1.
Irish mythology
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The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity. However, much of it was preserved in medieval Irish literature and this literature represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. There are also a number of extant mythological texts that do not fit any of the cycles. Additionally, there are a number of recorded folk tales that, while not strictly mythological. Despite the dates of these sources, most of the material they contain predates their composition, the earliest of the prose can be dated on linguistic grounds to the 8th century, and some of the verse may be as old as the 6th century. The first of these part of the earliest known version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge and is housed in Trinity College. The other three are in the Royal Academy, when using these sources, it is, as always, important to question the impact of the circumstances in which they were produced. There was also a tendency to rework Irish genealogies to fit into the known schema of Greek or Biblical genealogy and it was once unquestioned that medieval Irish literature preserved truly ancient traditions in a form virtually unchanged through centuries of oral tradition back to the ancient Celts of Europe. A consensus has emerged which encourages the critical reading of the material, the Mythological Cycle, comprising stories of the former gods and origins of the Irish, is the least well preserved of the four cycles. The most important sources are the Metrical Dindshenchas or Lore of Places, Other manuscripts preserve such mythological tales as The Dream of Aengus, The Wooing Of Étain and Cath Maige Tuireadh, The Battle of Magh Tuireadh. One of the best known of all Irish stories, Oidheadh Clainne Lir, Lebor Gabála Érenn is a pseudo-history of Ireland, tracing the ancestry of the Irish back to before Noah. They faced opposition from their enemies, the Fomorians, led by Balor of the Evil Eye, Balor was eventually slain by Lug Lámfada at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh. With the arrival of the Gaels, the Tuatha Dé Danann retired underground to become the people of later myth. The Metrical Dindshenchas is the great work of early Ireland. It includes a lot of important information on Mythological Cycle figures and stories, including the Battle of Tailtiu, in which the Tuatha Dé Danann were defeated by the Milesians. It is important to note that by the Middle Ages the Tuatha Dé Danann were not viewed so much as gods as the shape-shifting magician population of an earlier Golden Age Ireland. Texts such as Lebor Gabála Érenn and Cath Maige Tuireadh present them as kings and heroes of the distant past, however, there is considerable evidence, both in the texts and from the wider Celtic world, that they were once considered deities. Even after they are displaced as the rulers of Ireland, characters such as Lug, a poem in the Book of Leinster lists many of the Tuatha Dé, but ends Although enumerates them, he does not worship them
2.
Midsummer
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The exact dates vary between different cultures. The Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr St John the Baptist, and these are commemorated by many Christian denominations. In Sweden the Midsummer is such an important festivity that there have been discussions to make the Midsummers Eve into the National Day of Sweden. It may also be referred to as St. Hans Day, european midsummer-related holidays, traditions, and celebrations are pre-Christian in origin. The fire festival or Litha – Summer solstice – is a tradition for many neopagans, Solstice celebrations still centered on the day of the astronomical summer solstice. Some choose to hold the rite on June 21, even when this is not the longest day of the year, and some celebrate June 24, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Quebec, the traditional Midsummer day, June 24, is a public holiday. So it was also in Sweden and Finland, but in these countries it was, in the 1950s. In Wicca, practitioners celebrate on the longest day and shortest night of the year which has not had a set date since the retirement of the 13-month Celtic calendar, the celebration of Midsummers Eve was from ancient times a festival of the summer solstice. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southward again, in later years, witches were also thought to be on their way to meetings with other powerful beings. The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the cycle of the year since Neolithic times. In Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Estonia, Midsummers Eve is the greatest festival of the year, comparable only with Walpurgis Night, Christmas Eve, Ancient Romans would hold a festival to honor the god Summanus on June 20. In the 7th century, Saint Eligius warned the recently converted inhabitants of Flanders against the pagan solstice celebrations. According to the Vita by his companion Ouen, hed say, on St. Johns Eve in certain regions the boys collect bones and certain other rubbish, and burn them, and therefrom a smoke is produced on the air. They also make brands and go about the fields with the brands, thirdly, the wheel which they roll. The fires, explained the monk of Winchcombe, were to drive away dragons, on St Johns Day 1333 Petrarch watched women at Cologne rinsing their hands and arms in the Rhine so that the threatening calamities of the coming year might be washed away by bathing in the river. In Austria the midsummer solstice is celebrated each year with a procession of ships down the Danube River as it flows through the wine-growing Wachau Valley just north of Vienna. Up to 30 ships sail down the river in line as fireworks erupt from the banks and hill tops while bonfires blaze, lighted castle ruins also erupt with fireworks during the 90-minute cruise downstream. This nationwide festival, called Festa Junina, or São João, rural life is celebrated through typical clothing, food, and dance
3.
Solar deity
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A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms, the Sun is sometimes referred to by its Latin name Sol or by its Greek name Helios. The English word sun stems from Proto-Germanic *sunnǭ, the Neolithic concept of a solar barge is found in the later myths of ancient Egypt, with Ra and Horus. Predynasty Egyptian beliefs attribute Atum as the sun-god and Horus as a god of the sky, as the Old Kingdom theocracy gained power, early beliefs were incorporated with the expanding popularity of Ra and the Osiris-Horus mythology. Atum became Ra-Atum, the rays of the setting sun, Osiris became the divine heir to Atums power on Earth and passes his divine authority to his son Horus. Early Egyptian myths imply the sun is within the lioness, Sekhmet, at night and is reflected in her eyes, or that it is within the cow, Hathor, during the night, being reborn each morning as her son. Mesopotamian Shamash plays an important role during the Bronze Age, similarly, South American cultures have a tradition of Sun worship, as with the Incan Inti. Proto-Indo-European religion has a chariot, the sun as traversing the sky in a chariot. In Germanic mythology this is Sol, in Vedic Surya, and in Greek Helios, svarog is the Slavic solar deity, represented as a spirit of fire. During the Roman Empire, a festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun was celebrated on the winter solstice—the rebirth of the sun—which occurred on December 25 of the Julian calendar. In late antiquity, the centrality of the sun in some Imperial religious systems suggest a form of a solar monotheism. The religious commemorations on December 25 were replaced under Christian domination of the Empire with the birthday of Christ, the Tiv people consider the Sun to be the son of the supreme being Awondo and the Moon Awondos daughter. The Barotse tribe believes that the Sun is inhabited by the sky god Nyambi, some Sara people also worship the sun. Even where the sun god is equated with the supreme being, the Ancient Egyptian god of creation, Amun is also believed to reside inside the sun. So is the Akan creator deity, Nyame and the Dogon deity of creation, also in Egypt, there was a religion that worshiped the sun directly, and was among the first monotheistic religions, Atenism. Sun worship was prevalent in ancient Egyptian religion, the earliest deities associated with the sun are all goddesses, Wadjet, Sekhmet, Hathor, Nut, Bast, Bat, and Menhit. First Hathor, and then Isis, give birth to and nurse Horus, Hathor the horned-cow is one of the 12 daughters of Ra, gifted with joy and is a wet-nurse to Horus. From at least the 4th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the sun was worshipped as the deity Re, and portrayed as a falcon headed god surmounted by the solar disk, and surrounded by a serpent
4.
