
essent ial principles such in a fe w w ords is the d is ti n c tive

, ,
character o f the mythological doctri nes o f the ancien t I ri sh ”

.
A s e lse w here mentione d the I rish Saints are tra d i ti on

,
ally m ixe d u p with matters con nected with form er d e i ti es .
Thus Ledw ich in his A n tiqu ities of [rela n d is in d u ce d to

, , ,
excla im Very fe w o f the Saints who ado rn o u r lege n d s

,
e v er had ex istence but are p e rs on ific at io n s o f i n a n i m ate

,
th ings a n d even o f pass ions or qual ities

,
”
St T he n e w o r . .
Mun go patro n Saint o f Glasgo w was but a m etam orph o sed

, ,
div in it y o f the same race H e w as born o f a vi rgi n a

.
—
,
proo f o f h e r god dess ship H is m iraculous po w ers w e re

.
l ike tho s e o f I rish gods being exerted over N at u re s l a w s

,
’
H is ro d w a s the D rui dical hazel bra n ch which bu rs t i n to

-
,
flame a fter his breathing u pon it Thus we see t he ri v e r .
S han n o n once an obj ect o f worship remembered u n d e r

,
,
th e n a me o f St S e n a n u s ; and the mou ntain K e v n o f

.
Gle n dalo u gh also adore d become the Sain t Kevi n

, , .
The s tran e mi x ture of h t he n is m an d S c r i tu r e h

g e a
p as
1 58 Old [ris k Re ligions .
t ile pro fessing a derivation from Spain they have ,
ignored the fact that Iberian idolatry w as w ell kn o w n .
They equally ignore the testi mony o f St Patric k an d other .
missionaries in E rin the w ritings o f I rish Saints an d the

, ,
evidence o f objects w hich are substantial w itnesses .
R oman authors had no doubt o f the presence o f idols

among the Celtic i nhabitants o f Gaul ; and any visitor to
H Ote l Cluny in Paris can soon satis fy himsel f as to the
, ,
t ruth by a glance at the images stored in that n oble

,
museum o f F rench history

“
.
V alle n c e y said The I rish D ruids w ere not idol aters

, ,
O K e arn e y admits th at the pure

’
had no graven i mages .
monotheism o f the D ruids had d w indled down i nto a

vulgar polytheism prev ious to the date o f the Fen ian era
, .
”
B ut O C u rry denies ali ke images hu man s acrifices and

’
, ,
su n worship A rthur Clive could w rite

-
. There is abundant
reason to suppose that there were no idols in use among
the ancient I rish no carved representations o f the ,
”
go ds
I n the Museum Catalogue o f the I rish A cademy it is ,
w ritten The ecclesiastical chroniclers o f the period in ,
their zeal fo r the establishment o f Christia n ity would ,
appear to have altogether ignored the subj ect o f pagan

w orship B u t E n nius distinctly records that when Patric k
.
”
went to Cashel all the idols fell prostrate
,
— “
.
I n St Patric k s Conf es s ion we read

’
. Whence is it that
i n I relan d those w ho never had the know ledge o f a God
, ,
but worshipped even fi lthy idols & c Petrie declares it , .
was not unusual fo r S t Patric k to dedicate pagan mon u .
”
ments to the true God I n the Fiac c Hym n it is said
“
.
There was darkness over E rin they adored thi n gs o f ,
F aery
”
The Tripartite Li fe speaks o f this adoration the
“
.
Conf es s ion says the adorers shall unhappily fall into

e t e rn al
p un is hm e n t
”
.
[dol Wors kip . 15
9
Dr E B . Tylor says The idol an swers to the savage

. .
, ,
i n o n e pro v ince o f thought the same purpose that its ,
an alogue the doll does to the ch ild I t enables hi m to .
give a defi nite existen ce and a person ality to the vague

”
ideas o f higher beings E lsewhere he declares that i dols
.
”
belong to a period o f transition an d gro w th .
I t was not poss ible that w hile Celts and Iberians in ,
Great B ritain an d Gaul should have i dols the same races ,
in E rin should be w ithout them .
Gaul had H e s us B e le n us and other deities in images

, , .
Men the B ayeux god had horns C aesa r called the chie f
, , .
Gaulish divin ity by the name o f Mars whose shrine was ,
on the Isle o f Paris A nother described as a Mercury

.
, ,
stood on the sum mit of Puy de D ome Ce rn u n n os was .
represented holdi n g a bag of acorns Be le n u s was declared .

,
by Mont faucon to be the same as a B ritish I sland idol

,
.
L ucan exclaimed H e s us with cruel altars horrid go d

, , ,
.
A t A rles w as found an idol with a serpent t w ined about ,
its legs E lse w here it w as a female in Gaul with a serpent

.
, ,
rou nd the legs Lucan le ft the follow ing account o f

.
ano t her
“ “
The Gauls said he cal l H ercules in their cou n try
, ,
language Og m i us B ut they represen t the appearance o f

.
their god in a very unusual manner With them he is a .
decrepid o ld man bald be fore his beard extremely grey

, , ,
—
as are the fe w other hairs he has remain in g I was o f
opinion that all these things were perversely do n e in dis ,
—
ho n ou r of the Grecian god s This o ld H ercules draws
a fter him a vast multitude o f men all tied by their ears , .
The cords by w hich he does this are small fi ne chains ,
artifi cially made o f gold and electru m li ke the most ,
beauti ful bracelets A n d though the men are dra wn by

.
such slender bo n ds yet no n e o f them thin ks o f brea ki n g

—
,
loose when they m ight e as il y do it l he oai n t e r t o i n n

'
, . ,
the extreme end s o f the chain s made a hole i n the go d s ,

’
tong ue w ho loo ks smiling to w ards those he leads

, .
The for e igner turne d for explanation to a Gau l w ho

said
,
“ We Gauls do not suppose as you Gree ks that ,
,
Mercu ry is speech o r language but w e attrib u te it to ,

”
H ercules because he is far superior in strength
,
They .
thought H ercules as speech should d ra w men a fter him

, , ,
with their ears t ie d to his tongue .
l —
A s to lVa e s though some patriotic W elsh will n ot
'
—
allo w that their people ever w ere so degra de d there w ere
i dols li ke that o f D arve ll gadarn at St A saph F rom a
“
-
, . .
report on the Welsh in 1 53 8 w e learn that th e y come

, ,
daily a pilgrimage unto hi m some w ith kine others w ith , ,
oxen o r horses and the rest w ith money

,
The o ld w riter .
sho ws the respect pai d to this idolatrous survival remar king

“ A common saying amongst them that w hosoe v er w il l ,
,
o ffer anything to the said i mages o f B arvell gada rn he -

,
hath po w er to fetch him o r them that so o fle r o u t o f hell

”
when they are damned .
Scotland t oo had its idols

, ,
I n a letter fro m M r . .
D onald Cl a rk to the author several years ago that ge n tle , ,
man added S ince the above w as w ritten an ima ge o f a ,
female has been dug up from a moss i n N orth L ochaber ,
o f blac k o ak in goo d prese rv ation and about five feet l ong

, , ,
w hich goes far to sho w that they h a d deity hou s es with

”
i mages in N o rth B ritain also Yet as a lingu ist he , ,
declare d B u t t here is noth ing i n the ir language to sho w

—
,
”
that they w orshippe d those images only venerating the m .
A pologists o f other nations mi ght say as much o f their

o w n ancestors veneration o f im ages
’
.
King Laoghaire contemporary w ith St P atric k w as the

,
.
,
w orshipper o f Crom Cruac h describe d as a pillar o f ston e

“ , .
The Tripartite Li fe o f the Sai nt called it a croo ked

As Ma ghS le ac ht meant fie ld of
”
s ton e of adorat io n .
-
B re fin , a district o f the county o f Cavan for m erly belong ,
in g to Leitrim I t w as all over covere d w ith gol d an d

.
silver the lesser figures o n the t w elve stones about it bei ng

,
o n ely o f brass which m e ttals both o f the stones and t he ,
statues they bore became everywhere the prey o f t he

,
”
Christian priests upon the co n version o f that kingdom .
’
The legen da ry writers o f Patric k s L if e tell many things ,
n ot less r idiculous tha n i n credible about the destruction o f ,
this temple of Moys le e t ( Magh S le uc ht) or the F ield of -

,
A doratio n in B re fin ; w here the stumps of the circular

,
o b lis c s are yet to be seen The B ishop s S e c o f C logher

.
’
has its name from one o f these stones all cov er e d w ith ,
gold ( Clog ke r sign i fying the Golde n S tone ) on w hi c h stood ,
K e rm a n d K els tack the chie f I dol o f U lster The stone is

“ ,
.
K e rm an d K e ls t ac h was
”
still in being H e continue d
.
,
not the only Mercury o f rude sto n e since the Mercu ry o f ,
the Gr e e ks was not p o rt ray d a n tie n t ly in the shape o f a

’
youth with w ings to his heels and a caduceus in his ha n d

, ,
but witho ut hands or feet being a s qu a re s ton e says , ,
Ph
”
u rn u tu s an d I say w ithout any scul pture
,
.
V alle n c e y maintained the s ame observing The an cient ,
records o f I reland assert that the I rish Pagans w orshippe d

n o images the rough unhe w n stone capped w ith gold an d ,
sil v er representi n g the sun an d moon a n d round these were

, ,
t wel v e others sho w ing the n umber o f the Signs o f the

,
”
Zo diac .H erodian has a similar vie w of the sun temple o f
E m as a n ear Tyre
, There is n o image as among the ,
Gree ks an d R omans to represent the Go d but an exceeding

, ,
la rge sto n e rou n d at the bottom and terminati n g in a

, ,
point o f a conical form an d blac k color

,
“
.
,
A n old M S says — M agh s le acht w as so called from

.
-
an i dol o f the I rish n am e d Crom c ruaith a stone capped

,
-
,
with gold about which stood t welve other rough stones

, .
I t is curious that the last Sunday in summer was kn own

[dol Wors kip . 163
as D om n ack Cru m dn ikk Sunday o f Blac k Crom it w as

,
or
a fter w ards change d to St Patric k s Su n day

’
. .
O Be irn e Crowe thin ks it absurd to suppose that the

’
g ol den i dol o f Mag S le c ht was only a stone pillar ; but

th a t the most anc ien t I rish idols ho w ever were o f w ood , ,
a n d stone is most probable a n d that some of these ,
a ncient idols woul d be continued through pure veneratio n ,
even a fter t he introduction o f metallurgy is also not , .
i m probable .
I n R ichardson s F olly of P ilg ri m age is the record o f a

’
woo den 1mage carved an d pai nted li ke a w oman kept i n

, ,
the hous e o f the O H e rle b ys i n B allyvourney Cor k Co

’
, , .
The sic k sen t fo r it as a means o f cu re and someti me s ,
sheep w ere o ffe red to it with p e culiar ceremonies

“
.
The Ge n tle m a n s M ag az in e for 1 7 42 notes tw o silver

’
,
”
i m ages found under the ruins of an old tow er They .
w ere described as being three i n ches high in armour with , ,
s a n O sirian helmet and nec k covering .
5
H i n doo li ke images o f brass ha v e been several times
-
du g up They appear i n Oriental garb or i n a short

.
,
pettico at o r kilt w ith the fin gers touching a for ked beard

,
.
7 O
"
ne o f such n o w in the D ublin
,
M useum w as ta k en from ,
beneath the root of a large tree i n R oscommon I n that .
i nsta n ce the arms were crossed

,
The height o f this .
brazen idol w as five inches I t had once been gilt A . .
m etal idol weighing t w enty four lbs and fi fteen inches

,
-
.
,
h igh w as reco v ered from the soil at Clonmel n ear the

, ,
spot w here another was seen w ith a similar expression o f ,
face and the han d hol ding something rou n d

,
.
A letter written to Pown al l by the R e v M r A rm strong . .

,
abo u t 1 7 50 has the story o f an i mage fou n d sixty years

,
previously i n the bog o f Cullen T ipperary I t was a

“
.
, ,
l a rge w oo de n i mage Mention is m ade that little pins or

.
pe gs were s t u c k in di ffe re n t par ts of it ; an d that Mr .

D amer i magined that the little gold plates found there

( four inches by three each ) on e o f which I s a w w ith him, ,
were suspended by these pegs in di fferent parts o f that

”
i mage . Subsequently the god was converted i nto a
gate post and lost sight o f a fter
-
,
.
A bronze one from Clonmacnoise had a waved pattern

, ,
o n its eastern kilt an d sleeves with a co n ical head d res s ,

-
ornamented with figu res a wav ing beard an d lo ng , ,
prominent n ose .
A Phallic image o f F ro o r Frice o li ke the P riapus ,
guardian of B russels was use ful i n driving disease from the

,
I rish c at tle F eminine figu res were employed down to

.
quite modern times to remove evil ; li ke th at fema le deity

found in D ecember 1 8 80 in the moss bed north o f , , ,
L ochaber which was o f blac k o ak and five feet in height

, , .
King Cormac is mention e d as re fusing to w orship the

Golden Cal f set up by the D rui ds A s however he m e t .
, ,
his death shortly a fter through a salmon bone stic king ,

-
i n his throat the priests concluded he su ffered through

,
the vengeance o f the god Crom Cr uach L ater bards

“
.
ma de hi m declare — I w ill o ffer n o adoration to any stoc k

4
o r image shaped by my own mechanic I t w ere more .
”
rational to ofie r adoration to the mechanic himsel f
'
I n the Lays of tke lVes te rn Gael we have the bardic

s to ry o f King Cormac wh o lived 3 00 years be fore St
, .
Patric k re fusi n g a burial a fter the heathen custom

,
F or all th e K
in gs w h o lie in B ru gh
P ut t ru s t in go ds of w ood an d s ton e
An d tw as at R os s that rs t I kn e w
’
fi
O n e , un se e n , w ho is God alon e .
H is glory lig h t e n s from the E as t ,

H is m e s s age s oon s hall re ac hour s h ore ;
An d idol god an d c urs in g p rie s t
S hall p lagu e u s from Moy Slaugh t n o m ore .
The lVi/g ed Lion r

of Cas hel may remind scholars of the
part of his visitor who had been entranced by a S p lendi d

,
illustration o f serpent worship loudly exclaimed “ I will , ,
sho w you something H e soon returned with a stone

.
i mage some two feet high bearing the rough linea m ents
, ,
of a female but with the legs being serpents crossed

, .
E p ip han iu s vehemently attac ked a Gnostic idol o f h is

,
“
day ; saying Yea even his legs are an imitation o f the
,
serpent through which the E vil One spa ke and deceived

,
”
Eve .
Govern or Pow n al l last century traced I rish idols to

“ ”
Carthaginia n intercourse ; rather said he than to the “ ,
,
,
Celtic D ruidical theology o f the more a n cient I rish ; for

though their symbolic idols are said to be covered with
gold and silver yet they w ere but unhe w n stones an d n ot
, ,
”
images containing any organ i z ed form H is accou n t o f .
the fi nd in the Tipperary B og of Cullen was addresse d to

the Society o f A ntiquaries in 17 7 4
“ “
.
”
The fragment said he w hich is said to be part o f a n
, ,
image found at the same time is o f a blac k w ood en t irely , ,
covered and plated with thin gold and seems to have been ,
part o f the breasts the tet o r n ipple of which is radiate d in

,
hammered o r chased work in lines radiating from a ce ntre , ,
as is usual in the images of the s un ; and round the peri

p he ry o r,
setting o n o f the breast t here are li ke radiations ,
in a specifi c nu mber with other linear ornaments There , .
is another fragment of the same kind of w ood which see ms ,
to be a fragment o f an A m m o n ian horn ; there are i n it

the golden studs or ri vets by which i t m ay be suppose d to
have been plated with gold The fi rst account I had o f .
this image was that it was o f a hu man form with a l ion s ,

’
face ; then that it was indeed bi form but o f what sort not
, ,
specifie d I have since been in formed that the i m age

.
,
whatever it was was of a si z e su fficient to m ake a

,
g a te -
p os t .
[dol Wors kip . 167
The lion s face he regarded ’

sym b olic image o f “
as the
M ith ras as used by the Gade tan i (o f Spain ) for w hich I
, ,
w ill re fer to the Saturnalia o f Macrobius when he quotes ,
a historical passage to show that the H ercules o f Gades
( Ca diz ) and o f the su n were one and the same n u m e n ,
represented by bi form figures with heads o f lions radiat ,
i n g li ke the sun A s Po w nal l fou n d the sword recovered

.
,
from the same bog to be o f Carthaginian wor k he was

“
, ,
d ispose d as he says to re fer the image

, to this line o f
,
l ater theology rather than to the Celtic D ruid theology o f

,
the more ancient I rish H e means that of the C artha .

”
g in ian colony o f Spain w hich he thought held commerce

,
w ith I relan d The idol might be that o f the foreign

“ “
.
”
v isitors I feel persu aded he added to re fer the idol
.
, , ,
and the various vessels an d instruments o f religious

c eremonies fou n d in the same part to the ritual o f this
, ,
l ater i dolatry used in these particu lar settlements but ,
n e v er in general use amongst the people o f I reland at

l arge .
A n image w as found on I nnis Mura Sligo being calle d , ,
a fter St —
Molas know n as the B al f a rg ka a Phallic
.
, ,
e mblem I t has a singular li keness to the Phallic Ma

.
hoody o f the Isle of E lephanta I t is an erect stone i n a .
s ort o f basin ( mascu line an d femin ine emblems n d being

) a , ,
li ke the Mahoody enclosed b y a wall The li ke symbol is

, .
still an obj ect o f w orship i n I ndia .
Tw o rude stones were discovered i n N eale Par k Mayo ,
Co . O n e had the appearance o f a goat and the other of a ,
l ion There was the i n scription of D ie n a f e ile

.
’
Jean R eynaud held that the Gauls had no i mage of an y

sort . H en ri Marti n a ffirmed that no idols recovered
u pon u r soil belon g to the age o f i ndepende n ce
o — that
i s b e fore the R oman Co n quest
, H erodotus bears testi .
m ony to one an cien t people free from idols T he B e rs ra n s

'
.
he observed to have no n e because said he e y do , ,

“
th
”
not believe that the go ds parta ke o f ou r human natu re .
B e fore the day when teraphi m idols were kno w n in the

family tent o f J acob men w ere accustomed t o symbol ize
,
by images the attributes of the D eity ; an d it is n o great

reflection upon the I rish character that Erin shou ld once
have bo w ed to idols .
We are told by the Wis dom of S olom on 1 4th chap ,
that graven images were worshipped by the com

m andment o f Ki ngs ”
F roude rem inds us that now
.
“in , ,
place o f the o ld materi al idolatry we erect a n e w idolatry

,
”
o f words a n d phrases I t might be added that many o f
.
,
the pol itical religious an d social sentiments o f the day

, ,
are bo w ed to as fetishes in defiance ali ke o f reas o n and

,
com mon sense There are more forms of idolatry than

.
the old I rish worship o f B lack Crom I n kneeling to that .
i mage the m a n had doubtless in his mind an d heart the

,
real God whom it but symbolized .
SE R PE N T FAI TH .
NO country i n Europe is so associated with the Serpe n t

as I relan d an d n one has s o many myths an d legends con
,
n e c te d with the same A s that creature has furn i s hed so

.
many religious stories in the E ast and as the ancient faiths

,
o f A sia and E gypt abou nd in re ferences t o it we m ay ,
reasonably loo k fo r some remote similarity in the ideas o f

worship bet w een Orientals an d the sons o f E ri n .
That on e of the a n cie n t m ilitary sym bols of I relan d

shoul d be a serpent n eed n ot occasion surprise in us
, .
The D ruidical serpent o f I rela n d is perceived in the Tara

brooch popu lari z ed to the present day I rish crosses so
, .
,
t o sp e ak we re ali ve wit hs e rpe n t s

, .
1 70 Old [ ris k Re ligions .
While it was popularly believed that the serpent tribe

once abo u nded there so m e naturalists contend that I reland
,
was cut o fl from the continent o f E urope b e fore the

'
troublers cou ld tra v el so far to the north west A n old -

.
tradition is held that N iul the fort u nate husban d o f ,
Pharaoh s daughter Scota had a son Gao idhial w ho was

’
, , ,
bitten by a serpent in the wilderness B rought be fore .
Moses he was not only healed but was graciously in formed

, ,
that no serpent should have power wherever he or his

de s cendants should d w ell A s this hero o f noble descent .
, ,
subseq uently removed to E rin that would be s u fli c ie n t ,
reaso n fo r the absence of the venomous plague from the

Isle o f Saints .
B ut , granti ng that the reptiles once roamed at large

there how came they extirpated thence ?
,
U niversal tradition in I reland declares that St Patric k .
d rove them all into the sea ; and variou s as well as o ften ,
hu morous are the tales concerning that event The Welsh

, .
mon k J ocel in in 1 1 8 5 told how this occurred at C ruachan

, , ,
A ic kle the mou ntain o f West Conna u ght ; for the Saint
“ ,
gathered together the several tribes o f serpents an d

venomous creat u res and drove them headlong in to the,
”
Western Ocean O thers indicate the spot as the sacred
.
—
isle near Sligo I nn is Mu ra St Patric k s moun tain . .
’
C roagh Phadrig shares this honour , .
Giraldu s C am b re n s is who went over the I rish Sea with ,
Henry I I in the twel fth century having some doubt of the

.
,
story mildly records that St Patric k accordin g t o com mon

, .
,
report expelled the venomous reptiles from it by the

,
B cu l
a u m j es u
”
— the historical sta ff o r ro d The Saint is .
sai d to have fasted forty days o n a mo un t previo us to the

m ira c le and so gained m iraculous power
, E lsewhere .
,
Gira ldas s ay s , S om e in de e d j
c on e ctu re ,
wi th w hat seem s
S e rp e n t F a itk . 17 1
a fla tte ring fiction that St Patric k and the other Saints o f

, .
”
that count ry cleared the island o f all pesti ferous animals .
A s ho w ever there was the notion that there neve r were

, ,
any b u t symbol ical sna kes i t was held su fficient to assert , ,
that the A postle absolutely prohibited any s u ch verm in

comi n g near his converts A n I rish historian o f 1 7 4 3 gives
.
the following di fferences o f belie f about the a ffair But

the earl ier writers of St Patric k s Li fe have not men .
’
t io n e d it
. S o lin us who wrote some hundreds o f years
,
be fore St Patric k s arrival in I reland ta kes notice o f this

.
’
,
exemption ; and St Isidore B ishop o f Seville in the

.
, ,
seventh century copies a fter him The V enerable B ede

, .
,
i n the eighth centu ry m entions this quality but is silen t

, ,
”
as t o the cause .
The non residence o f sna kes in the Isle o f Thanet was

-
accounted fo r by the special blessing of St A ug ustine who .

,
lan ded there on his m ission to the Saxons S o also .
tradition ascribed the I rish deliverance to the blessing

o f St . Patric k Yet w hile Giraldu s evid ently treats t he
.
,
”
story as a fable St Colgan felt compelled to give it up
, . .
A ncient nat u ralists relate that Crete was preserved from

sn a kes by the herb D ittany driving them away .
w —
I n a ork by D enis Paris 1 84 3 L e M on de E n cka n te
, ,
Cos m og rapkie e t H is toi re N a tu re lle F a n tas tiques da M oye n

—
Ag e the following remarks occur E rin the green the ,
em eral d o f the sea the co u ntry of the Tuatha D e dan

, ,
coun ts fo r little at that time n or arrests the attention o f ,
the rapi d historian Yet there happened a wonder which

.
ought n ot to be ignored by the rest o f E urope an d M essire ,
B runetto relates it with a simple faith which forbi ds any ,
bre v ity i n the narration N ow you must know that the .

, ,
l an d o f magical traditions this I reland is a region fatal to , ,
serpen ts ; should some evil spirit c arry the m thithe r a\\ ,
th e rep tile s of th e wo rld w ou ld ish on i t s sh E

o re s v e n
p e r .
1 7 2 Old [ r is k Re ligion s .
the stones o f I reland become a happy talisman which o n e

can employ agai n st these an imal nuisances and the soil ,
upon w hich they are thrown will n ot be able to no u rish the

”
serpents .
B u t there are competitors fo r the glory o f reptil e e x p u l

sion St K e vin the hero o f the S ev e n Cku rckes of Wic kl o w
. .
, ,
is state d t o have cau s ed the death o f the last I rish serpent ,
by setting his dog Lu pus to kill it This event was c o m .
m e m o rate d by a carved stone placed under the east

w i n do w o f Gle n dalo u ghCathedral delineating the stru ggle ,
bet w een Lupus an d the sna ke T hi s stone w as stolen by .
a visitor o n the 2 8 tho f A u gust 1 8 3 9 , .
A gain the ga llant conqueror o f o r conquered by the

, , ,
I rish D ane s King B rian B oro im he w e are assure d by an

, ,
ancient M S had a famo u s son Mu rc hadh who de s troyed

.
, , ,
all serpents t o be fou n d in I reland This is mentione d in .
the E rse story o f the B a ttle of Clon ta rf .
St Cado o f B rittany was an expeller of serpents fro m

.
, ,
Gaul ; and D ou é de Gozon expell e d them from M al ta .
E ven Colomba did the same goo d service fo r Iona as others ,
o f his disciples did fo r D onegal O n the tomb s tone o f the .
Grand M aster o f M alta 1 3 4 2 are the w ords D ra con is , , ,
E x t in ctor A mong the heroes o f serpent destroyers were

.
-
also St Clement the vanqu isher o f the D ragon o f Metz ;

.
,
St Marcel the de liverer o f Paris from the monster ; an d

.
,
St R omain whose exploits were im mortalized over the

.
,
gargouille o f Paris n ot to spea k o f German Spani s h , , ,
R ussian and ot h —
er Saints M ichael The serpent is the
, .
D ivine Wisdom o f several lands .
One meaning ho w ev er fo r these revelations o f a m i racle

, , ,
has been fou nd Keating the I rish historian fancies the

.
, ,
w hole must be ta ken in a figurative sense re ferring to the ,
expelling from the conver ts o f the old Serpent the D evil , .
O lVe ill als o ob s e rve s The c on qu e s t w hich t he I ris h

’
, ,
divisions marked a s fo r the twelve astronom ical s igns

, ,
remin ding o n e o f the B abylon ian serpent enc irclin g the

z odiac Several ancient I rish fonts have upon the m
.
sc u lptured serpe n ts Glass snakes o f various colours ha ve

.
also been freq u ently t u r n ed up .
When the au thor was at Cashel some years since he s aw , ,
among a lot o f fragmen ts o f the ancient ch u rch a rem ar k ,
able stone bearing a nearly de faced sculpture of a female

,
—
head and bust but w hose legs were s n a kes This obj ect .
o f former worship was n o t very u nli ke the image o f the
Gau ls t hat w as to be seen in Paris though th at goddess

,
.
had tw o serpents t w isted rou nd her legs w ith their heads ,
re posing o n he r breasts The Caribs o f Guadaloupe w ere.
noticed by the Span iards worshipping a wooden statue the ,
l egs o f w hich w ere en w reat hed by serpen ts A uriga is .
someti m es represented with legs l i ke serpents The .
A b ra x is o f the Chri s tian Gnostics o f the early centuries

had serpents for legs .
R u de carvings o f sna kes adorn the pyramidal ston e s

overlo oking the plains of D un dal k in Louth County This .
is o n Killing H ill The marvellous megalithic temple o f

.
N e w Gr ange o n e o f the fi nest antiquities o f I relan d has

, ,
its curled serpentine mon u ment .
The legends still floating abou t among the peasan try

o f the country pa rts o f I reland have freq u ent re ference t o
the P ia s tra P ias tka Worm o r Serpent

, ,
This creatu re
, .
is a lways in some la ke or deep pond The F en ia n heroes

, .
a re recor ded in ancient songs t o have killed many o f them .
F ion u in particular was the traditional dragon killer o f

, ,
-
I reland O f o n e monster in a la ke it said :

“
.
,
I t re s e m ble d a gre at m oun d

I t s j aw s w e re yaw n in g w ide
The re m ight lie c on c e ale d, thoughgre at its fury,
A hun dre d cham p ion s in its e ye -p its .
S e rp e n t F a itk . 175
Talle r in h e igh t than e igh t m e n,

W as it s tail, w hic hw as e re c t ab ov e its b ack
T hicke r w as the m os t s le n de r p art of it s tail,
Th an t h e fore s t oak w h ic hwas s un k b y th e ood fl .
F ion n w asinquis itive as to the country from which the

reptile had come and what was the occasion o f the visit
,
to E rin H e w as answered
.
F rom Gre e c e , t o de m an d battle from the F e n ian s .
I t s e ems that it had already s w allo w ed up a number o f

F en ian warriors a n d fi nished by gulping d o w n F ionn but
,
the H ero cleverly opened the si de o f the Piast and ,
released hi m s el f a n d the imprisoned men and then killed ,
i t A fter this the poet added

.
O f all the P ias t s that fe ll b y F ion n ,

The n um b e r n e v e r c an b e t old ”
.
else w here figures in Tke Ckas e of

F ion n S lia kk Gu illean n ,
being a fter one in Lough Cuan .
We fo u n d a s e rp e n t in that lake .
H is b e in g t he re w as n o gain t o u s
O n lookin g at it as w e app ro ac he d,
I ts he ad w as large r t h an a h ill .
L arge r t han an y tre e in the fore s t ,

W e re it s tu s ks of the uglie s t s hap e
W ide r than the p ortals of a c ity
W e re the e ars of the s e rp e n t as w e a p p roac he d .
H e de s troye d serpents i n Lough Cuilinn Lo ugh N eagh , ,
L ough R e a as w ell as the blue serpent o f E irn e an d one

, ,
at H o w th .H e killed tw o at Glen I n n y one in the ,
m u rmuring B an n anot her at Lo u gh Carra and behea ded

, ,
F ion n b an is he d from the Rath s

E ac hs e rp e n t he w e n t to meet ”
.
A nother poet le ft this ve rs ion

A s e rp e n t the re w as in the L oughof the m oun tain ,

W hichc aus e d the s laug hte r of the F ian n a
Tw e n t y h u n dre d or m ore
I t p u t t o de at hin on e day .
I t deman ded a ration o f fi fty horses a day fo r meals .
Cro ker in his Lege n d of tke Lakes gives a m odern

, ,
allusion to the myth which relates to Lough K it ta n e of ,
K illarney A b oy is as ked
“
.
D id yo u ever hear o f a b ig w orm in the la ke ?
The w orm is it fa kes then sure eno ugh there is a b ig

, , ,
worm in the la ke .
H o w large is it
’
Why then it s as big as a horse and has a great m ane
, , ,
upon it s o it has
“
.
,
D id you ever see it ?

’
,N o mysel f never seed the s arp in t but it s al l o n e for , ,
sure Padrig a F in e e n did .
There is in VVe x ford County a Loug k n a P ias tka - -

.
O F lahe rty calls o n e kno w n i n Lough Mas k the [ris k

’
crocodile . N o o n e woul d dream o f bathing in the la ke o f

Gle n da lou gh( of the S e ve n Cku rckes ) as a fear ful monster ,
l i v e d there There w as a L ig n a p ia s te in D erry

. The - -
.
pre s ent K n ockn a kaas t was formerly Cn oc n a kp ias t in R os - -
com mon .N ear D onegal is Lee n apas te A w el l of .
K il ken n y is Toke rn ap e as ta A piast w as seen in K ilc o n ly .
o f Kerry Some n ames have been c hange d more recently

.
as Lo ugh na diab hail o r La ke of the D evil

,
- -
, .
The D ragon of W an t le y (in Yorkshire) was w inge d and ,
had forty four iron teeth with a sting in his tai l as long
-
,
as a fla il says an old ballad

, .
Scotland as the author o f its S culp tured S ton es show s

, ,
furnishe d a number o f illustrations o f the li ke D rac o lat ria .
A mong the score o f megalithic serpent Scotch mon u ments -

,
some have crosses as well There is also the well kn own .

, ,
-
e arth e n s e r e n t of Gl e n Fe ochan LochN e ll near O b an in

p , , ,
or g ree n from the green spot o n his nec k caused by the b ite
,
o f the serpent in the days o f Moses .
South B ritain can still exhibit vestiges o f serpent worship .
A mong English fonts bearing reminiscences are those of

Sto kes Gol ding A lp lin gton F it z warren Tintagel East
-
, , , ,
H addon Loc king in Somerset an d A veb ury The three

, , .
fi rst represent George and the D ragon o r rather H orus , , ,
o f E gypt piercing the monster I n the last case the .

