Pic: Sacred Texts

The Cattle Raid of Cooley or The Táin is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage Ulster hero Cúchulainn. The 1904 translation is now freely available to readers on the Sacred Texts website.

The Táin Bó Cúailnge has survived in two main recensions. The first consists of a partial text in the Lebor na hUidre (the “Book of the Dun Cow“), a late 11th/early 12th century manuscript compiled in the monastery at Clonmacnoise, and another partial text of the same version in the 14th century manuscript called the Yellow Book of Lecan. These two sources overlap, and a complete text can be reconstructed by combining them. This recension is a compilation of two or more earlier versions, indicated by the number of duplicated episodes and references to “other versions” in the text. Many of the episodes are superb, written in the characteristic terse prose of the best Old Irish literature, but others are cryptic summaries, and the whole is rather disjointed. Parts of this recension can be dated from linguistic evidence to the 8th century, and some of the verse passages may be even older. [Wiki]

Sacred Texts also carry two other translations: the Lady Gregory Cuchulain of Muirthemne and the Joseph Dunn version The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúalnge). We will try to work from all versions when we present the Ulster Cycle for you.

More power to the Sacred Texts elbow!

Pic: BreakThru Films

Now here’s something I’m really excited about! I don’t often go over the top about something new (OK, well that’s not exactly true is it – I can get a bit excited! ) but this new film by BreakThru Films about CuChulainn looks as though it is going to be fantastic! Using “visual innovations as portrayed in recent films like 300, Pan’s Labyrinth and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy“, the scope of the Ulster Cycle story about CuChulainn is going to brought to life in this ambitious project by this UK-based Film company. When Celtic hero Cúchulainn returns home from exile the war spirit Morrigan seduces him with tragic consequences: forcing him to wage war on war itself.

Hound: The Story

Buried in the mythic ancient past lies an Ireland divided up by four tribal “nations”: the original inhabitants and three exotic new peoples swept in on successive waves of immigration in a world as much in flux as the present, co-existing in a perpetual cycle of war and truce. A clash of cultures and ideas as vital as any in our accelerated modern world, their world is over-laid by the mystic, the magical, and the realm of the spirits. Into this world is born Cúchulainn, a semi-divine hero marked out by destiny as the greatest warrior but bound for tragic glory: yet in the brutal tragedy of his life lies the seed of a united island.

Pic: BreakThru Films

When the other three nations, steered by the war spirit Morrigan and led by the malevolent Queen Maeve, invade his homeland to take the prized Brown Bull of Cooley, Cúchulainn returns home early from military training in the Land of Shadows to help his kin. He finds his people struck down by a mysterious sickness, unable to defend themselves, and is forced to make a lone stand against the invaders. Manipulated by the war spirit, Morrigan, Queen Maeve sets her sights on far more than a bull and pits Cú’s oldest friend – her best champion – against him.

Realising the futility of war after he defeats his friend Cú turns his grief stricken rage on the war spirit herself. He tragically fights fire with fire, and when that fails he chooses sacrifice over surrender. It is the only way to ensure the war spirit can never use his power against mankind again. [Source]

Hound: The Film Company behind the film

Pic: BreakThru Films

Pic: Save Newgrange

Just what is it with Governments and heritage that makes them want to build over it? The Irish Independent announced on January 22nd that the proposed route of the Slane bypass in Co Meath will run just 500 metres from the edge of the ancient Newgrange complex.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) yesterday released an environmental impact study for the route which shows that although it skirts the perimeter of the Bru na Boinne complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it would be almost 3km from the famed burial chamber at Newgrange.

Planning permission for the 3.5km dual carriageway has been sought from An Bord Pleanala, and the NRA said the proposed route would have the “least impact” on the archaeology and heritage of the area.

Included in the scheme is a new bridge over the River Boyne, which will be around 200 metres long.

Bypass Slane Campaign group spokesperson Michelle Power said:

We welcome the plans and look forward to the day permission is granted and funds are allocated for its construction. After numerous fatal accidents human life must take precedence.

Brian Taylor, of An Taisce in Meath, said the route seemed to be the “least offensive” option. Documents for the planning application show there are 44 archaeological and cultural sites within 500 metres of the route.