Egobail
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The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, chieftain and he is associated with fertility, agriculture, manliness and strength, as well as magic, druidry and wisdom. He is said to have control over life and death, the weather and crops, as well as time and he is often described as large man or giant wearing a hooded cloak. He owns a staff or club which can kill with one end and bring to life with the other, a cauldron which never runs empty. The Dagda mates with many goddesses, including Boann and the Morrígan and his children include Aengus, Brigit, Bodb Derg, Cermait, Aed, and Midir. The name Dagda is believed to come from Proto-Celtic, *Dagodeiwos and he is also known by the epithets Eochu or Eochaid Ollathair, Ruad Rofhessa, Samildánach, Aed Abaid of Ess Ruad, Fer Benn, Cera, Cerrce, Easal, Eogabal and Crom-Eocha. Dáire also appears to have another name for the Dagda. Furthermore, some scholars have linked him with the harvest god Crom Cruach and Crom Dubh, as well as with the death, the Dagda has been likened to the Germanic god Odin and the pan-Celtic god Sucellos. Tales depict the Dagda as a figure of power, armed with a magic club. The club was supposed to be able to kill nine men with one blow, the cauldron was known as the Undry and was said to be bottomless, from which no man left unsatisfied. He possessed two pigs, one of which was always growing whilst the other was always roasting, the Dagda was a High King of the Tuatha Dé Danann after his predecessor Nuada was injured in battle. The Tuatha Dé Danann are the race of beings who conquered the Fomorians. His lover was Boann and his daughter was Breg, prior to the battle with the Fomorians, he coupled with the goddess of war, the Mórrígan, on Samhain in exchange for a plan of battle. Such features are thought to be the additions of Christian redactors for comedic purposes, the Dagda had an affair with Bóand, wife of Elcmar. In order to hide their affair, Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months, therefore their son, Aengus, was conceived, gestated and he, along with Bóand, helped Aengus search for his love. Whilst Aengus was away the Dagda shared out his land among his children, under the guidance of Lugh Aengus later tricked his father out of his home at the Brú na Bóinne. In The Wooing of Étaín, on the hand, Aengus uses the same ploy to trick Elcmar out of Brú na Bóinne. The Dagda was also the father of Bodb Dearg, Cermait, Midir, Áine, and Brigit
5.
County Limerick
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County Limerick is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster, and is part of the Mid-West Region. It is named after the city of Limerick, Limerick City and County Council is the local council for the county. The countys population at the 2016 census is 195,175 of which 58,319 live in Limerick City, Limerick borders four other counties, Kerry to the west, Clare to the north, Tipperary to the east and Cork to the south. It is the fifth largest of Munsters six counties in size, the River Shannon flows through the city of Limerick into the Atlantic Ocean at the north of the county. Below the city, the waterway is known as the Shannon Estuary, because the estuary is shallow, the countys most important port is several kilometres west of the city, at Foynes. Limerick City is the county town and is also Irelands third largest city and it also serves as a regional centre for the greater Mid-West Region. Newcastle West, Killmallock & Abbeyfeale are other important towns in the county, there are fourteen historic baronies in the county. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they are no longer used for administrative purposes. Their official status is illustrated by Placenames Orders made since 2003, the highest point in the county is located in its south-east corner at Galtymore, which separates Limerick from County Tipperary. The county is not a simply a plain, its topography consists of hills, the eastern part of the county is part of the Golden Vale, which is well known for dairy produce and consists of rolling low hills. This gives way to flat land around the centre of the county. Towards the west, the Mullaghareirk Mountains push across the county offering extensive views east over the county, tributaries of the Shannon drainage basin located in the county include the rivers Mulkear, Loobagh, Maigue, Camogue, Morning Star, Deel, and the Feale. It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, the arrival of the Celts around 400 BC brought about the division of the county into petty kingdoms or túatha. The OBriens retained their power until late in the 1100s. The ancestors of both Michael Collins and the famous OConnells of Derrynane were also among the septs of the Uí Fidgenti. As the Ui Fidgenti were the clan in the Limerick after 400 a. d. the Uí Fidgenti still made a substantial contribution to the population of the central. Their capital was Dún Eochair, the earthworks of which still remain and can be found close to the modern town of Bruree
6.
Irish language
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Irish, also referred to as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people. Irish enjoys constitutional status as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland and it is also among the official languages of the European Union. The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland and it has the oldest vernacular literature in Western Europe. The fate of the language was influenced by the power of the English state in Ireland. Elizabethan officials viewed the use of Irish unfavourably, as being a threat to all things English in Ireland and its decline began under English rule in the 17th century. In the latter part of the 19th century, there was a decrease in the number of speakers. Irish-speaking areas were hit especially hard, by the end of British rule, the language was spoken by less than 15% of the national population. Since then, Irish speakers have been in the minority, efforts have been made by the state, individuals and organisations to preserve, promote and revive the language, but with mixed results. Around the turn of the 21st century, estimates of native speakers ranged from 20,000 to 80,000 people. In the 2011 Census, these numbers had increased to 94,000 and 1.3 million, there are several thousand Irish speakers in Northern Ireland. It has been estimated that the active Irish-language scene probably comprises 5 to 10 per cent of Irelands population, there has been a significant increase in the number of urban Irish speakers, particularly in Dublin. In Gaeltacht areas, however, there has been a decline of the use of Irish. Údarás na Gaeltachta predicted that, by 2025, Irish will no longer be the language in any of the designated Gaeltacht areas. Survey data suggest that most Irish people think highly of Irish as a marker of identity. It has also argued that newer urban groups of Irish speakers are a disruptive force in this respect. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil the name of the language is Gaeilge, before the spelling reform of 1948, this form was spelled Gaedhilge, originally this was the genitive of Gaedhealg, the form used in Classical Irish. Older spellings of this include Gaoidhealg in Classical Irish and Goídelc in Old Irish, the modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent dh in the middle of Gaedhilge, whereas Goidelic languages, used to refer to the language family including Irish, comes from Old Irish
7.