,
serpent s tail is rou n d the font The Vicar of A vebury

’
.
remar ks
On the ancient N orman font in A bury Church there is
a mutilate d figure dressed apparently in the D r uidical
,
priestly garb holding a crozier in one hand and clasping

, ,
an open boo k to his breast with the other Two wi n ged .
dragons or serpents are attac king this figure on either side .
May n ot this be designed to rep resen t the triu m ph of

Christianity over D ru idism in which there was m uch
,
veneration entertained for this serpent and serpent

worship
I n interviews with the late A rchdruid o f Wales a m an ,
full o f curious learning and traditional lore the write r heard ,
m u ch of serpent adoration in A ncient B ritain Whatever .
the race or races m ight have been the my stic creature had,
frien ds i n the B ritish Isles though chiefly i n I reland

, L ong .
ago B ryant s My tkology tau ght that The chie f deity o f the
’
Genti le world was almost universally worshipped u nder the

”
form o f the serpent .
A rapid glance may be taken over fields ancien t an d ,
mo dern illustrating hu man respect for the serpent This

,
.
devotion is n ot confined to the Old World b eing fou n d i n ,
the N e w I t is not limited by time ra n ging over all periods

.
, .
I t is not peculiar to an y race or colour .
A b origin al race s so c all e d h ave fro m remote antiqu ity

, ,
S e rp e n t Fa itk . 1 79
hono u red the serpent A ll over A frica t he vast regions o f

.
,
Tartary an d China the hi lls and plains of I ndia the whole

, ,
extent o f A merica the I sles o f the Pacific ali ke in s weltering

, ,
tropics and ice bound coasts is the same tale told

-
, .
—
Civilized m an whether besi de the N ile the E u phrates or
, , ,
,
—
the I ndus o n the deserts o f A rabia the highlan ds o f Persia , ,
,
—
the plains o f Syria or the I sl ands o f Greece a m ong the ,
tribes o f Canaan the many name d peoples o f A sia M inor

, ,
the philosophers of Athens and A lexandria the mariners o f ,
,
—
Ph oe nicia o r the warriors of R ome bo w ed to the serpen t ,
g o d
. A ll religions past and present
,
recognize the creature , .
The R e v D r D E re m ao in the S e rp e n t of E de n sees

. .
’
, ,
d irect serpent w orship in the worship of the serpent as a

g o,d in himsel f and fo r his own sa ke
, but in d irect worship
i n the u s e and veneration of the serpent n o t fo r himsel f , ,
b u t merely as t h e symbol o r emblem o f some one or more
o f the gods
”
. H e esteems the E gyptians in direct worship
pers The Gree ks had it as a symbol of A pollo Minerva
.
, ,
and Juno The Ophites o f early Christendom saw i n it a

.
, ,
symbol of Christ o r the mundane sou l

, .
The creature spo ke from under the tri pod o f D elphi it

m ove d about the holy bread on the altar o f the Gnostics i t
w as a living and moving symbol in E gypt it had a p lace
o f honour in the temples o f Ty re Cyprus B abylon an d , , ,
I ndia it craw led in the sacred cave of Trip hon ius a n d its ,
eyes glistened within the shadows of Elephanta .
A s the Ap op kis pierced by the god H orus and as the

, ,
emblem of Typhon it was the evil spiri t o f E gy pt but i n

,
the urae us o f O riris it was the good one The E gyptian

, .
faith several thousand years be fore Christ also included

serpent worship The serpent sy m bol distinguished Saba
.
ism I t was in Egypt the illustration o f a new birth as it

.
,
cast its s kin and thence gave to man a h 0pe of the

,
R esurrection .I n the B ook o f tke D ea d an d o th e rh gvo

‘
i xe n
,
1 80 Old [ ris k Re ligi on s .
Script u res it is frequently mentioned The great s e rpe n t

, .
o n hu man legs was a solemn m ystery The Agathadze m on .
was the Guard ian o f the D ead .
F linders Petrie in Te n Ye a rs D igg i ng i n Egyp t when

, ,
re ferring to the fact that the oldest pyramid Me du m was , ,
erecte d on the principle o f the Mastaba or tomb declared ,
that in the architecture of that very ancient stru cture

“ there w as the cornice o f u ra n s serpents which is fa m iliar ,
,
”
in later times This points to an era of perhaps seven
.
, ,
thousand years ago .
The neighbouring A ssyrians paid no less devotion to it .
I t is kno w n that in the land o f Canaan there was the same

O p hio lat re ia as the H ebre w Scriptures testi fy
, Cyprus .
and R hodes not less than all Phoe nicia abo u nd ed i n it

, ,
.
Christianity was early a ffected by it i n Gnosticism E p i .
p ha n iu
,
s relates that the G nostics kept a tame serpent in a
cis ta
,
o r sacred a rk and w h e n celebratin g thei r mysteries
,
( the E ucharist ) piled loaves

,
on a table be fore it and then
invo ked the serpent to come forth The Ophites ( serpent .
worshippers ) were derived from the Gnostics .
The C hinese for the lunar period represents a serpent .
The w ord for an hour S s e is the symbol o f the serpent The

, ,
.
dragon sti ll presides in China Persia which supplan ted .

,
A s syria copied thence m uch of its serpent ideas ; so d id

,
the Se m itic conquerors o f B abylonia at a n earlier peri od , ,
receive t heir theology and letters from the Akkadians .
The Z e n dav e s ta three hea ded serpen t had to yield to the

-
S un god A hi the great serpent was in opposit ion t o the

.
, ,
Zoroastrian deities B e l an d the D ragon have a fi xed

.
place in Oriental literatu re Be l and the serpent may still .
be discerned i n excavated Pompeii C lemens A lexan drin us

“
.
remarked I f we pay attention to the strict sense o f the

,
H ebrew the name Evia ( Eve ) aspirated signifies a fem al e

,
notes that in procession s The fire born serpent lead s the -
”
way .
E tru ria o f which R ome w as a colony pro b ably b orro w ed

, ,
its serpent worship from E gypt It w as there as elsewhere .

, ,
a form o f sun w orship as the reptile hyb e rn ate s t o re n e w

-
,
its strength and casts o ff its slou gh to renew its yo u t h as

, ,
the sun is rene w ed at spring A n d yet R u s kin says The .

,
tru e worship m ust have ta ken a dark form w hen associated ,

”
with the D racon ian one .
A frica is w ell kno w n t o be still under t h e cr u el bondage
o f serpent worship an d that o f the evil A pophis kin d

,
The .
negro s fore fathers appear to hi m as serpe n ts Over the

’
Pacific Ocean the serpent carved in stone was a dore d

, , , .
Tales in F ij i Isles spo ke o f a monster dragon dw ell in g in

, ,
a c av e Samoa had a serpent form for the god D engie

. .
E ven in A ustralia though i n ru der style the serpe nt w as

, ,
associated as in Oceana with some idea o f a creator

, , .
A merica asto n is hed Span iards o f the sixteenth centu ry

with its parody of their o w n faith The civilized A ztecs .
and Peru v ians adored serpents V it z lip ut u li o f Mex ico .
held li ke Osiris a s erpent sta ff C ihuac ohu at z it i wi fe o f

, , .
,
the Great F ather was an i mmense serpent The name o f

, .
the go d dess C ihu ac ohuat l means the female serpent .
B u t the wilder N orth A merican I n dians bo w e d t o the

serpen t as may b e kn o w n from Sq u ier s S e rp e n t Sy m bol
,
’
.
A serpentine earth w or k in A dam s County Ohio u pon a

’
, ,
hill is 1000 ft in length

, .Mounds i n I o w a arrange d .
,
i n serpentine form extend over two miles ,

A coile d .
serpent mound by St Peter s R iver I ow a is 2 3 10 ft .

’
, , .
long . I n the desert of Colora do have been report ed lately

the re m ains o f a temple I t is said that the capitals fo r .
’
the two remaining pillars are stone serpents heads the ,
feet of the colum ns l oo k li ke rattlesna kes The pillars .
s e e m t o b e ra t tle s n ake s s tan din

g on th e i r t ail s .
S e rp e n t F a itk . 18
3
Europe was doubtless indebted to travelling dragon s

, ,
fo r this mystic lore ; h

”
o f w is dom ow o r under w hat ,
circu mstances w e know not ,

Whether the ol der and .
,
long passed aw ay races were thus le arned is a question

,
but that peopl es far removed from our era or but survivals
, ,
o f remoter t ribes were acquainte d with it may be believed

, ,
i f on ly from serpentine moun ds or piles o f stones in serpent ,
form .
R ome carried forth the serpent in war since o n e of its ,
stan dards w as the serpe n t on a pole Long a fter i n the .

,
church processions on Palm S un day the serpent figured , ,
m ounted o n a pole Scan dinavia had its Midgard e n

.
,
circling the globe w ith its b ody The N orse serpen t J or .
m u n gan dr had a giantess fo r mother and the evil Lo ki ,
fo r father Muscovites and Lithuanians had serpent go ds

.
,
while Livonia bo w ed to the dragon Olaus Magn u s .
records serpents bei ng kept in sacred buildings o f the

N orth and fe d o n mil k Thor was able to kill a serpentine
, .
embo dimen t of evil by stri king it with his ta u or ham mer

, , .
I n pagan R ussia the serpent was the protector of brides .
S t H ilarion o f R agusa got rid o f the dangerous sna ke

.
, ,
B oas by lighting a great fi re an d com manding the reptil e ,
t o go o n the t op to be burnt One o f the symbols o f both .
H ercules and the Celtic H u was a serpent The German .
w hite serpent gave w isdom to the eater o f it .
I n Gaul it w as reverenced N athair was a serpent god . .
Priests D ruidical o r otherwise had a caduceus o f t wo

, ,
serpents embracing one another A Gaulish goddess had . ,
i n li ke manner two sna kes about its legs an d b ody D ruids

,
.
ke pt live serpents for pious purposes A F rench writer .
notices o ne t w isted ro u nd a linga m as can be seen n ow , ,
also in Pompeii Gaulish coins represent a serpent u n der

, .
o r over a horse t h e sun emblem , .
A s the K oran in for m s us , E b lis w as orou ght

‘
t o E oe n
1 84 Old [ris k Re ligion s
l
.
i n the mouth o f the serpent The Pythia or S erpen t o f .

,
D elphi w as the priestess

, S na ke o fferings w ere made to .
1
B acchus The phall ic character is exhibited in the serpe n t

.
at M ayence w ith the apple of love in its mo u th u pon

, ,
whic h creature the V irgin is represented as treadin g .
F rance w as not without its sna ke destroyers I n B rittany .

,
S t S uliac watching the emergence of a great s erpent from

.
,
its cave put his stole round its nec k and cast it into the
, ,
sea U p to 1 7 9 3 a procession of the clergy o f St S uliac

.
, .
annually too k place when a silver cross w as low ered i nto ,
the serpent cavern of La Gu iv re .
M A bout tells of a serpentine dance he witnessed i n

.
Greece A number of w omen and children formed the

.
tail of a serpent which incessantly revolved round itse lf

, ,
without the extremities ever j oining I n ancient ornamen t s .

,
an egg is seen with a serpent coiled round it as if to ‘

,
fertili z e it .
A ll readers of Welsh D ruidism are a w are of the p a rt

played therein by this creeping creature I t w as the Celtic .
dragon D raig I t was the gliding god Ce ridwe n is asso

. .
c iate d with a car and serpen t A bury gi v es us the serpen t .
o f the sun The Gla in n e idr or serpent s egg was a great

.
,
’
mystery o f the D ruids .
S erpent w orship has been ta ken u p to the heavens .
where constellations have been named a fter the creeping ,
si lent creatu re There is the Hydra killed by H ercules

.
, ,
but n ot till it had poisoned him by its venom There are .
the voluminous folds o f D raco There is that on e held .
by Ophiuchus which sought to devour the child of Vi rgo

,
.
There is the seven headed D rac o each head forming a star

-
,
in the Little B ear Thus we may exclaim w ith H ersche l .
The heavens are scribble d o v er with in numerable snakes .
Classical mytholo gy tells o f a Python whic h sought to ,
de vo ur the o ffsp ring of L at on a whos e chil d Roc he he , ,

1 86 Old [r i sk Re ligion s .
i m m a n is w as a hundred feet long ,

w ith a fem u r tw o yards
in diameter .
The se rpen t w as certainly the to ken o r s ymbo l of an

ancient race celebrate d fo r w isdom givi ng rise t o the ,
n amin g o f the learne d a fter d ragons o r s e rp e n ts The

“
.
D rui d o f the ll e ls h Triads exclaims

' ”
I a m a s e rp e n t , .
A ccording to J H Bae c ke r The thre e five s e v e n or

. .
, , ,
n ine heade d snake is the totem o f a race o f rule rs w ho

-
—
,
preside d over the A ryan H indu s The Sn ake rac e w as

that o f the fi rst pri m e val sea farers — The fa rin g-wise
se rpent race became at the earliest stage o f t ra dition ru lers
”
and ci v ilizers A n d O vid s a ng
.
As an old s e rpe n t c as t s his s c aly v e s t,

in th e s un , in y o u t hfu l glo ry dre s s d,
’
So wh e n Alc ide s m o rta l m ould re s ign e d,

’
H is b e tt e r p art e nlarge d, an d gre w re ne d ”

fi .
I t must b e remem b e re d that even t radition s be ar t e s ti

m ony to a v ariety o f races in the I sland The C elts w e re .
among the later v isito rs coming ce rtain ly a fte r t he

, . ,
I b erian w hose type remains in south west I relan d

, O ne - .
o f these early tribe s b ro u ght the knowledge fro m a fa r ; o r ,
w hat m ay rather be c onj e c tu re d some shipmen fro m t he ,
Eas t foun d a tem po rary s oj ou rn there .
D r Phen e j ustly remarks

. The absence o f s u c hre p t ile s
in I reland is re markab le but their a bs e n ce could ce rt a in l y
,
not ha v e ori gi n ated a se rpe nt w o rship th rou gh te r ror

w hile e v eryt hi ng a rt i s tic or religious in old I ri s h des ign s ,
fro m the w onde rful ill u m in a tio ns in the B ook of I t s /1s t o

’
th e o ld Celtic gold o rnamen ts rep re s ent the s e rp e nt a n d

, ,
in dicate there fo re some v e ry strong re li gi o u s idea b e i n g

, ,
"
a l w ays u ppe rm os t in con n e c ti on w i t h it .
A C yp rus am u let gi ve s a godde s s n u de a n d w in ge d .

,
havi n g se rp e n ts for le gs A T yp ho n has b e e n s e e n w ith

.
,
S e rp e n t F a itk . 1 87
i ndicated with tw o tw isted sna kes for appendages The

“
.
G ree k poet also describes the divine stubborn hearted -
E chidna ( mother o f Cerberus) hal f nymph with dar k eyes ,
a n d fair chee ks and hal f a serpent ,

The mother o f an .
a n cient Scythian hero was a serpent maiden A story .
w a s told in 1 520 o f a S w iss man being in an enchanted

, ,
cave and meeting w ith a beauti ful woman w hose lo w er

, ,
part w as a serpent and w ho tempted hi m t o kiss her

, .
A s recently reported from F rance a la dy has there a ,
fa m i liar i n the form o f a serpent able to answer h er,
questions an d cleverly writing down replies w ith the poin t

,
o f it s tail There is no saying how t his marvellous creature

.
m ay enter into futu re theological con troversies .
A boo k published i n the reign o f Charles I had this .
story I reland since its fi rst inhabitation was pestered

, ,
w ith a triple plague to w it w ith great abundance o f , ,
venemous b e as te s copious store o f D iu e lls v is ib le ly appear

,
”
ing and in fin it multitudes of m agit ian s
, .
The Saint s share in the trouble is thus described

’
Patric k ta king the sta ffe or wand o f Jesus with his sacred
,
han d an d e le uatin g it a fter a thre at n in g manner as also

, ,
by the favourable assistance of A ngels he gathered to ,
gether i n on e p lace all the venemous heastes that were

i n I relan d a fter he d ra n e them u p be fore hi m to a most
,
high m ou n tain e hung ouer the sea called then C ruach ,
a n a ilge , and n o w Cruach Padraig that is St Patric ks , .
m o u n t ain e and from thence he cast them do w ne in that

,
”
s t e e p e precipice to be swallowed up by the sea .
The D ruids or Tuaths o r other troublers fared nearly

, , ,
as badly as the sna kes ; as the author affirm e d O f the

m ag it ian s he c o n u e rte d and reclaimed very many and
, ,
such as persisted i ncorrigible he routed them out from the ,
”
face o f t h e earth .
F rom the B ook of Lein s te r we gathe r the i n t ei i i ge n c e

1 88 Old [ris k Relig ion s .
that three serpents were found i n the heart of M e c h i s o n ,
o f the great queen A fter they had been ki l le d by

.
D iancecht their bo dies were burnt and the ashes w ere

,
throw n into the river B arrow which so boiled that it ,

“ ,
”
dissol v ed every animal in it .
A s tradition avows St Kevin when he killed o n e of ,

.
,
the remaining serpents t hre w the creature into the l a ke ,
at Gle n dalough which got t he name o f Loc hn ap ias t o r

, ,
serpent loch A mong the sculptures on im post mou ldi n gs

.
at Gle n dalo ugh is o n e o f a dog devouring a se rpen t .
S na ke stones have been found consisting o f s mal l ri ngs

-
,
o f glass . The am monite fossil is known as the sn a ke

stone .
lVin de le o f Kil ke n n y sho w s the persistence o f a n cient

,
ideas i n the wilder parts o f I reland E ven as late as the

,
“
“
.
eleventh cen tury says he w e have evidence of the pre

”
, ,
valence o f t he old religion in the remoter districts an d in ,
—
many o f the i s lands o n our w estern coast s Many o f the
secon dary doctrines o f D rui dism hold thei r grou nd at this
—
very day as articles o f fait h Conn e cted with these practice s
is the vivid memory still retained o f on ce
( b e lt e ine ,
u nivers al Op kiola tre ia or serpent worship and the attribut

,
i ng o f supernatural po w ers an d v i rtues to particular an i m a ls ,
such as t he bull the w hite and red c ow the boa r the

, , ,
horse the dog & c the m e mory of which has bee n p e r

, , .
,
”
p e t u a t e d in our topographical denomin a tions .
The I rish early Christ ians long co n tinued the custo m o f

ent w ining thei r old serpent god around the cross O n e has .
”
said The ancient I rish crosses are alive with serpents
, .
Their green god sna ke w as Gad cl glas The w o rd Ti rda

- - -
.
g las meant the tower o f the green

go d The o ld M i lesian .
stan dard o f a snake t w isted round a rod m ay see m to

, ,
in d icate a Phallic con nection w ith th e S a kk .
The B ook of Lis mare as s e rt s the s am e di s ti n gui s he d

1 90 Old ri sk Relig ion s .
Dr .Tylor has reason w hen saying o s ophy ,

“
I n early phil
thro ughout the w orl d the sun an d moon w ere aliv e an d , , ,
”
as it w ere human in their nature
,
Pro fessor R hys re fers .
to the tendency o f the savage to en do w the sun m oon , ,
the s ky or any feature o f the physical w orld admitti ng o f

,
bei n g readily ac kn o w ledged with a soul an d body wi th ,

”
par ts and passions li ke their ow n , .
I n all ages in all climes an d in all nations the S u n

, , , ,
u n der various names and symbols w as regarded as the ,
Creator and as sustainer o f all things .
E gypt the primeval seat o f learning w as the high seat o f

, ,
Sun a doration The Sphin x w ith the face to the east

.
, ,
represents H arm ac hus young H orus o r the rising Su n The , , .
o rb is Osiris the ruli n g go d o f day

,
I n its descent it i s the .
dying deity going belo w to the land o f Shades ; but on ly

,
to be resurrected as the victorious Horus pierci ng t he head ,
o f the dragon o f dar kn ess T w ice a year did the b right .
rays enter the great hall o f the N ile temple t o fall straight ,
upon the shrine .
The ancient Persian bo w ed to M ithra as the Sun ; fo r it

w as said
M ay he for p rote c tion , for j oy,

c om e to us
F or m e rc y, fo r he alin g, for v ic tory, for h allow in g .
M ithra w ill I hon our w ithoffe rin gs ,

W ill I draw n e ar to u s as a F rie n d w ithpraye r .
The A ssyrians the A kkadians the Ph oe nicians the

, , ,
Gree ks the R omans all ali ke w orshipped the su n as

, , ,
Merodach B aal A pollo or A donis R abbi I s s aaki reads

, , , .
Tam muz o f E ze k ch viii as the bu rn ing on e : i e M oloch

. . .
, . . .
I ndia has down to this day reverenced the S u n I ts .
“
Ve dic names gre w into some sort o f active person ality
“ We can follo w w rites Max M uller in the Vedic hy m ns
,
”
,
.
step by step the de velopment which changes the sun from

,
s th
”
a m e re lum in ar i nt o a cre ator reserver ruler A
y p e , , .
S nu
‘
Wors kip . 19 1
sun sees everything and kno ws everything he is as ked to

, ,
”
forgive and forget what he alone has seen and kno w s .
H e may be I ndra V aruna S av rit ri or D yaus the shin ing

, , , ,
o ne
. What to us is poetry was in I ndia prose .
E ven in H omer Hyperion the sun go d was the father

, ,
-
,
o f all go ds .A ccording to Plato Zeu pater o r Jupiter w as ,

-
, ,
th e F ather o f Li fe M i n erva o r Pallas the early da w n

.
, , ,
sprang from the head o f Jove every morning fully armed , ,
t o figh t the clouds o f darkness B aldur the w kite g od o r .

, ,
s u n was killed said our N orseman and Saxon fore fathers

, , ,
by an arrow from the blin d H oder o r night A frica has , .
in all time been a cen tre of sun worship The Spaniards

-
.
found the cult both i n M exico and Peru .
There are survivals o f the w orship in the customs an d

languages of E urope U p t o this century a singu lar
.
,
ceremony too k place in the church o f the Carmine N aples , ,
attended by civic o fficials in procession The day a fter .
Christmas D ay w hen the new su n o f the year began then

,
fi rst to move in position there w as a solemn cutting o f the ,
hair o f an i mage symbol o f the sun s rays as in the o ld

,
’
heathen times
A Scotch dance the R ee l still keeps up the memory o f
, ,
the o ld Celtic circular dance There is also the D e is ol o r .

, , ,
practice o f turning sun ways to bless the sun This was -

, .
from right to le ft as w ith D ancing D ervishes n o w o r the

, ,
o ld B acchic dance from east to w est Plautus wrote

“
.
,
When you worship the gods do it turning to the right ,
Pos e idon iu s th
”
hand . e Stoic re ferring to the Celts said , , ,
A t their feasts the servant carries roun d the w ine from

,
right to le ft Thus they w orship their gods turning to t he

.
,
right . The H ighland mother with a cho king c hild cries , ,

”
o ut
,
D e as i nl the way o f the South
-
A D is ul Sunday .
is still kept up in B rittany .

192 Old [ ris k R e ligion s .
A stone was dug u p in the road from Glas gow t o E di n

burgh on w hich was an i nscription to Gra n n ias t he L ati n
, ,
form ofthe sun

g ri a n ,
E nclosures in the H i ghl an ds
.
were called Gria na n the house o f the sun O n H arris

,
.
Island is a stone circle with a stone in the centre kn o wn

, ,
as Clack n a Gre ine the ston e o f the sun

- -
,
A t E l gi n th e .
,
bride had to lead her husband to the church follow i n g the

’
sun s course .
B u t did the I rish indulge in this form o f idolat ry ?

Some writers z ealous fo r the honour o f their c ountry
,
men ha ve denied the impeachment Even the learned

,
.
O C urry was o f that school declaring There is no

’
ground whatever for imputing to them human s ac rific e

none whatever fo r believing that the early people o f Erin n
adored the sun moon or stars nor that they wors hippe d
, , ,
”
fi re .
B ut what was St Patric k s teaching

’
.
The Saint is recorded to have said of the sun A ll ,
who adore him shall u nhappily fall into eternal pu nish

ment ”
I n his Conf es s io he exclaimed
. Woe to its , ,
unhappy worshippers fo r punishment awaits them , B ut .
we believe in and adore the true Sun C hrist ,
Morien the modern and enth usiastic Welsh B a rd is

, ,
equally desirous to remove from his sires the repro a ch of

being sun w orshippers -
One o f the Welsh names o f the
.
”
sun he remar ks proves that they bel ieved in a personal
, ,
God and that they believed H e dwelt in the sun

, That .
”
n ame o f the su n is H u a n the abode o f H u D
( the eity
, ) .
E lsewhere he writes There w as no such a being as a S un

,
God in the religious systems o f the D ruids They n a med .
the sun the H ous e of God ( Huan A n n e dd A gain -

,
The Gwyddon ( H igk P ries t) was e m b le ni atical o f the ,
S pirit of God in the sun The Gwyddon was c lad in a .
rob e of virgin wh ite s ym b oliz i n g light an d holines s

, H is .
1
Ckris kn a , ;ofbut Welsh H

Eastern origin
the u G a dam ,
th e s u n w as F i n n M a c H au l i n E rse
, .
Gria n n Gre in e Grin n a n Gre ie n ka m have rel ations to

, , , ,
the s u n The hill Gria n an Calry is a su nny spot The

. .
w ord Gra nge is from Gria n n There is a Gria n oir in .
Wex ford B ay The Gra ng e near D rogheda is a h uge c one

.
, ,
o f sto n es piled in h onour o f the sun Gre an e o f Ossory

, .
, ,
w as fo rmerly Gria n A i rkk A s Gra i n e the word occ urs .

,
in a fe m inine form The beauti ful story of D iar m ui d or .

,
D ermot and Grain e is clearly a solar myth

,
The ru naway .
p ai r w e re pursu e d by the irat e husband F in n M ac Co ul , ,
for a w hole year the lo v ers c hanging thei r resti n g place

,
-
ev e ry n i ght O n e bard sings o f D iarmuid wi t h a fiery

.
face . The last D a n aan sover e ig n w as M a c Gre n e Th e .
cromlech o n a hill o f Kil kenny is kno w n as the S le zgk

Grin a hi ll o f the sun The women s quarter o f the
’
.
,
dw elling was the Grin n a n s o called from its bri ghtn e s s

, ,
-
.
The crom lech at Castle Mary near Cloyne is Ca rrig , ,
Croa tk R oc k o f the Sun

,
General V alle n c e y traces som e .
appellations fo r the sun to the Chaldaic and S a n scrit .
The Celts o f B rittany borrowe d their S ul for su n fro m , ,
the R oman S ol Cae r S e di was an I rish cycle . .
‘
B e l is also the sun in I rish as in eastern lands B eli , .
was their god o f fi re B el a in w ere w ells sacred to the.

-
su n . The I rish vernal equinox was A icke B aal ti n n e ,
the n ight o f B aal s fire The su n s circuit w as B el a i n o r

’
.
’
-
,
B el s ring A cycle o f the sun o r an anniversary was

’
.
, ,
A onach (pro Enoch ) ; and it is si n gular that we are told

.
that the days o f E noch w ere 3 6 5 years .
Easter as is w ell kno w n is connected w ith sun w orship

, ,
.
The I rish D ancing E aster Sun day 18 thus allu ded to i n an

o ld poem
B ut, D ick, s he dan c e s m s u cha w ay,
N 0 s un up on an E as te r day
Is half s o fine a s i gh
“ t .
S n u Wors kip . 195
P eople used to be out early on E aster Sunday to see the

s u n dance in honour o f the R esurrection .
The sun an d moon acc ording to the Ckron icles of S t , .
Colu m ba w ere to be seen o n a n altar of glass in the

,
te m ple o f the Tuath de D anaan in Tyrc o n n al Fo r- -

, .
c e n turies an I rish oath was accompanied with the hand

,
o n forehead and the eyes turned to the sun

,
The round .
m ounds o r R aths enclosing the round d w elling related

, , ,
t o early sun worship ; the same may be sai d o f the tradition

-
t hat the battle o f V entry betw een the Fe n ian s and their ,
fo es lasted 3 66 days
, .
H e c ate us mentions the Hyperboreans o f an island north

o f G a ul w orshipping the sun D iodo ru s spea ks o f the
“
.
i s l an d s i dolatry saying
’
The citizens are given up to
, ,
”
m u sic harping and chanting in honour o f the sun
, ,
In .
W al ker s B a rds we read o f the F east o f S am huin o r the

’
m oo n in the temple o f Tiac h

,
“The moon says

,
“
, ta ,
M onier Williams the great Vedas authority is but a

, ,
”
form o f the sun .
The circular dance in honour o f the su n w as derived

from the E ast L ucian says
.
“ it consisted o f a dance
”
i m itating this god (the sun ) The priests o f B aal in .
du lge d in it A D ruid song has this account

. R uddy
w a s the sea beach while the circular revoluti o n w as per
-
form e d by the attendants and the w hite bands in grace ful ,

”
extravagance .
A n ancient sculpture at Gle n dalough represen ts the

long haire d A pollo o r Sun attended by his doves These
-
, ,
.
w ere sun i m ages in E rin

- I n 2 Chron xiv 5 w e rea d o f . . .
,
A s a putti ng away o ut o f all cities o f J udah the high

places and the images o r s u n i m age s o f the R evised -
Version .
A t the Lu ca id la m kf a da or fe s t iv al oi lov e i ro rn
- -
, ,
A ug 1 to A ug 1 6 gam e s we r e he ld in hon ou r oi
. .
,
th e s u n
196 Old 1 r sk i Re lig ion s .
an d moon Fo s b ro ke alludes to the revolving w i th th

“
. e ,
sun as a superstitio n
,
A t I n is m ore or Church I slan d
.
, ,
i n Sligo in a roc k near the do o r o f the church is a cavity

, , ,
called Ou r L a dy s B ed into which pregnant w omen going

’
, ,
and turni n g thrice round w ith the repetition o f certai n ,
”
prayers fancy that they w ould then n ot die in child birth
,
- .
A Scotch w riter observes The hearty Celts o f I relan d

say The top o f the morni n g to you A re these ex
’
‘
.
,
pressions to be regarded as remnants o f D a w n worship ? -
I t may be so for many similar traces o f the w orshi p o f the

,
sun and moon as gi v ers o f good fortune are stil l to b e

, ,
”
fou nd .
A n O de to the S u n i n the Le a bka r kreac has bee n thus

rendered by an E rse authority
A nticipate my lays O Sun ! thou mighty Lord o f th
, ,e
—
seven heav e n s mighty gov er n or o f the heaven s ole a n d —
—
general God o f man thou gracious j ust and supre m e K in g , ,
—w ho s e bright image con s tantly forces itsel f o n m y atten

tion To w hom heroes pray in perils o f war all the w orld
.
—
praise and a dore thee F o r thou art the only glori o us a n d .
”
so v e re ign obj ect of uni v ersal love praise and a doratio n
“
, , .
S imilarly sang Orpheus o f o ld— O Sun ! thou art th e
genial parent o f N ature splendent w ith vario u s hues , ,
shedding streams o f golden light The R ig Ve da how ”
“
.
,
ever in o n e place calls t he s u n the most beauti fu l w o rk

, ,
o f Go d ; w hile a ”
n o th e r o f t he H indoo s acre d bo o ks h as
this Le t us adore the supremacy o f the D ivi n e S u n ,

”
the godhead Well might Capel la e xclaim in hi s H ym n
“
.
to the Sun The w hole w orld a dores thee u nder a great

, ,
”
number o f di fferen t names .
Os s ian sang When w i lt thou rise in thy beau ty first ,
Thy sleep is long in the tom b The

’
o f E r in s maids ? .
s un s h all not come to thy bed and sing A wa ke D ar

' ‘
, ,
thula ! A wake t h ou firs t of w om e n \ Th ,

e v oic e o f s rin
p g
198 Old [ ris k Re ligi on s .
l i ke enterprises during the sum mer but frequen t ly lose a ,
battle in winter I n Egyptian paintings the wi nter s un

.
,
is r e presented with on lv a single hair on the head ; this

—
reminds one o f Samson a word derived from S ke m esk , ,
—
the su n losing strength in the loss of hair .
The shaving o f the head so as to leave a circu lar bare , ,
spot is a ve ry ancient practice and was done in hono ur

, ,
o f th e sun by certain priests o f Jupiter an d other deitie s

,
.
Mahomet forbade that i dolatrous habit of his A rab

disciples Rh ys calls the tonsure i n B ritain an d I rela nd
.
,
”
merely a druidical su rvival .
While the image of the su n w as down to the great ,
R evolution carried in the priestly processions o f B rittany

, ,
while Christians now as the Peruvians used to do formerly

, ,
stan d the plate image o f the sun U pon the altar an d while
-
,
we though e sthetically honour the sun flow e r we c annot

, ,
-
,
too ru dely condemn the ancient I rish for their r e verent

bowi n g to the material author o f all earthly li fe .
FI RE -
WO R S H I P .
FR O M the earliest time the su n has been the obj ect of

,
human adoration B ut the com mon flame itsel f being

.
,
destructive yet beneficial w hile ever mounting up w a rd as

, ,
if d isdaini ng e arth contact became with most ra c es o f ,
man kind a religious em b lem if not a D eity , .
Pyro lat re ia o r fire worship w as once nearly u n i v e rsal

,
-
, .
The Moloch o f the Canaanites Phoe nicians and C a rtha , ,
g in ia n s w as, the d ivinity o f various n ations under di ffere n t

names Moloch was not the only deity tormentin g s i m ple
.
maids and tender babes with fi re The blazi n g or fi ery .
cross in use among K honds o f I ndia was well know n in

, ,
both I reland an d Scotland The Egyptians with m or e .

