The promised Spring arrives.

The sun is warm, the Lough Field hares have a new leveret and Brigid’s promise of Spring has unfolded.

Earlier this week I made my way to Kildare.

Town square with the Tourist Information Centre, perpetual flame & statue of the saint. 

Kildare takes it’s name from Cill Dara, the cell or church of the oak claimed to have been founded in 480 CE by the saint and her followers.

Pic © civic heraldry.com

The town’s modern coat of arms features a Brigid’s cross and oak branch with the motto ‘Spirit and Courage’.

In the square stands a statue of the saint, a memorial to the 350 men who were killed by British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on the Curragh of Kildare. 

Nearby her perpetual flame rises as a symbol for hope, justice and peace.

As I explored the town I glimpsed Brigid’s sun wheels rendered in reeds, stone and metal. 

The exhibit of various designs, made afresh annually by a local man, was displayed in a grocery shop window.

Visiting the ancient site of St Brigid’s Fire Temple revealed signs of the ritual which took place on 1st February this year, when her fire was kindled again.

Offerings of hyacinths & white quartz stones in the fire pit. 

The town was bustling in the spring sunshine but the tranquility of the Well was calling me.

The Well gardens near the site of the millrace which was said to have been used by the saint.

Sunlight at the entrance where candles burn to Brigid.

The statue of the saint stands on a tiny island around which water flows. 

Home made crosses and flowers left at Brigid’s feet.

The well itself was unadorned and the water clear.

Beyond it stood a RAG TREE festooned with offerings and healing requests.

As I stood savouring the sound of birdsong and flowing water I considered the importance of Kildare to the followers of Brigid, goddess and saint.

My mind then wandered to my own ancestors and family name, originally Mac Giolla Bhrighde, 'son of the servant of Bridget'.

Perhaps centuries ago, inspired by her flame, they had also known this place as pilgrims and I had walked in their footsteps. 

A short visit to the Rag Tree and Brigid's Well narrated by the late Daithi O hÓgáin.

Shining Stones.

I've long been fascinated by shining stones,  cloche geala, the bright, white stones which appear throughout the ancient architecture, folklore and mythology of Ireland.

Also known as grian cloche, sun stones, they are white quartz, clear crystal and quartzite stones which
most famously appear on the monuments of the Boyne Valley.

Shining stones, used in the modern facade of Newgrange 

& at the entrance to Knowth nearby, were discovered during excavations.

The Silva Gadelica of 1892 describes the mound as "chequered with the many lights” and it is easy
to imagine how impressive the quartz covered mound would have originally been when it glowed
in sunlight and beneath a full moon.

Quartz stones were erected in many places on the island and finds of shining stones occur at almost all of the ancient, sacred sites excavated here.

Poundcartron, Co. Galway  Photo by Gerard Bleeker .

Not confined to construction, quartz crystals and white stones were also left inside mounds to lie 

with the dead.

Excavations in Cairn T on Sliabh na Caillí, Loughcrew revealed a clear quartz crystal, drilled 
& used as a pendant. Poulnabrone, across the country, held two such crystals amongst other artefacts.

Why were these shining stones so important to our ancestors?

One answer may lie in a special property of quartz, its' triboluminescence. 

This means that when one piece of quartz is rubbed against another, in the dark, 

a bright yellow-orange light can be seen. 

The Uncompahgre Ute people of Central Colorado created ceremonial rattles made from 
buffalo rawhide filled with clear quartz crystals. When shaken during night time ceremonies, 
flashes of light could be seen through the translucent hide.

In a similar way quartz may have been used in the ancient rituals of Ireland.

Perhaps this characteristic was understood as a living fire, akin to sunlight, within the stone ?
Or maybe the stone was believed to house the spirits of the departed awaiting rebirth?

***

Folklore also provides us with insights into shining stones.

In the same way that the fairy folk were known as daoine uaisle, good people /gentry,
white quartz was called cloche uaisle, gentle or noble stone and associated with fairies, their
mounds and the dead.

This practice of cursing, especially using nine white stones in a fire, was used in many areas.
It was understood that misusing these stones in this way would awaken the ire of the Good People
who would vent their anger upon the cursed one.

White stones however could be used to heal as well as harm.

Quartz crystal amulet encased in silver, 

15th century from The National Museum of Ireland.  

Amulets were dipped in specially collected water and used in healing rituals.

Fairy doctors and WISE WOMEN, in contact with the Good People, were said to use white quartz and crystals to cure sick people and animals.

A cure for boils involved reddening nine white quartz stones in the fire then placing them into a pot
of boiling water and sage.

The Shrine of Miosach.

Later sacred quartz was used in the decoration of Christian shrines 

to protect relics and some were thought to have the power to heal. 

The beliefs and rituals associated with shining stones were adapted by the early Christian church
with stones used on saints' beds, graves and at holy wells.

Skour Well. Co. Cork with Christian icons, a Rag Tree and shining stones.

On May eve, Bealtaine, pilgrims would make rounds at the well and leave a white stone.

White quartz is revered by many communities often marking rites of passage. 

This is "The Tinkers' Heart", a pattern of quartz stones laid at an Argyll crossroads in Scotland 

during the 1700's.  Since then it has been used by generations of  Travellers as a sacred place 

to bless their children and hold weddings. 

Across time, from the Neolithic to today, there appears to be continuity in the beliefs and traditions associated with shining stones.
Although we will never know the meaning of quartz to our ancestors it appears to be connected with sacred ground, ritual fires, the Otherworld and possibly the rebirth of the spirit.

We find white quartz chippings on modern graves, cloche gaela left at holy places in the landscape,

Offerings left at Drombeg Stone Circle Co. Cork, known locally as the Druid’s Altar.

 and quartz crystals used in healing and as tools to 'see' the future.