County Tyrone
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County Tyrone is one of the six historic counties of Northern Ireland. It is also one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is no used as an administrative division for local government. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 3,155 km² and has a population of about 177,986, with its county town being Omagh. The name Tyrone is derived from Irish Tír Eoghain, meaning land of Eoghan, historically, it was anglicised as Tirowen or Tyrowen, which are closer to the Irish pronunciation. Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern-day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610–1620 when that went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on natural resources located there. Tyrone was the stronghold of the various ONeill clans and families. In 1608 during ODohertys Rebellion areas of the country were plundered, however, ODohertys men avoided the estates of the recently fled Earl of Tyrone around Dungannon, fearing Tyrones anger if he returned from his exile. With an area of 3,155 square kilometres, Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland, the length of the county, from the mouth of the River Blackwater at Lough Neagh to the western point near Carrickaduff hill is 55 miles. The breadth, from the corner, southeast of Fivemiletown, to the northeastern corner near Meenard Mountain is 37.5 miles. Annaghone lays claim to be the centre of Northern Ireland. Tyrone is connected by land to the county of Fermanagh to the southwest, Monaghan to the south, Armagh to the southeast, Londonderry to the north, across Lough Neagh to the east, it borders County Antrim. It is the eighth largest of Irelands thirty-two counties by area and it is the second largest of Ulsters nine traditional counties by area and fourth largest by population. It is one of four counties in Northern Ireland which currently has a majority of the population from a Catholic community background, in 1900 County Tyrone had a population of 197,719, while in 2011 it was 177,986. The major sports in Tyrone are Gaelic games, association football, Gaelic football is the most popular sport in the county with Gaelic football being more widely played than hurling. The Tyrone GAA football side has had success since 2000. They have also won fourteen Ulster titles and two National League titles, association football also has a large following
8.
County Louth
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County Louth is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Border Region and it is named after the village of Louth. Louth County Council is the authority for the county. The population of the county is 122,897 according to the 2016 census, County Louth is colloquially known as the Wee County as it is Irelands smallest county by area (826 km2. It is the 18th-largest in terms of population and it is the smallest of Leinster’s 12 counties by size and the sixth-largest by population. Despite its fairly average total population, Louth is the second most densely populated county in Ireland behind Dublin, County Louth is named after the village of Louth, which in turn is named after Lugh, a god of the ancient Irish. Historically, the placename has had various spellings, Lugmad, Lughmhaigh, lú is the modern simplified spelling. The county is steeped in myth, legend and history, and is a setting in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, later it saw the influence of the Vikings as seen in the name of Carlingford Lough. They also established a longphort at Annagassan in the ninth century, at this time Louth consisted of three sub-kingdoms each subject to separate over-kingdoms, Conaille, Fir Rois, and, the Fir Arda Ciannachta. The whole area became part of the OCarroll Kingdom of Airgialla early in the 12th century, a number of historic sites are in the county, including religious sites at Monasterboice, Mellifont Abbey and the St Mary Magdalene Dominican Friary. The Normans occupied the Louth area in the 1180s, and it known as English Oriel. The latter became the McMahon lordship of Oriel of Monaghan, in the early 14th century, the Scottish army of Edward Bruce was repulsed from Drogheda. Edward was finally defeated, losing his claim to the High Kingship of Ireland along with his life, in the Battle of Faughart near Dundalk, by a chiefly local force led by John de Bermingham. In 1189 AD, a charter was granted to Dundalk after a Norman nobleman named Bertram de Verdun erected a manor house at Castletown Mount. Later in 1412, a charter was granted to Drogheda. This charter unified the towns of Drogheda-in-Meath and Drogheda-in-Uriel as a County in its own right, oliver Cromwell attacked Drogheda in 1649 slaughtering the Royalist garrison and hundreds of the towns citizens. Drogheda held for James II under Lord Iveagh, but surrendered to King William of Orange the day after the battle of the Boyne. They were betrayed by informers, notably a Dr. Conlan, who came from Dundalk, the priest and scientist Nicholas Callan was from Darver
9.
County Londonderry
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County Londonderry, also known as County Derry, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,074 km² and has a population of about 247,132 and it is also one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland, as well as part of the historic province of Ulster. Since 1981, it has one of four counties in Northern Ireland that has a Catholic majority. The county flower is the Purple Saxifrage, the place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire, meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Londonderry generally preferred by unionists, british authorities use the name Londonderry, while Derry is used by the Republic of Ireland. Mountsandel located near Coleraine in County Londonderry is perhaps the oldest recorded settlement within Ireland, at an early period, what became the county of Coleraine was inhabited by the OCahans, who were tributary to the ONeills. This county was named Londonderry, a combination of London and Derry, the Irish Society was made up of the twelve main livery companies of London, which themselves were composed of various guilds. Whilst The Irish Society as a whole was given possession of the city of Londonderry and Coleraine, the county town of County Londonderry, and seat of the Londonderry County Council until its abolition in 1973, was therefore moved to the town of Coleraine. The highest point in the county is the summit of Sawel Mountain on the border with County Tyrone, Sawel is part of the Sperrin Mountains, which dominate the southern part of the county. In the centre of the county are the deciduous forests at Banagher and Ness Wood. These councils were, Derry City Council, Limavady Borough Council, and Magherafelt District Council, most of Coleraine Borough Council, the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway continued as a private bus company based in the city but operating predominantly in County Donegal until it closed in 2014. Bus services are now provided by Ulsterbus, two major centres of the University of Ulster are in the county, including its headquarters at Coleraine and the Magee Campus in Derry. The Derry teams wear the red and white. There are many teams competing in up to five leagues. The county team has won one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and five National League titles, hurling is also widely played but is not as popular as football. However, the county team is regarded as one of the top hurling sides in Ulster. The Northern Ireland Milk Cup was established in 1983 and is regarded as one of the most prestigious youth football tournaments in Europe and the world. In rugby union, the county is represented at senior level by Rainey Old Boys Rugby Club, Magherafelt who compete in the Ulster Senior League and All Ireland Division Three
10.