,
m ode rn A fricans h ave re v e re n c e d fl am e

,
.
Wors kip
i
‘
f
t
,
Fire . I 99
The I rish assuredly were not behind the most cultured

p eoples in this respect The sanctity o f thei r plac e s fo r
.
fire w as notorious Th e ancien t lighting o f fi res w as

.
a ttended w ith solem n ceremonies E ven n ow the tramp .

,
l i n g upon cinders in a household is regarded in some way , ,
a s a n indignity to the head o f the establis h ment .
A ccording to the o ld records o f the F our M a s te rs o f

I re la nd a curious spectacle was w itnessed one St George s
, .
’
day h avi n g re ference to this curious superstition

, A t R oss .
D ela n o w R oss dalla o f Westmeath a to w er o f fi re blazed

,
-
, ,
up from a bel fry fo r hours while a great blac k bird , ,
a ccompanied by a floc k o f smaller birds kept flyi ng in ,
a n d o u t o f the fi re the smaller ta king shelter u nder the

,
w i n gs o f t h e leader When the great bird had fi nished

.
i ts fiery p u rific at io n s it too k up an o ak tree by the roots

, ,
a n d fle w o ff w ith it .
Pers ia w as once the hi gh seat of fire w orship The - .
Pars e es o f I n dia were re fugee s from Persia at the time

o f the Ma h ometan co n quest of that country an d these ,
s till ret ain the o ld fi re religion The natural flames that .
iss u ed from the earth an d were regarded as divine have , ,
pointed out to the practical moderns the mineral o il

depos its o f Ba ku A t the S kek S ez e or F i re feast o f
.
-
,
-
Pers ia says R ichardson birds an d beasts were let loose

, ,
w ith inflam mable material about them .
A merican I ndian s i n some cases retain this custom of

, ,
thei r ancestors Squier notes the supreme holy Spirit o f

.
, ,
F ire L oak [s kte koola a ka an d the ign ition o f n e w fi res

,
- -
,
at the solar festival The priests got fi re by friction. .
The Pa w n ees had a sacrifice o f human beings i n the fi re

at the vernal equinox The A ztecs had a god of fi re in .
X iuhte uc t li The i mage o f H ercules the sun god w as

.
,
-
,
sol e m nly burnt once a year at Tarsus .
The Scrip t ure s have m any re fe re n ce s t o th rs w o rs

‘
ni n .
200 Old [ ri sk Re ligion s .
A s to rv is to ld in Maccabees o f a p riest w ho too k s a c re d

fire fro m t h e altar an d hid it i n a cave
, U p o n N e h e m iah .
s en din g fo r it w ater o n ly w as found

,
ye t w h e n t he l iqui d ,
w as p o ure d o v er a n altar o f w o od the w hol e b u rs t into ,
fla m e . Ph e n é r m ar ks The l rit is h spi re n ow fill s the

e ’
p la c e ,in t he plai ns o f the o n ce ,aspiring fl a m e w hic h

as c e n de d fro m t h e h ill alta rs -
.
The P e rp e tu al La mp s o f the a n cients s anct io n e d t h e
s am e i de a N o l e s s than on e h u n dre d an d s e v e n ty R o m a n
.
,
A rab a n d Me di e va l w ri t ers re c ord t he fi n din g o f s u ch

.
la m p s .I n 1 540 a l am p was re p o rt e d s t ill b u rn in g in

th
'
e t o mb o f C i ce ro s da u ght e r L i ghts w e re b u rie d in

.
u rns . H e rodot u s s pe a ks o f lamps in the to m b s of

E gy pt A u gu s t i ne w rot e o f li ghts ine x ti n gu is ha b l e by
.
e i t h e r ra in o r w i nd As bes to s w ic ks o f la m p s w e re
.
kn o w n in G ree k te m pl e s Mada me B lava t s ki s a y s t hat

B u ddhi s t p ri e s ts m ade use o f a b e s tos w i c ks Dr s . .
wh o re c o rds in s t anc e s o f Pe rp e tu al L a m ps ,
a dds , Th e re form e rlv e x i s t ed a n art t hat ha s b e e n
Ir e
l a n d w as he r pe rp e tu al fire
n ot w i t h out S t B ridge t . .
an d he r n un si n m a i n t a i n i ng a c o n s t a n t fla m e i n K i lda re
.
,
w e re b u t c o n t in u i n g a v e rv a n c i e n t h e at h en c u s to m .
T radi t i o n s av s t h at D rui de ss e s did t he sa m e a ls o i n .

,
s a c r a l K ild are A s t he re w as an I ris h godde s s B ridgit

.
H i ggi n s re m a rke d t h at t he de i t y had be c o m e a s a in t ,
w he n t h e di s c ipl e o f S t P a t ri c k f u n de d h . er unun e n o
at
'
K i ldare The , . e c c le s i a s t ic w ho wr o te o f t he N o rm a n
.
Co n q ue s t o f I re la n d sa v s o f t his fire t hat tho u g h e v e r

. .
re c ru it e d w i t h fue l ve t th e as h es h av e n e v e r i n c re a s e d
”
.
.
I t w as fe d w i th the w ood o f t h e h aw t h o rn Th e l
p a ce .
o f th e fire is des c rib e d as b in g t w e n t v fe e t s u are w i th

e
q ,
a s to n e roo f .
2 02 O ld [ ris k Re ligi ons .
Mrs B ryant ho w ev er as serts

.
, ,
“
that the e r is m o re t race
of sun an d fire worship in the peasant ry lingeri ng a m ong
-
us to day than in the Bardic literature o f the rem ot e I rish

-
,
past .
”
Dr in Os s ia n a n d tir Cly de has n o doubt
.
e
,
’
o f fire w ors hip being extant in O s s ia n s days D r O B re n n an
’
-
. .
thi n ks that the Gade lia n s or Gael s eve ry w here t he y w ent

establi s he d fire w orship The Ga b/za B /wi l w as a n o rdeal
-
.
-
b y fi re .
Tw o sects w ere sai d to b e in the is land the B aa lit e s or — ,
fire a do rers and t h e Lirite s or de v ote e s o f w ater O K e a rn e y

’
.
.
,
tell s u s I t is pro b a ble that v e ry v iolent conte n t io n s w ere

on c e c a rri e d on i n I re lan d b v t he pa rti z a n s o f t he ri v al
reli g io n s w h o w e re a ccus t omed to mee t a n d d ec i de t h
, eir
”
q u a rr e l s at the pl a ce s e t a p a rt fo r b a t t le The S a m /ra zsg s .
w e re de v o te d t o fire w o rs hip a n d the S w a ns t o L ir -

,
w ors hip .
Mav dav in I relan d w as ve ry s t ric tlv obs e rv e d as it had

-
,
b e e n i n Ba b v lo n age s be f ore E ve n n o w s av s . M rs , .
B ry a nt in remote p lace s if t he fire goe s out in a p e a s a n t s

. .
’
h o u s e b e f ore the mo rn i n g o f the fi rs t o f May a l ight e d s o d ,
fro m t he prie s t s hou s e t o kin dle it is hi ghl y e s t e e m e d

’ ”
On .
th at da y t he v o n ce bu rn t ha re s from a fa n c y t ha t t he y ,
s t o le t h e butte r .
Th e e v e o f M a v da v w a a tryi n g t im e as fai ri e s w e re
- s .
l
th e n e x tra fro lic s o m e in s t e a in g the m i lk Fo r p re v e n t .
at i v e th.e c o w s w e re dri ve n th ro u h fi re s
g a s i n di s tant
g a n d ays A c c o r d in g t o H o ne ( 1 8 2 V
. rn D u b l i n fo lk s . ,
w o u ld ca s t ho rse s h eads i n t o t he b o n fire ho rse s w e re s u n

'
a n im a ls May e v e re io ic in gs w e re kn o w n b y the n a m e o f
-
—
.
Yam m x A c c o rdin g to t he B e a t of R
—
.
L lt o n ian k in e b h M d O c o n or
'
w t t
'
g s r n o o a t e o n e a v a v .
re m a r ks t h at th e M av fire ce re m o ni e w e re t ra n s fe rre d s
b v S t Patric k t o t h e 24 t h o f J u n e Io hn Ba p t is t s d a ’
.
y .
.
Wars /z ip
'
F z re . 2 03
the R oman Comp zta lza o r gl ad

' '
B e ltain e , or B aaltin ne , w as ,
ti mes fo r their b egin ning o f the year The Ta ilte a n games

,
.
o f the I rish were said to have origi n ated from Tailte ,
wi fe o f Mac E rc the last F irbolg king killed in the B attle

, ,
o f Moy t u ir May eve was with some N eon n o B ea/tin e:

-
.
-
, ,
B aal s fi re e v e
’
.
Keating writi n g on the F a i r a t Uzs n eac/z of Meath says

'
, , , ,
This fair or assembly w as held on the fi rst day o f the

, ,
m onth o f May and they w ere w ont to exchange o r barter

their cattle and other property there They were also .
accustomed to ma ke o fferings to the chie f go d which they

w orshippe d n amed B e l and it w as a custom with t h
, em to
m a ke two fi res in honour o f this Be l in every cantred o f
I reland an d to drive a couple o f every kind of cattle in the
,
”
c antred between the two fi res as a preservative .
E aster time was duly celebrated in pagan as it is n ow in

-
Christian times The j oy ful season o f awa kening su m mer

.
w as being celebrated o n Tara hill at the very momen t ,
w hen St Patric k was lighting his Easter fire on Slane h

. ill ,
w ithin sight o f the King and his Court .
The B ook of R zg/zts in forms u s that Patric k goes a fter

w ards to F earta F ear Fe ic A fi re is kindled by him at .
that place o n Easter Eve Lae gaire is enraged as he sees .
the fire fo r that was the g e zs o f Te am hair among the

'
Gae dhil The K ing had according to custom ordered all

.
, ,
fi res ou t as no fresh blaze could be kindled b ut directl y or

,
i n dire ctly from his ow n fire .
This incident in the li fe o f the Saint is the most inter

esting o f his career but can only be b riefly re ferred to
,
here I t was when standing on the site o f the royal palace

.
at Tara hill and loo king across the beauti ful country to the
,
d istan t hill o f Slane that we seemed to reali z e the legen d

, .
D ruids had forewarned the King o f the comi n g o f

s trangers but were as much as t on ish
‘
,
e d as me w as e x
2 04 O ld I ris /z Re ligions .
sight o f a blaze a far when no light could b e raise d b u t by

,
the Sovere ign s com mand

’
.
Or ders w ere issued fo r the arrest o f the bold i n t ru ders .
S t Patric k and his shaven compa n ions w ere bro u g ht i n to

.
the presence o f the Master o f F ire Then he tol d his tale .
a n d l ighte d a flame i n E rin never to be quench e d The .
story as given us there by a bent o ld w oman o f s e v e n ty

,
years w ill not be soon forgotten Lean ing o n he r s tic k

,
.
with o n e hand and pointing ov er t he al most d e s e rted

,
region to the hill o f the S aint s fi re with the other he a v i ng

’
a s igh over the departed glories o f T ara she m i g h t ha v e ,
b een ta ken for a D ruidess hersel f .
That Paschal fi re w as the victor over paga n fire s w ith ,
thei r abominable Moloch associations .
M idsummer fi res serve d as sun charms to ke e p u p the

heat M i dsum mer E v e ho w ever a fter w ards n o m i n a ted
.
, ,
a s John the Bapt ist s E v e w a s a great fire da y fa r a n d

’
-
,
w i de . Von B uch the trav eller spea ks o f s e e i n g t he

, ,
c ustom obse rve d w ithin the A rctic Circle .
A n o ld w riter about I relan d remarked A s t ra n ger

w oul d i ma gine the w hole cou nt ry w as on fi re B ra n d .
w rites o f the Vi gil o f St John They ma ke bo n fire s a n d

.
ru n alon g the street s a n d fiel ds with w isps o f stra w b l a z i n g
o n lo n g poles to pur ify the air w hich they thin k i n fe c t i o u s

,
,
b y bel ie v in g al l the de v ils spi rits ghosts an d hob go b li n s fl

, ,
y ,
a b roa d this ni ght to hurt man kin d

”
O n e w riti n g i n 1 8 6 7 .
, ,
s a id The o ld pa gan fire w o rs hip st ill su rvives in I re l a n d

-
,
t hough nominall y in honour o f St Jo h n O n S u n da y n i g h t . .
b o nfi res w ere ob s e rve d throu ghout nearly eve ry c o u n t i n

y
t he province o f Leinster .
A s E a ster D ay w as o f o ld devote d to A sta rte t he E s

a t e rn ,
o ddess so w as St John s D a B u t t he e v e o f t he
’
g , .
y to B aal .
firs t o f N ovember w as the H allo w E v e or S a m /m i n w h

en ,
t he fire s we re a th an ks ivin g t o t h at th
g e s u n e e nd of
2 06 Old [ris k Re ligi ons .
the fi rst fi re of the season courts were regularly hel d ,
till long a fter Christian times .
The Venerable B ede records that even in his li feti m e

many o f the I rish w ere given to fire worship F raser assures
“
-
.
his readers that in the south o f I rel and the wayside ,
beggar w hose appeals for charity have met with a liberal

,
response can thin k o f no benediction so comprehensive as

,
M ay the bl e ssing o f Be l rest upon you !

Culdees the recog n ized successors o f t he D ruids i n I re
,
—
land and Scotlan d a re said to o w e their name m l g al or
ee ill—
,
to the w or d m e aning p res e nt/ e r of fire

“ I t is still .
, ,
l u cky w rites o n e fo r the yo un g p e ople to j u mp o v er the

, ,
”
flames or fo r cattle t o pass betw een tw o fi res
,
A nother .
says Our fore fathers sent their sons an d daughters through

,
”
the fire to Moloch I n Toland s day fire b ran ds were cast
.
’
about the fields o f corn at Midsummer E v e the survival of ,
prayers to the fire god to give heat for the harvest per fection
-
.
H e calls the N ovember fi re Tin e t/a e/i ed g /za or fire grou nd,
- -
,
-
.
A n d yet A rthur Clive considered fire worship opposed

,
-
ali ke to D ruidism and the faith preceding it .
I n the B ook of R ig / m so ably reproduced by J , .
,
—
O D o n ov an there are four seasons describe d E arrac h ,
S a m hradh Foghm har and Ge im e ridh which he fi nds to

“ ,
be undoubtedly I rish words not derived from the L atin

, ,
through C hristianity ”
F ires w ere lighte d at B e a lta in e i n
.
the beginning o f S am hradh The s u mmer end fi res Sa m .

-
,
hain were kno w n by the name o f Tla c/ztg /za The n e w

,
.
fi re w as produced by the w heel and spindle w ith tow The , .
wheel a solar symbol must be turne d by the spo kes i n the

, ,
’
direction of the s un s daily course .
A s Scotland especially the w estern part was largely

, ,
“
people d from I reland it would n o t be s u rprising to reco gn i z e
,
B aal or fire -w orship there .
A ll H allow E ve ce re mon ie s are w e hu m mu s e s oe e xally

‘
F i re Wors kip . 207
the passing through the fi re although the Council of Con ,
s t a n t in op le 68 0 expressly pro hibited the heathen practice

, ,
o f leap ing through the fi re The R e v A lan Ste w art t e . .

,
fe rring to such fi res in his parish o f Ki rkmichael famous

“
,
fo r its D rui dical circle s aid The practice o f lighting, ,
bo nfires prevails in this and the neighbourin g H ighland

p a ris hes . T hese were the Tin eg in o r N eedfire s .
R egular B aal fire s c o ntinued in A yrshire till I 7 80 and

-
,
m il kmai ds still li ke to drive their co w s through the flames

w ith a ro w an stic k The proper w ay to light the fi re is by
“
.
friction . S Laing w rites o f the Be l fire s which w hen I

.
-
,
w as young w ere lighte d on Midsummer night on the hills

,
o f Or kney a n d Shetland A s a boy I have rushed w ith .

, ,
my playmates through the s m o ke o f thes e bonfires w ithout

, ,
a su s picion that we were repeating the homage paid to

”
B aal in the Valley o f H innom .
One can not help remembering the passage in Isa l I I . .
A ll ye that kindle a fi re that compass yourselves abou t ,
with sparks wal k in the light o f your fi re and i n the

, ,
”
spar ks that ye have kindled Virgil records a prayer to .
Apollo at S orac te
W hom fi rs t we s e rve , whole w oods of u n ctu ou s p in e

B urn on t hy H e ap ,
an d t o t hy glory s hin e
B y the e p rote c te d, w itho ur n ake d s ole s ,
Thro
’
fl
am e u ns in ge d w e p as s , an d t re ad the kin dle d c oals .
The poet did not add that such devotees fi rst applied a
S pecial ointment to th e ir feet .
The Scotch B eltane till lately was obse rved i n the , ,
Hebrides w ith somethi ng more heathen than the fi re The .
people lighted the fi re by the old fashion o f friction with

t w o pieces o f w ood and then ate the consecrated ca ke
,
i ndulged in by pagan Syrians The Scotch had the .
m ixture o f e ggs mil k and oatca ke , This w as bro ken up

, .
,
a n d distributed among the asse m b l

y W ho e v e r go s tin e .
’
.
"
.
2 08 O ld [ris k Religi on s .
blac k bit hidden in the ca ke was considered w o rt hy of

, ,
sacri fice to Baal as t he ca ilte ae/z bea lti ne H e w a s p u s hed

, .
into the fi re t hough soon rescued and a fterward s ha d to

, ,
le ap thre e times through the flames The te r m B e lta ne .
a i rli ne w as e v er a n ame o f reproach .
I n other places at the B ealtine a tren ch was c u t ro und

, ,
th e fi re the young men as s emble d i n the ci rcle a n d c ast

, ,
l ots w ho s houl d be t he three fold leaper Be fore eati n g the .
co n s ecrate d oatca ke a libation in heathen style w as po u red

, , ,
upon the groun d The Scotch ge n eral ly are not n ow so

.
g iv e n to s ac ra m e n ta rir n is m D r D onald C lark c o n ceives . .
th at the B e ltane is not derived from B aal .
The Isl e o f M an coming more under the in flue n ce of ,
I re l an d th an any n eig hbouri n g la n d has survivals o f the ,
o ld w or s hip VVa ldro n asserts

. N o t a family i n the o ld ,
I s l an d o f natives but
,
k e —
eps a fire constantly bu rn in g or
,
th e m ost t e rri b le de vastations and mischie f w ould im m e di

”
at e ly ens ue Tra in in his acco u n t o f the people w ri tes
.
, ,
A l m ost do w n to t he present ti m e no native o f the I sle o f ,
M a n w il l l e nd a n ything o n ei ther o f the great D r u idical

fe s t iv als .
The D eas i n l da n ce ancie n tly in honou r o f the s u n is

-
, ,
still practis e d there g o ing li ke the sun from east to south

, , ,
in it s co u rs e n ot ea r tn io ia l o r going rou nd by east to

,
- -
,
north . F ires w ere kept up on the first o f N o vem ber as ,

’
at I l a llo w e en .
Plo w den another historian o f the place remarks that

, ,
T he Scotch I rish a n d Man x call the fi rst day o f May

, , ,
”
A ne w spaper o f 1 8 3 7
’
B e ilte in o r the day o f B aal s fire
, .
has this paragraph O n May day the people o f the I sle -
o f Man have from time i mmemori al burned all the whin

, ,
b ushes in the I sland concei v ing that they thereby burn all ,
th e w itches a n d fairies w hich the y believe ta ke re fu ge ,

2 10 Old [ris k Re lig ions .
the feast o f St John w ere lighted all arou n d A n g o u leme

.
,
and men a n d women were dancing be fore them a n d j u m pin g ,
”
over them almost all n ight .
R ussia a n d I ndia have their leaping thro ugh t h e fla mes .
I n the fi rst a straw figu re o f Kupalo a so rt o f re p resenta

, ,
tive o f v egetation was throw n in the fire Ger m a n s had a

, .
stra w image o f the god Thor I n M exico b ab e s o n their .

,
fourth day w ere passed through fi re .
S o n n e rat had this account o f the D a n n a a F e as t o f F ire ,
i n I n dia I t lasts eighteen days during w hich t i m e t hose ,
who make a v ow to keep it m ust fast abstain fro m w o m en , ,
lie o n the bare ground an d wal k on a bris k fire, O n the .
eighteenth day they assemble o n the sou n d o f i n st ru m e n ts

, ,
their heads covered w ith flo w ers the body da u b e d w i th ,
sa ffron and follo w i n cadence the fi gu res of D ar m a R aj a h

,
a n d D ob re de his w i fe w h o are carrie d there i n ro s i

, p c e s o n .
Wh e n they come to the fi re they stir it to a n i m a t e i ts ,
activity and ta ke a little o f the ashes with whic h t he y ru b

, ,
the ir foreheads ; and when the gods have been thre e t i m e s

rou n d it they wal k either fast o r slow accordi n g t o t he i r
, , ,
zeal over a very hot fire exten ded to about forty fe e t i n

, ,
”
len gth .
F ire w orship may be the purest form o f idol a t r

-
y ; a s
flame so nearly immaterial ever moving always a s p i ri n g

, , , ,
i s a type o f the spiritual — is use ful although da n g e r o u s

, , .
B u t n o form o f idolatry coul d be more cruel t ha n t he

fiery adoration of the grim Moloch Symbols are a g re e a bl e .
t o fancy and o ften help ful ; but they may and re e a l

,
p t e dy ,
do lead men to crass idolatry

, .
S ton e Wors kip . 211
STO N E -
WOR SH I P .
IN many lands shapeless stones have b een adored .
A m on g several ancien t nations the idea o f D ivinity

w a s symbolized by a rou gh stone That a é rolites should .
b e r e v e red is n o t surprising since they as the idol stone o f , ,
E phe s us came do w n from heaven

, A single pillar sto n e .
m ight w e ll in rude times typi fy generative force J upiter

, , .
,
A pollo Venus Mercury and D ian a Patroa w ere adored

, , ,
as s tone columns A circle o f upright stones has been

.
reve re nced from the Pacific across the Old Worl d to the , ,
A tl a ntic .
I relan d was no exception to this lithic faith .
I t has bee n customary to call circles cromlechs Lo gan , ,
s to n e s p il lar stones serpentine and allignment stones by

, , ,
th e appellation of D ru idical A s these ho w ever are .

, ,
found in Japan China I ndia Persia A rabia Palestine

, , , , , ,
Barb a ry every country o f E urope N orth and South

, ,
America as w ell as in the Pacific I sles it would imply

, ,
certai n ly a v ery wi de ra n ge o f D ruids N o o n e could .
de n y that in some parts as B rittany and the B ritish Isles , ,
so cal l e d
- D ruids probably us e d such ston es as being ,
al rea dy obj ects o f reverence w ithout crediting them either ,
as their buil ders or as the originators o f Stone Worship

,
-
.
B ecause o f the superstition attached to such megalithic

> b j e c t s Mahometan a n d Chri s tian priests have ali ke sought
,
.heir destruction B u t I reland and the islands adj acent

.
:x h ib it many remains o f s o called D ruidical monuments -

.
Some o f these may be men tioned .
S I N GL E S TO N E S F in n s fin ge r stone Clon a nf o f D own

.
’
-
,
’
,
b ro w n by F in n M c Co ul ; D ee r s ton e of
-
,
of K ildare ; Clogkg ria n e or S un -s t on e K i lleen a .

of A ntrim A rdf e rt o f Kerry and s everal o n I n nis M u rray .
Some o ld crosses have been rudely carved o u t o f B eth e ls .
C I R C L E S have su ffered more destruction in I rela n d than

in Great B ritain One at Ballyn ahatn a near D un da l k has
.
, ,
quite a Stonehenge character I n 1 8 10 the R ostrevo r ci rcle .
was 1 20 ft in diameter That at M ount D ruid D al key

. .
, ,
w as 1 50 ft K illb allyow e n o f Limeric k has three c ircles

. .
Carro w more o f Sligo is ha lf a mile across and o n e near ,
B el fast must have been once ne a rly as large B re fin of .
Cavan w as a celebrate d on e t wo centuries bac k Then .
there are circles at D euman o f N eath Te m p le b ria n of ,
Cor k Ballric han o f Louth I n n is oe n o f D onegal R ath

, , ,
H ugh Carric k a D hirra o f Water ford and several in L outh

,
- -
, .
C ob hail w as a stone enclosure ; as w ere the D un s an d

C as iols that were o ften converted into oratories
, O ssia n .
repeate dly mentions the Circle of Loda .
LOGAN S TO N E S are the R ocking ones and were held as ,
D ivining stones A t Magee south o f A ntrim the wei ght of

.
, ,
’
o n e is t w elve tons This is thought to be O s s ian s R oc king
.
sto n e o f C ro m la H is S ton e of P ow e r heard his hero s

.
’
voice In the Pass o f D u n loe Kerry is o n e 24 ft r o u nd

.
, ,
. .
That o f Ca rrig a ChO p p ian is near Ma c roon an d S ligo has

- -
,
o n e at B allina .
The D O L M E N o r C R O M L E C H is kn ow n in I relan d gener

ally a s t he burying place o f a giant o r hero if not the b e d
-
,
o f a Sa int Whet her e a rt/t fizs t o r n o t it had a le a n i n g or

.
-
,
cap stone rest ing on two o r more U pright stones which

-
, ,
sometimes formed a sort o f pass age The H o u se o f flag .
stones w as kno w n as the F os le a e A s L ea ka n a bfia n it -

.
- -
,
w as th e gr ave o f hero e s as Leo ba n a F ea rm ore the grave of - -

,
giants A n enormo us one e x ists at Calry Sligo C 0 One

.
, .
b e d at Mayo is 1 5 ft long ; anoth e r is called E d w ard and

, , .
Grace s b e d ; a third is named a fter the hero D iarmuid

’
who ran o ff wit h th e fair Grai n e A Lea ba Di a mn m d

’
-
.
figures w ith kilts and others with crowns ,

Som e s labs .
,
as at Lough Crew are seen covered with various in s c rip

,
tions N e w Grange has a number of them ; li ke a s in

.
Scotland France I ndia the north of England & c

, , , , .
What m e an ing has been given to these monuments

I n this scientific age circles & c are simply called the , ,
”
extern al adj uncts o f B ronze age b urials I n the East -
.
they have been treated as B a t ty /es or B e tkels to be duly , ,
anointed w ith oil or m il k and adored they are someti mes ,
smeared over with the blood o f sacrifices .
The Cabir doctrine came conven iently for others in

explanation Th e Cab irs w ere assuredly worshipped in
.
o
caves Some Welsh writers early claimed this theo ry to

.
account for thei r D ruids These latter were said to b e of .
Cabiric association A s Samothrace was the head qu arters

.
-
o f the Cabiri which may have b een of Ph oe nician origin

, ,
and as the Ph oe n icians visited the B ritish Isles it was con ,
cluded that D ruidism was the same religion especial ly as ,
associated with fi re and stones .
A nyhow the stones were a puz z le John A ubrey j ust two

, .
,
centuries ago introduced the D ruidical theo ry which w as

, ,
at once seized upon b y Welsh S cotch English an d I rish , , ,
scholars as an easy solution Sti ll as Pro fessor P S m ith

, .
, .
reminds us well they were about as mysterious to the

,
Gree ks and R omans as to ourselves A n d D e C ou rson

“
.
as ked But were these grand sanctuaries o f stone

specially a ffected to t he D ruidic worship ? Tem ples ,
altars per fectly simila r exist in fact i n all parts o f the

, , , ,
”
earth
“ “
.
I f they are D ru idical says Picard the R om ans , ,
would n ot have omitted to e x pla in to us the nature o f the

place appointed for wors hip fo r the D ruids were their con ,
temporaries ”
O n the other hand Morien the m odern
.
, ,
D ruid de c lare s th
, e se te m ple s w e re t he ir H ol y o f H o l ie s
”
.
S ton e Wors kip . 2 15
M ori e n s Master the late A rchdruid My fyr speaking o f

’
, ,
the greatest o f B ritish temples remarked I ts antiqu ity is ,
so great as to reach behind the age of the circular temples

themselves inasmuch as it was in order to correspond w ith
,
the di fferent Bardic points that the stones were so arranged

”
i n those ancient temples .
M adame B lav ats ki gave the Theosophist s notion in these ’
terms The D ruidical circles the D olmens the temples o f , ,
I ndia Egypt and Greece the To w ers and the o n e hundred

, , , ,
and twenty seven towns of E urope w hich were found

-
Cyclopean in origin by the F rench I nstitute are all the ,
wor k of in itiated priest architects the descendants of those -

,
’
primarily taught by the Sons o f God j ustly called The ,
N atural ly she sought a source anterior to the

’
B uilders .
,
age o f D ruids She ascended to the ancient A ryan

.
M as te rs in Thibet B u t Colonel Forbes Leslie advances.
further saying
, I t will n ot be disputed that the primitive
Cyclopean monuments o f the D e khan were created prior to
—
the arrival of the present dominant race the H indoos ”
.
Pro fessor Be n fe y too called them pre A ryan there fore

, ,
-
over four thousand years in age at least , .
A letter of 1 69 2 subsequently sen t to the Society o f ,
A ntiquaries had these words ,

A lbeit from the general
tradition that these monuments were places o f pagan
worship and from the historical knowledge we have that
,
the superstition o f the D ruids did ta ke place in B ritain we ,
may rationally conclude that these monumen ts have been

temples o f the D ruids yet I have fou nd n otking hitherto , ,
either in the names o f these monu ments or the tradition ,
that goes about them which doth particularly relate to the ,
D ruids or points them ou t

, .
This led D r J oseph A nderson in his S cotlan d in P ag a n

.
,
Ti m es to observe
,
I t is clear from this lucid state m e n t .
that i n the end o the s e ve n te e nth ce n tu ry t

,
f h e re w a s n o
,
2 16 I n sr -
m agi a -
e x te t de d at me t i m e ove r a gre a t p o rt i on o f t h
e glo b e .
"
N3 : a fe w ha v e de t e c t e d in t he s e m o n u m e n ts re m n a n t s of
the old Pha lli : w o rs hp i

. so m e
- illus t ra in g the m a le p ri n c i le ,
t
p
he rs th fe m ale D udle y s S rm koli rfn
'
an d ot e .
de t e ct s t he w o r hp o f t h
i e form r in th
s e c irc le an d t h e ,
fe m a le in t h e q uadra n gu la r O th e rs w o u d se e t h e fe m i ni n e
l
.
in t h e c i rc u la r a n d t h e m a sc u li n e in t h
,
e s ta n din g s t o n e .
As t ro n o m v so m e t hn k fu rn is hes a s o lu tio n
i
. Th e c irc le .
o f 1 2 s to n e s o r a n v m u lt i p le o f 1 2
, m igh t re p re s e n t t h e ,
c o n s e lla t io n s
. as 19 w o u ld s u i t a
,
lu n ar p e rio d Dr . .
K e e a ly a p ro fic ien t in m y s tic s tu die s w ro t e

n
The ,
D ru idica l t e m p le s ca lled A n a m ar w e re c o m p os e d o f 4 8 -
s to n e s d e n o tin g t he n u m b e rs o f the o ld co n s t e lla t io ns

, ,
w i t h a K eb la o f 9 s t o nes n e ar t h e c irc u m fe re n c e o n t h e ,
i n s ide t o re p rese n t t he s u n in its p rogre ss thro u gh t he
“
,
”
S i gn s .
fe m ay acce pt t h e di c t u m o f D r Cl ark th at t h e s to n e .
,
c i rc le s w ere t h e temples o f t he B ri t i s h I s les ; t ha t do w n

to t h e R e fo rm ation t h e g ene ra l n a m e i n G a e lic fo r a
c hurch w as Te a r n/ ml] an d is still app li e d to th , e o ld C u lde e
c hu rche s o f t h e Oute r H eb ride s F o rlo n g says I n s u ch .