Read the full article on the Irish Independent site and more at the Irish Herald. Join the Facebook Save Newgrange campaign to help spread the word and help Vincent Salafia of Tarawatch protect Newgrange by signing the Petition.

Introduction While the ancient Irish tales abound with warriors and kings (not to forget Queen Medbh!), another figure at almost every turn emerges to out- rank them. Usually referred to as the “druid”, this person upon closer inspection is seen to be not any stereotypical wizard with his potions and paraphernalia, but a poet who, instead of having to memorize rote “secret spells”, produced spontaneous verse often in a deliberately archaic diction. A lengthy essay on the philosophy and practise of Irish druids is beyond the scope of this book, but given the misrepresentation of druids in the popular media, a few summary remarks are in order.

In the ancient Irish tales Irish druids are frequently depicted in detail. They bare no resemblance at all to the white-robed oak- worshippers of Julius Caesar. Irish druids wore, not white hooded robes, but rainbow capes, often feathered tunics and head-dresses (note, in the kast roscin this collection, how the druids mock the monks’ hooded robes!). The important trees were rowan, yew, and hazel, and mistletoe was not found in ancient Ireland. While they occasionally carried magic wands and stones, in the far great majority of cases druids’ only magic “tool” was their voices. They were, emphatically, not “pagan priests” and most of what we think of as priestly functions fell to the local king or tribal chief. They were sages, advisors, “wizards” – their closest modern equivalents would be scholars sometimes called upon to be government advisors, although in many cases they were unaffiliated with the rulers and conducted what we nowadays would call “private practice”.

But over all else, they were “poets”. The word is placed in quotes because above all other cultures and societies in the history of the world, ancient Ireland accorded poets what can only be termed nearly divine rank. Poets paid no taxes and were exempt from military service. They had a freedom of movement to cross political borders denied even kings, and wherever they traveled they were entitled to the best of available lodging. And woe to anyone who harmed, or even offended a poet! One can do no better than simply cite the story of Cairbre whose satire is included in the present collection: a wandering poet visits Tara in the days when the gods themselves ruled there, and is denied what he considers suitable food and a fine enough bed. The next morning he enters the throne room at Tara (which was, by the way, named not after the king but called “Réalta na bhFile”, “Star of the Poets”!), and recites five spare lines of verse, whereby the King of the Gods himself is toppled from his throne. In a second example, also included here, Ireland herself is conjured up, out of the magic mists, by a “poem”. (The word “rosc”, plural “roscanna”, is a rhetorical, usually magical, chant, and this word will be used throughout this book to distinguish a “poem” that can topple gods or conjure whole nations from the modern less potent variety.)

One of the purposes of the present collection is to make the archaic roscanna more readily available to the modern reader, in both English and Irish. With this in mind, and in contrast to many “scholarly editions”, the orthography has been modernized, within the limits of phonetic accuracy, i.e., “ben” has been rendered as “bean” because the former is simply the older orthography for the latter, and only the latter will be recognizable by the modern Irish reader; however, “túatha” has been left in the older form and not rendered as “tuatha” because the difference between the two forms is not one of spelling, but basically of pronunciation (”too-uh-thuh” versus “tueh-heh”). Without a long thesis on Old Irish phonetics, this will go some way toward making the roscanna readable by persons who know Modern Irish, provided they remember that aspirated medial consonants are pronounced (e.g. “Teamhair” is said as two syllables). In a few cases has out-right modernization been employed (e.g. “cen” is given as “gan”). Such “normalization” of spelling is not, admittedly, by any means standard practice, but no less a respected scholar than Myles Dillon (in his Stories from the Acallam, DIAS 1970) argued for its use. However, much of the archaic grammar has been retained, such as inbed initial object pronouns prefixed to verbs and dative plurals in “-ibh” because in such cases to give the modern rendering would completely destroy the phrasing and scan of the lines. Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2009-07-15 14:28:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Pic: Eire Sarah

TARA, Temor, Temhuir, or Temoria, is intimately connected with the early religion of Ireland, and has been associated with singular theories. As Tea-mur, it was the mount or home of Queen Tea, wife of the Milesian King Heremon. The centre of Druidical song and power, the seat of ancient royalty, Tara was a favourite subject of glorification by ancient annalists, and has been immortalized in the poem of Moore. But, while bards record a great assembly being held there 921 B.C., Dr. Petrie, the eminent antiquary, is disposed to regard the place as existing only between 200 and 300 years after Christ.