Tuamgraney
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Tuamgraney is a village in eastern County Clare in the west of Ireland and a civil parish by the same name. The parish is in the barony of Tulla Upper and contains the villages of Scarriff and it is 7.5 by 2.75 miles and covers 14,181 acres. The parish is rugged, with heights ranging from 1,126 to 122 feet above sea level and it contains the Scariff river from its headstreams through Lough OGrady to its mouth in Scarriff bay, Lough Derg. The village of Tuamgraney lies in close proximity to the town of Scarriff that today the two are often considered to be one single settlement. There is a well dedicated to St. Cronán in the Currakyle townland. The nearby castle of Tuamgraney is still in a state of preservation. Tuamgraney parish was founded by a saint named Cronán or Chronain, possibly the same Crónán Abbot, the place is mentioned in the annals from as early as 735 AD. There was a tower, which was repaired by Brian Boru. In 1560 both castles belonged to Edmond OGrady, in 1633 Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, bought ten quarters of land north of the Graney River, including the castle and ironworks of Scarriff. These lands were combined with the old Moynoe parish to form the Scariff parish, today the village of Scarriff is in the Roman Catholic parish of Scariff and Moynoe, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The southern part of Tuamgraney parish was combined with the parish of Kilnoe early in the 18th century to form the parish of Bodyke. The Roman Catholic parish of Bodyke encompasses Bodyke, Kilnoe and Tuamgraney, the Ó Cillín family were coarbs of The novelist Edna OBrien was born in Tuamgraney in 1930. Noted genealogist Edward MacLysaght is buried at St. Cronans Church, see Annals of Inisfallen AI749 Kl. Death of Conchellach, abbot of Tuaim Gréine, Repose of Rebachán son of Mothla, abbot of Tuaim Gréine and king of Dál Cais. AI1003.8 Repose of Donngal son of Beoán, abbot of Tuaim Gréine, aI1020.2 Muiredach Ua hAililléin, lector of Tuaim Gréine, rested in Christ. AI1024.8 Niall Ua Cellaig, lector of Tuaim Gréine, aI1026.7 Conall Ua Cillíne, coarb of Crónán of Tuaim Gréine, fell asleep. List of towns and villages in Ireland Clare County Library
11.
County Donegal
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County Donegal is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region of the Republic of Ireland and is in the province of Ulster and it is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. Donegal County Council is the council for the county and Lifford serves as the county town. The population of the county is 158,755 according to the 2016 census and it has also been known as Tyrconnell, after the historic territory of the same name. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster, uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland – County Leitrim. The greater part of its border is shared with three counties of Northern Ireland, County Londonderry, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of 19,588, Letterkenny and the nearby city of Derry form the main economic axis of the northwest of Ireland. Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610, there are two Gaeltacht districts in the west, The Rosses, centred on the town of Dungloe, and Gweedore. Another Gaeltacht district is located in the north-west, Cloughaneely, centred on the town of Falcarragh, the most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for three peninsulas of outstanding natural beauty, Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill. The main population centre of Inishowen, Irelands largest peninsula, is Buncrana, in the east of the county lies the Finn Valley. The Laggan district is centred on the town of Raphoe, according to the 1841 Census, County Donegal had a population of 296,000 people. As a result of famine and emigration, the population had reduced by 41,000 by 1851, by the time of the 1951 Census the population was only 44% of what it had been in 1841. The 2006 Census, undertaken by the States Central Statistics Office, had County Donegals population standing at 147,264, according to the 2011 Census, the countys population had grown to 161,137. It has an indented coastline forming natural sea loughs, of which both Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle are the most notable. The Slieve League cliffs are the sixth-highest sea cliffs in Europe, the climate is temperate and dominated by the Gulf Stream, with warm, damp summers and mild wet winters. Two permanently inhabited islands, Arranmore and Tory Island, lie off the coast, Irelands second longest river, the Erne, enters Donegal Bay near the town of Ballyshannon. The River Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to produce hydroelectric power, the River Foyle separates part of County Donegal from parts of both counties Londonderry and Tyrone. A survey of the marine algae of County Donegal was published in 2003
12.
Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond
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He was the son of Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond, by his third wife Aveline, daughter of Nicholas FitzMaurice, 3rd Lord of Kerry. He was half-brother to Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond, Maurice Fitzgerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond, would have been followed by Geralds older brother, Nicholas, but Nicholas was described as an idiot, and so was passed over for the earldom. Because of this, some older histories list Gerald as the 4th Earl, in 1356 he was brought to England as a hostage for his fathers good behavior, but as his father died that same year, he was soon released. Three years later, he succeeded his brother Maurice, who had died without male heirs, king Edward III confirmed Gerald in his large estates in Munster, provided that he marry Eleanor Butler, daughter of the Justiciar, James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond. Gerald did so, but did not make peace with Ormond, nor adopt English ways, according to Alfred Webb, surnamed Gerald the Poet, succeeded to the estates and honours of the family. He married, by the Kings command, Eleanor, daughter of James, 2nd Earl of Ormond, Gerald was Lord Justice of Ireland,1367. In 1398 he disappeared, and is fabled to live beneath the waters of Lough Gur, near Kilmallock, fragments of Anglo-Norman verse attributed to him, known as Proverbs of the Earl of Desmond, survive. Duanaire Ghearóid Iarla is preserved in a manuscript, the Book of Fermoy. In addition, nine of his poems are preserved in the Book of the Dean of Lismore, duanaire Ghearóid Iarla was published by Gearóid Mac Niocaill in Studia Hibernica 3, 7-59. In 1367 Desmond was made Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, but was replaced by Sir William de Windsor. In 1370 Brian OBrien of Thomond expelled his cousin Turlough, Brian marched on Limerick, and defeated Desmond, burning the city and Desmonds lands and imprisoning him. While in prison, Gerald wrote poetry in Irish, most famously the poem Mairg adeir olc ris na mnáibh, also an accomplished poet in Norman French, Gerald was instrumental in the move by the Desmond Geraldines toward greater use of the Irish language. The Geraldine claim to an association with Áine is typical of the familys Gaelicisation, in 1359 Gerald married Eleanor Butler, daughter of James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond
13.