,
m o num e n ts as t hese yo u s e e t h e v e ry e arli e s t i de a o f t h e

”
te mp le The c olumns t oo k the place o f tre e s te m s ; a n d
.
-
.
lat er o n b e ca me circ u l ar or solar forms

“
, .
St Ma rt in o f Tou rs mentions a tu rre ted fab ric o f

.
highly p o li s hed stones ou t o f w hic h ros e a lo fty Cone

-
,
”
.
Thi s ha d relat io n to Pha lli c s u pe rstition The w o rs hip o f .
s ton e s was e x re s s l fo rb id d n b y th e C o u n c i l o f N an te s
p y e
borne ov e r bays and streams on e standin g upon the m .
The s tone at the grave o f St D eclan was seen to float .
over the sea with his bell his vestments an d his can dle , , .
S t Senan sitting on a stone was care fully li fted w ith it

.
, ,
by angels to the top o f a hill .
St Patric k is con nected with the cromlech o f F i n ton a

.
,
the s o called Gia nt s Gra v e To rebu ke o n e sceptical as

-
’
.
to the R esurrection he is said to have struc k the grave

,
with his S tof of j es ns when the g iant rose from the dead
, ,
than kful fo r a temporary respite from the pains o f hell .
A fter learning he had been s w ineher d to King L aoga ire ,
the Saint recommen ded him to be baptized To this rite .
he submitted H e then lay down in his grave i n peace

.
,
secure against further torment .
S tories o f giants were common o f old Jocelin spea ks .
o f F ionn M ac Con as one o f them and O s s ian s h e roes ’
were o ften gigantic B oetius records F ion n as being

.
fi fteen cubits high B u t St Patric k s giant was re p re

. .
’
sented by o ne bard as one hundred and twen ty feet in

length The twelve stones o f U s n e c h were said to have
.
been cursed by the Saint so that they could n ot be built ,
into any structure .
I n the cromlech on the Walsh H ills F in mac coil w as ,

- -
said to have kept his celebrate d houn ds A c rom lech .
w as a B ethe ] or house o f Go d
’
, St D eclan s Stone . .
,
Water ford had a hole t hrough which people crawled fo r

,
the cure o f maladies The Pillar Stone o f Fir B reige had

.
the gi ft o f prophecy and was duly consulted by those

,
who had lost their cattle One Pillar Stone much frequen ted
.
,
i n pagan times S plit w ith a great crash a fter a discou r s e

,
o n the better faith w hen out leaped a cat

,
— doubtless a
blac k one .
—
The R oc k o f Cas hel fo r ages a consecrated place was—
Patrick s S t on e C as he l w as s a id to
’
o n c e kn o wn as S t . .
S ton e I Vors kip /
. 2 19
have been the place where a n gels were waiti n g for the
The tooth o f t h
’
S ain t s arrival in E rin e Saint w as a .
v en erat e d piece o f sandstone which somewhat resembled ,
a tooth in shape ; possibly as much a s Gu at am a s footstep ’
o n A dam s Pea k in Ceylon

’
.
S t Columba li kewise among the H ebri des had a

.
, , ,
reputation fo r stones There is his R e d S t one his B lue.

,
E gg Stone in S kye his B lue S tone o f Glen C o lu m killo his

, ,
stony b e ds o f pen itence his Lingam Stones w hich worked , ,
miracles H e was born on a stone he was sust ain e d i n

.
,
fam i n e by suc king meal from the H oly Stone o f M ael

blo t/1a .
There are Pillar Stones indicating Phallic origin That ,

.
o n Tara H ill was popularly known as B od Tke a rg ka is ,
w ith especial re ference t o generative force Several o f .
them bore names con necti n g them w ith the Tu atha ; as

the Ca i rtedke Ca tka Tkn a tka de D o n a n n their pillar ston e ,
o f battle The Ship Temple o f Mayo was Lea k/1a n a

.
F a t/ me the Gia n t s B e d
’
, .
The Cloekoe r or gold stone at Oriel Monaghan Cou nty

, , , ,
spo ke li ke an oracl e So did the L ia F a il the O phite

.
,
S tones o f o ld the anointed B e efy/es of S an c hon iathon I t

,
.
is even report e d of E usebius that he carried such in his ,
bosom to get fresh oracles from them Mousseaux calls .
some m a d s tones Pliny notices moving sto n es The old

. .
I rish had their ru m bling s ton es The Celtic Gla cka kra tk .
'
-
,
or j u dg m e n t s ton es must have been gi fted wit h sou nding

,
po w er Yet La V ega has a simple way o f accounting for

.
these re v erential obj ects as the demons worke d o n ,
them . One may credit priests with hypnotic power o r ,
we may thin k with a writer that without magic there

, ,
could have been no speaking stones .
Some holy stones had curious histories The hallo wed .
pillow sto n e o f S t B ut e had b e e n flun g i n t o the oroxn d \

‘
'
-
.
Conchobar mac N esse where it stayed seven years b u t fell

, ,
out o n e Good F riday A nother stone was menti o n ed in

.
,
the B ook of L e ins te r as causing the death o f an old w o m an

, ,
1 50 years o ld who havi n g been brou ght into a great

, ,
plain w as so c harmed w ith the sight that she wou l d never

, ,
go bac k to her mountains pre ferring death t he re by ,
knoc king her o ld head upon the stone .
- —
E lf sho ts the stone arro w heads o f their ancestors — were -
l o ng regarde d w ith reverence A s with Western I s l a n ders .

,
—
they serv d as charms fo r the I rish being someti m es set
e
i n silver and w orn as amulets about the nec k protecti ng

, ,
the w e are r against the spiritual discharges of e lf shots from -
malignant enemies They were the arrows o f fairies

. .
They ought not to be bro ught in to a house I n 1 7 1 3 L lwyd .
fou nd th is superstition existing in the west .
Martin spea ks o f fi nding at I n n is ke a a rude l o o king -
stone ke p t w rapped u p in flannel and only in the charge ,
o f an o ld w oman as formerly w ith a pagan priestess

,
On .
a stormy day it might be brought ou t with certain m agical ,
O bservances in the confident expectation of bringin g a

,
ship o n sh o re fo r the bene fit o f the wrec k loving I slan ders

,
-
.
The N ee v ong i as the stone was called did s e rvice in

, ,
cal m ing the sea when the men went ou t fishing I t was .
equally e fficaci ous in sic kness w hen certain charms were ,
muttere d o v er the stone We have been privately shown .

,
by an A ustralian aborigine a similar sacred stone a qu art z , ,
crystal i n that case w rapped up i n a dirty rag protected

, ,
from the eyes o f women Poc o c ke i n 1 7 60 saw pieces of

.
, ,
a stone on I c olm kill used to c u re a prevalen t flu x .
VVa lh o u s e regarded such s uperstitions as belongi ng to

the Tu ranian races and as antagon istic to the A ryan gen ius
,
”
and feeli n g . Gomme esteems stone w orshi p as opposed -
”
to the general basis of A ryan cultu re The u nshapely .
s ton e s wors h ip p e d in I n dia b e lon g t o n o n Aryan tri b es .

2 22 O ld [r is k Re ligions .
any kind that they were not in any sense o f t he word

°
D ru i dical I n this opinion he is opposed t o W elsh

.
,
Engl ish and I rish w riters B u t A rthur Clive decl ared

“
.
,
Our I rish ancestors o f A ryan race worshippe d the air ,

”
s ton e a n d fi re
,
.
F orbes Leslie conceives that many figures re p re s ented

“
on stones are disconnecte d from any Christia n s y m bol ”
.
C e rt ainly the Com b sh a pe so com mon u pon i n scribe d ,
sto n es may be vie w e d on l ndo Scythian coi n s

, Th e -
.
g g
z sa w a s a G nostic sign The double d is c a n d scept .re
symbol may re fer to solar w orship as that o f the c rescent ,
an d sc e ptre to l u nar w orsh ip .
A B u ddhist origin is attributed to inscriptio n s by Dr

“
.
G Moore
. D r L o n gm u ir considers them
. . th e earliest
e x is ting re cords o f t he i de as cherishe d in these I slands ”
.
L e s lie loo ks at them as associated w ith old Orien t a l d ivi n

ation .
“
Tate esteems them to express som e rel igiou s
sentiments or to aid in the per formance o f som e rel igious
,
”
rite s . N o t a fe w regard them as emblems o f r e ligio us
wors h ip .
—
The meaning o f the Cup symbol observed o n s tones
at ermanagh and i n the w est o f Kerry has p u z zled
F ,
—
the learned I n In dia it is frequently found both w i t h and
.
w ithout grooves The common obser vance upon kistvaens

.
,
a n d on mortua ry urns w ould seem to bear a re l i giou s

,
significance Pro fessor T J Si mpson imagines the e m blem

“
. . .
connected in some way with the religious thought and

”
doctrines o f those who carv ed them He saw n o re a son .
to doubt the origin of cup and ring being still earl ie r than
even the age o f the earliest Celts .
V alle n c e y commenting upon the spiral mar ks at N e w

Grange fanci fully says
,
“ ,
The three symbols ( 3 sp i rals )

,
”
represent the Supreme B eing or F irst Cause .
The 111os t won d e rful an d de e ply re v e re n e e d Xrrs n s t o n e

‘
‘
S ton e Wors kip . 223
w as the F ri] by some strangely en ough identified w ith the

,
C oronation Stone brought by King E dward from Scotlan d

t o Westminster A bbey A rbois de J ubainville gives this
.
a ccount o f it :
Conn C e tc hathac h chie f K ing o f I reland in the second

, .
c e n tury accidentally put his foot o n a magical stone called

,
F dl w hich had been brought to I reland by the T uath

, a de
D anan u .I t cried ou t s o that all i n Tara heard it Three

, .
D rui ds prese nt were as ke d w hat the cry meant w here the ,
s tone came from whither it would go an d w h

, o h ad brought
,
i t t o Tara ? They as ked a delay o f fifty three days when -

,
t he y ans w ered al l but the fi rst question They could only .
s a y that the stone had prophesied The nu mber o f its

.
c ries w a s the number o f the kings o f the royal race but ,
t he D ruid s could not tell their names Lu g then appears .
t o them ta kes Conn to his palace and prophesies t o hi m

, ,
the length o f his reign and the names o f his successors

, .
A number o f i dle legends are attached to the F dl stone .
A s late as 1 649 Com missioners w ere ap p ointed by the

,
S cottish General A ssembly to dispel the popular super

s t it io n s respecting sacred stones I n I reland the super
.
s t it io u s O bservances had a lon ger possession o f people s

’
m i nds .
A s circles are kno w n in I celan dic as doi n k ring r o r -

,
doom rings o f J udgment it has been suggested that

,
Stonehenge itsel f may have been a chie f Seat of Judgmen t

with the foreign colony whose capital on Salisbury Plain
,
may have been S o rb iodu n u m a fterwards Saru m ,

.
Cl e mens A lexan drinus spo ke o f stones as images o f

Go d A urelius A nton inus brought to R ome a blac k stone
.
,
and paid homage to it The Laplanders until lately

.
, ,
sacrificed the reindeer to a stone Lac tan tius records the.
worship of Te rm in as in the form o f a stone D am as c in s .
mentions con s e crate d s tone s in Syria B \ae \s s t on e s a re

.
.
stil l honoured at Mecca B enares and elsewhere H e ro dian , ,

.
names one worshipped by the Phoe nicians si n ce it fell ,
from heaven I n a letter to Sir Joseph B an ks b y our

.
,
N eapol itan M inister the an tiquary Sir William H a m i lto n

, ,
there is an allusion to a standing stone at I s u rn i a that ,
was duly dedicated to Saints Cos mo and D o m ian o .
A stle ,
in 1 7 9 8 remar ked The ancien t p ra ctice ,
o f consecrating pagan antiquities to religious pu rpo s e s has

”
been conti nued to modern times .
AN I MAL WO R S H I P .
T H AT religion was early associated with an i mals a d m its

o f no question The A pis worship of Egypt pre v ailed
.
several thousand years be fore Christ A nimals have s e rv e d .
as Tate m s to t he tribes o f A merica and other parts but ,
have been certainly regarded as rel igious symbols i n m ost

lan ds The fo ur Evangelists are to this day sy m b o l ized
.
by such creatures H o w far this reverence from assoc i ati o n

.
,
with an idea degenerated into absol ute worshi p o f the

,
li ving thi ng is a w ell recogn ized fact o f history

,
-
.
E very o n e knows that t h e t w elve signs o f the Z o d i a c ,
to disting uish periods o f time were named a fter an i m als , ,
and are so to this day The Chinese cycle is called a fter .
the rat ox tiger hare dragon serpent horse goat m o n key

, , ,
“
coc k dog and p ig A bel R e m u s at notes the cy c le of
, , .
, , , , , ,
t w elve an imals imag ined by the K irghis and n o w i n use

, ,
”
through nearly all eastern A sia .
I rish l iterature is full o f tales respecting an i m al s par ,
t ic u la rly in con nection w ith sorcery Cats dogs b u lls .

, , ,
co ws horses and boars fig ure largely therein S t K iaran

, , , . .
frustrated the mischie f i ntended by a cat in the d is c ha rge ,
o f a re d h ot b ar fro m a b lacks m iths forge

’
- B e c a us e s o .
2 26 O ld [ ri s k Re ligi on s .
from door to door that each o f his worshippers may receive

,
a portion o f the divine virtues that are supposed to emanate

”
from the dead o r dying go d .
The H are in li ke manner was hunted once a year but

, , ,
that was on May day The modern I rishman fan cied it

-
.
robbed his milch cow s o f the sweet draught that belonged

by right to himsel f On the other hand hares have b een
.
,
.
—
styled St Mon ac e lla s Lambs being placed u nder he r
’
special protection .
The hare however was certainly reverence d in Egypt

, , ,
and at D e n de ra was to be seen the hare headed deity -

.
C ms ar mentions that the Celts would not eat o f the animal ,
any more than did the Pythagoreans I n I rish tales witch .
hares are declared to be only caught by a blac k greyhou nd .
Else w here it is stated that in the Cashel cathed ral an ,
ornament figures a couple o f hares complacently feedi ng

upon some trilobed foliage as the shamroc k , .
Only a fe w mont hs since a traveller gave an il lustrati on

o f the persistence o f some mean ing being attached to the
hare even among the educated and Christian fi shermen

,
o f A ber deen When out at sea and i n some danger fro m

.
,
bad w eather it is thought un fortunate and even calam itous

, , ,
fo r any one in the boat to mention the name o f this

creature .
That animal reverence to say the least of it conti nued , ,
n ot in I reland alone but even in Scotland among , ,
those o f the same race to quite modern times is ma n i fest , ,
from the fierce denun ciation o f certain practices relating

thereto The Presbytery o f D ingwall R oss on S eptember
.
, ,
5
,
1 6 56 made
,
special re ference to the heathen ish customs ,
then prevalent in the N orth o f pou ring o ut libatio n s of ,
mil k upon hills of adoring stones and wells and ab ove

, ,
all of sacrificing bulls !

,
The Os s ian ic Trans action s c ontain s o m e re fere n ce s to

A n im al Wors kip . 227
the Irish Holy Bulls and Co w s The bull has been called .
the D eity of the A rk I n Owen C o n n e lan s translation o f

.
’
P rocee di ngs of i ke Gre a t B a rdic I n s titu tion is an account ,
o f a magical cow which supplied mil k to nine score n u ns
o f Tuam dagh -
n ala n
. This is very li ke the tale o f the Tuath
s mith s Glas Ga ikkne o r Grey Cow which nourished a
’
, ,
l arge family and its numerous dependants Though stolen .
by the General of the roving F om orian s she contrived to ,
li ve o n and practise her benevolence until the fi fth centu ry

,
.
H er camping places numerous as they w ere are localities

, ,
recognized by I rish country fol k to this day There is .
also the story o f D iarmuid Mac Ce arb hall hal f D ruid hal f , ,
C hristian who killed his s o n because he had caused the

, ,
d eath o f a Sacred Co w .
A s to the n ine score n n ns o f Tuam it must be noticed ,
t hat the word ca illa ck served ali ke for nu n and druidess .
This led W H ac kett in the Tra n s a ction s to observe

.
, ,
the probability is that they were pagan D ruidesses and ,
that the cows were living i dols li ke Ap is or in some sense ,

”
consi dered sacred animals .
The PI G must be placed among the sacred animals of

I reland as it was o f various nations of antiquity Was not
, .
k
the place nown o f o d as M n ci n is
l o r H og Island ?
D id
,
n o t Gira ldu s C am b re n s is say in the twel fth century that he
had ne v er seen so many swin e as in I reland ? A n d w ho

would dispute the honour given still to the gentleman w ho
pays the re nt
The Bo ar w as s acred to D iana w ho sent forth the de ,
stroy in g Calydonian boar to ravage the country but which ,
was slain by T heseus The H indoo di v ine mother V a rahi

.
was the B a ri k S ow The t hird Avatar o f Vishnu

.
,
Vara b a had a boar s head A Cyprus ge m b e ars t he

’
, . .
image of a flying b o ar b elie v e d t o re p re s e n t adorns

,
.
2 28 O ld [ ris k Re lig ion s .
who was killed by a boar Sacrifices of blac k pigs .
were made to Mars Sylvanus The s ow was sacred to .
I sis and sacrificed to Osiris I t was sacred to D e meter

, .
o r Ceres as representing the corn spirit

,
I n E gypt during .
,
later periods the boar personated Typhon

, I n the picture .
o f the L ast Judgment to be seen on the famous sarcophagus

,
at the Sloane Museum o f Lincoln s I nn F ields the con ’
de m n e d sou l is observed trans formed into a pig O ne of .
the Phoe n ician gods is behel d holding o n e by the tai l .
The J e w s were not to keep eat or even touch the , ,
creature w hich was held sacred as devoted to evi l Certain

, , .
passages as Isa l xv 3 and 4 and lxvi 3 and 1 7 are cu rious

“
. . .
, , ,
A lthough s w ine and their herds m en

”
in rel ation to it .
,
'
says Gladstone were deemed unclean there was a very

, ,
particu lar and solemn inj unction for the sacrifice o f two
swine to Osiris and to the moon by every Egyptian The
, , .
poor w ho could n ot supply the animals o ffere d the fi gu res

, ,
o f s w ine made o f dough The Phoe n ician priests l i ke

.
,
those o f D ruidism were called s w i ne A sow figure has

, .
been foun d in the ruins o f the Mashonaland Zimbabwe ,
both o n pottery an d carved in soapstone M ahomet was .
satisfied t hat so u n clean an an imal did n ot exist be fore

the A rk days The pig was once slain for divin a tion
.
p urp oses .
The Prophet of old condem n ed those who sacrificed i n

gardens and w ho ate swine s flesh Was it because the
,
’
.
neighb ouri n g Syrians were accustomed in fear to do , ,
homage to the destroyer o f A donis ? Or did the J ews ,
abstain from eating it from the fear o f o ffe nding an adverse

,
power ? The N orsemen o ffered the p ig to their sun god -
kille d at the winter solstice The animal appears on .
Gaulish coins u nder or over a horse a n d the fl en r de lis

,
- -
.
I t was the national symbol o f Gaul as seen in their ,
s tan dards .
H eroes were accustomed to fight against wild bo ars an d

enchanters .
D ruids w ere rather fond o f pigs since these had a l i king ,
for acorns the produce o f the saintly o ak

,
Yet they as .
,
pr ie s ts w ere the S w ine of M on and S w ine of tke S a cred

, ,
Cord Li ke the Cabiri they were You ng S w ine The D ruids

.
, .
w ere m u ch given to trans forming persons into what were

kno w n as D rui dic pigs When the M ilesians sought for
.
I reland in their voyage the Tu at h a by magic cause d a fog

, , ,
to rise so as to make the lan d ass u me the appea rance o f a

large pig ; w hence it got the appellation o f [n is n a M u ice ,
or Isle o f Pig ; or M u c I n is H og Island , .
A wonder ful tale is told o f a fabulous pig kept by a King

o f Leinster Me s ge gra mac D ath
,
o who fe d it daily from ,
the mil k o f sixty cow s Welsh stories are told o f fighting

.
s w ine A t the end o f a Welsh bonfi re the people used t o

.
,
”
shout out The cropped blac k sow seize the hindermost l
,
—
when all would run in haste away The pig ln I rish m u c .
,
arc and tore—when a possessed animal

,
, was a decided ,
danger as well as nuisance The hero F ion n had several .
notable adventures in pursuit o f suc h as the torc o f G len ,
To re in and the boar o f Slieve M uc k

, .
A ccordi n g to an Ogham inscription at B allyqui n the

“
,
pig was sacred to the goddess A nar A ine I t is said A .

,
s acrifice o f swine is the sovereign right o f A n a There are .
still sacre d pigs i n some B uddhist temples Tacitus spea ks .
o f the A estii (o f N orth Germ any ) worshipping the goddess
F riga a fter whom our F riday is called in the form o f a

, ,
pig A s the R e v J R ice Byrne translates the passage

. . .
-
They worship the Mother o f the gods A s the emblem .
o f their superstition they are used to bear the fi gu res of

,
”
boars i e in sacred processions to F riga
. . .
I n the P roceedings of tko Grea t B a rdic I n s titution ( I rish ) ,
fl are is a p ap e r by W H acke tt who w rit e s .

lg p g a an
,
A n im al Wors kijo . 23 1
ti mes the pig w as held as sacred in I reland as it is held at

,
the present day in the religious systems o f I ndia and Chin a

“
.
I t w as his expressed O pin ion that all the legends o f

porcine ani mals w hich abound i n Ire land Wales and, , ,
Scotland had re ference to the suppression o f a form of

,
idolatry analogous to if not identical with the existi ng

, , ,
w orship o f the H indoo deity Vishnu i n his A vatar as a , ,

”
B oar.
Certainly the I rish li ke the Germans are still admirers

, , ,
o f the pig Witches and pigs are mixed up in stories but

.
,
then Gom m e s E tkn ology i n F olklore tells us

,
’
The c on
n e c tio n bet w een witches and the lower animals is a very
”
close o n e I t has been a ffirmed that the footmarks of St
. .
M an c han s c ow can yet be distinguished upon the stones

’
i t w al ked o v er in I relan d .
A nimals w ere kno w n to be o ffered by I rish and Scotch

do w n to the last century and it is recorded that a cal f ,
w a s publicly burnt in 1 800 by Cornishmen to stop a

murrain A sheep was sometimes o ffered for the li ke
.
pu rpose in some parts o f E ngland I n 1 6 7 8 four men were

“
.
t ried fo r sacrificing a bull in a heathenish manner i n the

—
Island o f St R u ffus fo r the recovery o f health of Cirs tan e
.
M ac kenzie A nimals w ere also killed in honour of St

. .
’
Martin s day .
A remar kable story is quoted by the President o f the

F ol klore Society from an o ld writer of sheep being o ffered
, ,
to a woo den i mage i n ti mes o f sic kness The s kin o f the .
sheep w as p u t round the sic k person and the neighbours ,
devo u tly ate the carcase This occurred at B allyvourney .

,
Co u nty Cor k The story is related in the F olly of

.
P ilg ri m ag es .
23 2 as .
TH E S H AM R O C K , AND OTH E R SAC RE D P LA N TS .
Shamroc k is even m ore typi c al o f I relan d t h a n the

TH E
O ak is o f B ritain and was the greater obj e c t o f re ve re n ce
,
an d regard .
Chos e n le af
O f B ard an d C h ie f,
O ld E rin s n at iv e S h am roc k
’
S ays V alour, S e e
The y s p rin g for m e ,
Th o s e le afy ge m s of m orn in g
S ays L ove , N o, n o,
F or m e t h e y grow ,
My fragran t p athadorn in g
B ut W it pe rce iv e s
The triple le av e s ,
An d c rie s , 0 do n ot s e ve r
A typ e t hat b le nds
Th re e godlike frie n ds ,
L ove , V alour, W it, for e v e r
the Sham rock, t h e gre e n , im m o rt al S ham rock
B ut Moore m ight have added the clai m s of R eligion .
Is it not a sacred emblem o f the Trinity ? D oes not the

legend remind us o f St Patric k convincing his doubti ng
.
hearers o f the truth o f the Tkree in On e d octrine by ,
holdi n g up a piece of Shamroc k ? I t is true that t he

P kilos op kical M ag az ine J une 1 8 3 0 throws some d o ubt
, ,
on the story since the three leaved white clover n o w

,
-
,
accepted as the symbol was hardly expanded so early i n

,
the year as St Patric k s D ay ; and I rishmen to this day

’
do not agree which is the real Sham roc k .
The tre foil that was sour was certain ly eaten by the
primitive I rish while the white clover not being sou r was
, , ,
n o t eaten . I t may there fore have been the Wood Sorrel a

, , ,
tre foil out in early spring S penser says . I f they fou nd a

plot o f watercresses or shamroc ks there they floc ked as to
,
a i kas t. Wy the r wrote An d fe e d on s ham roo ks as the

couple o f sacred hares engaged in devouring it Th e .
B erlin Museu m has a representation o f some ru de satyrs

j estingly o fferi n g it to a woman A rtists in the M id dle .
,
A ges have shamelessly made it the plant presente d by

,
the A ngel to the Virgin Ma ry The B ismarc ks use the .
”
shamroc k w ith the motto I n trin itate robur Th e sacred .
Palasa o f I ndia has triple leaves The F ren ch l i ke the .

,
I rish retained it as a national symbol To this hou r t he

, .
t kre e le a i /ed or F leur de lis plan t is prese rved as a sacred

-
,
- -
symbol in architecture on altar cloths & c the em ble m

,
-
, .
,
bei ng n o w seen i n N oncon formist chu rches as well as in

the E piscopalian
“
.
I t was the three ln one mystery -

A dorning the head
-
.
o f O siris it fell o ff at the moment o f his death

, A s the .
tre foil sy m bolized generative force in man the loss o f the ,
garland w as the deprivation o f vigour in the god ; or as ,

”
some thin k the suspension o f an im al strength in win ter
, .
I n the D ublin Museu m is a beauti ful copper ves sel or ,
plate with the tre foi l from Japan I n the Mellor church
, , .
o f D erbyshire is a very ancient font with rude figu res o f ,
horses and men with N orman he lmets The tai ls o f the

, .
hors e s a fter passing round the body end in a rude form

, ,
o f tre foil which another horse with open mouth is prepared

, , ,
to eat w hile its o wn long tail is similarly presente d to the

,
open mouth of its equine ne ighbour The shamroc k was .
mysterio usly engraved on the nec k o f the oriental cru cifi e d

figure in the relic collection at Gle n dalough .
The O AK was also venerated by the early I rish We .
read o f K il da i r the D ruids cell or church of the o ak ;

-
,
’
M o ig adka i r or D e a rm kagk the field o f oa ks the D a ire

-
,
ca lg ai ck now Londonderry the wood o f C algac

,
D a irkkre
,
now V alenti ne Isle o f Kerry ) the place producin a ks

( , g o , .
D e rrynan e w as D oi re F kion a in the o ak grove o f the

-
,
Fin ian ; D aire maelain n ow De rryv u llan the grove of

-
, ,
Tke S ka m rock ,
a n d otke r S acred P lan ts . 23 5
M a c lain ; the
B e rra da D oi re -
long o ak grove ; f
-
kada ,
D e rry keg little oak ; D e rry D ufi blac k o ak w ood

/
,
D erry ’
,
-
.
is from D oi re or D a ir oak Kildare was Gill da rn the , .

-
,
church o f the o ak St B ridgid o f Kildare built her cell

. .
,
it is said u nder a very high oak

,
H an mer wrote .
B ri dget builded a cell fo r her abode under a goodly faire

o ke wh ich a fter w ards gre w to be a m o n as te rie o f virgins
,
”
called Gylldara i n Latin Ge l/a q ue rcus
—
.
,
D rui ds were so named from D a i r D oi re or B u i r the , ,
o ak The D ruids were D ai raoi o r d w ellers in oa ks

'
.
.
,
T here w as the Gaulish D rus or D ry s the Gaelic D arn , ,
the Saxon D re or D ry the B reton D e rw the Persia n , ,
D u ra ckt the Sanscrit B ru k

,
.
The o ak was thought sacred from its acorns being food

fo r man in his savage state I t was dedicated to Mars .
a n d J up iter Etrurian inscriptions appear about the oak

. .
T he te m ple o f the oracular D odona was i n an oak forest .
We rea d that 4 56 B C a R oman Consul too k an oak . .

,
so lemnly to witness as a god That tree was the symbol .
o f the Gaulish deity H e s u s as it was o f the German Thor , .
The D ryades were priests o f the oak I t was associated

“
.
”
with the ta n or cross So far as I know says Forlo ng
“
.
, ,
th e cutting o f a live o ak i nto a ta u or deity is u nique , ,
o n the part of the D ruids The stones in Sichem were .
placed under an o ak The oak or terebinth o f Mamre .
was w orshipped as late as the fou rth cen tury The oak .
was sacred as the acorn and its cup represented the male
,
and female principles .
The M I STL E TO E had an early reputation as a guide to

the other worl d A rmed with that g olde n kra n ck one
.
,
’
could pass to Pluto s realm
Ch aron o pp os e d —the y s how e d the B ran ch .
Th ey s h o w d th e b ought hat lay b e n e athth

“
’
e ve s t
At on c e his ris ing wrathw as hushd t o re s t
’
.
I ts con nection with health as the A ll ke al is n o te d by ,

-
,
the poet Callimachus u nder the appellation of p an akea , ,
sacred to A pollo :
W he re e r the ’
ge n ial p an ake a falls ,
H e althc row n s the S t at e , an d s afe ty guards the w alls .
A s the seat of
the li fe o f the O ak as then believed it , ,
had special virtues as a healer The Coel C re n i o r om e n .

-
,
stic ks were made o f it and also divining ro ds I t had the

, ,
-
.
m erit o f revealing treasure and repelli n g the unwelcome ,
visits o f evil spirits When cut upon St John s E ve its

. .
’
po w er for good was greatest While the sham roc k is .
emblematic of the equinox the mistletoe is associat e d with ,

”
the solstice says St Clair , . .
The ancient Persians kn ew it as the healer I t told of .
th
’
e sun s return to earth F armers i n B ritain used to give
.
a S prig o f m istletoe to the fi rst cow calving in the year .
F orlong points out the recovery o f old heathen ideas ;

“
saying Christian priests forbade the mistletoe to enter
,
their chu rches ; but yet it not only got in but fou n d a ,
place over the altars and was held to beto ken good will,
-
”
to all man kind It w as mysteriously associate d with the
.
dove . The I rish called it the u il icea ck : th e Welsh -

,
u cke lwy dd The Cou n ty M ag az in e fo r 1 7 9 2 remarked

“
.
A custom o f kissing the women u nder the mistletoe b ush -
sti ll prevails in many places and without doubt the su rest ,

”
way to prove prolific Pliny considered it good for.
sterility I t was the on ly thing that could slay the gen tle
.
B aldur I n England there are some twenty trees on wh ich

.
the mistletoe may grow .
Certain plants have at di fferent times been obj ects o f

special consideration and worshipped as having divine ,
qualities or being possessed by a soul Some were thou ght

, . .
to man i fest sympathetic feeling with the nation by wh ic h

th ey we re ch e ris hed Th e fe t is h t re e o f Coom as si e fell
.
depicted o n co ffins with human arms The Lotus essen tially .

,
phallic sel f produced was an emblem o f sel f create d d eity

,
-
,
-
,
being w orshipped as such at least 3 000 B C H om a w as . .
the Li fe tree of Zoroaster

-
The bean was thrown on .
tombs as a S ign o f im mortality The banyan a n d the .
onion denote a new incarnation .
The I ndian and Cingalese B0 or As vattha F icu s re ligios a , ,
sheltered Gautama when he gained what is kn own as

Entire S an c tific ation or Per fection The sacred P e ep u l is
, .
the male fig the female being Fi cus I ndica

, T he fig .
ent w ines itsel f round the palm The Toolsi O iy m u in .

,
S a n ctu m and the A m ri ta are also worshipped in I n dia ;

,
so are the L ien w ko or N elumbium in China the cypress

-
, ,
in Mexico and the aspen i n K irghiz lan d

, .
Trees and plants w ere devoted to gods : as the oak palm , ,
and ash to Jupiter the rose myrtle an d poppy to Venus ; , ,
the pomegranate to Proserpine the pine apple to Cybele ; -
the orange to D iana the white violet to Vesta the daisy

to A lcestis ; the wild thyme to the Muses ; the lau rel to
A pollo ; the poplar to H ercules ; the alder to P an ; the
olive to Minerva the fig and vine to B acchus the lotus to
H ermes The lee k of Wales li ke the shamroc k o f I reland
.
, ,
was an obj ect o f worship in the East and was associated ,
with Virgo The H e rtus K e w e ns is states that it fi rst came

.
t o B ritain i n 1 56 2 The m an dra ke or Love apple w as als o

.
-
sacred B rinton gives a list o f seven such sacred plants

.
among the Cree k I ndians The V e rvain s ac re d to D ruids .

, ,
was gathered i n Egypt at the rise of Sirius the D ogstar .
WE LL WO RSH I P- .
T H AT so wet a country as I reland should have s o great

a re ve re n c e for we lls is an ev ide n ce how e ar ly th
,
e p rimiti ve
an d composite races there came under the moral influence
o f oriental visitors and rulers who had kno w n in thei r ,
n ative lan ds the want o f rain the value of wells S o deep , .
was this respect that b y some the I rish were known as

,
the P e op le of Wells .
I n remote ages and realms worship has b een celebrated ,
at fou ntains o r wells They were dedicated to S aim i n

.
I n dia . Sopar soma was the fountain o f kno w ledge

-
.
O racles w ere delivered there B ut there were Cursing as .
well as B le s sing wells .
Wells w ere feminine an d the feminine principle was the

,
obj ect o f adoration there though the specifi c form thereo f ,
changed with the times and the faith I n Christian land s .
they w ere de dicated n aturally enough to the V irgin Mary

, , .
I t is how ever odd to fi nd a change adopted i n some

, ,
i nstances a fter the R e formation Thus according to a .

,
c lerical w riter in the Grap kic 1 8 7 5 a noted D erbys hire , ,
well had its an nual festiva l on A scensio n D ay when the ,
p lace was adorned with crosses p oles and arches A ll , , .
w as religiously done in honour o f the Trinity th e vicar ,
presiding Catholic localities still pre fer to decorate holy

.
w ells o n our L ady s A ssu mption D ay

’
.
I t was in vain that the Early Church the Medi aeval ,
C hurch and eve n the Protestant Church sought to put

, ,
down well w orship th e in he rita n c e of extreme antiquity

'
-
.
,
S trenuous e fforts were made b y Councils That o f R ouen .
i n the seventh century declared that o fle rin gs made there

'
i n the form of flowers branches rags & c were sacrifices, , , .