The high civilization at Tara has been a favourite subject for Bards. The old lady guide at Tara told us that only gold and silver vessels were used at the banquets. Dr. Ledwich laughs at the yarns about its twenty-seven kitchens, and its amazing bill of daily fare. He assures us that the story of Tara rests only upon the fragment of a fragment in the Seabright collection, that had neither the name of its author nor a date. The earliest Romish ecclesiastics, and mediæval writers, knew nothing of early Irish culture or wealth. Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-06-13 21:23:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“All three drove furiously towards Cruachan”, photo W H Margetson

The Wonderful Project Gutenberg have added two very interesting titles to their collection. Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race Written by M I Ebbutt and with 51 illustrations, like the one to the left, this book tells stories from the 8th Century onwards. The book also includes a prose version of “The Countess Cathleen”, a play by W B Yeats. The preface says: In refashioning, for the pleasure of readers of the twentieth century, these versions of ancient tales which have given pleasure to story-lovers of all centuries from the eighth onward, I feel that some explanation of my choice is necessary. Men’s conceptions of the heroic change with changing years, and vary with each individual mind; hence it often happens that one person sees in a legend only the central heroism, while another sees only the inartistic details of mediæval life which tend to disguise and warp the heroic quality.

Continue Reading »

Originally posted 2008-05-18 10:19:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

TaraWatch have organised a petition to encourage the United Nations to step in and preserve the Hill of Tara. As at the time of writing, the petition has just under 1,800 signatures and they are attempting to reach 1,000,000. They say: The Hill of Tara, Ireland’s premier national monument and internationally renowned cultural icon, is being desecrated by construction of the M3 motorway. The works are in breach of international law, which protects this site for humanity, and the United Nations must intervene now.

Lying 30 miles north of Dublin, it was Ireland’s capital for millennia; where over 142 kings were crowned, dating back to 3,000 BC. Since then, hundreds of monuments were built on the slopes and in the surrounding landscape. Today, the cultural landscape is defined by the remains of a number of defensive Iron Age hillforts which surround the Hill, lying approximately 2-3 miles away.

THE M3 MOTORWAY

The M3 motorway is being built by the Irish Government, in public private partnership with Siac and Ferrovial construction companies, through the centre of this landscape, and a 50 acre interchange is being built 1,000 metres from the summit. Already, dozens of archaeological sites within the landscape have been excavated and demolished, and construction is due to be completed in 2010. 

The campaign to save Tara, and re-route the M3 motorway has reached a critical point. Celebrities such as Bono, Seamus Heaney, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Gabriel Byrne, Colm Toibin , Louis le Brocquy and Jim Fitzpatrick, supported by hundreds of international experts in Irish history, archaeology and mythology have spoken out against the M3 route. National surveys show that the vast majority of Irish people want Tara protected, and made into a UNESCO site.

Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney said: 

If ever there was a place that deserved to be preserved in the name of the dead generations from pre-historic times up to historic times up to completely recently – it was Tara. I think it literally desecrates an area – I mean the word means to de-sacralise and for centuries the Tara landscape and the Tara sites have been regarded as part of the sacred ground.

The World Monuments Fund, Smithsonian Institution and Sacred Sites International have placed Tara on endangered sites list, and others such as the International Celtic Congress, the Archaeological Institute of America, the Landmarks Foundation, the City of Chicago and theMassachusetts Archaeological Society have issued statements condemning the M3 route.  

The European Commission is currently taking a lawsuit against Ireland in the European Court of Justice against Ireland, for illegally demolishing the Lismullin national monument, which was discovered in the pathway of the M3 in 2007, after being voted on of the Top Ten Most Important Discoveries in the world in 2007 by Archaeology magazine.  The Irish authorities refused to heed the Commission’s demand that demolition be halted, and construction is proceeding despite the EU legal action.  