Earl
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An earl /ɜːrl/ is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon in origin, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, in Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced by duke. In later medieval Britain, it became the equivalent of the continental count, however, earlier in Scandinavia, jarl could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty kingdoms of Norway had the title of jarl, alternative names for the rank equivalent to Earl/Count in the nobility structure are used in other countries, such as the hakushaku of the post-restoration Japanese Imperial era. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess, a feminine form of earl never developed, instead, countess is used. The term earl has been compared to the name of the Heruli, proto-Norse eril, or the later Old Norse jarl, came to signify the rank of a leader. The Norman-derived equivalent count was not introduced following the Norman conquest of England though countess was and is used for the female title. In the other languages of Britain and Ireland, the term is translated as, Welsh iarll, Irish and Scottish Gaelic iarla, Scots yarl or yerl, Cornish yurl. An earl has the title Earl of when the title originates from a placename, in either case, he is referred to as Lord, and his wife as Lady. A countess who holds an earldom in her own right also uses Lady, younger sons are styled The Honourable, and daughters, The Lady. In the peerage of Scotland, when there are no courtesy titles involved, the heir to an earldom, and indeed any level of peerage, is styled Master of, and successive sons as younger of. In Anglo-Saxon England, earls had authority over their own regions and right of judgment in provincial courts and they collected fines and taxes and in return received a third penny, one-third of the money they collected. In wartime they led the kings armies, some shires were grouped together into larger units known as earldoms, headed by an ealdorman or earl. Under Edward the Confessor earldoms like Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia, Earls originally functioned essentially as royal governors. Though the title of Earl was nominally equal to the duke, unlike them. After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror tried to rule England using the traditional system, shires became the largest secular subdivision in England and earldoms disappeared. The Normans did create new earls like those of Herefordshire, Shropshire and their power and regional jurisdiction was limited to that of the Norman counts. There was no longer any administrative layer larger than the shire, Earls no longer aided in tax collection or made decisions in country courts and their numbers were small
14.
FitzGerald dynasty
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The FitzGerald dynasty is an Irish Hiberno-Norman or Cambro-Norman dynasty. The dynasty has also referred to as the Geraldines. They were established by the conquest of large swathes of Irish territory by the sons and grandsons of Gerald FitzWalter of Windsor, Gerald was a Norman castellan in Wales, and is the male progenitor of the Fitzgerald dynasty. Geralds Welsh wife Nest ferch Rhys is the progenitor of the Fitzgeralds. She was the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, last King of Deheubarth, through her the Fitzgeralds are descended from the Welsh rulers of Deheubarth as well as related to the Tudors who are descended from the same Welsh royal line. Consequently, the Fitzgeralds are cousins to the Tudors through Nest, in his poetry, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, referred to Elizabeth FitzGerald as Fair Geraldine. The main branches of the family are, the FitzGeralds of Kildare and its current head is Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster. The Lord of Lanstephan was a participant in the 1169 Norman invasion of Ireland. The FitzGerald dynasty has played a role in Irish history. Gearóid Mór, 8th Earl of Kildare and his son Gearóid Óg, 9th Earl of Kildare, were Lord Deputy of Ireland in the late Fifteenth and early Sixteenth centuries respectively. The FitzGerald dynasty became so intermingled with the native Gaelic Irish that they were often described as more Irish than the Irish themselves. The best example of this is Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond, although made Lord Chief Justice of Ireland in 1367, Gerald wrote poetry in the Irish language, most famously the poem Mairg adeir olc ris na mnáibh. Indeed, although an accomplished poet in Norman French, Gerald was instrumental in the move by the FitzGeralds of Desmond toward greater use of the Irish language, the surname FitzGerald comes from the Norman tradition of adding Fitz, meaning son of before the fathers name. So, Fitz Gerald means in Old Norman and in Old French son of Gerald, Gerald itself is a Germanic compound of ger, spear, and waltan, rule. Variant spellings include Fitz-Gerald and the modern Fitzgerald, the name can also be used as two separate words Fitz Gerald. For more on the Kildare Geraldines, see Duke of Leinster, lady Edward FitzGerald, known as Pamela, wife of Lord Edward FitzGerald. The line of the Earls of Desmond has been extinct since the 17th century and their branch of the dynasty continues only in their distant collateral kinsmen, Irelands hereditary knights. Thus in fact represent a sister branch to the FitzGeralds of Desmond
15.
Normans in Ireland
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The Normans in Ireland were a group of Normans who invaded the various realms of Gaelic Ireland. They can in many ways be seen as a branch of the Normans in England, some of the Normans became Gaelicised, especially in the West. These Normans nominally owed their position and claims to territory due to the King of England and were closely associated with the Gregorian Reform of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Their fortunes took a dip in the 17th century and much of their caste merged with native Irish Gaels under the denominator of Irish Catholic and this was because a New English Protestant elite had arrived as a new ruling class in Ireland during the Tudor period. Some Normans opted to assimilate with these Anglo-Irish people and their descendants live in Ireland to this day and have spread out through the Irish diaspora, but no longer commonly identify as Norman. Some of the most prominent Norman families were the Burkes, FitzGeralds, one of the most popular Irish surnames, Walsh, derives from Normanised Welshmen who arrived in Ireland as part of this group. Historians disagree about what to call the Normans in Ireland at different times in its existence, Irish historian Edward MacLysaght makes the distinction in his book, Surnames of Ireland, between Hiberno-Norman and Anglo-Norman surnames. This sums up the difference between Queens English Rebels and the Loyal Lieges. The Geraldines of Desmond or the Burkes of Connacht, for instance, the Butlers of Ormond, on the other hand, could not accurately be described as Hiberno-Norman in their political outlook and alliances, especially after they married into the Royal Family. Some contend it is ahistorical to trace a single Old English community back to 1169 as the real Old English community was a product of the sixteenth century in the Pale. Up to that time, the identity of people had been much more fluid, it was the administrations policies which created an oppositional. Brendan Bradshaw, in his study of the poetry of late sixteenth century Tír Chónaill, points out that the Normans were not referred to there as Seanghaill, breandán Ó Buachalla essentially agreed with him, Tom Dunne and Tom Bartlett were less sure. It was noted in 2011 that Irish nationalist politicians elected between 1918 and 2011 could often be distinguished by surname, fine Gael parliamentarians were more likely to bear surnames of Norman origin than those from Fianna Fáil, who had a higher concentration of Gaelic surnames. Many of the Old English were dispossessed in the political and religious conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Norman community in Ireland was, however, never monolithic. However, in the provinces, the Normans in Ireland, were at times indistinguishable from the surrounding Gaelic lords, such people became regarded as more Irish than the Irish themselves as a result of this process. Beyond the Pale, the term English, if and when it was applied, referred to a layer of landowners and nobility. The division between the Pale and the rest of Ireland was therefore in reality not rigid or impermeable, there was no religious division in medieval Ireland, beyond the requirement that English-born prelates should run the Irish church. To the New English, many of the Old English were degenerate, the poet Edmund Spenser was one of the chief advocates of this view
16.