,
t o the devil Charlemagne issued i n 7 89 his decree

.
—
against it as did our E dgar and Canute .
A S Scotland caught the in fection by contact with I reland ,
i t was need ful for the Pres b yterian Church to restrain the
folly . This was done b y the Pres b ytery of D i n gw all in ,
1 6 56 though eve n wors e p ractice s w e re th

,
en c on d e m n e d x
Old [ris k Re ligion s .
as , the adoration of stones the pouring of m il k o n hills , ,
and the sacrifice of bul ls I n 162 8 the A sse m bly p ro .

,
hib it in g visits to Christ s wel l at Fal kirk on May m or n in gs

’
got a law passed sentencing o ffenders to a fi n e o f t w enty

pou nds S cot an d the exhibition i n sac kcloth fo r three
,
Sundays in church A nother act put the o ffen d e rs in

.
prison for a wee k on brea d and wate r .
M ahomet even cou ld not hinder the sanctity atta ched

to the well Zam z am at Mecca More ancient still was .
holy B eersheba the s e ven w e lls ,

.
Wales especially N orth Wales so long and i n ti mately

, ,
associated with I reland had many holy wells ; as St , .
Thecla s at L landegla and St Wini frede s o f F lin ts hire

’
,
.
’
H olywell St Madro n s well was use ful in testing the

. .
’
loyalty o f lovers S t B re w ard s well cured b ad eyes and

. .
’
received o fle rin gs in cash and pins St Cle e r s was good ’

'
. .
fo r nervous ailments and benefited the insane , The D ru i d .
magician Tregeagle is said still to haunt D oz m are Pool .
H e n w e n is the Old Lady Well The H indoo Ved as

“
.
proclaim that all heal ing power is i n the waters .
Hydromancy or divination by the appearance o f w ater in

,
a well is cherished to the present time One C h ristian

,
.
prayer runs thus
W ate r ,
w at e r, t e ll m e t ru ly,
I s the m an that I lov e du ly,
O n th e e arth o r u n de r the s od,
—
,
S ick or we ll ia the n am e of God .
I rish wells have b een re baptized an d there fore ret ai n -

,
their sanctity A stout resistance to their claims seems to

.
have been made awhile by the early missionaries sin ce St , .
Colum b a exorcised a demon from a well possessed by it .
They all however li ked to resort to wells for thei r pre ach
, ,
i ng s tation s I n one of the Liv e s of St P atric k it is

. .
,
mystical fishes A n old w riter says . do c al l th e ,

“
They
said fishes E as a S e a n t that is to say holie fishes In , , .
the charming p oem of D ia rm u id there is an accou n t o f the ,
K night o f the Fountain and the sacred silver cu p from ,
which the pilgrim dran k .
Giraldu s the \Ve ls hSeer beheld a man washin g pa rt of

, ,
his head in the pool at the top o f Slieve Gullion i n I reland , ,
w hen the pa rt im mediately tu rned grey the hair havin g ,
been blac k be fore The opposite e ffect would be a v i rtue

. .
Pro f R obertson S mith while admitting Well worship as

.
,
-
occurring with the most primitive o f peoples fi nds it con ,
n e c te d with agriculture w hen the aborigines had n o better
knowledge o f a Go d The source o f a spring said he is

.
,
, ,
“
honoured as a D ivine B e in g I had almost said a divine
animal “ ”
Such springs remarks R hys
.
“have in l ater ,
”
,
”
times been treated as H o ly Wells .
R iver worship as is well kno w n has been nearly uni

-
, ,
versal among r ude peoples and human sacrifice s not ,
uncommon ly follo w ed The river god o f Esthon ia some .
times a ppeared to the villagers as a little man with blue

and w hite stoc kings Streams l i ke wells are u nder the
-
.
, ,
care o f local deities Even our river Severn was ad ored .
in the time o f the R o m an occupation as we know by L atin ,
i nscriptions .
’
Wells varied in curative powers St Tegla s was good . .
fo r epilepsy R ic kety child ren benefit from a thrice

.
dipping Some by the motion o f the waters when some

.
,
thing is thro w n in will i nd icate the coming direction of

,
wind Some will cure blindness li ke that at R athlogan

.
, ,
while others will cause it except to some favoured mortals , .
O fferings m ust be made to the spirit in charge o f the

well and to the priestess acting as gu ardian I f i n any
, .
w ay connected with the person so much the better A , .
p i e c e of a garm ent , mon e y touched by th e h and o r e v en ,

We ll Wors kip . 2 43
a pin from clothes is s u fli c ie n t Pins should be dropped , .
o n a Saint s day if good luc k be sought A s H enderson s

’ ’
.
,
F olklore remarks The country girls imagine that the well

,
is in charge o f a fairy or spirit who must be propitiated , ,

”
by some o ffering Some w ell spirits as Peg O N e ll o f
.
-
,
’
the R ibble can be more than mischievous B esides the

,
.
dropping o f metal or the slaughter o f fo w ls a cure requires

, ,
perambulation sun w ise three times rou nd the w ell On

, , .
’
S ain ts day w ells are o ften dressed with flo w ers
“
.
O t w ay has asserted that no religious place in I reland

can be without a holy well B u t I rish wells are n ot the .
on ly ones favoured with presents o f pins an d rags for ,
S cotland as w ell as Corn w all and other parts o f England

—
, ,
retain the custom Mason n a mes some rag wells . A rd -
c l ines o f A ntrim E rre gall K e roge o f Tyrone D u ngiven

,
-
, ,
St B artholomew o f Water ford St B rigid o f Sligo

.
, . .
The spirits o f the wells m ay appear as frogs o r fish .
Gom m e w h o has written so w ell o n this subj ect re fers to

, ,
a couple o f trout from time immemorial i n the Tober , ,
o r w el l Kieran Meath O f tw o enchanted trout in the

, .
Gal w ay Pigeon H ole o n e was captured A s it im m e diately ,

.
g o t free from the m agic turning into a beauti ful young ,
la dy the fisher in fright pitc hed it bac k i n to the well

, , , .
O ther trout protected wells are recorded

-
Sal m on and .
eel s loo k a fter Tober Mon ac han the Kerry well o f B ally ,
m o re re igh Two blac k fish ta ke care o f Kilm o re well

. .
That at Kir km ichael of B an ff has on ly a fly in charge .
”
The point o f the legend is writes R obertson S mith , ,
that the sacred source is either inhabited by a de moniac

”
being o r imbued with de m oniac li fe
, I t is use ful in the .
,
event o f a storm n ear the coast to let o ff the water from a ,
well in to the sea This draining o ff was the practice o f the

.
I slanders o f I nn is M urray The A rran I slanders derive .
much com fort ro m cas tin g in to w ells hi n t h

‘
f - e a ds u s e d o fl
2 44 Old [ ris k Re lig ion s .
their fore fathers in w ar I n nis R e a has a holy wel l n ear

.
the A tlantic .
What was the age o f Well worship ? The P resid en t of -
the F ol klore Society who deems the original worsh ippers

,
N o n A ryan i e be fore Cel t s came to I reland iden tifies

-
, . .
,
the custom w ith the erection o f stone circles The scien tific
“
.
anthropologist General Pitt R ivers tells us

,
I t is im -
, ,
possible to believe that so S ingular a custom as this ,
i nvariably associat ed with cairns megalithic monu ments , ,
holy w ells or some such early Pagan institutions coul d

, ,
”
have arisen independently in all these cou n tries .
Enough has been said to S how as Wood M artin observes

“
-
, ,
that Water worship recommended by Senec a tolerated

-
, ,
by the Church i n times o f yore is a cult not yet gone out , .
’
B ut one has written The printer s blan ket som ehow
,
smothers miracles and small pica plays the very m ischie f

,
”
with san ctified wells .
H O LY BE LLS .
HE who has visited B urmah or R ussia will have no

doubt about the reverence fo r bells an d S pecial reveren ce ,
being paid to special bells There are fi xed bel ls an d .

,
portable bells the last being held i n the highest estimation .
Their special virtue lay in domin ion over the powers of

darkness D uly bapti z ed bells down to latter days have
.
, ,
been endowed with ability to disperse demo n s When the .
S wedes u n der Ch arles X I I de feated the R ussian s at .
N arva the courage o f the Muscovites was revived b y in

,
cess ant ringing o f bel ls throughout H oly R ussia to drive

, ,
devils from the sacred soil That superstition still prevails .
with the followers of Siva in I ndia .
B ap tiz e d b e lls pos se ss othe r p owers S t Teilo b rou ght . .

When he dro ve the demons into the sea at Croagh P atric k ,
Mayo he flung a fter them his bell It is not certain

, .
whether this was the B earn a n B rigkde or the D u kk du a ik -
O D on o v an explai n s the occasion A ccord ing to

’
s ea ck.
all the Lives o f the I rish apostle he remained fo r forty ,
days and forty nights on this lo fty mountain which was ,
the n in fested by malignant demons who oppo s ed his ,
progress in preaching the gospel in this dreary region ;

”
but whom he drove thence headlong into the sea This .
was e ffectually done by means o f his bell .
A nother account is that a bell was brought down fo r St .
Patric k by angels from heave n w hen a spri n g g ushed forth ,
at the place H e scared the demons away by it a ided by

.
,
blows and not by the mere ringi n g

,
.
The S hrines o f t hese cherished bells have always d rawn

for t h much admiration M iss Sto kes in her b eau ti ful
.
,
w o rk on E a rly Ckris tian A rt in [rela n d said Such covers , ,
or shri n es for bells seem to be u n known to any other

”
branch o f the Christian Church .
A mong other I rish bells may be men tioned on e with a

very handsome border This w as t w elve inches high n ine
.
,
broad and nine and a hal f deep There were the Clog
,
.
B ea n n a igktke the Clogdu kk the Cu m as e a ck Mac A n t ils of

, ,
the A rchbishop of A rmagh the D ou m ragk of F enagh the , ,
gapped bell o f St Cu lan n the golden bell of S t Sevan

.
, .
,
the bron ze o n e given b y St Patric k to the B i s hop of .
C lo ghir the magn ificent bron zed o n e w ith gold filagre e o f

,
exquisite wor kmanship an d the bells o f St R uadhan St

, .
, .
M ura St Mogue or Maidoc & c & c

, .
, ,
.
, .
The D ublin Museum has bells o f St Columba which .

,
had the same virtue as those of St Patric k i n the expulsion .
o f demons an d as the heathen B urmese still relate o f their

,
o wn h oly b e lls B ells were brought from R ome by St

. .
P a tri c k S t C olum b a an d S t M u n go or K e n t ig e ra of
, .
,
.
,
[ ris k Cross es . 2 47
Glasgow fame It is S ingular that in the ruins of Zim

.
b ahw e o f Mashona Land travellers have fou n d some

, ,
double iron bells N o bell has an y charming power u n til

.
duly consecrated by the priest of some faith .
I R I SH C R O SS E S .
W H O could the history o f the C ross ? It is the

w rite
most ancient and the most deeply reverenced of all religious
,
symbols To the men d w elling beside the N ile o r the

.
Euphrates to the inhabitants of I ndia to the East and of

,
Mex ico to the West to those soj ourners in Egypt be fore ,
the Great Pyrami d was built not less than to modern ,
Christians the Cros s w hatever may have been the meaning

, ,
attached to it in the ever changing systems of faith has

,
-
,
been a source o f won der o f mystery and o f com fort , ,

.
When the Christians assaulted the Osirian temple at

A lexandria and w ith destructive force entered its sacred
,
precincts they saw a huge cross occupying the marble

,
pavement Great too w as the surprise of the Span iards

.
, ,
to fin d the sa m e emblem in the temples o f ab origina l

A merica The Ta n or C ross meets one s vie w i n the ’
.
ornamental relics of many lands .
A ncient I relan d was no exception in the display o f

cruci form obj ects
“
.
The E din bu rgk R ev ie w o f 1 8 7 0 truly said I t appears ,
to have been the possession o f every people in antiquity ;

the elastic girdle so to spea k w hich embraced the most
, ,
w idely separated heathen communities

-
the most S ign ifi
cant to ken of a un iversal brotherhood I t can it adds .
, ,
be traced to the remotest antiquity and is still recogn i z ed ,
as a military and national badge o f disti n ct io n .
The R e v A H is lop in his Tw o

. .
u s e s m
-
,
“
that the cross w as know n to A dam I t is stra n ge that .
the chosen p e ople should have preserved no tradition of it ,
and that the only mention o f it in the O ld Testamen t ( E zek .
ix ) should be a mark o r ta n on the forehead o f i dolaters

.
,
as may be seen to this day in the bazaars o f I ndia .
B aring Gould thin ks

- it is more than a coinciden ce that
Osiris by the Cross S hould give li fe eternal to the s pirits
, ,
o f the j ust Is he not here con founding the archetypical

.
emblem w ith the a n titypical ?

Oliver the authority on F reemaso n ry ventures this con
, ,
n e c t io n bet w een Pagan and Christian crosses The system

o f salvation through the atonement o f a crucified Me diator
was the main pillar of F reemason ry ever S ince the F all ( l) .

”
Were this true Popes n eed not have excom mu n icated

,
the B rotherhood .
The S paniards saw the I ndians bo w ing to the cross in

w orship I t has been found on the breasts o f statuettes
.
from the I ndian cemetery o f J in galp a N icaragua o f , ,
un know n antiquity Tablets o f gypsum in Mexico bore

.
, ,
it in the form o f that cross adopte d by the K nights in

Mal ta The Peruvians and B abylonia n s had the M altese
.
cross The D ruids w ere said to have made their cross o f

.
the stem and two bran ches o f the oak .
—
The B u ddhist ta u or S w as tika is a cross havin g some
times a Calvary w ith bu ds and leaves The Tree o f
, .
I mmortality in the palace o f A ssyrian K ho rs ab ad forms

a cross Etruria and Pompei i exhibit the same symbol
. .
The R e v ie w e r o f 1 8 7 0 says O u r com monplace book,
contains nearly two hundred disti nct represe n tations o f

”
the Pre Christian Cross
-
.
Only in recent da ys have B ritish Protestants cared to

use the cross N ow it may be seen on and in Methodist
.
an d N oncon formist chapels I t was once thought distinctly .
Pap al in origin But Te rtu llian J . e rom e an d O rige n n oti fy

, , ,
I n is m u rray, Sligo overloo king the A tlantic le d him to

of , ,
s ay We have the elements of all or nearly all s p i rals , , ,
chevrons lozenges cups and dots c rosslets fol iage cable

, , , , , ,
wavy and other mouldings upon cinerary urns gol d en or , ,
bronze ornaments and i mplements and most nota b l y upo n ,
megalithic structu res associated with the prac t i ce of ,
cre m ation all o f which are beyond the range o f W e stern

,
”
history .
P re Christian crosses he identifies at D ow tha n d N e w

-
Grange upon the B oyne K n oc km an y o f Tyrone D eer , ,
Park o f F ermanagh Cloverhill o f Sligo Slieve ha Ca lliagh

, ,
- -
near Lough C rew o f Meath These are li ke the heathen .
inscriptions in Scotia Minor or Lesser I reland which we ,
know now as Scotland .
Tuath de D anaan crosses are associated with S n a kes

- -
,
and are not li kely to be Christian ones The Tuath ones .
resemble those o f B uddhist countries Th at at K illc u lle n .

,
county Kildare bears the fig u res o f n ine B uddhist pries ts in

,
oriental garb and even w ith a sort of E gyptian beard

— “
.
,
Keane o f R ound To wer story writes

, Gobban Saer ,
-
means the sacred past o r the Fre e m as on sage one of the , ,
Gu ab hre s or Cabiri such as you have seen him represented

,
on the Tu at ha de D anaan Cross o f Clonmacnoise

- -
”
The .
l atter was adorned w ith birds and other animals .
C lon macnoise was a sacred spot be fore Christian ity came .
I t is ten miles fro m A thlone in King s Co The N orth ,

’
.
Cross t hirteen feet high bears c arvi n gs of priests or

, ,
B rehons The South Cross twelve feet has some splendid

.
, ,
fi gures o f birds deer & c There are staves with bu nch es

, , .
,
o f leaves A dog appears among the animals

. That .
wou ld have n o meaning w ith a Christian cross bu t the ,
s acredness o f that friend o f man in Zend b oo ks class e s
that cross among those of oriental origin .
The human figure h as an e as t e rn loo k full y c lo thed ,

I ri s /z Cros s es . 25I
an d crow n ed It holds two sceptres crossed in the arms

.
,
w ith crosses at the top That Clon macnoise was a sacred

.
s pot is evidenced by the two remain ing R ound Towers
there I ts sanctity w as continued though in a Christian

.
,
chan n el B esides the cathed ral there are remains o f nine

.
,
churches The author of the R ou n d Tow e rs of I rela nd is

.
led to exclaim Within the narro w lim its of t w o I rish

,
acres we have condensed more religious ruins of a n tiquarian

,
val ue than are to be foun d perhaps in a similar space i n

, , ,
”
any other quarter o f the habitable w orl d .
That writer is disposed to see proo fs o f some connection

between the ancien t I rish faith and that o f the Z e n dave s ta
o f Cyrus R e ferri n g to the dog on those crosses he says
.
,
—
The personation o f a dog their invariable accom paniment ,
a s it is also foun d among the sculptures o f Persepolis and ,
—
i n ot her places in the East would i n itsel f be su fficien t to
fi x the heathen appropriation o f these crosses as that ,
a n imal can have n o possible relation to Christia n ity ; where
a s by the Tuath de D an aan s it was accounte d sacred and

, ,
i ts maintenance enj oined by the ordinances of the State .

”
B ud dhist crosses are w ell kno w n throughout the East .
The R e v Er n est Eitel o f Hong kon g describing on e on

.
, ,
A m itabha B uddha writes I t is exactly the same di agram

, ,
w hich you may have seen engraved on ancient church bells

i n E ngland and which learned antiquarians invariably
,
d eclare to be the ham mer o f Thor ( the Scandinavian god o f

Thun der) Perhaps also you remember to have heard
.
, ,
that am o ng the German peasantry an d in I reland this , ,
s ame figure is used as a magical charm to dispel thunder .
Well you turn to your frie n d ( Cki nes e )

, What is the .
‘
m eaning o f this ? H e in forms you that it is the mystic

’
S hibboleth of the believers in the Western Paradise an ,
A nyho w it had a di€fe t e v x

”
a ccumulation o f luc ky sig n s .
s ignificance to th at we n ow re c o n iz e in th e c ro s s
g .
O ld [ r zs k Re ligion s
'
a5 2
. .
One need not be alarmed at the discovery that n o t only ,
the C ross bu t the Crucifixion w as a sacred sym b o l m any

, ,
hun dreds of years be fore the birth o f Jesus Ye t in .

,
Christi an ity a di fferen t and more moral and elevat e d idea

,
became associated with the figure of a crucifix M ithras .

,
as the Su n is represented as crucified at the w inter

,
solstice Vishnu B ud dha and I ndra were also s aid to

.
, , , ,
have been crucifie d on the cross The Scandi n avia ns .
had a crucifi xion o f the sun ceremony on the sh o rtest

day .
I relan d li ke other lands had P re Christian c ru c ifix ions

, ,
-
.
The most remarkable o n e seen by us w as that at Gl enda

lough The Persian head dress a n d the ancient kilt were
.
-
, ,
observed with the oriental crown That character w as .
a fter w ards imitated in Christian times as some su ppose , ,
dow n to the twel fth century .
Clonmacnoise has the fi gure fully clothed and cro w ned .
The figures o f K n oc km oy Gal w ay and Cashel wear the

kilt o f the E ast A s has been remarked .
“The H in doo
, ,
Puranas corroborate to an iota this our K n oc km oy cruci

fixion That o f I ndia re fers to the d e ath of S u lio ahan a
.
”
upon the tree The K n oc km oy figure has the same sort of

.
philibeg or kilt as that worn by the arms extended D eity

, ,
-
in N ubia .
A nother peculiarity noticed in some o f the I rish Pre

Christian illustrations o f the Cruci fixion is the absence of
n ails ; the legs being bound with cords at the an kles .
Cords al s o pass round the chest and under the arms The
, , ,
.
arms are not fully outstretched but rather hang down w ard ,
.
A t Monasterboice the figure is bound by cords A s Keane .
observed Such a mode o f representing the crucifi xion

n ever could have occur red to the early I rish Ch ristian
mis s ionaries and bishops who are u n iversally allowed to ,
b e ve m ade th e S c ri pt ure s the ir c hie f s t u dy The crown .

2 54 ns
re -born at Christmas when rising toward t he n o rthern ,

”
sum mer lands .
Scotlan d peopled by the same race on its w es t e r n side

, , ,
as I relan d had the li ke veneration for ston e c ros se s

, .
D onald Clar k a Gaelic scholar derives I nvera ry from

“
, ,
”
the river A ray and A oradk (w orshipped ) Thi s p lace
“
.
,
says he is still called Crois an S /e n ckdte (kn ee li n g cross)

,
- -
,
because the pilgrims on arriving there w ere won t t o knee l

i n prayer B e fore however they arrived here t hey had
.
, , ,
to ford the river A ray at a point where the cross c a me in

sight and in sight of the cross they aoradk (wors hi pped)
, ,
and the stream w as from this association called n isgz

a om dk (w ater o f w orship ) not si mply aoradk ,
O n e cross o f Kintyre is ma de o f fou r round bosses with ,
a fi fth in the centre A t Keills o f Kintyre th e c r o ss is .

, ,
highly sculptured A wi n ged figure appears i n the top .
compartmen t and the centre is circular with three bosses

, ,
i nsi de su rrounded by four dogs Captain Wh ite fi nds

“
.
,
the co n ical o r pyramidal w eather cope on so m a n y of -
the I rish crosses is co n spicuously absent in the Scottish

examples ” “
H e observed ho w ever that the pri m itive
.
, ,
ki n d o f four holed cross met with in K n apdale (K i ntyre) is

-
,
com mon to Wal e s Cornwall Cumberland and other western

, , ,
”
districts .
H is remar ks o n serpent crosses are as follows Th e
representations o f serpents so prevalent in the on e set of ,
scu lptu res are almost un known to the other tho ugh ,
o n the eastern pillar sha fts they so frequently appear -

I .
can not recall a single i n stance o f a serpent deli neated on

a West H ighland ecclesiastical carvi n g i n the main la n d dis
t ric ts I have traversed ; it appears however on a cross , ,
”
in Islay and on one in I ona
,
The open wheel so p re va .
,
lent in I reland occurs accord ing to Capt ai n White b ut

, , ,
th ri c e in S c otlan d .
[ ris k Cross e s . 2 55
Eugene H u cher in L A rt Gau lois has some remarkable

,
’
,
i llustrations o f the cross amo n g a kin dred people to the

I ri s h across the Channel I t i s t here associated w ith the .
pig lion serpent eagle winged horse bird chariot pig

, , , , , , ,
u d n er a horse fleur de -lis &c ,

The Gaulish coins have
-
, .
the cross frequently impressed on them .
Some I rish crosses are distingu ished by the B uddhist

symbol in al l sorts o f positions The Trip le To n of I ndia .
’
i s equally mani fest The Thor s h am mer cross is very
.
-
com mon among other Pre Christian crosses F os b ro ke -

.
a ffirms that there are t w en ty tw o i nstances o f the cross o n -
O gham stones bu t none on the fifty th ree inscribed stones

“
-
,
i n R ath chambers I t is his O pin ion that stone crosses

.
o w e their origin to mar king D ruid stones with crosses ,
i n order to change the worship without brea ki n g the

prej ud ice .
The I rish c ross within a c ircle has been seen n ot only i n

the far E ast but in the I ndian M ou nds of Ohio The
, .
D ru id s C ross is fully ac kno w ledged in the Tw o B abylons

’
o f the R e v A H islop . The form of the Philisti n e D agon

. .
i s detected i n the sculptured mermaid on Meath s cross ’
a n d at Clon tar f cathedral ; w here the fis hwoman has a -
for ked tail The To n mentioned in E z e k ix 4 is declared

.
, . .
,
b y S t J erome to have been a cross

. .
The base o f the cross at Kells C o Meath has the ,

.
,
figure o f a c en taur with the trident another cen tau r behin d

‘
a rmed with a bow and arrow s birds fishes an d a sacred , , ,
hare The sandstone cross o f A rboe by Lough N eagh

.
, ,
2 0 feet high is cov ered w ith men and horses trees and
, ,
serpents That of Mo n asterboice 2 3 feet i n height has

.
, ,
fi gures on the panels B rash has interesting recor ds o f the

.
scu lptured crosses o f I reland H e describes those o f Kil .
ken ny an d Clonmel o f sandstone hav in g in th ,

e c e n t re Q t ,
one coil e d arou n d the b os s four s e rp e n t s O n the Q n u ek Q ‘

, ,
.
a “
9 ; of
-3 r
t a ee
g . . e w es t e rn .
am o n g t he
t as t e d ro un d
'
.
z zzs a
“ c ros s es
C e n t ralof
g g :
rxi fa r m of : re a r : s : : e x zs t zn g : r c rn w a l a n d I re land
-
"
e
. . .
A fi t A n dre s-s cr o s s th e a n c ien t H o ly C a ke s of

'
E gyp t A B ud dhi s t go d b ore t he c ros s an d tride n t in h

. is
han d T he E m pe ro r D ecius had the cros s o n coins S om e
. .
“
o f th e e a r ly Fathers w ere led to c al i the old hea t he n cross
I i n ve n ti o n o f t he d e vil.
Th e c ros s of Finglas h as a rom an t i c h is to ry I t was .

a great assem b ly being held there 9 2 ! B C D r Petrie the . .

, .
,
eminent antiqua ry is d isposed to regard the place as

,
existing only bet ween 200 and 3 00 years a fter Ch rist .
The high civilization at Tara has be e n a favou rite

s ubj ect fo r B ards The old lady guide at Tara tol d us
.
that on ly gold and silver vessels were used at the banquets .
D r Ledwich la ughs at the yarns about its twenty seven

.
-
kitchens and its amazing bill o f daily fare

,
H e assures us .
that the story o f Tara rests only upon the fragment o f a

fragmen t in the Seabright collection that had nei ther t h e ,
name o f its author nor a date The earliest R om is h .
ecclesiastics an d medi e val writers knew nothing o f early

, ,
I rish culture or w ealth .
We must re fer to the works o f D r Petrie fo r a descriptio n .
o f the se v eral halls mou nds raths cairns and tombs still
, , , ,
to be traced with d istin guished appellations con n ected

,
with heroes and prophets o f old The Fe is o r I rish Parlia .

,
ments w ere wont to meet in the s o styled B an queti n g

,
-
H all A n ancient Celtic bard had this accou nt o f the

.
grave o f the Queen that came from Spa in

Te phi w a s he r n am e S he e xc e lle d all v irgin s
XV re t c he d fo r him w ho had to e n to m b he r .
S ixty fe e t of c orre c t m e as ure m e n t

W e re m arke d as a s e p u lc hre to e ns hrin e he r .
The Tara stone or the D alla n Stone o f D estiny re ferred

, , ,
to by writers o f the tenth century is declared by D r , .
Petrie to be the cylind rical obelis k still seen six feet o ut

o f the ground with other s o ca lle d D rui dical mon u ment s
,
-
.
The t o u rist is sho w n the spot where Lu c ad the D ruid w as

b u rned in the house from w hich B e n en St Patric k s
, , .
’
disciple had escape d The story as tol d in Latin by

, .
,
Mac c u t he n ius contains one o f the traditions con nected

,
with the reputed li fe o f I reland s apostle and illustrates

'
th e con test at Tara between the Sain t and the D ru ids

Tke S acre d Ta re H ill .
A ll these things being done in the sight the Ki ng of
bet w een the magicians and Patric k the King says to them , ,
Cast you r boo ks into the water and him whose boo ks ,
’
shall escape uninj u red we will adore Patric k ans w ered I .
,
A n d the magician said I am u n w illing to

’
w il l do s o .
,
‘
come to the trial by water w ith that man because he has ,
w ater as his go d (alluding to baptism ) The contest w as .
t o be settled there fore by fi re

, A house was constructed ,
.
o f boughs hal f green and hal f dry

, The magicia n went .
i nto the green part and Benin into the dry The fire came
, .
and cons u med the green with the D ruid but the Christian , ,
w a s n o t hurt .
Other stories connected with the pr e acher at Tara are

n arrated elsewhere in the present work and relate to a ,
period subsequent to the institution o f the Ollamh F odhla

college at Tara B u t the modern school o f A nglo I s rael
.
-
attach other ideas to that ancient seat of sanctity Heber .
o f the bards is t o them H ebre w Tara is n amed from Terah . .
J eremiah fled thither a fter the siege o f Jerusalem carryi ng ,
away the treas u res of the temple as the ark the sceptre o f , ,
D avid the U rim and Thum m im and others

,
Some persons , .
at this day a ffect to believe that in the H ill o f Tara might

yet be found these m e morials o f J u dais m and hope to ,
recover thence D av i d s harp carrie d to I reland by J ere ’
m iah an d the Pri n cess Scota daughter o f Pharaoh , .
The R e v F R A Glover M A has n o doubt about its

“
. . . . .
, .
,
possession o f the sacred stone ; saying The Foun dation ,
Pillar w hich the Je w s re garded for six hun dred years w ith
ven e ration as J acob s Pillo w in their temple on A rau n ahs
,
’
,
’
thr e shing floo r and w hich being lost in the destruction o f

-
, ,
their sanctuary B C 588 has ap p eared in I reland as the

,
. .
,
precious L ing P ka il brought thither by Hebre w men in a

,
ship o f D an e ir 584 , . .
The sa m e authori ty e ls ewhe re adv an ce s the

of
'
I n I rel and i n the royal precincts

,
Tara a r B C 58 2 3 , . . .
-
,
th e re w as a H ebre w system and transplanted J e r u sale m ,
s e t up in a sort o f abeyance i n sanctuary actual o p e rative , ,
but un kno w n real b ut fo r some wise p u rpose ke p t out of

,
s ight ; a throne set up by a H ebre w prophet ( J e r e m iah)

”
reset in sanctuary Some pious friends o f the A n gl o I srael
.
-
movement have desi red a d igging search over Tar a n ow a ,
w ilderness region to discover the m issing treas u re s from

,
Sol omon s temple ’

.
The romance co nnected w ith Tara we thus p ercei v e still

blossomin g at the end o f the n ineteenth century I t b egan .
w ith heathen s w as d i s co u rse d on by Catholics is revere nce d

, ,
by Protestant s W c still dream and sing of The harp

'
t hat once through Tara s halls ”

’
.
The R ath o n the slope bet w een the hill o f Tara an d the ,
river B oyne o n the w e s t w as the site o f the bu rial o f the

,
heroes o f t he B attl e o f Gavra The grave o f Osca r is sti ll .
shown .
\Ve b urie d O s c ar of the re d arm s

O n the n orths ide of t h e gre at Gav ra .
The palace o f Te am air or Tara w as held by the T u at ha , , .
The chie f col lege o f the D r u ids was at Tara There w as .
held the national convention o f the Te am o rian F e s It .
w as associated w ith the marriage sports o f the Ta ilt e an .
The foundation is attributed t o the wise O lla m F odhla .
O H art igan o f the te n th century the author o f the B ook

’
, ,
of B u lb m ote/spo ke o f i t
,
F air w as its m an y-s ide d tow e r,

W he re as s e m ble d he roe s fam e d in s tory
M an y w e re the trib e s to w hic hit w as in he ritan c e ,
Th oughde c ay le n t a gre e n gras s y lan d
”
.
H e sang its praises under Cormac O Cus in n whe n it was ’
a fortre s s ; when at b an q uets three hu n d red c u -b e arers

, p ,
pee le d rods Jacob & c &

of c testi fying to t he,g lo ry o f .
,
.
,
Tara The old Patriarchal religion o f C haldze a w as one

.
wit hthe ancient faith o f E rin .
L astly a n d not to be forgotten the a s so c iati o n o f th

, e ,
H oly Stone w ith Tara signifies the place a b ov e a ll in so me

persons esti m ation D r Petrie discourses e l o q u ently
’
. .
upo n the B od Tkea rgka is which bears howe v e r a s u rpris , , ,
ing phallic signi fication I t is says he an i n t e resti ng .