The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley,  has delayed nomination of the Hill of Tara to become a UNESCO site, until the M3 motorway is complete. UNESCO has stated that it cannot intervene, until Ireland completes the nomination, which was due to take place at the World Heritage Committee Meeting in Seville, in June 2009.

BREACHES OF UN LAW

It is clear that the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Culturaland Natural Heritage protects all sites of outstanding universal value, even if they are not on the World Heritage List. Other UN agreements, such as the UN Global Compact, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both human rights Covenants, and the UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples also require that Tara receive the highest level of protection possible.

The only body that can now intervene and save the Hill of Tara is the United Nations.  This petition is directed to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, and asks that you intervene in the Tara crisis, and begin a problem-solving initiative, which will protect Tara and allow the M3 to be completed.

The UN must intervene now and enforce UN law, on behalf of the people of Ireland, the Irish Diaspora, and both the global community.

_________________________________________________________

Please forward this petition to:

- all  of your friends 

- local and national Irish cultural groups

- historical and archaeological organisations

- political representatives

WE MUST REACH OUR GOAL OF 1,000,000 signatures by Dec 31, 2009

JOIN TARAWATCH

TaraWatch Web Site

Hill of Tara UNESCO public consultation site, hosted by TaraWatch

TaraWatch Facebook Cause

TaraWatch Facebook Group

TaraWatch USA Facebook Group

TaraWatch Twitter

TaraWatch Yahoogroup

CONTACT TARAWATCH

Suite 108
The Capel Building
Mary’s Abbey
Dublin 7
Republic of Ireland
353-87-132-3365
info@tarawatch.org

Pic: Roots Web

Queen Maeve’s Tomb sits high above the town of Sligo, Ireland . This enormous cairn atop of the Mountain Knocknarea (Mountain of the Moon) is 55 meters in diameter by 10 meters high. Folklore says it was built for the mythical Iron Age Queen Maeve, whose father, the high king of Ireland, gave her Connacht as a gift.

Archaeologists believe it may really date back to 3000 BC, but who is to say that Queen Maeve was not tucked into an existing monument? It is considered bad luck to remove a stone from the cairn, and good luck to take one up the hill with you to deposit on it.

From the center of the town , the mountain looks anything but daunting. It looks like another one of those beautiful hills that Ireland’s Northwest is so well known for. Look a little closer however, and you’ll notice a bump on the top of this relatively flat-topped hill. This bump is of course, the tomb of Queen Maeve herself.

In Celtic mythology, Queen Maeve was known as the Warrior Queen of Connacht. Unfortunately, the queen had a reputation of being quite unkind, having murdered her own sister Eithne with the intent to covet Eithne’s husband. She also seems to have made her way through a number of husbands, disposing of each by murder. She figures prominently in the Tain Bo Cuailnge or the Cattle Raid of Cooley. In an argument with her then-husband King Ailill over whose wealth was greater, they were almost entirely equal. However, she was found lacking in only one commodity. Ailill owned a bull, the strength and brute of which Maeve’s own could not match. Maeve soon learned of an even more impressive bull in Ulster, but was not granted permission to borrow it. Thus, she gathered an army and launched an invasion on Ulster. Her men were driven out of Ulster by Cuchulainn, but she was successful in capturing the bull. She brought it home to Connacht where it fought and killed Ailill’s bull, and then found its own way back home to Ulster.

Queen Maeve was considered victorious in this feat. However, previous misdeeds would come back to haunt Maeve, most notably, the murder of her sister. Eithne’s son sought revenge on his wicked aunt and is said to have killed her with a slingshot filled with hard cheese.

Her unsavoury reputation thus led her to be buried in County Sligo, far from the royal capital of Connacht in Roscommon. Many believe that this was an attempt to keep her spirit a safe distance from the people she once ruled. Within the tomb Maeve is believed to stand upright in full royal regalia. She has been buried there since neolithic times.

Knocknarea is easily reached by car from Sligo Town. It is located on the Strandhill Peninsula, about 4 km from town. The hill offers a car park and an information sign outlining the significance of the neolithic cairn. Climbing the hill (Approx. 1080 ft.) takes about 45 minutes, and you can expect to be greeted by more than a few bleating sheep along the way. There isn’t one specific pathway, so be sure to wear a good pair of sneakers or hiking boots to navigate the sometimes rough terrain. The summit of Knocknarea is nothing short of fascinating, offering views of the town and surrounding county. However, it is at this point in the climb that you will realize the slight bump on the top of the mountain was not so slight afterall, as the top of Maeve’s cairn itself stands a sharp 40 ft from this point. Millenia of visitors depositing stones for good luck certainly does add up!