More Irish than the Irish themselves
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More Irish than the Irish themselves is a phrase used in Irish historiography to describe a phenomenon of cultural assimilation in late medieval Norman Ireland. The Statutes of Kilkenny,1366, complained that, the phrase was used by the Irish priest and historian John Lynce in his work Cambrensis Eversus. He was strongly influenced by the writings of the historian Geoffrey Keating, Cambrensis Eversus was translated from the Latin, with notes and observations, by Theophilus OFlanagan, Dublin,1795. John Henry Wilson, in his Sketch of Johnathan Swift, wrote that Swift used the phrase in a discussion with his landlord, the phrase remained in use by romantic nineteenth century nationalists to promote the common Irishness of Planter and Gael. An example is found in the 1844 poem by the Young Irelander, Thomas Davis called The Geraldines, which concerns the FitzGerald dynasty, The Geraldines. While still echoing its original meaning, contemporary usage of the phrase usually takes an open interpretation of assimilation or, in the case of the diaspora. Debates of the Oireachtas demonstrate the age and range of applications of the phrase. Today it is recognized that the contemporary phrase dates only from the late eighteenth century. More German than the Germans Plastic Paddy West Brit – a somewhat opposite expression
17.
Fairy
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A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature in European folklore, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural. According to Thomas Keightley, the word derives from the Latin fata. Other forms are the Italian fata, and the Provençal fada, in old French romance, fee was a woman skilled in magic, and who knew the power and virtue of words, of stones, and of herbs. Faierie became fairy, but with that now almost exclusively referring to one of the legendary people. The word fairy was used to represent an illusion, or enchantment, to the word faie was added the suffix -erie, used to express either a place where something is found or a trade or typical activity engaged in. In later usage it applied to any kind of quality or activity associated with a particular type of person. In the sense land where fairies dwell, the distinctive and archaic spellings Faery, the latinate fay is not to be confused with the unrelated fey, meaning fated to die. Various folkloristic traditions refer to them euphemistically, by such as wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair folk. Sometimes the term fairy is used to any magical creature, including goblins or gnomes, at other times. Fairies have their origin in the conflation of Celtic traditions in the Middle French medieval romances. Fairie was in origin used adjectivally, meaning enchanted, but was used as a name for enchanted creatures from as early as the Late Middle English period. In English literature of the Elizabethan era, elves became conflated with the fairies of Romance culture, the Victorian and Edwardian eras saw an increase in interest in fairies. The Celtic Revival viewed them as part of Irelands cultural heritage, carole Silvers and others suggest that the fascination of English antiquarians arose from a reaction to greater industrialization, and loss of folkways. Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers, even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed rather than constant. Some fairies though normally quite small were able to dilate their figures to imitate humans, on Orkney they were described as short in stature, dressed in dark grey, and sometimes seen in armour. Wings, while common in Victorian and later artwork of fairies, are rare in the folklore, even very small fairies flew with magic. Nowadays, fairies are depicted with ordinary insect wings or butterfly wings. In some folklore, fairies have green eyes, some depictions of fairies either have them wearing some sort of footwear and other depictions of fairies are always barefoot
18.
Anu (Irish goddess)
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Not to be confused with Annan. In Irish mythology, Anu is a goddess and she may be a goddess in her own right, or an alternate name for Danu. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn, Anand is given as a name for Morrígu. While an Irish goddess, in parts of Britain a similar figure is referred to as Gentle Annie, in an effort to avoid offense, a tactic which is similar to referring to the fairies as The Good People. As her name is often conflated with a number of other goddesses and this name may be derived the Proto-Celtic theonym *Φanon-. Anu has particular associations with Munster, the hills known as the Paps of Anu, at 52°00′55″N 9°16′09″W, near Killarney. Evidence that Anu may be the deity as Danu appears in the following comment from Sanas Cormaic. Well did she feed the gods, Oxford, Oxford University Press,1998, ISBN 0-19-280120-1. Wood, Juliette, The Celts, Life, Myth, and Art, Thorsons Publishers, ISBN 0-00-764059-5
19.
Macha
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Macha is a goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war, horses, sovereignty, and the sites of Armagh and Eamhain Mhacha in County Armagh, which are named after her. A number of figures called Macha appear in Irish mythology, legend and historical tradition, the name is presumably derived from Proto-Celtic *makajā denoting a plain. It was also said that Macha was called Grian Banchure, the Sun of Womanfolk, a poem in the Lebor Gabála Érenn mentions Macha as one of the daughters of Partholón, leader of the first settlement of Ireland after the flood, although it records nothing about her. Various sources record a second Macha as the wife of Nemed and she was the first of Nemeds people to die in Ireland – twelve years after their arrival according to Geoffrey Keating, twelve days after their arrival according to the Annals of the Four Masters. She is said to have given her name to the city of Armagh – where she was buried, Macha, daughter of Ernmas, of the Tuatha Dé Danann, appears in many early sources. She is often mentioned together with her sisters, Badb and Morrigu, the three are often considered a triple goddess associated with war. A version of the same gloss in MS H.3.18 identifies Macha with Badb, Keating explicitly calls them goddesses, but medieval Irish tradition was keen to remove all trace of pre-Christian religion. Macha is said to have killed by Balor of the Evil Eye during the battle with the Fomorians. Macha Mong Ruad, daughter of Áed Rúad, was, according to legend and historical tradition. Her father rotated the kingship with his cousins Díthorba and Cimbáeth, Áed died after his third stint as king, and when his turn came round again, Macha claimed the kingship. Díthorba and Cimbáeth refused to allow a woman to take the throne, Macha won, and Díthorba was killed. She won a battle against Díthorbas sons, who fled into the wilderness of Connacht. She married Cimbáeth, with whom she shared the kingship and she pursued Díthorbas sons alone, disguised as a leper, and overcame each of them in turn when they tried to have sex with her, tied them up, and carried the three of them bodily to Ulster. Macha ruled together with Cimbáeth for seven years, until he died of plague at Emain Macha, the Lebor Gabála synchronises her reign to that of Ptolemy I Soter. The chronology of Keatings Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates her reign to 468–461 BC, Macha, daughter of Sainrith mac Imbaith, was the wife of Cruinniuc, an Ulster farmer. After Cruinniucs first wife died, she appeared at his house and, without speaking, as long as they were together Cruinniucs wealth increased. When he went to a festival organised by the king of Ulster, she warned him that she would stay with him so long as he did not mention her to anyone. However, during a race, he boasted that his wife could run faster than the kings horses
20.