, ,
fact that a large obelis c al pillar stone i n a p rostrate ,
position occupied until a recent period the very s i t u ation

, , ,
o n the H ill o f Tara poin ted out as the place o f t h

, e Lia
F ail by the I rish writers o f the te n th eleventh a n d t w el fth , ,
c e nt u ries ; and that this was a m onu m e nt o f p ag a n anti

q u ity an ,
I dol Stone as the I rish writers call
, it wi l l see m ,
”
evident from its form and character .
Tara there fore occ upies no mean position in the history

, ,
o f religion in I reland .
H OW I H H I LL overloo king D ub hlin n or D ub li n B ay

’ ‘
, ,
not far from E bla n a D ublin and risin g 57 8 feet abov e the
, ,
w ater w as a hallowed spot long be fore S t Patric k w as at

, .
Tara I t was the B e n E di r o r B da i r o f the F en ia ns and

.
,
so called from its oa ks The D anes destroyed its H alls in .
8 19 . The B ook of H aw i k chron icles e v ents fro m 4 3 2 to

1 3 70 The D anish word H ow e tk is from H ov e d a head
.
, .
Ptolemy s E dras became E da r A F enian poem runs

’
.
thus
H ow swe e t from p roud B e n E dir s h e ight

’
To s e e the oc e an roll in s ight ;

An d fl e e t s , s w ift b oun din g on t he gale ,
W ithw arriors c lothe d in s hin in g m ail .
M os t b e au te ou s hill, aroun d w hos e he ad

T e n th ou s an d s e a b irds p in ion s s p re ad
- ’
May j oy thy lord s true b os om thrill,

’
Ch ief of th e Fe n ian s h appy h

”
’
ill .
Rou n d Towe r Cree d . 2 63
I re la n d Ey e , a little isle north o f H owth harbour is ,
a lso associated w ith early religious history I t w as the .
I n is N es s a n from St Mac N e s s an o f the R oyal fam ily o f

, .
,
L einster w h o ,
i n the sixth century had his oratory at
, ,
[n is E re a n as then it was called

,
The w ord Ey e is from .
the D anish Ey I sland There it was that the holy man

, .
w a s assailed as the story goes by the formidable chie f o f

, ,
hel l w ho sought t o terri fy hi m by his gigantic and terrible

,
form . The Saint excited threw his boo k at the fiend

, , ,
driving him agai nst a roc k w hich S plitting O pen received , ,
him w ith in itsel f .
The A bbey o f Howth w as erected in 1 2 3 5 F in Mac .
C ou l s Quoi t a stone o f many tons w eight is now seen

’
, ,
covering a cromle ch upon w hich these verses were written

,
b y -S F erguson Q C
. recording the burial o f the fai r
, . .
,
F en ian A ideen,
Th ey h e w e d th e s ton e they h e ap e d the c airn

‘
S aid O s s ian , I n a q ue e n ly grav e
W e le av e he r m on g he r e lds of fe rn,
’
fi
B e tw e e n the c liff an d w av e ’
.
The C liff b e hin d s tan ds cle ar an d b are ,

An d b are abov e , the he athe ry s t e e p
S c ale s the blu e he av e n s e xp an s e to w he re
’
Th e D an aan D ru ids s le e p .
An d he re hard b y he r n atal b owe r,

O n lon e B e n Adair s s ide w e s t riv e
’
W ithlifte d roc k ,
an d s ign s of p ow e r,
To ke e p he r n am e aliv e .
That w hile from c irc lin g ye ar t o ye ar,

The ogham le tte r d s ton e is s e e n ,
’
The Gae l s hall s ay, O ur F e n ian s he re

E n tom b e d the ir lov e d
R O U N D TO W E R C R E E D .
W I T H O U T entering upon a description o f the s e an c i e n t

‘
a nd grace ful archite ctur al ob j e ct s it m ay p r g y
o e n o e
,
as ked ,
“
D
O they throw any light upon the ques t i o n of
”
religion in I reland ?
The fi rst inquiry will b e as to their age I f as some .
,
authorities declare they date from Christian ti m e s they , ,
may be regarded as silen t so far as prior heathen is m is ,
concerned I f however as others co ntend their s t ru cture

.
, , ,
and arrangements indicate a peri o d O f greater a n ti qu ity ,
they may tell a tale o f pagan symbolism .
A s writers o f the twel fth centu ry assu re us that th e re

were then no stone churches i n I reland these bu il dings ,
must if Christian have been raised since the N o rman

, ,
conquest o f that I sland A n d yet as M arcus K ea n e ln .

,
forms u s more than eighty o f the supposed sites o f

towers are associated with the names o f fi fth a n d si xth
century Saints or o f heathen d ivinities , .
O ne has a ffirmed that a celebrated tower was bu i l t by

“
the devil in one n ight To this Latoc n aye says I f the .
, ,
devil built it he is a good mason ,

Others may s til l a s k .
,
”
Who erected the rest ? While o v er a hund red are
known to us n ow their nu mber must have been m uch ,
greater formerly if as that ancien t chronicle t he Uls te r

, , ,
A n n als declares 7 5 fell i n the great I rish earthqu a ke

, ,
of 44 8 .
We have been told that they were fire towers bel fries -
, ,
watch towers granaries sepu lchres forts hermit dwelli ngs

-
, , , , ,
purgatorial pillars phal lic objects of worship astron om ical

, ,
marks depositories o f B uddhist relics B aal fire p laces

, ,
-
,
observatories sanctuaries o f the sacred fire F reem ason

, ,
lodges & c & c They were Pagan and Christian built

,
.
,
.
,
long be fore Christ o r a thousand years a fter , .
A s sho w in g the diversity o f O pin ion we place be fore the ,
—
reader some o f the views especially where they bear upon ,
the subj ect o f I rish religion .
M os t Chris t ian w rite rs of the \ s\an d ic alon s alike for ,

I t is obvious enough as has been pointed o u t t h at St , , .
Patric k and his fol lowers almost i nvariably sele c ted t he

sacred sites o f paganism and built their wood en c h u rches ,
under the shadow o f the R ou nd To wers tke n as m ys terio us ,
”
and inscrutable as they are to day -
.
M rs S C H all noting the carvings on the D e v enis h

. . .
,
To wer w rites Some o f the ad v o c ates o f the C h ri stia n

, ,
theory o n lo o king at these carvings and at those o f Cor

, ,
mac s Cha p e l in Cashel and on the corbel ston es in the

’
interior o f the A rd more To w er would argue a Ch ristian ,
period o f erection We con fess we can not see the m in the .
”
same light .
The anchorite theory was mentioned by the R e v .
Thomas H armer in 1 7 8 9 H e saw a parallel in the her

“ , .
mitage o f St Sabba ; saying The hei ght o f t he d o or of

.
,
the To wer belonging to St Sabba is a circu mstan c e in .
which it appears to agree with the Scotch a n d I rish

To w ers A bel l on the top served as a warn ing o f the
.
approach o f foes to the hermits Some saw the m as .
serving to sustain s uch sel f martyrs as S imon Styl ites -

.
Wright the antiquary O bserved Some will have t he m

, , ,
to have been watch towers o r beacons but their low situ -
ation seems rather to argue against it Others are of .
O pi nion that they are pu rgatorial pillars by which the ,
penitent w as elev ated accordi ng to his crime by a l adder , , ,
”
to fast and pray and so pu rge aw av his sins They are
, .
”
certainly not bel fries says H i ggi ns ; and the fire tower ,
-
scheme being gone I have not heard anything suggested ,
having the slightest degree o f pro b ability To B ede they .
were an en igma .
H O B rie n on the R ou n d Tow e rs held that they were

.
’
, ,
built by the Tuath de D an aan s and were specifically con ,
structed for a two fold purpose o f worshipping the S un and

M oon as the authors of ge ne rat ion an d v e ge tabl e h e at
,
.
Rou n d Towe r Cree d . 26 7
A gai n “
— I dodeny that the R ou nd Towers o f I reland
were fi re receptacles — but
( )
“ i n honou r o f that sancti f
,
”
ying
pr inc iple o f nature em anating as was s upposed from the
, , ,
S un u nder the denomination o f S o ] Ph oe bus A pollo

, , , ,
A ba d o r B udh & c ; and from the M oon u n der the

, .
,
epithets O f Luna D iana J uno A starte V e n us B abia or

, , , , ,
”
B ats e e , & c .
M iss Sto kes thought it was absu rd to s ay as the early ,
Welsh historian did that I reland had no stone buildings ,
be fore the eleven th century and she maintained that the ,
towers w ere o f the tenth century being hal f strongholds , ,
hal f bel fries H er opin ion is that I rish art is n ot from

.
G reece but o f purely native gro wth

,
Ma ny I rish tradi .
tions point to their D an ish origin S t B ernard wrote that . .
the A rchbishop of A rmagh fi rst b uilt a stone house and ,
was blamed for it by his I rish floc k .
That they had great antiquity m ight be conj ectured

from the fact that the great battle between Tuaths an d
,
F irb o lgs was kno w n as the F ield of i ke Tow e rs Petrie .
found the tradition o f their structure by Goban Saer the ,
poet or mason a myth o f very O lden date

, , .
D udley s Sy m bolis m dilates on their geometric form and

’
phallic characteristic s A MS says that “ the use to . .
which our antie n t I rish put these to wers w as to im prison

”
pen ite nts F orl ong deemed them pha llic ; and B ishop
.
R othe 1647 memorials o f conquest Kenric ks thought ’

.
, ,
o f their Ph oe nician origin is combated on the groun d o f
there being none li ke them in Palestine .
I n 1605 a work appeared with this titl e D e a n t iqu ita te

, ,
Tu rru m B ela n oru m P ag a na K e rrie n s i, e t de a rekite ctu ra n on

”
carn a n ilis
p and E ccles ias tiea,
containing m any e n r a
g v
ings o f R ound Towers A n author o f L ouvain 1 6 10 .

, ,
esteemed them says H argrave Jennings the R os ic rn c ia n

“ , , ,
heathen Li thoi or Ob e lis ks in the s e n s e o i a\\ th e s e

,
.
268 O ld [ris k Re lig ion s .
r e ferred to in other pa rts o f the w orld ( p kalli ) The y .
w ere raised in the early religions as the obj ects o f a ,
u n i v ersal w orship .
T he popular i dea in I reland that they were erecte d b y ,
the D anes is met w ith the di fficulty that there are non e
,
such i n D e n mar k or in E ngland , .
S ir Thom as M olyneu x declare d them be l fries One .
S mith 17 50 sup p ose d their date bet w e en 900 a n d 1000

, , .
A n I rish M S cal le d them [n elu s ori a fo r the i mprison ment

.
,
o f cr i minals Go v e rnor Po w n al l gave them a n A r kite

.
origi n another a Pictish a third as the w ork o f Scythian

, ,
Sab aeans B rereton o f the Society o f A ntiquaries sai d in

.
, , ,
1 7 63 thin k them rather a ncien t I rish than either

Pictish or D anish .
The To w ers must not be con foun de d with the B rochs o r

Pictish houses o f Caithness & c w hich were forts w ith the , .
,
residence bet w een t w o circular walls nor w ith the s o called -
vitrifie d fo rts know n in Scotlan d an d O f great antiqu ity

, , .
B u t they may be li kene d to the N u rkagks or Gian ts

'
To w ers O f Sardinia Gozo I slan d B alearic I sles & c , , ,

.
,
though these to w ers are much more com plicated i n st ru e

ture a n d rather conical Li ke our To w ers they are splen di d
,
.
,
specimens o f mason ry
The N u rhaghs are nu merou s —e ven thousan ds remain ing
.
A s round towers they slope in w ard about ten degrees

, .
They are s een from 20 to 14 0 feet i n diameter having a ,
spiral staircase At Gozo one w ith a diameter o f 100 feet

.
, , ,
has o n e chamber 8 0 feet by 50 F ergusson architectural .

,
scholar declares them pre R oman in age H e thin ks they

,
-
.
did not gro w o u t O f D olmen nor D ol men out O f the m ,

.
The w ord N u r mean s fire ; but if fire temples w hy so ,

-
,
many o f them A s fe w b od ies are ever fou n d i n them they ,
coul d n ot have been to m b s O li v er considered the N u rhaghs

.
we re gra narie s i n t im e o f p e ac e b u t fo rt re s s e s in w ar ,
.
The Ckou ckas o f N orth A frica are in grou ps from 7 feet ,
t o 40 feet diameter o f regular masonry

, The to w ers of .
E tr u ria li ke those o f I reland had several stories

, , L u cia n .
wrote o f a priapus near H ie ro p olis three hu ndred cubits

high .
A li keness to the Topes o f B hilsa or the lo fty B ud dhist ,
Stupas had many advocates Yet F ergusson asserts th at

,
.
no stone build ing o f I ndia was existing 2 50 B C ; and . .
Cun ningham dates the Topes n o earlier Masson a ssu res .
us that tu muli invariably accompany Topes Chinese towers .
h ave n ine stories I n Persia P ul war valley is a stone

.
, ,
tower 40 feet high with a door 1 5 feet high cons i d ered

, ,
by Morier a fire temple U nder o n e st upa were fo u nd

-
.
t w o stone ve ssels con tain ing bones pearls an d gold , ,
lea f ; u nder another a sacred box A Sarnat h stu pa is

, .
recorded by H w en Ths an g to have been 3 00 feet i n height .
King A so ka s pillar 7 0 feet was erected three hu n dred

’
, ,
years be fore Christ .
Marcus Keane w rote nearly thirty years ago his Tow e rs

a n d Te mp les o f A n ci e n t [re la n d H e held that the oriental
.
C u thit e s raised them as giants built the To w er o f B abel

, ,
and that long be fore the Celts came to Erin ; that the
I rish were then a cultured people as St Patric k is said to , .
have b u rnt 1 8 0 volu mes o f their literature ; that the S aints

identi fied with O ld churches were heathenish ; that St .
D iu l o r S t D euil w as D ia B aal the god B aal

.
, that stone
,
crosses existe d t here be fore Christianity that St Kevin s .

’
bed had a mystic and pagan meaning ; that the Gobban

S aer said by I rish tradition to be the Tower builder was
,
-
,
none other than the grand master o f the Cu thite mason s & c
-
, .
B u t his great contention was th at the R ound Towers

were designed to exhibit the male producti v e principle and , ,
indirectly the pro ductive power o f the sun H e fancied

,
.
th a t th e dis p u t e wh ichle d t o the dis p e rs ion at the Tower

Roun d Towe r Cre ed . 27 1
of B abel was none other than the rival ry between the

b elievers in the F atke r P ri n cip le and those a dopting the
M otke r P rin ciple H e declared that the Cu thite s o r S c otis
.
w ere upholders o f the fi rst and that being de feated by the , ,
o ther party they emigrated to I reland and raised the

, ,
to w ers as monuments o f their faith .
The Magian or F ire theo ry associated also w ith sun ,
w orship had advocates i n Weld O Co n o r B ethan Webb

’
, , , , ,
M oore L an igan & c

, , .
D r Lanigan found buildings in I ndia w ith an interior

“
.
”
l i ke th a t o f I rish Towers Those temples says he were
.
, ,
usually round and some o f them w ere raised t o a great

,
height The lower part of an I rish R ou nd Tower might

.
have answered very well fo r a temple ; that is a place in ,
which was an altar o n w hich the sacred fi re w as preserved

, ,
while the mi ddle floors co u ld have served as habitations

fo r the persons employed in watching it The highest part .
o f the tower was an O bserv atory intende d fo r celestial ,
observations as I thi n k evidently appears from the four

,
”
w indo w s being placed o p posite to the four car dinal points .
F in ding most doors facing the west he is the more c o n ,
fi rme d in the fire w orship theory as Mag ians always

-
,
advanced from the west si de to w o rship the fi re .
We are reminded o f the words o f D iodorus S ic u lus that ,
an Isle opposite Gaul and nearly as large as Sicily had

, ,
temples o f a rou n d f orm dedicated to the s u n in w hich , ,
priests w ith harps sang praises to their god The P s alte r .
o f C a s ke l distinctly spea ks o f the preservation o f their

sacre d fi re .
D r O B re n n an who thought they w ere raised by the

’
.
,
Tuaths recognized the fire worship o f the Gade lian s i n

,
-
I reland and the use o f the to wers fo r that pu rpose

,
.
Though kno wn o f O ld as B ell kous es he O bserves Tha t -

,
these towers m ight have b ee n in aft e r ti rn e s u s e d a s h e\\

, ,
hous e s is another question

,
M iss B eau fort s ays Th e
.
object fo r w hich the to w ers w ere built is distinctly m en tioned

in the ancient history called the P s alte r of Cas ke l an d that
, ,
o f Ta ra to be for the preservation o f the sacred fi res of

,
B aal the B aal Theine

,
Elsewhere she writes
-
. Th e ,
D ruidi c temples O f V e s t a in which were kept the sacred or ,
eterna l fi re w e re called Tla ckg s or temples of Cy b el e bei ng

, , ,
o f the sa m e construc t ion with the Py ra tke a o f the ancie nt

”
Persians .
VVin de le thus expresses his vi ews Their I ris h n ame s ,
—
Tu r agkan or a dkan F e idk n e im kedk and Cile ag k are of ,
-
,
them s el v e s co n cl u s ive as to t heir pagan origin an d an n oun ce ,
at once a fane devoted t o th at form o f religion com pou nde d ,
o f S ab ze is m or star worship and B uddhism o f wh ich th

-
e .
”
sun represented by fi re w as the principal deity
, , .
B uddhism is here a sort o f sun worship and n ot a fte r -

,
the teaching o f the Founder H owever pu re the sen ti men ts .
originally taught and n ow pro fessed i n E soteric B u d dhis m

,
and Theosophy all travellers admi t that ancien t paga n

,
i deas have come through to the sur face O f B uddhis m and ,
largely represent idolatrous action Yet they w ho recognize .

,
i n the I rish To w ers the former presence o f B u ddhist

m issionari e s fancy the buil dings m ight have con tain ed the
,
c
relics o f B udh H O B rie n regards the Sacred T ree of

. .
’
B u dh to have been primarily a lingam and secon darily ,
a tree H e reads i n the I rish B udk gay a an allusi on to

.
-
generativeness F orlo n g loo ks upon the tower as a d e posit

.
for lingam articles in secret recesses .
A n na Wil kes in [rela n d Ur of tke Ckaldees writes , ,
There can be no do ubt the Towers in the interior of

H indostan bear more than a stri king li keness to those
remaining in I reland These resemblances are to be foun d .
i n such great quantities in the latter place that it is im ,
p oss i ble b u t t o b e lie ve t hat I rel an d was the centre fro m

2 74 Old [ ris k Re lig ions .
phallic o rigi n is given by H O B rie n and S ir W B e t ha m

’ ‘
. .
a cemete ry memorial by VVe s t rop p a baptiste ry by C a n on

,
S mi ddy ; a hermitage by D ean R ichardson and E K i n g ;

,
.
and a penitentia ry by S ir R Colt H oare Who c an d eci de

, . .
w hen such authorities disagree ?
O SSI AN TH E B AR D .
A W I L D storm controversy once raged when Ma c p he r

of ,
s on put fo rth a wor k purporting to be a collection o f O ld
,
“
Gaelic songs under the n ame o f the Poems o f Ossian ,
wh o was the last o f the F en ian Chie fs and w ho as , ,
reporte d o n his return t o I relan d a fter his enchan t m ent

, ,
failed t o yiel d his paganism t o S t Patric k s appeals

’
. .
While generally con demne d as the inventor o f the l ays ,
the charms o f which enthralle d even Byron and Goethe ,
he must surely have been a poet o f great merit if they ,
w ere o f his o w n composition B u t if they were rem ain s

.
o f ancient trad itions carri e d do w n by word o f mouth

, ,
M acpherson might at least be cre dite d w ith weaving them

into more o r less con nected narratives .
There has bee n m uch debate as to the possibility of

such ru de people as in E rin an d o n the opposite shore o f
,
N orth B ritain having so retentive a memory w ith the

, ,
ability t o transmit i deas at once beauti ful a n d refi ne d in ,
la n guage o f imagi nation a n d taste B ut as with the

.
,
E dda and the fol klore o f other semi barbarous n ations

,
-
,
fact s prove the reality o f extraordina ry memory I t is .
n o t generally known that many Je w s could repeat faith
fully the whole o f their sacre d scriptures .
The history o f the poems is interesting The R e v . .
John H ome the author o f D ouglas a n d other publication s

, ,
fo un d a Tutor w ith tr an s cr ip ts ta ken down fro m O ld

O s s ia n tke Ba rd. 275
northern people which were sent o n to Pro fessor H ugh

,
B la ir M acpherson was requested t o tra n slate some o f

.
them a n d these were published by B la ir in 1 7 60 Search

, .
was then made for similar tra ditions by Macpherson hi m

sel f who found in Lord B ute a patron fo r the publ ishin g
,
o f F i ng al in 1 7 6 2 D r Johnson the hater o f all that was

. .
,
Scotch furiously attac ked the boo k

, .
In D r Lo u n ro s t publishe d . verses rescued

from memory The 1 8 6 2 e dition o f the D ean o f Lismore s ’
.
b oo k gives i n the appen dix a long poem ta ken do w n

, ,
from the mouth o f an o ld w oman a s late as 1 8 56 S ir .
Walter Scott collected many Scotch balla ds in the same

w ay .The story o f Grain n e and D iarmuid has been long
kno w n in the cabins o f I relan d Fenian poems have be en .
circu lating fo r ages among the peasantry o f I relan d a n d

Scotlan d I n 1 7 8 5 F ord H ill publishe d an ancient E rse
.
,
poem collecte d among the Scottish H ighlan ds to illustrate

, ,
M acpherson s Os s ia n ’
“
.
I n Gillie s s H is tory of Gree ce we are tol d that the

’
scattere d fragments o f Grecian H istory were preserved

”
du ri ng thirteen centuries by oral tra dition B ar ds did .
the same service fo r R oman history till the secon d century

”
be fore Christ The D s cku ng a riade o f the Calmuc ks the
“
.
,
learne d Heeren writes is sai d to surpass the poems 0 ,
H omer in length as much as it stan ds beneath them in ,
m e rit ; and yet it exists on ly in the memory o f a people

which is n o t u nacquainte d with writin g B u t the songs .
o f a nation are probably the last things which are c o m
m it t e d to writing fo r the very reason that they are ,

”
remembered
“
.
D r Garnett in his Tou r i n S cotla n d 1 7 9 8 says

.
,
It , , ,
seem s t o me wonder fu l that any person w ho has travelled

in the H ighlan ds shou ld doubt the authenticity o f the
Celtic p oetry which has b e e n giv e n t o the E n gfix
,
s
‘
n t e e n s t
-
by M acpherson H e spea ks o f the Macnab bei ng n

.
“
i
possession o f a MS con tain ing several o f the poems of
.
'
Ossian an d other Celtic bards in their n ative tongue , ,
A t Mull
”
which were collected by one o f his an ces tors
“
.
,
he continues H ere are some persons who can repeat

,
several o f the Celtic poems o f Ossian an d other bards .
The schoolmaster told me he could repeat a very lo ng

o n e on the death o f Oscar which was taught hi m by h , is
grand father .
The R oyal I rish A ca demy had in 1 7 8 7 a n otice O f , ,
ancien t Gaelic poems respecting the race o f the F ian s

enians collected in the H ighlands o f Scotlan d i n th
( F ) e
year 1 7 84 by the R e v M Young D D F el lo w o f T rin ity

, . .
, . .
,
”
College D ublin , .
U pon this the H ibe rn ia n [M ,

agaz i n e fo r 1 7 88 remarks ,
D r Young gives very copious extracts from Ossian w ith

.
,
a literal o r at least a close tran s lation ; and p roves

, ,
decidedly t hat the poems o f that ba rd are I rish not ,
Scotch compositions a n d that Mr Mc Phe rs o n has , .
egregio usly mutilated altered added to a n d detracted , , ,
from them according as it suited his hypothesis

, He .
appears particularly to h av e suppressed every line o f t he

author from which it might be deduced they were of
,
”
I rish origin .
There seems ground fo r the latter statement There .
was the prej udice in favour o f the Scotch origin o f the

poems although the n arratives clearly deal more with
,
I ri s h history and manners D alriada was ho w ever in .

, ,
c lu s ive o f s outh w est Scotland and north east I reland

“
- -
.
Cro ker declares that m any I rish odes are ascribed to

”
Oisin . The I n ve rn es s Gaelic S ocie ty quotes G J Camp . .
b e ll The spirit i s felt to b e ancient and Celtic There .
can be n o do ubt regardin g the ex istence o f Ossianic

o e m a d b ll d f b fore M c Ph e rs on D on ald
p s n a a s o r ag e s e .
278 Old [ris k Re lig ion s .
migrations northward from Ireland that led by C arb ry ,
R iada King Cormac s relative founded D alriada of

’
, ,
A rgyle The I rish certai nly carried their ow n nam e of

.
S cots into the northern country .
I t may be said of Ossian as Girardet said o f H omer ,
We know nothing of his birth li fe or death But , , .

”
tradition calls him the son o f F ion stolen by a m agician , ,
and u ltimately becoming the chie f bard o f the F ian n a or

Fe n ian s W hen these people were crushed at the battle
.
o f Gavra he was spirited a w ay by a fair lady an d lived

, ,
with her in a palace belo w the ocean fo r a hundred and

fi fty years A llowed to return to Erin the story goes that
.
,
he met with St Patric k to whom he relate d the e vents of

.
,
the past but re fused to be a convert to the new faith

, .
A nother tale declares that when staying with the S ai n t he , ,
objected to the larder .
The H a rp a periodical o f 1 8 59 remarks that other

,
bards got hold o f the poems o f Oisin o r Ossian an d

, ,
,
“
lin ke d them together by the addition o f a suppositious
”
dialogue between the old bard and the Saint The H a rp
“
.
fancies Ossian had met with some o f the mission aries O f

the F aith w ho preceded St Patric k into Erinn . .
”
M iss B roo k a distinguished I rish authority thin ks some

, ,
—
o f the s o called O ssian ic poems arose as late as the eighth ,
ninth and tent h centuries A nyhow those coming down

, .
,
to our day betray a remarkably heathenish character an d ,
preserve the man ners an d opin ions o f a sem i barbarous -
people who were endowed with stro n g imagination high

, ,
courage chi l dli ke tenderness an d gentle chival ry for

, ,
w omen
“
.
Goethe ma kes Werther exclaim — Ossian has in my ,

”
heart supplanted H omer
, Windisch n o mean critic has
.
, ,
these observations The Ossian epoch is later than that

of Con ch o b at an d Cuch ulin n hu t y e t p re c e de d t he in ,
Tke Cu lde e s o
f D ru idica l D ay s . 279
t rodu c tion of
Christianity into I reland S kene j ustly .
,
e steemed o ne o f the fi rst o f Scottish historians sees that

“
Win disch regards the figures o f F inn an d Ossian as a
,
”
roperty com mon t o the Gaels o f Scotlan d an d I reland
p .
H e thus expresses his o w n opinion The Scotch legend

a ttaches itsel f evidently to the I rish legen d ; the I rish
l e gends an d poet ry have passed from I relan d to Scotland .
H e says else w here The O ld blind poet Ossian is a poetic

i nvention which has ta ken birth and which found itsel f at
, ,
”
first created in I reland .
I n the chapter on I rish su perstitions re ference is made

,
t o some traditional ideas o f the olden times I t is su fficient .
here to observe that whatever the views which may be

,
e ntertained as to the authenticity o f Ossian those poems do ,
throw some light u pon the religious belie f o f the ancient

I rish race Their tales accord with those o f other semi
.
b arbarous people and need interpreting a fter a similar

,
m an ner . The legendary heroes are n o t all o f flesh an d

b lood .
TH E C U LD E E S O F D R U I D I CAL D AYS .
SO many questions h ave been raised concern ing the

m ysterious community called Culde es and such various
, ,
opin ions have been expressed concern ing them that o n e ,
m ay be excused inquiring whether i n their m id st w e can

trace reminiscences o f old I rish faiths The notion has .
been lon g prevalent that the Culdees were only Scotch ,
ha v ing nothing to do with I reland ; whereas they were ,
originally from that country .
Their most bitter enemy i n early Christian days was the

Venerable B ede who den ied their claims to ortho do x y
,
.
B u t si n c e he was a Sax o n an d a ri e s t u n de r R o m a n w as “
p
.
, ,
2 80 Old [ ris k Re ligi on s .
his charges have b e en slightly heeded Their mai ntena nce .
o f an hereditary priesthoo d was n o t m erely J ewish as h e ,
s upposed but o f D rui dical sympathy

“
.
—
,
Pro f R hys j udiciously remar ks

. I rish D ru idis m ah
s orbe d a certain amount o f Christian ity and it wo u ld b e ,
a problem o f considerable di fficulty t o fi x o n the peri od

w here it ceased to be D ruidism and from which on w ards ,
it could be said o f Christia n ity in any restricted sense of

”
that term .
A s both St Patric k and St Columba have been regar de d

. .
b y some mo dern writers as simply Culdees and n o t follo w ,
i n g orthodox views and metho ds m ight n o t the m a ny ,
s tories tol d o f their conflicts with D ruids have been brou ght
forth by ancien t chron iclers in re fu tation o f the sla nders

,
abroad concerning their heretical D ruidical tendency ? The ,
s ame supposition may be equally directed agai n st the early
Welsh missionaries though these w ere al most all from I re

,
land Certain ly their assumed m iraculous po w ers incl ined

.
to the O ld traditions of D rui dical per formances They had .
all o f them a control over the po w ers o f nature an d had ,
even raised the dead at least their biographers claimed it,
fo r them .
D r Carpenter spea ks thus

. The incidents i n St .
’
Columba s li fe have been originally recorde d in the co n te m
o rary f as t i o f his rel igious foundatio n and transm itt ed
p ,
in u nbro ken succession t o A bbot A dam n an who fi rst ,
compiled a complete Vita o f his great predecessor of ,
which there ex ists a M S copy whose authenticity there is

.
,
no reason to doubt which dates bac k to the early p art of

,
the eighth century n o t m uch more than o n e hu ndred

,
years a fter St Columba s death N ow A dam n an s Vita

’ ’
.
,
.
credits its subject with the possession of every kind of

miraculous power H e cu re d hundred s of people a fflicted
.
wi th in ve te rat e dis e as e s accorde d s ai e ty t o s t orm t ossed

,
-
protesting the antiquity o f his own practice Mc F irb i s s .
M S speaks thus o f the year 8 9 6

. I n this year the m e n
o f Erin consented to receive j urisdiction and o n e ru le from
A da m n an respecting the celebration o f E aster on S unday

o n the 1 4 th o f the moon o f A pril and the coron al tons ure ,
”
o f Peter w as performed upon the clerics o f E rin A gai n .
,
it says The clergy o f Erin held many Synods an d the y

, ,
used to come to those Synods with weapon s so that ,
pitche d battles use d to be fought between them an d m any ,

”
used to be slain A fter this authority o n e need not
.
,
won der at the assertion that I rish D ruids formerly le d

contending parties .
I ona had certainly a D rui dical college till the com m unity
was expelled by Colu mba fo r his ow n com mun ity and the ,
H ighlan ders still recogn ize it as the D ru id s [s le A n O ld ’

.
statistical w ork says The D ruids undoubtedly possesse d

,
”
I ona be fore the introduction o f Christianity I t m u s t be .
admitted that the Culdees wore a white dress as di d the ,
D ruids and that they occ upied places which had a D ru idical
,
reputation They used the A siatic cross now called that

“
.
,
o f St A n dre w s D r J Moore is pleased to say Th

’
. . . . e ,
Cul dees seem to have adopted n early all the Pagan

”
symbols o f the neighbourhood .
A s to the origin O f the word R eeves might well rema rk ,
in his notes o n Colu mba s Li fe Culdee is the most abus ed

’
”
term in Scotic chu rch history A s the Ce ile D e the F our .
,
M as te rs mentions them i n 806 Todd writes o f the m .
thus The earliest Christian m issionaries found the n ative

religion extinct and themselves too k the n ame o f C uldees
,
”
from inhabiting the D ruids empty cells Jamieson styles
’
.
them Cu lde es or K eldees Ky lde es Kyllede i O B rie n has

, , .
’
them the I rish Ce ile D e serva n t o f God A nother call s

, .
them Cio n n D ia Child ren o f God B arber con sidered

,
.
the m M i th rais ts .
Tke Cu lde e s f
o D ru idica l D a
y s . 283
H iggins in Celtic D ru ids w i ll have Culdees only changed

, ,
D rui ds and regarded the I rish hereditary A bbots o f Iona

, ,
t he Coa rbs or Cu rbs as simply Corybantes Latin writers

, .
kn e w them as Colide i or God w orshippers B ishop N ic h ol -

.
s o n thought the m Cool D u bk from their blac k hoods As

'
, .
C and G are com mutable letters in I rish we have Giolla ,
D e Servant o f God
,
The word Cu ldee was used by Boece
.
i n 1 526 D r R eeves in the I rish Academy calls the

. .
, ,
S e rn us D e i by the Celtic Celi D e and notes the n ame

’
-
,
Ce ile n D e applied to the Sligo F riars in the F ou r

- -
M as te rs 1 59 5 Mon ks w ere reputed K elede i in the

, .
th i rteenth century B roc kham s Lexicon fi nds regulars

.
’
a n d seculars called so in the ninth cen tury .
The F ou r M as te rs record that Mae n ac h a Cele D e; came ,

-
”
ac ross the sea westward to establish laws in I reland In .
the poem o f M oelrue in it is the R ule o f the Cele n de The ,

- -
.
K e le de i o f Scotland accord i n g to D r R eeves had the same

, .
,
d iscipline as the I rish Colide i One Collide us of the A rmagh .
c hurch died in 1 57 4 One Celi ae o f C lon m ac n ois dying .