Campers frequent the mountain, which means you are likely to find a few appropriately placed logs or large rocks to relax on and enjoy a packed lunch at this point. Climbing the final 40 feet in this expedition will make you glad you wore your sneakers, as the loosely deposited rocks can make this part of the hike a bit difficult at times. If you were impressed by the mountain’s summit, you will be in awe once you reach the top of Maeve’s cairn. To feel that you are standing on something so large not only physically, but historically as well, brings a sense of reality to Ireland’s wellknown mythical past.

How to get there:
Taxis abound in Sligo, and the charge should be reasonable for a lift to the hill’s carpark (About 15.00 Euro). However, you’ll want to either arrange a time for the taxi driver to pick you up again or make sure to put the cab company’s number in your mobile phone, so you can call them when you’ve finished the trek.

Where to Stay:
Sligo is quickly growing as a tourist destination for all types of travellers, but it has always been a particular gem for student travellers and backpackers. There are a number of Bed & Breakfasts and Youth Hostels located in town, and more information can be found at http://www.sligotourist.com

When to Go:
You won’t have to worry about crowds at Knocknarea, so any sunny summer’s day will suffice. It’s lovely to climb the mountain before noon, enjoy lunch on the summit and continue the rest of the way to the top of the cairn refueled. From there you can take in the beauty of a much-coveted sunny Irish afternoon.

Jamie L. O’Hanlon

Jamie O’Hanlon holds a B.A. in History from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Tourism Development Studies from Niagara College. She is an avid traveler and recently returned from working abroad in Great Britain and Ireland. She will be returning to Ireland in the coming spring with the hopes of expanding her travel writing portfolio.

Source

Peter Cormican and Kevin Collins in William Bulter Yeat’s “On Baile’s Strand” produced by the Irish Repertory Theatre. Pic: Epoch Times

Noted Irish theater critic Fintan O’Toole has written: More than a half century after his death, William Butler Yeats is still Ireland’s foremost avant-garde playwright. Apparently the powers-that-be at the Irish Repertory Theatre are in complete agreement. Charlotte Moore, artistic director, and Ciarán O’Reilly, producing director, have concocted a stunning series entitled “The Yeats Project,” currently presenting in repertory all 26 plays written by Yeats.

Two series consist of a total of eight fully staged one-act plays on the main stage, with the remainder of Yeats’ beautiful poetic one-acts receiving concert readings in the Rep’s downstairs Studio Theatre. Continue Reading »

Pic: Paddy Brown

Paddy Brown is an accomplished comic artist and Irish scholar – you may be familiar with him from the contribution he has made to show in providing the translation used in one of our stories. He is possibly better known for his online comic strip, The Cattle-Raid of Cooley, which he has now released in Graphic Novel format. His style is unique and even more fascinating considering he is a Celtic Scholar. He says:

“In the middle of the Ulster Cycle, a group of about 80 mostly short stories, is one called Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Cattle Raid of Cooley, which is anything but short. It’s often called an epic. I’ve wanted to adapt it to comics for a long time, and have made a couple of false starts at it, but with The Ulster Cycle: Ness under my belt as a sort of practice run, I think I’m now ready to do it justice. Start reading here, and check back every Wednesday for each new installment.If you’re on Facebook, join the Cattle Raid of Cooley Facebook Group. You’ll be able to keep up with news of the comic, and I’ll be able to get to know my readers.    “Now in print - The Cattle Raid of Cooley issue 1, collecting the first 24 pages, with pronunciation guide and notes, now available to buy from the Bookshop.”

As a  Celtic Scholar, Paddy has translated many works from the Ulster Cycle that are not available elsewhere on the web (check his site for details) and we’re all in his debt for this work. He says that he is building a website with the collected translations and we’re with him all the way! Good luck Paddy – and keep up the good work!

Visit the Paddy Brown site