Cailleach
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In Gaelic mythology the Cailleach is a divine hag, a creator deity and weather deity, and an ancestor deity. She is also known as the Cailleach Bhéara or Bheur. The word cailleach means hag in modern Scottish Gaelic, and has applied to numerous mythological figures in Ireland, Scotland. Cailleach comes from the Old Gaelic Caillech, a form of caille. The Cailleach is often referred to as the Cailleach Bhéara, Cailleach Bheur, the 8th/9th-century Irish poem The Lament of the Old Woman says that the Cailleachs name is Digdi or Digde. In The Hunt of Slieve Cuilinn she is called Milucra, sister of Áine, in the tale of the Glas Gaibhnenn she is called Biróg. Elsewhere, she is called Buí or Bua, in Manx Gaelic she is known as the Caillagh. The plural of cailleach is cailleacha in Irish and cailleachan in Scottish Gaelic, the word is found as a component in terms like the Gaelic cailleach-dhubh and cailleach-oidhche, as well as the Irish cailleach feasa and cailleach phiseogach. Related words include the Gaelic caileag and the Irish cailín and the Lowland Scots carline/carlin, a more obscure word that is sometimes interpreted as hag is the Irish síle, which has led some to speculate on a connection between the Cailleach and the stonecarvings of Sheela na Gigs. In other cases she is said to have built the mountains intentionally and she carries a hammer for shaping the hills and valleys, and is said to be the mother of all the goddesses and gods. The Cailleach displays several traits befitting the personification of winter, she herds deer, she fights spring, Là Fhèill Brìghde is also the day the Cailleach gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. As a result, people are generally relieved if Là Fhèill Brìghde is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep, will run out of firewood. On the Isle of Man, where She is known as Caillagh ny Groamagh, in Scotland, the Cailleachan are also known as The Storm Hags, and seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect. They are said to be active in raising the windstorms of spring, during the period known as A Chailleach. On the west coast of Scotland, the Cailleach ushers in winter by washing her great plaid in the Gulf of Corryvreckan and this process is said to take three days, during which the roar of the coming tempest is heard as far away as twenty miles inland. When she is finished, her plaid is pure white and snow covers the land, in Scotland and Ireland, the first farmer to finish the grain harvest made a corn dolly, representing the Cailleach, from the last sheaf of the crop. The figure would then be tossed into the field of a neighbor who had not yet finished bringing in their grain. The last farmer to finish had the responsibility to take in and care for the corn dolly for the year, with the implication theyd have to feed
21.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
22.
Mythological Cycle
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It is one of the four major cycles of early Irish literary tradition, the others being the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. The term Mythological Cycle seems to have gained currency with Arbois de Jubainville, 1881–1883, usage predating this applies the term generically, e. g. to Norse mythology. In the opinion of Mackillop, use of the term is somewhat awkward today, the characters appearing in the cycle are essentially gods from the pre-Christian pagan past in Ireland. Commentators exercising caution, however, qualify them as representing only godlike beings and this is because the Christian scribes who composed the writings were generally careful not to refer to the Tuatha Dé Danann and other beings explicitly as deities. The disguises are thinly veiled nonetheless, and these writings contain discernible vestiges of early Irish polytheistic cosmology, examples of works from the cycle include numerous prose tales, verse texts, as well as pseudo-historical chronicles found in medieval vellum manuscripts or later copies. Some of the romances are of later composition and found only in manuscripts dating to near-modern times. The god-folk of the invasions are euhemerised, i. e. described as having dwelt terrestrially. Afterwards, the Tuatha Dé Danann are said to have retreated into the sídhe, having disappeared but not died, the deities oftentimes make guest appearances in narratives categorised under other cycles. Collected #lore literature, while they do not belong to the cycle in entirety, in the list that follows, citations are generally only given if the wiki page for that work is not developed. Otherwise, citations are deferred to the article in question. See #External links for additional titles, aislinge Óenguso Altram Tige Dá Medar. Cath Muige Tuired Cunga Cath Maige Tuired Ceithri cathracha i r-robadar Tuatha De Danand De Gabáil in t-Sída Echtra Nera Eachtra Léithín How the Dagda Got His Magic Staff, Oidheadh Chloinne Lir Oidheadh Chloinne Tuirenn Scél Tuáin meic Chairill Tochomlod Nemid co hErin Tochomlod mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind. Besides independent verses, a number of poems are embedded in prose tales, a number of them are also preserved in the pseudohistorical LGE, Keating, etc. Arsaidh sin a eóuin Accla Coire Érmai / Coire Goriath Collected lore are not wholly of mythological content, the Fitness of Names provides interesting explanations on names of Dian Cecht among others. Irish onomastica, the Dindshenchas, also include stories about such as Boann. Genealogical tracts and the Roll of the Kings, various glosses may also be culled for information, banshenchus Dobbs 1932 Cóir Anmann, Stokes 1897 Dindsenchas Sanas Cormaic, Nes Triads of Ireland, mention of the indeoin Dagdai, ox of Díl, etc. Chronicon Scotorum Lebor Gabála Érenn Glas Gaibhnenn The euhemerised deities arrived in five sets of migrations, remnants of the migration tales are the summarised accounts given in the LGE. Apart from these are the tale of Tuan mac Cairill, Fintan mac Bóchra colloquy, Tuan and Fintan are ancient beings from the Antediluvian past, who have reincaranted into different creatures, and are referred to in the LGE as well
23.