-
’ ’
i n 1059 le ft several sons who became A bbots a fter hi m

, ,
.
The canons of York were Culdees i n A thelstan s ti me

’
.
C e adda Wil frid s predecessor was a Culdee They w ere also

’
.
, ,
called from their mode o f celebrating Easter Qua rta deci

, ,
m a ns .The last known in Scotland were in 1 3 52 As .
B ede says the I rish bei n g Culdees would as soon c o m

, , ,
m u n ic ate with pagans as w ith Saxons the later follow ing

L atin o r R omish Christia n ity .
I reland as reported by G iraldus had a chapel o f the

, ,
Colide i o n an island o f Tipperary as he declared some ,
were on islands o f Wales They were in A rm agh in 9 20 . .
U ssher A rchbishop o f A rmagh asserts t h at the N orthern

,
“ ,
”
I rish continued still thei r old tradition in spite o f the
,
declaration o f Pope H onorius I n Tire chan s Life of S t .

’
.
P atrick Cele -dc cam e fro m Briton t o i relan d i n ot q

,
‘
s
2 84 Old [r is k Re ligion s .
in 8 1 1 some w ere said to hav e been miraculou sly conveyed

acros s the sea B ede w ho opposed them w hether from
.
, ,
I reland o r Scotland was shoc ked at their hol d i n g his

“
,
religio n in no account at all nor com mu nic a ting with his ,

”
”
faith ful in anything more th an with pagans H e bani sh ed .
those who came to his quarter .
H e found these I rish Welsh and S cotch Ch ristians to , ,
have i n a ddition to many heresies the Jewish an d D ruidical

, ,
system o f hereditary priesthood Property o f t he Church .
even descen ded from father to son an d s ays D r R eeve s ,

.
,
”
w as practically entailed to members o f ce rtai n fa m ilies .
H e adds that they were understood i n the 1 2t hcen tury as

a reli gious or der o f clerks w ho lived in Societies u nder 3 ,
S uperior w i t hin a com mon enclosu re b ut in detac hed cells

, , ,
associate d i n a sort o f collegiate rather tha n c re n ob ical

”
brotherhoo d .
Giraldu s as well as Bede complained o f thei r he reditary

, ,
priesthood The same prin ciple prevailed in the D ru idical

.
region o f B rittany and only yielded to the forc e o f the

,
Council o f Tours in 1 1 27 .
A lthough St Columba had no exalted idea o f the oth

. er
sex saying Where there is a cow there w ill be a wom an

,
—
, ,
and where there is a oman there will be mischie f

w y e t
his follo w ers practised marri age But while says Myli n .
, ,
they a fter the usage of the Eastern Church had wive s , ,
they abstained from them when it came to their tu rn to

m inister ” “
The Woman s Islan d of Loch Lomon d was
.
’
,
one o f the female sanct uaries o n such an occasion Thei r .
oppo s ition to celibacy brought them much discred it with

other priests .
A rchbishop L an franc was shoc ked at their n o t praying to

S aints not ded ic atin g churches to the V irgi n or Sain ts not
“V
, ,
us in g th e R o m an S e rvi c e , an d he can s e , w rot e he , oi a n ts
b y im m e r the c on s e c rat e h
are b ap t i z e d .
at the period when Christianity dawned on B ritain He .
deeme d it probable that the early clerics of Ch ristianity ,
the cultores de oru m the w ors kipp e rs of tke g ods grad ually
, ,
merged i nto cultores D e i worshippers o f the true God

“
.
,
S O it might be that as H iggins wrote , The Cul dees ,

”
were the last remains o f the D ruids .
T H E F U TU R E LI FE , O R LAN D O F TH E WE ST .
No more touching or inspiring belie f was there among

the ancient I rish than in the hope of another li fe beyond
,
the grave N ature restored the dead forest o f winter to

.
the wealth O f foliage in spring w hy should not the breath

less form o f man once more fi nd j oy in li fe ? B u t this
happy thought with our I slanders was associated with two
, ,
things —the sea wave and the western sunset

-
.
The soul o f the Maori it was said too k its flight to the
, ,
R e ing a the northern most promontory o f Ne w Zealan d and

, , ,
from the branch o f an overhanging tree dropped in to th e ,
ocean in s e arch of its subaqueous home The I rish i n li ke .

,
man ner kn ew that his next tenement wou ld be beneath

,
the flood .
The dying E gyptian beheld with the eye O f faith his

spirit follo w ing the setting sun The I rish loo ked forward .
to the West as the place to w hic hhis ethereal natu re would

'
take its flight The roar o f the A tlantic w as music to his

.
ears for it was but the echo o f the voices o f his fore fathe rs
, ,
and departed loved ones in the western Land o f the B lest

, .
Pindar sang
VVhe re m ortals e as ie s t p as s the care le s s h our
N O li n ge rin g w in te r the re , n or s n ow, n or s how e r ;
B u t oc e an e v e r, t o re fre s hm ankin d,
B re ath e s th e cool s piri t oi th
”
e w e st ern w in d .
Tke Fu tu re L if e , or L an d o f i ke We s t . 287
Penelope s suitors slain by her returning lor d

’
, ,
w ere thu s
le d by Mercury to the Sha des
S o c ow e rin g fe ll the s ab le he ap of ghos t s ,

An d s u c ha s c re am fi lle d all t he dis m al c oas t s .
An d n ow the y re ac hd t he e arths re m ot e s t e n ds ,
'
’
An d n ow the gate s w he re e v e n in g S ol de s ce n ds .
Chronos slept i n his palace of glass in Ogygia Isle o f ,
the West The H esperides and its apples lay in the happy
.
We s t The Teuto n es went t o the glass Isles o f the West

.
,
as did the N orsemen and Celtiberians A rthu r w as rowed .
to A valon in the West The Sacred I sles o f the H i ndoos.
were to the West Christian hymns stil l “

. spea k o f crossi n g
the waters to H eaven H o w many o f us have been .
d elighted w ith F ab e r s beauti ful hymn The Land across

’
the sea The Gaulish Cocag n e the Saxon Cocka ign the , ,
L usitanian Coca n a o r H appy Land w ere beyond the sea

, ,
s hore Pro f R afin e s q u e might w el l say I t is strange but

. .
, ,
t rue that throughout the earth the place o f departe d sou ls

, , , ,
”
the land o f spirits was supposed to be in the West
,
.
To Rhadam an thys of the golde n hair,

B e yon d the w ide w orld s e n d Ah n e v e r the re
’
C om e s t orm or s n ow all grie f is le ft b e hin d,

An d m e n im m ort al, in e n c han te d a ir,
B re athe the c ool c urre n t of the W e s te m W in d .
Procopius had a story o f the West Thither the souls .
a re conveye d by ghostly fishermen to an island for rest ;

a n d tales are told o f c ars detecting the calling over o f
n ames as the boat touches the mystic stran d and wives
, ,
an d husbands being summone d to thei r arriving mates .
Erebos was the gloom that fell a fter sunset The word .
i n A ssyrian was from e riku to descend as su ns then , ,
d ropped belo w O dysseus turned t o E rebos w hen o ffering

.
his sacrifice to departed hero gods Ghosts w ere there -

.
wont to assemble an d might be seen flittin g t o an d fro in

,
the u ncertain light The m ain e n t ran c e oi G re e

.
k t e rn o\ e s
288 Old [ ris k Re ligions .
was in the East so that the worshippers might fac e the

,
H appy \Vest .
H omer s reputed poems are unli ke in their records o f thc

’
dea d . The I lia d kno w s n o ap o theosis the Ody s s ey has it

Coleridge ob s er ves I n the [liad Castor and Pollux art
, ,
mentione d in the ordinary language denoting death anc

burial an d no more I n the Ody s s ey w e have the accoun t
,
.
,
o f their ultimate resuscitation w hich fi nally became t h e ,

”
popu lar fable
—
.
A ll uding to the H omeric Hades A i des a n d E r e bos

. .
“
VV E Gla dstone w rites — A par t ic u lar portion o f t h e
u n see n w o rld app are n tly special in its char acter is s ta te c

, ,
to be situ ate a s far b elo w A rdes as o u r earth is b e l o n ’
heaven I t be ars the name o f Tartaros an d it appe a rs t e

.
,
have b e e n r e se rved fo r preter hum an o ffenders T he -

.
conditio n o f t he dep arte d generally w as n o t very joyo u s

Gladstone sh o ws this as follows The H ell e nic de a d a rc
w anderers in the S ka des w ithout fi xe d doo m o r o c cup a tion
’
, .
A gain T he Gre e k personages recently dea d do n o t , ,
appear to have bee n e ither re w arde d or p u n is hed ; a n d

A c hilles bitte rly comp lains o f the sheer want o f intere s t in
th is li fe .
I n H omer s N ekrom an te ia w e have the intercourse o f

’
U lysses w ith the dea d H e employs necrom a ntic art s in .
his descen t in to Hades w hich were strictly o f a B abylonian ,
character and the w hole description remin ds us o f the

,
fabled descent o f t h e A ssyrian goddess to the Sheol The .
ghosts gather round U lys ses at the smell o f the blood of

his O ffe rings and inspired thereby expressed dar k thin gs
, , ,
”
t o come Tire sias th e n says
.
K n ow t o the s p e c tre s that thy b e v e rage t as te ,

The s ce n e s O f life re c u r, an d ac t ion s
p a s t .
”
l Ve are as s ured th at w hen the hero s ought to embrace a

this chapter A pe rusal of Ossianic songs as else w here

. ,
noted will give the popular concept ion of the U nseen World
,
j ust be fore the reception o f Christian ity The P u rg a tory of .
S t P a trick m ight be also consulted for in formation upon

.
, ,
the same subj ect A s to what opin ions were cherished on

.
the reception o f Christian truths we may perhaps discover ,
some in the writings o f Eastern Fathers upon the sup ,
position oi some that the earliest teachers O f Erin cam e

from the Levantine regions .
The follo w ing passages from their writings may exhibit

some notions about the H e reaf te r prevalent in the early
Oriental Chu rch .
Gregory O f N yssa tells u s A fter due curative treat

ment and when the fi re shall ha v e destroyed al l foreign
,
”
matter then the nature even O f these shal l im prove
,
.
S t Gregory writes
. I t is n ot j ust that they should perish
eternally w ho are sustained by H is breath and Spirit The .
fallen angel will begin to be that which he was created and ,
man who had been expelled from Paradise will be once

, ,
”
more restored to the tilling O f Paradise St B asil trusted . .
that eve rything o f wic kedness in man shall cease .
Gregory O f N a z ian z u s 3 7 0 A D declares that al l will be

, . .
loose d w ho groan u nder Tartarine chains Origen afli rm s ‘ ”
“
.
”
God will be all seeing evi l no w here exists
,
Clement .
,
190 A D hope fully says

. .
, H e by the F ather will direct
, , ,
”
the salvation o f al l O nly Tertull ian from un friendli ness
.
,
to the theatre exults in seeing the tragedians m ore

,
”
tune fu l under thei r ow n su fferings .
The story o f the Purgatory o f S t Patric k declares anoth e r .
order O f teaching introduce d later o n i nto Erin o n e more

“
, ,
i n consistency with the B abylonian doctrine of devils ,
and which still survi v es wi th its lurid light A recognition .
O f Ou r F a tke r is more elevati ng help fu l and com forting .

, ,
The h e at he n I rish did ce rt ain l y d well u pon a Lan d

Tke Fu tu re L if e , or L an d f
o tke We s t . 29 1
B ey on d. I n D r Malden s Os s ia n a n d tke Cly de we read

.
’
W hen the warrior who was also a hunter reposed his

, , ,
d o g was laid beside him on the le ft as if waiting his ,
s u m m ons to attend his master o n fields o f air beyond the
v e rg e o f earth li ke Oscar s at Glenree and li ke Cu thu llin s

’
,
’
b y L a ke Lego A n d yet i n the S ongs of S elm a one

.
, , ,
m o u rns forth N O more shall he hear thy voice no more ,
a w a ke at thy call When shall it be morn in the grave to

“
.
b i d th
”
e slu mberer awa ke ? I n the Chapter on Super
s t i t io n s are re ferences to the ghost be lie f o f other days .
I n the account o f the La n d of You tk given by the heathen ,
—
F e n ian Oisin to S t Patric k w hen the hero was carried
.
O ff from the field o f battle by the gol den haired fairy -
—
N ia m h the region was divided into states u nder sovereigns ,
a s i n the L a n d o f tk e L i n i n
g I t lay beneath the waves in.
t he West in a lovely climate

, .
H ow easy it was in so blessed a place to lose ideas o f

t i m e ! When Oisin obtained leave from his be auti fu l
c aptor to revisit earth he alluded t o the rapidity o f time
,
’
p assed in this retreat by his three months i mprison ment
Thre e m on ths re p lie d t he F air , th
‘
re e m o n ths alon e
K n ow that thre e f hu n dre d ye ars hav e roll d aw ay ’
S in ce at m y fe e t m y lov e ly p hoe n ix lay .

’
I n D ods le y s fairy collection o n e King Po rs u m a was

’
—
carried o ff by a Zephyr the pri ncess ta king him fo r a
p hm n ix and conveying him
, as in the ca s e o f Oisin to , ,
Tkie rna n a Oge the paradise o f eternal youth

- -
, .
Oisin had a fanci ful description of his happy home

You s hall ob tain the diade m of t he K in g of the Lan d of You th ,
W hichhe n e ve r gav e t o an y p e rs on b e n e aththe s un
I t sh all s hie ld yo u b othb y n igh t an d day,
I n b attle , c on ic t, an d h
fl ard s truggle .
Yo u s hall ge t on e hun dre d s atin s hirts ,

O n e hun dre d cows , on e h un dre d c alv e s
O n e hun dre d s h e e p w ithfle e c e s of ol d
g ,
A n d on e hun dre d re ious s t on e s n ot fou n d i n the w ofi t
c
p
29 2 Old [ ris k Re ligions .
You s hall hav e hu ndre d m e rry youn g m aide ns ,

on e
B right and s hin in g like the s u n
e xc e l in s ha pe form an d fe at ure s
, , ,
An d w hose v oic e s are s w e e t e r than the m elody of b irds , &c .
Then there w as F la tk i n n is the I s la nd of tke Good whi ch

-
, ,
word is still the I rish fo r H ea ven A n old Gael ic p oe m .
had this description o f it

The I sle spread large be fore hi m li ke a p leasing dream
o f the soul w here distance fades not on the sigh t where
, ,
nearness fati gues not the eye I t had its gen tly s loping
.
hills o f green nor did they wholly want their cloud s But
, .
the clouds were bright an d transparent and each i n volved ,
in its bosom the s ource of a stream ; a beauteous s trea m ,
which wandering down the st e e p was l i ke the fai nt n otes

, ,
o f the hal f touched harp to the distant ears

-
The v alleys .
were open and free to the ocean ; t rees laden with leaves , ,
which scarcely w aved to the slight bree z e were s c a ttered ,
on the green declivities an d rising ground The ru de winds .
wal ked not o n the mountains ; n o storm too k its c ourse

through the s ky A ll was calm and bright The pu re s un
. .
o f autumn shon e from his blue s ky on the fields He .
hastened not to the West fo r repose nor was he s e e n to ,
rise from the East H e sits i n his middl e height and l oo ks

.
,
obliquely on the noble Isle I n each valley is its s low

.
,
moving stream The pure waters swell over the ban ks yet
.
,
abstain from the fields The sho wers disturb them not
.
,
n o r are they lessened by the heats o f the sun On the

—
.
rising hills are the halls O f the d eparted the high roo fed -
”
dwellings o f the heroes of O ld .
I n the tale of the Voy ag e of Can dle tke H u n ckback a ,
wise woman sings thus to him as translate d from I rish by ,
a F rench author
Tu ép rouv e s , a c aus e de m oi, du p lais ir .
S u r le s v ague s , ton c hagrin s e rait oublié,

S i, s ur la b arqu e de v e rre , n ou s arrivion s
S i n o u s a v ion s att e i n t \ a ci t e di vi n e he vi ctone m “
.
to go with her his father Conn of

B eseeching C o n n la , ,
the Hu ndred F ights called his D ruid Coron to contend

,
with her and she was shouted O ff by him B ut Connla

, .
leaped into her cano e and was lost , .
A lan d of you th, a lan d of re s t ,

A lan d fro m s o rrow fre e
I t lie s far off in the golde n W e s t,
O n the v e rge O f the az u re s e a .
A s w ift c an oe of c rys tal b righ t

Th at n e v e r m e t m ort al v ie w
W e s hall re achthe lan d e re fall of n ight,
I n th at s t ro n g an d s wift C an oe
W e s hall re achthe s t ran d
Of t hat s un n y lan d,
F rom dru ids an d de m on s fre e
The lan d of re s t,
I n the Golde n W e s t,
O n the v e rge of the az u re s e a .
Tradition says that on e C re idé the god o f goldsmiths , ,
had a magic palace beneath the western sea where he was ,
dro w ned while bringing gold to I reland from Spain Earl

, .
D esmond descended below Lough Gu r and has sin ce b e e n ,
usually seen once in seven years H e is ultimately to .
escape as Oisin did The Grey Sheep s cave near Kil .

’
kenny is the outlet

,
A piper long confi ned there h.
as , ,
been heard to p lay on his pipes upon a May day m orn ing -
.
I reland was ass ociated with the west by the old Welsh ,
o r as Pro fessor R hys obse rved w ith Wales

, Tal iesin the , .
,
great Welsh D ru id was stolen by an I rish pirate vessel of

,
the period but he escaped in a magic coracle be fore reach

,
i ng E rin The L a n d be n ea tk tko S ea was beyond Cardigan

.
B ay the A n nwn O f the o ld Sun

,
The Welsh A val o n or .
,
I sland o f A pples the everlasting source o f the E lixir of

,
L i fe the home O f A rthur and other mythological heroes

, ,
was in the I rish direction A s Morien w rites The distri ct .

,
o f Hades beneath the earth and beyond the river was th e , ,
fairy lan d of our an ce s tors th

- e source o f the passive ,
”
p rin c i l of life
p e .
Tke Fu tu re L if e , or L an d f
o tke Wes t . 29 5
SO with I reland i tsel f ; it was the western A rran more -
I sle O f the B ay of Gal w ay from which the quic k sighted ,

-
,
upon a fi ne day could discern Hy B rdf a iltk or the

,
-
,
E nchanted Isle Moore alludes to the tradition

.
An d ho far o ff thro the v ale m y s ad oris on rolls

as e c ,
’
,
I thin k, 0 m y lov e t is thy v oic e from the K in gdom of

,
’
S ouls .
The Spanish B ay of Souls l ies west O f Cape F in is te rre .
Ogygia was thought by Plutarch five days sail west o f ’
B rit t ia The ancient E gyptian ritual spo ke O f the H appy

.
West The home of Calypso was in the west B ailly writ

. .
,
i ng to Voltaire in 1 7 7 8 said The giant Gyges ( hundred

, , ,
handed ) inhabited the island o f A tlantis w hich is the same ,
as Ogygia The B retons had their western [f e rn whic h

.
”
,
w as the F la i tke as or Isle o f H eroes the Welsh Gwy n vy d

, , .
V in land the Good was west w ard as were the F ortunate ,
I sles Spanish tales tells of seven cities below the western

.
ocean w here still d w ell Christians who fled from the Moors
,
a n d some o f whom return a fter hundreds O f years A meric a .
w as probably visited by eastern voyagers long be fore

C olu mbus kne w it .
L alla R ookk o f M oore has similar re ferences as

“
,
I k wh
n ow e re the I s le s of e rfum e are , P
M an y a fathom dow n in the s e a,
T o the s outhof s u n -bright Araby .
Mythical allego ry may give meaning to these stories .
I n the Transactions O f the Ossian Society is the follow

in g s ketch o f the La n d o
f Y k by ryan ’
ou t B O L o o n e y ,
This E lysium is supposed to be divided into di fferent

states and provinces each governed by its own king or ,
ruler It is all peace tranquillity and happiness The

.
, , .
Land O f L i fe is supposed to give perpetual li fe to the

liberated spi rits o f the j ust They are s upposed to be .
l o cated so m ewhere a b out the s u n s s e ttin g p drn t an n hav e ’
me an s of ap p roac h c h i e fly throu gh the s e as a,

t k e s 3 0
1 A , ,
29 6 Old [ r is k Re ligion s .
rivers of this world also th rough ra ths duns and forts

, , , .
The se as la kes an d ri vers act as cooling a tmosphere while

, , ,
the raths du ns and fo rt s se rve as ingress and egres s to and

, ,
”
from them .
Speaking the n O f the fabled ci ty i n Li s cann or B ay he ,
adds
Th c white b re aking waves are said to be caus e d by the
shallowness of the w ater ove r this enchanted little city ,
w hich is believe d to be see n once in s e ven years a n d of ,
w hich it is O bs e rved that tho s e who s e e it s h

, ,all depart this
world be fore the lap s e of s even years to come ; but it is
not supposed that these persons die but chan ge their ,
abode and transmigrate from this world of toil in to the

,
elysiu m o f the j ust where they shall at on ce become

, , ,
sportive young and happy and continue so for eve r It

, , .
is also believed tha t those who see these enchanted spots ,
”
are slightly endow ed with the gi ft o f prophecy .
The l i fe is not greatly di fferent from that found here ,
since Oisin in his reported dial ogue with the I ris hsaint
, ,
admitted
I had b y golde n -he ade d N iam h
, ,
O f childre n of s urp as s in g b e auty an d bloom ,

,
O f b e s t form s hape an d c ou n t e n an c e
, , ,
Tw o youn g s on s an d a ge n tle daugh te r .
’
I n the story of C uchulainn s adventu res through this
mysterious realm is a full detail o f its palaces an d land
,
scapes The hero went thither in a bronze boat which

.
,
a w aited his retu rn thence They who were admitted to a .
brie f visit to the upper regions of earth were duly ad mon

is h ed , that if they once dismounted from their magic
steeds they would never again be able to return
, .
B ove D erg went to visit the D agda deity at the B rugh

o f Mac ah O g where d w elt A ugus O g the god s son and
’
- -
, , ,
whe re Os c a r an d oth e r F e n ian h e roe s were entertained .
F la ch n a is re co rde d to h v
a e c om e t o Qon n an ght i ro rn the
29 8 Old [ris k Relig ion s .
appeal to the V ision o f A dam n an which gives the ange ls ,
o f the West the gu ardianship o f the entrance to the regions
o f punishment as well as to the cave o f Loch D erg which

, ,
is most decidedly a pagan relic This cave o f Loch D erg .
i s situated i n the west o f I reland as the correspondin g cave ,

”
A vernus is situated in the west of Italy .
A gain he remarks
, Somewhere far away in the western ,
ocean there was supposed by the ancient I rish to be a

,
spiritual country called generally Tke Lan ds of tke L iv i ng

, ,
and Tra zg M a r ( great strand ) and Tir Ta irngi re ( Lan d of

Promise ) of Christian origin as in the D in d s e n cku s and
,
-
,
Tir M a r ( great land ) as i n another legend

”
F u rther
“The Land of the Living was the happy S pirit s home of
.
the I rish pagans until a fter the purification o f all th i n gs b y

fi re
.
Parth alon was said in I rish legends to have come fro m
Spain not from the country O f the D ead Te thra con

, .
,
quered i n the battle o f Mag Turod became King O f the ,
D ead beyond the ocean Chronos also reigned over the

.
, ,
departed The plain w here these i n fernal deities dwelt was

.
the I ris hM ag ce tne .
A s the son o f M anann an mac Lir returned to earth - -
again so did the Ossianic F i nd mac Cu m aill and Cailté ;

,
- -
,
’
evidencing the Celtic belie f in the soul s immortality .
A ccording to some traditions the B etter land of the ,

-
D ruids floated in N e am h agas as the Trimurti o f the E ast

,
were said to do in A kas s or celestial et her A b ridge as .
fi ne as a hair li ke Mahometans believe to this day con nects

, ,
t his world with that beyond w hich they truly styled the
,
Gre ate r I s la n d The i nhabitants were robed in white at

.
M u rtke m n e the flowery plain

, .
Sepulchral rites were as essential to the com fort of the

I rish i n their S heol as to the Gree ks in theirs A s burial .
O f th e b od
y w as re q u i re d i n the hatt e r c a s e s o w a s the ,
Tke Fu tu re L if e , or L an d o f tke Wes t . 299
funeral song feast or cry over the corpse of the former

, ,
more or less per formed to this hour by their Christian

descendants There w ould otherw ise be dismal wanderings
.
alone beside the I rish S tyx as with H omeric heroes ,

.
The ghosts are variously described The Ossianic ones .
appear indistinct and mystic i n cloudland floating with ,
the wind Such phantoms were of the worst sort says

.
,
O K e arn e y ; who adds I rish pagans never dreamed o f

’
spirits a fter death having assume d any such forms either ,
i n Tir na n O g F laith innis or any other happy abode O f

- - -
,
-
,
departed heroes The spirits from Elysium always appear

.
i n their proper shape and spo ke and acted as if they were

,
”
s till in possession O f mortal li fe .
There are many elements regarding ideas o f the D ead

which are common to both Gree ks and I rish though not ,
d irect borrowings E ntrances to the nether world were

.
recogn ized in portions of the East ; and J oyce tells u s

I n my boyhood day the peasantry believed that the great
,
l i m estone cavern near Mitchelsto w n in the county Cor k , ,
was one o f the entrances to Tir n o noge - -

.
D ermat in company with a wi z ard or Knight o f the

, ,
F ountain descended a well an d came into a cou ntry o f

, ,
delight ful flo w ers and trees palaces and castles There a lady ,
.
fair cured D ermat o f the w o u nds he had received i n battle ,
besides entertain ing him with music I n the F a te of tke .
Ckildre n of Tu re m M S we read o f the I sland o f F i n cara .

, ,
which was sun k beneath the waves by a D ruidic spell long

ago Then one B rian in quite modern times provided with
.
, , ,
a magic w ater dress and crystal helmet saw most charming ,
loo king ladies I n the Voy age of M a i/du n also a privi

.
, ,
le ge d person was enabled t o behold the M og M e ll plains -
o f pleasure though these rather belonged t o F airydom

,
.
I n Plato we have an accou nt o f banquets in Hades I n

,
.
I ris h M 3 5 re m any re fere n c e s to the good th g

a . i n s he\ om .
Th e re was a lesser go d M iders married to E tain one , , ,
o f the goddesses The lady tired o f her situation or

.
, ,
co m pany came up and obtained E oc haid A ire m King of

, ,
-
,
I reland for a husban d M iders followe d the faithless one ;

“
.
,
but she decli ned any further connection with one w ho

has no genealogy and whose ancesto rs are u n known
, .
The forsa ken o n e engaged the king in a game o f chess in ,
which the loser was to grant the request O f the win ner .
The king losing was requested to give up his wi fe This

, , .
he re fused to do The disconsolate one then turned to

.
win over the goddess H e sang to her o f the P le as a n t

.
P la in and invited her to retu rn with him to a happier

,
home than I reland could give He would give her there .
more taste ful por k s w eeter mil k and more i ntoxicating

, ,
beer There were rivers warm with hydromel an d even

.
,
wine Youth never aged and love was not forbidden

.
, .
A ll this and more may be read in the Le altka i r n o

, ,
I t was to the mysterious real m O f Te thra beyond the ,
sea that the fabled F omorian race o f I ris h retreated

, ,
when fi nally vanquished by the next comers B u t the able .
E ditor O f the I rish B a ttle of Ga bkra has the follo w ing ,
story o f the ancient emigrants o r conquerors o f E ri n , ,
The F irbolg and Fomorian races being more or less ,
sea faring men placed their Elysium far ou t in the sea and
-
, ,
called it by various na mes such as [s la n d of tko L i v ing , ,
[s la n d of B re as al [s la n d of L if e & c The F irbolgs are sai d

, , .
to have lived u n der the waters O f our la kes The Tuath .
de D an a n s bei ng devoted to civil and literary pursuits

, ,
and their D ruids havin g held their seminaries in caves and

other seclu ded subterranean abodes fancied their Elysium ,
placed u nder the earth while the Milesians steered as , ,
i t were a middle course be tween both and made t h

, eir ,
E ly s i um in a s o r t of in de s crib ab \e to wh ic ha s ub
H en ry o f S alt re y i n the t w el fth centu ry spo ke o f the

, ,
Saint hearing there the cries o f those i n Purgato ry The .
’
K night O w ain in King Stephen s time wen t down and
, , ,
saw the horrors Some were fastened down by their hai r

.
,
t o be bitten by fiery sna kes others were in m olten metal ,
rivers o f pitch or la kes o f cold A wall of glass a fforde d

,
.
su fferers a view o f the j oys o f Paradise .
‘
One mon k writing i n the thirteenth century afli rm s that
, ,
any doubts as to Purgatory w ould be at once dispelled b y

going to Lough D erg F roissart knew o n e who had been .
there William Staunton 1409 saw orrible bastes tor

.
, ,
m e n t in g men Yet the Pope in 1 49 7 ordered the cave to

.
, ,
be closed up u pon the report o f a D utch mon k that there

,
was no truth in t he stories circulated concerning the

locality .
N otwithstanding the papal authority the superstiti on ,
still exists and vast numbers o f pilgrims frequent the

,
scene o f St Patric k s Purgatory

.
’
The descent into hell .
by I star Orpheus H ercules & c yet lives in the stories of

, , ,
.
,
I rish visitants to the lower regions .
I n the ancient B ook of L is m ore is the following narrative

Howbeit the devil there revealed the gates O f hell to
B re n ain a A n d B re n ain a beheld that rough hot prison
.
, ,
full o f stench full o f flame full o f fi lth full of the camps of

, , ,
’
the prisoners demons full o f wailing and scream ing and , , ,
hurt and sad cries and great lamentations and m oanin g , ,
and hand smiti n g O f the sin ful fol ks ; and a gloomy sor
-
,
ro w fu l li fe in core s o f pain in prisons O f fire i n streams or

.
, ,
'
the ro w s o f eternal fi re in the cup of eternal s o rrow and , ,
”
death without limit without end , .
The I rish traveller beheld there demons torturi ng men

and women monsters yellow white great mouthed lions -
—
, , ,
fie rc e greedy ; dra gons red blac k brown demoni ac a

, , , ,
p la c e w h e re in t he re are s tre am s troz e n hi t t e r e n e r s t in kin g , ,

Tke Fu tu re L ife , or L an d o f i ke Wes t . 0
3 3
swi ft of full fi re & c & c

, ,
A ltogether a disagreeable
.
, .
,
contrast to the happy La n d bey on d o f I rish pagans .
’
They might have had no clearer vision than H omer s
Gree ks o f the fate O f the D ead though their li v ely fancy,
pictured a pleasant ho m e They had some glim merings o f

.
light beyond the deepening shadow s w hile conceiving the ,
ghosts o f the departed as conscious of the past and n o t ,
u n m ind ful o f beloved ones le ft behind .
Some wil d roamers on the roc k bound shores O f Erin -
had a dim perception O f a B etter Land The heart of the .
pu rer the intell igence of the nobler dreamed ho w ever

, , ,
fain tly o f a realm of peace beyond O f a scene o f tranquil

, ,
beauty o f a rest fu l time in the fabled I sles o f Happy Ones

, ,
where storms wou ld be un known where never withering ,

-
flowers would greet the grate ful eye and where the B lessed ,
West foretold repose .
We may fancy some white haired sage o f E rin feeling -

,
the sands of li fe slowly but surely s in king w ho would seat ,
himsel f on the tempest tossed cli ffs besi de the A tlantic

-
,
watching a sunset i n those western waters w here the ,
gradu ally lessening glow foreshado w ed his ow n departure .
There he might recal l the friends o f his youth the deeds o f ,
m anhood and the lessons o f age

, There to o he might .
, ,
weep at the recollection O f loved ones gone be fore and yet ,
s m ile at the prospect O f re un ion i n the country o f E ver

-
l as tin g Youth Such a man at such a time may well have

.
, ,
‘
i m agination quic kened t o a perception of the On w a rd a n d

Up w a rd i n th e I nner L i fe o f poor H umanity .
AN C I E N T I R I SH LI T ER AT UR E .
T H E R E are such contradictory views upon the originality ,
authenticity and reliableness of I rish literature among I rish

,
scholars an d e x p e r ts that it is n e ce s s ary t o go re v e rt on e

'
,
0
i deas of
this question as has been given upon other su bj ects
,
treated of i n this boo k .
Some I rish authorities li ke not a fe w Welsh ones are , ,
ready to accept without hesitation a narrative writte n b y
their countrymen as if it were a point o f patriotis m to do

,
so O thers not so cre dulous are desirous to explain away

.
, ,
any seeming errors o r incongruities especially if regarded ,
i n the interest of a Church or the exigency o f a political ,
party Then there are a fe w influenced by the modern

.
, ,
spirit o f inquiry or scepticism prepared n ot only to reject

, ,
what are palpable absurdities but sometimes u nreason , , ,
ably to deny what is not i m mediately capable o f proo f .
TO O much praise can not be given to many s u ch as Sir ,
Charles Gavan D u ffy who are trying to popularize ancient

,
I rish literature .
I t is harsh indeed to say as D r Ledwich does in his

’
.
, , ,
A n tiq u ities of I rela n d a fter quoting a list by Ware and

,
Keating I t savou rs as all I rish M S S do o f modern

, .
,
”
forgery B u t no student o f history can exem pt the
annals o f I reland from the charge of misrepresentation of
facts or absolute inve n tion o f falsehoods
,
Pro f H artt ung . . .
wh o considered the old I rish a distinctly unhistorical and

unsettled people has this opinion of their ancient litera
tu re — “ ,
I magination an d the w orks o f scholars especially ,
a fter the tenth centu ry supplied that which was pain fully,
”
wanting in actuality .
N O better illustration can be given than the remarkable

series of boo ks on the lives o f St Patric k and St Colum ba . . .
’
One s faith is tried thereby to the uttermost leading not a ,
fe w to deny the very existence o f the two missionaries .
That early I rish literature w as a fterwards much corru pted

may be admitted without throwing dou b t upon al l records
,
b ecause o f interp olations and ch anges through i ndiscreet ,
z e al, or love of the m arv ellou s .

be fore the t wel fth century Tol an d i n his H is tory of tin .