Aengus
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In Irish mythology, Aengus is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. He is traditionally described as having singing birds circling his head, in Old Irish his name is spelled Oíngus or Óengus, from Proto-Celtic *oino- one and gus strength. In Middle Irish this became Áengus, and in Modern Irish Aengus or Aonghus and his parents were the Dagda and Boann. He was said to have lived at Newgrange by the River Boyne, the Dagda had an affair with the river goddess Boann, wife of Nechtan. To hide her pregnancy, the Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months so that Aengus was conceived, gestated, when he came of age Aengus dispossessed the Dagda of his home, Brú na Bóinne. Irish has no article, so a day and a night is the same as day and night, which covers all time. In a different version of story, appearing in The Wooing of Etain, Aengus uses the same ploy to trick Elcmar out of Brú na Bóinne. In this version, Midir is Aenguss foster-father, while Elcmar is the husband of Boann cuckolded by the Dagda, according to Death Tales of the Tuatha de Danaan, Aengus killed his stepfather Elcmar for killing Midir. Aengus also killed Lugh Lámhfhadas poet for lying about his brother Ogma an Cermait, the poet claimed that Ogma an Cermait was having an affair with one of Lughs wives. In The Wooing of Etain, Aengus was able to lift a spell against Étaín. Midirs wife Fuamnach in a jealous rage had turned Etain into a beautiful fly, turning her into a woman at night, Aengus made her his lover until Fuamnach found out about it and drove her away. Aengus killed his mother for her treachery. In the Tale of the Two Pails, a woman, foster daughter of Aengus, got lost. The girl converted to Christianity, and Aengus could not win her back and he left, and she died of grief. Aengus fell in love with a girl he had seen in his dreams. His mother, Boann, goddess of the River Boyne, and a cow goddess whose milk formed the Milky Way, searched Ireland for a year, then his father, finally, King Bodb Derg of Munster found her after a further year. Aengus went to the lake of the Dragons Mouth and found 150 girls chained in pairs, his girl, Caer Ibormeith, on November 1, Caer and the other girls would turn into swans for a year, every second Samhain. Aengus was told he could marry Caer if he could identify her in her swan form, Aengus turned himself into a swan and they flew away, singing beautiful music that put all listeners asleep for three days and nights
24.
Badb
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In Irish mythology, the Badb or Badhbh —meaning crow—is a war goddess who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha. She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side, Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe, with her sisters, Macha and the Morrígan, Badb is part of a trio of war goddesses known as the Morrígna. In Irish legends, Badb is associated with war and death, appearing either to foreshadow imminent bloodshed or to participate in battles, as a harbinger of doom, she appears in a number of different guises. In Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, she takes the form of a hag who prophesies Conaire Mórs downfall. In this role she has much in common with the bean-sídhe and she was also regularly depicted as an active participant in warfare, indeed, the battlefield was sometimes referred to as the garden of the Badb. During the First Battle of Mag Tuired, Badb—along with her sisters, Macha, Badb plays a similar role in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, terrorising and disorienting the forces of Queen Medb and causing many to fall on their own weapons. She would often take the form of a raven or crow, striking fear into those who heard her. Doman fo ním, nert hi cach, án forlann, lan do mil, sam hi ngam, gai for sciath, sciath for durnd. Dunad lonngarg, longait-tromfoíd fod di uí ross forbiur benna abu airbe imetha, mess for crannaib, craob do scis scis do áss saith do mac mac for muin, muinel tairb tarb di arccoin odhb do crann, crann do ten. Ail a n-uír uích a mbuaib boinn a mbru, Brú lafefaid ossglas iaer errach, foghamar forasit etha. Iall do tir, tir co trachd lafeabrae, bidruad rossaib síraib rithmár, Nach scel laut. Earth under sky, strength in each, a cup full, full of honey, summer in winter, spear over shield, shield over fist. Fort of spears, a battle-cry, land for sheep, bountiful forests mountains forever, magic enclosure. Mast on branches, branches heavy, heavy fruit, wealth for a son, a gifted son, strong neck of bull, a bull for a poem. Stone from earth, wealth from cows, belly of the Brú, doe cries from mist, stream of deer after spring, corn in autumn, upheld by peace. Warrior band for the land, prosperous land to the shore, from wooded headlands, waters rushing, “What news have you. ”Peace to the sky, life and land everlasting. Then she delivers a prophecy of the end of the world, foretelling every evil that would be therein
25.
Boann
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Boann or Boand is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne, a river in Leinster, Ireland. According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn she was the daughter of Delbáeth, son of Elada and her husband is variously Nechtan, Elcmar or Nuada Airgetlám. Her lover is her uncle, the Dagda, by whom she had her son, in order to hide their affair, the Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months, therefore, Aengus was conceived, gestated and born in one day. As told in the Dindsenchas, Boann created the Boyne, though forbidden to by her husband, Nechtan, Boann approached the magical Well of Segais, which was surrounded by hazels. Hazelnuts were known to fall into the Well, where they were eaten by the speckled salmon, Boann challenged the power of the well by walking around it widdershins, this caused the waters to surge up violently and rush down to the sea, creating the Boyne. In this catastrophe, she was swept along in the waters, and lost an arm, leg and eye. The poem equates her with famous rivers in other countries, including the River Severn, Tiber, Jordan River, Tigris and she also appears in Táin Bó Fraích as the maternal aunt and protector of the mortal Fráech. Her name is interpreted as white cow in the dinsenchas, ptolemys 2nd century Geography shows that in antiquity the rivers name was Bubindas, which may derive from Proto-Celtic *Bou-vindā, white cow. Modern-day commentators and modern paganism sometimes identify Boann with the goddess Brigid or believe Boann to be Brigids mother, however there are no Celtic sources that describe her as such
26.
Brian (mythology)
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In Gaelic mythology, Brian was one of the three Sons of Tuireann along with Iuchar and Iucharba. In Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann, the three set out to kill their fathers enemy Cian, Cian is the father of Lugh, one of the greatest of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Cian shapeshifts into a pig to disguise himself, but the brothers shapeshift into dogs and they kill him, dismember his body and try to cover up their crime. In recompense, Lugh makes them quest all around the known world fetching magical weapons and they succeed in obtaining all that Lugh demanded, but return to Ireland badly wounded, pleading for Lugh to heal them, but he refuses. In at least one version of this tale, Brian is the clever and subtle one, while his brothers Iuchar and Iucharba are bumbling and this tale of the Sons of Tuireann has sometimes been likened to an Irish Argonautica. In later Scottish folklore, Brian was the name of a man who helped the Cailleach rescue Deò-ghrèine. Brian is one of the characters in As Baile, A Story