,
D ru ids agrees with O C u rry i n the statement th at I ri sh

’
M SS a re older and more nu merous than Welsh Ma ny

. .
are scattered in the libraries o f Europe particu larly in ,
Paris Spain Copenhagen and the Vatican

, , , .
Lelan d time O f Henry VI I I accounts fo r some de s t ruc

,
.
,
tion o f M S S A s the N orman conquerors o f I rela nd

.
built churches wherever they established themsel v es Lela nd ,
says that the native I ris h ma de a practice o f burn ing

churches in their hatred to the n e w men A s the pious .
N ormans were great patrons o f monasteries these bu ildi ngs ,
O fte n shared a si m ilar fate fro m the li ke cause and vas t ,
collections o f I rish M S S so perished i n the flames The . .
D anes in t h
,
e pillaging o f A rmagh and other centre s ,
o f ancient learning were responsible for much o f the

,
Vandalism .
A curious story is told by Christopher A nderson In

“
.
th
”
e reign O f Eli z abeth says he the King o f D en mark
, ,
applied to England for proper persons who might tra nslate

the ancient I rish boo ks i n his possession and an I rishman
i n Lon don then in prison bei ng applied to on the subject
, , ,
w as rea dy to engage in the work B u t u pon a council .

,
b e ing called a certain member it is said w ho m ay be

, , ,
nameless opposed the scheme lest it should be prej udicial

, ,
”
to the E nglish interest .
O f o ne thi ng there can be no doubt ; viz that I ris h .
scholars fi nd great di fficulties in reading and translati ng

I rish M SS They are so obscure and rude have been s o
.
,
o ften interpolated at various periods and are so li able to ,
be misu nderstood by the most conscientious an d pains

ta king s tuden t that outsi ders are pu z z led by the contra
,
dic to ry results O f examination .
I t is generally allowed that the Fen ian poems are the most
c las s i c al H ardim an in I ris hM in stre lsy is fu lly convinced
.
, ,
A n cie n t [ ris k L ite ratu re . 0
3 7
of the antiquity of these Fenian poems but he adds the , ,
l an gu age is so obsolete that it cannot be un derstoo d

w i t hout a gloss ; and even the gloss itsel f is frequently so
O b s cure as to be equally difli c ult with the text The .
”
m i xture of barbarous and abbreviate d Latin i ncreases the

e m barras s ment E nglish readers o f such translations have
.
to ta ke much upon faith The Fenia n poems are by far

.
the fi nest extant The P u rs u it of D ia rm u id o r D ermot

.
, ,
has been translated i nto many languages The B a ttle of .
Ga bkra and the La m e n ta t ions of Ois in relate to t he fi nal

destru ction of the Fenian warriors by the M ilesians .
The I rish A cademy and other literary institutions have

done exce llent serv ice in translations Wal ker s [ris k .
’
B a rds and M iss B roo ke s R eliq u es of [ris k P oe try may be

’
consu lted w ith advantage as w ell as H a rdim an s [ris k

,
’
M in s trelsy The collection o f E rin s ancien t poets w ould

’
n o t by any means approach in size that o f the F innish
K a le v a la which w ere much greater in extent than the

,
I lia d if n ot equalling it in quality

,
“
.
I t has been well remar ked that I reland would have

b e en the richer had not the fears o r bigotry o f the priests
discouraged the rea ding O f pagan p o ems and romances ,
”
and thro w n thousands o f M S S into the flames . St . .
Patric k is declared the des troyer O f some hundreds O f

them Though a nu mber yet preserve d are in I rish letter
.
, , ,
the language is but Latin The ancient D oni n ag k A i rg id

.
,
in the D ublin Museu m is in I rish character having

, ,
por tions o f the Gosp e ls in uncial L at in That copy w as .
s a id t o ha v e belonge d t o St Patric k . .
The reported ages O f M S S may b e consid e red doubt ful

. .
Zeuss the German philologist puts the oldest at the n inth

, ,
cen tury ; but many are clearly cop ie s O f earlier ones n o w ,
lost The fi fth century has been claimed for some and a
.
,
pre Christian p eriod for a n u m b e r of lost ori gi n aks

-
.
The Cat/tack of the O D on n e ls containing some psal ms

’
, ,
is in a very ancient character The Lea bka r n a H Uidkre .

- -
,
o r B ook o f tk e D u n C ow has 1 3 8 pages on vellum The , .
Le a bka r Ga bkala or B ook of I n vas ion s is historical

, The , .
B ook of K ells was ascribe d to Columba having its gospels ,
beauti fully illustrate d The S ea n ckus M or is a storehou se .

‘
o f in formation Psalters are ascribed to Cormac o f C ashel

.
,
a n d others ; the Psalter o f Ta ra is ta ken from t h e on e of
Cash e l The latter records the fact that Tros dan a

.
“ ,
magician advise d the I rish army to bathe in the m il k o f

,
o n e hundred and fi fty w hite crumple horned co w s as a ’

-
,
sure antidote against the envenomed arro w s o f the

”
B ritons .
A mong the lost M S S may be named the Cale n da r of .
Cas kel the Cu ili ne n n o r B ook of S kin s & c

,
The L e a bkar
, , .
L e cca n has much about the Tuaths H istorical or m ytho .
logical tales are nu merous There are A n n als o f U lster .

,
o f Munster Leinster I n n is falle n D o n e gall Tigha rn oc h

, , , , ,
C lo n m ac n ois the F our Masters & c ,

The B ook of A rm agk , .
is very celebrated fo r its I rish character mixe d w ith Greek ,
and Latin There are the B ooks o f Meat h o f St K evin of

.
, .
Gle n dalough o f Leacan O f Kells o f the Is le o f S aints of

, , , ,
F ermoy o f D ianna o f Clonmacnoise o f Mulling o f D ioma

, , , , ,
o f H o w th o f D urro w o f B allymote about Tuaths an d

, ,
M ile s ians o f Leinster o f Lismore of C logher o f D unn

, , , ,
s e an c hu s by Am e rgin & c There are the B ook of R ig/i ts , .
o r Le ab h ar na g Ce art by St B e n ign u s the Ye llow B ook o

- -
f .
,
F e rn s and the B ook of i ke A ng el

,
The B ook of A ri n agk .
,
containing the Confes s ions o f S t Patric k has 44 2 pages .

, .
The F ou r IlI as te rs w ith some authorities dates fro m the

, ,
s e venteenth centu ry .
D r Petrie dates the F e a tk F in d/ta or Gua rdsm a n s Cry

’
.
,
from th e s eventh century though put much later by Todd , ,
a n d i n th e tw e lfthc e ntury b y the n e w K ilb ride Of . .

3 10 O ld I ris k Re ligion s .
be regretted that the I rish are more and more adopti n g

English fo r E rs e
“
.
A s the E rse has long been regarded as the poor re

lation among the Celtic family the follo w ing from the
, ,
E di n bu rgk M agaz i n e fo r 1 8 00 may be reassu ring to I ri s h

men
“ The Scottish d ialect O f the I rish corrupted as it w as ,
w ith Mon kish Latin and abundance O f D anish arrived in

, ,
this coun try w ith the D alriadae The I rish is the real .
mother tongue and retains a very long list o f vocables

-
, ,
either n ow forgotten o r never use d in Scotland O n the

,
.
other hand the I rish vocabulary contains all the w ords a

, ,
fe w mo dern corruptions excepte d to be fou nd in th e

,
”
Scottish Gaelic .
A lthough Welsh enthusiasts claim the greatest antiquity

fo r their to n gue f m a n y philologists lean to the I rish lan
guage E lton a fli rm s that it seems t o be o f all the C e lti c
.
languages the farthest remo ve d from the Latin a n d th at

“ the oldest I rish is found to be the original n o t merely o f ,
”
the modern E rse but also o f the M anx
, U ssher found it .
nearest to Hebre w O Flahe rty traced it to Ph oe n icia Sir

.
’
.
William Temple regarded it as an original la n guage H . .
O B rie n sees H ebrew deri v e d from this primordial tongue

’
.
F rom H am ilc o we should learn that the Car thaginians o f

his day thought more o f the Sacred I sland extensively “
i n habited by the H ib e rn i than they did o f the I slan d o f,
A lb io n e s ( B ritain ) .
A s to the writing itsel f Todd believed in its pagan age

but D r R ichey says
.
“ ,
I t can scarcely be pretended that

,
writing was known prior to the introduction o f Christianity .
The Gree k character is seen i n its semi uncial state R unic -

.
letters are absent as the Vi king s were using R oman ones

,
wh e n th e y b e gan to plague the I rish coasts Patric k has .
th e cre di t w i t hs o m e o f in trodu ci n g horn an \e tt e rs

, ,
B oece .
A n cie n t I ris k L ite ratu re .
3 11
relates O f the old I rish all their secret business ,

“
that in
they did not write w ith common letters used among other
”
people but w ith cyphers and figures o f beasts
, .
Tolan d w rote The use o f letters has been very ancien t

i n I relan d which at first were cut o n the bar k O f trees
, ,
prepare d fo r that purpo s e ; o r on smooth tables of birch w ood ,
w hich we re called Ta i bke F ile a dk po e ts tables ; as their

’
c haracters w ere i n general named F ea dka twigs and branch ,
letters from this shape Their alphabet was calle d B e tk

,
.
lu is n i on from the three first letters o f the same B L N

-
, , , , ,
B e tk L u is N ion
,
— B irch Qu ic ken and A s h for the par
, , , ,
t ic u lar name o f every letter was fo r memory sa ke from , ,
s ome tree or other vegetable .
The I rish Beth luis nion is a li v ing monument of - -
”
a barbarous age says Led w ich A t fi rst he in forms
, .
us they were stenographic then steganographic being , ,
calle d F ea dka or w oods O Molloy gives seventeen letters

, .
’
O C o n o r eighteen Lhuyd eighteen w ith thirteen diphtho n gs

’
“ , .
,
L ed w ich was convinced that the speech o f the I rish

”
became a fluctuating j argon The aspen fi r elder broom .
, , , ,
heath w illow ye w ivy vine whitethorn hazel furze and

, , , , , , , ,
o a k gav e names t o letters

,
There w as anot her alphabet .
,
U ra icea ct n a N e ige as called a fter men

- -
B eechen tablets,
.
w ere used be fore parchment there G Massey says The . .

,
D ru i dic sprigs belong to this ideographic stage The D ruids .
w ere in possession o f the symbolic branch fo r the types o f

the yout hful sun god w ho was an nually reborn as the -
,
”
o ffshoot from the tree The pro fane w riting o f the D rui ds .
was known as the B obel lotk from b f 1 beg in n ing the -

, , , ,
alphabet The ordinary letters ran b l n s f k d t c m

.
, , , , , , , , , ,
g , p, r, a , o, u , e , i .
O Cu rry
’
O gham w riting demands some explanation .
w ill n ot have it derived from Scandinavian R unes Some .
n r l
times the ati be s ide it fo m s a b i i gu
L n a\ T he o g n a t n .
3 12 Old [ ris k Religion s .
is made by n otches on the edge s o f s ton e s or wood ab ove , ,
b elow or upon a line

,
The s tro kes may b e one belo w the
.
line fo r b one a b ove fo r k one across the fle as g or me di al

, , ,
line for m O ne small stroke acro s s may be a tw o s tro ke s

, .
, ,
e three i four 0 fiv e u
, ,
Some are in the form of a da rt or
, .
,
arro w head M Ge b e lin was struc k with the resembl a nce

-
. .
between the I rish Ogham and Persian Cunei form .
There were thi rteen single consonants t wo double ones , ,
five vowels an d five diphthongs The ke y w as found by

,
.
D r Graves B ishop o f Limeric k The ogham has be en

.
,
.
claimed fo r the Welsh by R hys D r G Moore s e es that

“
. . .
the grammatic al distinction o f the letters indicates th at

—the oghams came from a southern and an orien tal l and .
H e regards ogh a ms as sepulchral i n pagan times Cro we .
thin ks them O lder than Sanscrit The craobk was a branch .
i ng ogham The B rehon Law recognized the use o f

.
ogham as evidence of lando w nership The Scythians had .
cryptic ciphers .
The B ook of I n v as ions re fers to that ogum which is o n

”
the stone D r I saac Taylor w ould derive it from R u nic
. .
O f the eighth century More li kely the characters came

.
,
from the wedge letters o n the angles o f B abylon ian bric ks .
R hys thin ks ogham c ame from the Ph ce n ic ia n alphabet .
H e finds the ogham alphabet is O f a double origi n form ,

”
ing a sort o f compromise betwe en the ea s t and the west .
R olt B rash regards it as o ften pre Christian I t is kno w n -

.
o n o n e hundre d and seventy monuments ; there being one
hundred and forty seven i n Kerry Cork and Water ford -

, , .
Tylor declares it very ancient and not R unic ; so said ,
Ge neral Pitt R ivers -

.
The derivation is u nsettled One w riter in the R oyal .
I rish Society gets it from oe og k or ogka a circle Ogma , , ,

.
w as the father o f the Tuath ki ng and was called Grian an n , ,
or b e lon in
, g g t o th e s un G M e n n e c y At kin s on has the
. .
to be crowned and placed it in the most sovereign beauti fu l

,
pl ace in I reland called to this day the R oyal Place ; a n d

,
F ergus s o n o f Fe rc h
,
ar brought the R oyal Stone b e fore ,
”
rece ive d and placed it w here it is n o w the A bbey o f Scone
, , .
The R oyal Place w as Fo rdu n s Tke m or and B li nd H arry s

' '
,
,
Ca n m or or Te a m or i e Ta ra . . .
B aldre d B isset early i n the fourteenth centu ry h ad an
other version ; saying “ ,
The daughter o f Pharaoh King ,

,
o f E gypt w ith an armed band and a large fleet goes to

, , ,
I reland and there b e i ng j oine d by a body o f I rish she

, ,
sa ils to Scotland ta king w ith her t he royal seat w h ich he

, , ,
the King o f E ngland w it h ot her insignia O f the Ki ngdom,
o f Scotland carrie d with him by violence to E ngland

, , , .
”
This B isset sought t o gai n the Pope s good o fli ce s fo r its

restoration to Scone by o u r E dward I .
The I rish story in the Leabka r Gabkala o r B ook of ,
Con q u es ts mentions the bringing to I reland f rom F alias in

, ,
Scotlan d o f the L ia F a il by the Tuath de D an aan s

, , .
U pon this W F S kene has stated

,
The t w o legends
. .
at all events are quite antagonistic to each other and there ,
is o n e historic fact certain as to eac h F irst the L ia F a il .

, ,
or I rish Stone did n ot leave Tara but was still there in the
, ,
eleventh century ; and secondly the Scotch o n e was not ,
i n A rgyle during the existence o f the I rish colony o f t he

”
D alriada n o r w as used in the inauguration o f their kings
,
.
I Vi n tow n is Ckron ike l written in St Ser f s mon astery

’
’
,
.
,
o f I nc h Loch Le v en about 14 20 has this accou nt

, , ,
A gre t S tan e this K yn ge than had

Th at for th is Kyn ge s S e te w as m ade
’
An d haldyn e w as a gre at J o w ale

W ytht in the kyn ryk of S p ayn e hale .
This K in g b ad this S im o n ( B re e ) ta
h
T at S tan e , a d
n ih -t l l
y a n d a
g ,
An d w yn t h at lan d an d oc c up y
An d halde that S tan e p e rp e t ually,
An d m ake it hi s S e ge thare
A s thai O f S p y
a n e d i d i t oi are ,
Tke L ia Fa il , or tke S ton e f
o D es t in
y .
3 15
B rou c h t th is S tan e w ytht in S c otlan d

F yrs t g w h e n h e c am e a n d w an e t ha t lan d ,
An d fyrs t w e s e t in I kkolm kil,

An d S c un e p are -e s tyr it w e s b ro ucht tyl
An d the re it w as s yn e m o n y day,
Q yw h l l E d w ar d ge rt h a v e i t a w ay,
N o r w ill I the w e rd re h ars
A s I fyn d of that S tan e in w e rs
N e fa lla t f a tu m , S coti gu ocn ng locatu m ,
'
’
I n oe n i e n t L api ae m , reg n a re ti n e n tu r i bia e m
'
'
B u t gyf w e rdys faly h an d b e ,
Q w h a r e e u e r t hat S t a n e y he s e g y t s e
Thare s all the S c ott is b e re gn an d,
An d Lorddys hale ou re all that L an d .
The Latin inscription said to have be e n on the stone has

been thus ren dered by another
“
E xc e p t O ld s e e rs
do fe ign ,
An d w iz ards w it s b e b lin d,
’
The S c ots in p lac e m u s t re ign ,

W he re the y this s ton e s hall fin d .
T his has been fulfille d say some by James V I o f Scotland

, ,
.
,
b u t o f I rish descent becoming J ames I o f E nglan d o r by

, .
,
‘
s o many I rish and Scotch hol di ng o fli c ial posts in E ngland
a n d the colonies .
B u t James Mason did n o t belie v e the sto ry when he

c alled
“
the stone in Westminster a spurious relic and
,
u tterly worthless “
as not the ancient coronation stone
,
”
O f Scotlan d at all but a base imitation pal med o ff o n
,
E dw ard I That the Scots in their retreat should abandon

“
.
th e real stone is to him

,
the most monstrous o f suppo
s i t io n s
. H i dden a w hile it may have been lost sight o f i n
,
the subsequent w ars or lost by the death O f the custodian

, ,
as many another treasure has been .
Gei kie the geologist w h

,
o fou nd it per fectly resemble
,
the sandstones o f the Scone district says To my eye the , ,
st o ne app e ars as i f it had been o riginally prepared fo r

”
buil di n g purposes but had never been used
,
E ven
Sh akespeare in R ichard I I I called it
“
.
A b fo ul s ton e , m ade p re ci ou s b y the i oh

as e ,
Of E n glan d s c hair
’ ”
.
3 16 O ld [r is k Re ligions .
I t is curi ou s al s o that w hile the stone Holy R o o d c o n

, , .
t ainin g a p o rtion o f the t rue cros s w as giv e n up b y E d w ard ,
at earne s t Scottish solic itation no pressi n g w as u s ed for ,
the re turn o f the Coro n atio n Sto n e not even a fter t he ,
crushi n g b attle of B annoc kb urn .
I t w as perh aps intende d to retu rn the stone to Scotlan d

, , ,
a nd a w rit fo r the removal w as dated J uly I 1 3 2 8 accord , ,
ing to t he decision o f a cou n cil at N orthampto n D al .
rym p le states that it w as further determine d on at a

con fere n ce bet w een D avid I and E d w ard I I I in 1 3 6 3 . . .
The Londoners ho w ever w ho accepted the b elie f o f t he

, ,
s to n e being a n ational palladium strongly o b j ected to its ,
leaving Westminster .
I rish Scotch Culdees an d A nglo I sraelites hav e hon oured

, , ,
-
the stone from the fancy that it was the stone pillo w o f St .
Columb a a fter having b een the stone pillo w o f J acob at

,
B ethel a fter w ards trans ferred to Scone The material ho w

, .
,
e ver is unli ke the geological formation O f either J udah or

,
I ona any more than o f I rel and itsel f B ut it is li ke that o f

, .
Scone Mc C u lloc hs Wes te rn I s les has t his notice

.
’
The
stone in question is a calcareou s sandstone and e xactly ,
resembles t hat w hich forms t he doorw ay o f D u n s t a ffn age

”
Castle .
H ow came Colu mba to have this Stone o f D estiny for

his n ightly pillo w ? I t is said howe v er t hat when Fergus , ,
carried it from I reland it w as placed in I ona be fore being , ,
trans ferred to the monastery o f D u n s ta ffn age I f it had .
been Jacob s pillo w the reporte d visit o f the angels at n ight

’
to Columba is easily accounted fo r .
I n Camden s ti me the Jacob theory w as received B ut

’
,
.
the Sco ttis h R e former and H istorian B uchana n le ft t his , ,
testimony three hundred O dd years ago The con nec ti ng

th is s ton e with the n ame o f the patriarch Jacob was most
li ke ]y a m o n kis hin ve ntion an d n ot i rnp ro oa ohgha d o rigin
‘ ‘
,
the s ton e Th e circular i ron han dles

. fo r li fti n g it are , ,
fi xed to a staple A crac k may be O bser v ed T he sto n e . .
is 2 6 i n long 16 % bro ad
. high , , .
R eturning to its Scotch history S kene disco v ers n o t a ,
single example o f a Pictish sovereign being cro w ned thereon

and supposi n g an instance were kno w n he wonders w hy
, ,
the Scots as racial foes o f Picts should hav e use d it fo r the

, ,
purpose R obertson the historian traced Colu mba s relic s

’
.
, ,
to D undal k n o t Scone ,
.
A wor k published about 1 6 8 6 describes the stone as

2 2 in long 1 3 broa d and 1 1 deep ; and says
.
,
“ w hereo f, ,
history relates that it is the s tone w hereon Jacob is sai d to

have lain his head in the Plain o f Luga ; an d that it w as
brought to B rigantia ( Corunna) in the Kingdom o f Spai n ,
in w hich place Gathol K ing o f Scots sat o n it as his , ,
throne Thence it was bro ught into I reland by Si mon

.
B rec fi rst King o f Scots about 7 00 years be fore Christ s

’
, ,
ti me and from thence into Scotland about 3 00 years be fore

,
”
Christ an d in A D 8 50 was place d in the A bbey Scone
,
. . .
Will R is han ge r mentions Milo King of the Spanish Scots

.
, ,
gi v ing it to his s o n Simon B re k .
D r O C o n n o r cites an I rish M S which records the re

'
. .
moval O f L ia F a il from Tara to the Connaught Kings at

Cruachan and so it lost its soun ding property till Con s
,
’
day second century ; that it w as sent by Mu rtagh Mac

,
B arca to his brother F ergus Mac E a rc a o f D alriada in

A rgyle O F lahe rty con founding its asserted rem oval
’
.
,
‘
from Iona to Scone in the ninth century afli rm e d it w as ,
sent then by A odh F in liath to his father in law Ken neth - -

,
M ac A lpin Ano ther v ersion is that Simon B re k ( spec kled

.
,
sun ) brought it up with his anchor o ff the west coast o f

I rel an d .
Pe n nant narrates The stone which had fi rst ser ved

j a c ob for his p i llo w w as aft e rw ards t ran s p o rt e d into Spain
, ,
Tke L ia Fa il , or tke S ton e of Des tiny .
3 19
where it w as used as a seat o f j ustice by Gathalus con ,
B oece declares this Gath

”
temporary w ith Moses a lus w as
.
the s o n o f Cecrops o f A thens and that he married Scota , ,
daughter o f Pharaoh H aydn s D iction a ry of D a tes relates ’
“
.
that the Lia F a il o n w h ich the Kings of Munster were ,
crowned w as laid in the Cathedral o f Cashel

, .
The R oyal I rish A cademy had the ful l Tara story from
D r Petrie s pen R e ferrin g to w hat he considered the Lia
’
. .
F ail the author mentione d its position by the Mou nd o f

,
H ostages though removed to the Forradh R ath i n 1 7 9 8

,
over some graves a fter the Tara fi ght “ B ut the m ou nd

“
.
,
sai d he is still popularly calle d Bod The arghais that i s

, ,
Pen is F e rgu s ii an appell ation deri v e d from the form o f this

,
stone Other M S S ident ify the Lia Fail with t he stone

. .
”
on the Mound o f the H ostages E lsewhere he said
“
.
B et w een the I rish and Scottish accounts O f the history

o f this stone there is a total w ant o f agreement which ,
s ho w s that the Scotti s h w riters when they recorded their ,
tradition were n o t acquainted w ith o r disregarde d the

, , ,
accou nts O f it preserved by the I rish The I rish accounts .
un i formly state that the Lia F ail was brought into I reland
from the north o f Germany by the Tu ath a de D anaan
”
colony .
The conclusion o f D r Petrie is as follows I t is an .
i nteresting fact that a large obeliscal pillar stone in a pros

, ,
trate position occupie d till a recent period the very situa

, , ,
tion o n the H ill o f Tara point e d ou t as the place o f the Lia

, ,
F ail by the I rish writers o f the tenth eleventh an d t w el fth , ,
centuri e s and that this was a monument o f pagan antiqu ity ,
an idol s ton e as the I rish writers call it seems evi dent from
, ,
”
its form and character .
I t is in fact the remnant o f an ancient obj ect o f w orship

, , ,
th e honouring o f the symbol o f production or source o f ,
li fe
.
One may smile at a clergyman the R e v Mr Glove r , . .

,
saying o f the stone o f Jacob that it w as re v erence d long

“
by the Jew s an d being lost in the destruction o f the ir
,
,
sanctuary 588 B C has appeared in I reland as the precious

,
. .
,
L iag P ka il bro u ght thither by H ebre w men in a ship o f

,
w a r cir 584
, . Mr H ine in Le a ding tke N a tions to Glory
. .
, ,
regards that stone as a witness to God s covenan ts in the ’
”
futu re .
One may also smile at D ean Stanley s enthusiasm over ’
“ ,
the r ival stone at Westminst e r as a lin k w hich u nites the ,
throne o f E ngland w ith the tradition s of Tara and I ona

“
.
S kene dete rmines that the Lia F ail ne v er w as any w here

”
but at Tara w hile the other stone never w as any w here
,
but at Scone Mr G Hudson rightly exclaims

. .I t is a
.
mat ter o f surprise that the Council o f the R oyal I rish

A c ad e my if they belie v e this ( at Tara) t o be the Lia F ail
, ,
have made n o e ffort to save such a relic B u t S kene s .

’
conclu s ion upon this vexed question o f authenticity is

as follo w s
“ T here w as n o co n n e ction betw ee n the sto n e at Scone
and the Lia F ail at T a ra and the legends o f their w an ,
de rin gs li ke those o f the tribes w ith w hom they w ere

,
”
a s soci ate d are n otking bu t my tk a n d f a ble
, .
I t is uncom fortabl e to have one s pleasing romanc e s ’
di s turbe d an d the S ton e of D es t iny has had to encounter

the se arching light o f mo dern inquiry t o the destruction of ,
m any pretty fancies I t is good to be kappy ; it is better .
to be true .
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D ly ll ( Sir J G ) D rk er Supe titio

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a s . O ri gi & of A cie t B rito se a s on n, c . n n ns .
De tiq it t Turru m B l
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us n a o rs n s .
Fergu o (J) Tree d Se r pe t W or hip

ss n . an n s .
Forl g (J G R ) R ive f Li fe
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G rey ( Sir G P o l y e i Mytho l ogy . n s an .
G b ld of D ij o
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H i lop ( R ev A Tw B byl
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H o re ( Sir R C Tou r through Irel d

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L i g ( S ) M der Sc ie ce d Moder Th ought

a n . o n n an n .
L ig ( R J ) E c l i tic l H i tory of I re l a d
an an ev . . c e s as a s n .
L V ll m q é ( T h H de ) C
a 1 e ar u te pop ul ire d . . on s a s e s an cie ns B reto ns.
Le B l ( L ) E tude l Sy m bol i m e Dru idi qu e
an e . s ur e s .
Led w ic h A iq u i ie of Ire l d nt t s an
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Le l ie ( Lt C l F ) Th e E rl y R ce of Scotl d
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- o . . a a s an .
L u b b oc k ( Si J ) P re h i toric Ti m e r . s s.
Mc c u l l oc h (J) The H ighlan d s an d W I s l an d s. . o f Scot l d an .
M a rti n ( I L ) E t ude s a archéologie ce l ti q ue

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Ma r t in ( M ) T h e W I s l an d s of S cot l an d
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O B re n n an ( D r ) A cie t Irel a d. n n n .
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M r d Cu t m of t h e A ci t Iri h an n e s an s o s n en s .
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P ic r t ( R ) C re m o ie d R eligiou C u tom of the V riou N atio o f the

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Pl ow d ( F ) Hi to ric l R eview f the St te o f Ir l d

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Pow ll ( G w )na O th e S t u dy of An tiquiti e s

o n n .
3 28 A u tkorit ie s Cite d .
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S m it h ( W L wi i . e s a na .
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S pe r ( E ) V ie w of t h e St te of Irel d
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Steve ( E T ) Fli t Ch ip
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Stoke ( M i ) E rly C h ri ti Architect u re i Irel d

s ss a s an n an .
S to yh t M g i e
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Thi r ry ( A ) H i toire d G ul i
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Ti re ch L ife of S t P t r ic k
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T odd (J H . P t i k H i Li f . d Mi i . a 1 c , s e an ss on .
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Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

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S O ME O T H E R WO R K S BY TH E A U T H O R .

G EOG RA PH Y FO R AU ST RAL IAN YO U T H 845 , 1 .

GEOG RAPH Y O F A U ST RAL I A AN D N E W Z E ALAN D .

W E STE RN VI CTO R I A ; G E O G RAPH Y AN D H I STO RY .

LAST O F T H E TAS MAN IAN S I ll t t d

D AI LY L IFE O F T H E T AS MAN I AN S 111 0 1 1 0 . 111 11 11 . 1 1 .

LOST TAS M AN IAN RAC E .

C L I MAT E AN D H EALT H I N A U ST RALAS I A .

FI RST T WE N TY Y E ARS O F AU ST RALI A .

HON . FE LLO W O F TH E AN TH RO PO LOG I C AL I NST I TUTE ;

I R E L AN D whe ther v ie we d from an antiquarian or a n

ethnological point O f V iew is one o f the most interesting

cou ntries in the world .I t is not the less an obj ect o f

traces o f nearly eve ry ki nd of pagan belie f .

I t is curious that its literary treasures should have been

scienti ﬁc societies i ncluding the new association fostered

by Sir C Gavan D u ffy I rish M SS hav e engaged much

thought ful investigation .

The author o f this wor k conscious of the importan ce o f

inquiry i n to ancient faiths has collected such in formation

upon I rish religions as a lengthened course o f general

who have less leisure or O pportun ity fo r research H e is .

conten t to state v arious views presented in quotations

from writers rather than to put forth any special con

j e c t u re s o f his own . E xam inations o f old myths and

This s ketch of the ancient I rish mind might hel p to

reverence for s o m e thing be yon d the in divi du akﬁ ns b e e n

ever associated with human nature A nything however .

apparently absurd to some of us that tends to res train vice

and exalt virtue is not to be despised in the developmen t

o f our race The heathen I rish had a worship fu l spirit

A s to their morals they certainly honoured woman more

than did the favoured Jews or accomplished Gree ks .

The D ruids forming one subj ect o f this publication are

still an en igma to us They were doubtless neither so

grandly wise nor so low in reputation as represented by

tradition Their ethical lessons must have ass uredly

prepared the way for Christian m issio n s .

H owever open to criticism in literary merit the boo k ,

clai ms some kindly consideration as coming from one ,

wh o in his seventy seventh year retains a c o n ﬁdin g hope

i n the march of hu man intell e ct and the growth of human

H O were the D ru ids ?

dic to ry have been the replies

memory as of a pious and superior race prominently ,

associated with the B ritish I sles and F rance and in a

Much romance has been Io n attached to them We .

hear their chants i n the S tone Circles We listen to the .

heaven inspired uttera n ces o f the A rchdrui d as he stands

on the capstone o f a cromlech in the eye of the sun , ,

su rrounded by the W hite robed throng w ith the bo w ed

w orshippers a far We see the gol den sic kle reverently

cutting o ff the sacred m s t1e toe We follow in im agination

the solemn procession hea ded b y the cross bearer W e loo k

un der the O ld o ak at the aged D rui d instructing disci les ,

whom the wise men debate upon some points o f legislation .

Then again we rec ognize the priests as patriots resisting

the invaders o f their homes a n d loudly chanti n g the B attle

Hymn . We are at the convo cati on of B re hon s in their ,

deliberations on law and awestruc k wait upon the observers

o f sun and stars o r o f the signs o f the times in the in v e s ti

g a t io n o f terrestrial phenome n a We g o with th e m t o.t he

j udgment U pon O ffenders of an un w ritten code and w itness ,

the dread ordeal o r the ﬁery hu man sacriﬁce