Rag Trees

Rag trees beguile us.

They speak of our pagan heritage albeit thinly disguised by Christianity. 

The original rag tree at Fore, Co. Westmeath which appears to emerge from the Otherworld.

They can offer a moments' stillness, a glimpse into the lives of others 

and a connection to nature and the Otherworld.

Many of these trees, often whitethorns, stand beside holy wells dedicated to specific saints.

The present tree at the well, Tobernacogany, Fore.

The tree & well were visited by pilgrims on St. Feichin's Day, 2nd January, Imbolc 

& on St. John's & St. Peter's Days, around Midsummer.

Folklore tells of specific coloured cloths hung on trees at certain wells, some favoured white,
others red, whilst a few were offered multi-coloured cloths.

Traditionally a rag was tied to a special tree in times of ill health in the belief that as 

the cloth disintegrated the complaint would disappear. 

Some Rag Trees stand in woodland...

St Brendan's tree at Clonfert, Co. Galway.

Along with rags there are statues, holy medals, coins and symbols of afflictions, 

each telling a story.

Although there are predominately Christian icons as well as the Virgin Mary
this tree also shelters Ganesh and Buddha.

... others remain in fields though their wells are long dry.

This thorn tree stands in a field next to St. Manman's church, Co. Laois. 

The well is disused and the tree no longer visited.

Where once only natural fibre rags were left to decay, nowadays all sorts of items are deposited.
Many trees are cared for and cleared regularly by locals, whilst others sadly are ignored,
their limbs damaged by too many offerings or poisoned by copper coins hammered into the bark.

Along with Rag Trees near to holy wells there are also trees which hold cures within water,
these are the Well Trees.

One such, an old ash, stands in a ditch at the edge of a field near to my home.

The trunk divides into two, forming a cleft in which water gathers. 

It is this water which holds the cure for warts. 

My neighbour, Jim, was taken to the Well Tree by his mother as a young lad to rid him of warts
on his fingers. The ritual to obtain the cure involved visiting the well and dabbing the water on the warts on three separate occasions.
The cure, he assured me, had worked for the warts left him and never returned.

Welcoming the summer with flowers.

In the past there were many customs and observances connected to the first day of May, Bealtaine,
and people here continue to mark the seasonal transition by decorating a May Bush, lighting bonfires
or by visiting a holy well.
When the weather cleared and the sun shone on May Eve I gathered wild flowers to celebrate the start of Summer.

An abundance of flowers in the hedges.

One of the traditions I maintain is to hang the May bough over the front door.
The bough had fallen naturally, I decorated it with ribbons and flowers and according to custom,
swept the threshold clean, and placed it above the doorway on May Eve to stay in place for three days.

The May bough hangs above the door.

Yellow flowers are used mostly, such as primroses, cowslips and buttercups because they symbolise
the sun perhaps but white and blue flowers are also collected.
As well as welcoming the summer it was believed that the sweet scent of spring flowers offered protection against the Good People who were understood to enter homes at this time.

In the past posies, red ribbons or slips of mountain ash were tied to the cows' tails and horses' bridles
to offer them similar protection from the activity of the Sídhe and also to counteract the 'evil eye' of certain neighbours who had the ability to steal the goodness from animals and produce.

Placing flowers on the doorstep or on windowsills also offers protection.

Good luck and further protection was afforded to the household after sunset on Bealtaine Eve when farmers' families and workers would walk the boundaries of the land carrying seeds of corn,
Sgaith-an-Tobar , the purity of the well, (the first water drawn from a sacred well after midnight the previous year) and the herb, vervain.
The procession stopped at the directions, beginning in the east, where they would dig a sod of earth, break it up, sow the seed then sprinkle it with the water.

So powerful are the supernatural forces at Bealtaine that the landscape itself was understood to be able relocate. The Motte / Motty Stone, a huge, white granite boulder on Cronebane Hill in Co. Wicklow,

was said to leave the hill top and come down to drink at the Meeting of the Waters on May Day,
whilst rocks off the coast of Ireland become unbound to journey across the sea.

PIC Motte Stone © 2015 Samuel Connolly http://www.gardenofireland.com

Encounters with the Sídhe were expected at Bealtaine when the Good People travelled the countryside to take part in hurling matches, dances and battles.
For this reason it was considered wise to stay safely indoors at night, although several precautions
could be taken if one had to venture out.
Carrying a black-handled knife, a piece of iron, a cold cinder from the hearth or a twig of mountain ash were all effective as means of protection against Other-worldly forces.
If however that protection failed one could always resort to the extreme remedy of washing the hands and face in urine which disgusted the Good People and caused them to depart!

The practice of leaving small offerings at a fairy fort, a lone bush or near the home was believed to propriate the Sídhe and to ensure their goodwill in the coming months.
This tradition also continues in Ireland to this day.

Personal offerings of milk & butter to the Good People on the eve of Bealtaine.

Irish readers can take part in the survey of May Day customs by submitting information & photos
to the website "Our Irish Heritage" here: http://www.ouririshheritage.org/category/lets_welcome_the_summer

Information on May customs taken from The Year in Ireland by Kevin Danaher which has been republished by Mercier Press and can be found HERE

Áirmid - Goddess of herbs and healing

As well as enjoying the summer I have recently completed 'Áirmid', a gift for dear friend who also modelled for the painting.

The Goddess Áirmid and her cloak

According to Irish mythology the goddess Áirmid (sometimes spelt Áirmed) was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the daughter of Dían Cécht, the god of healing.
Áirmid, together with her father and her brother, Miach, healed those injured in the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh and by singing incantations over the well of Sláine were able to resurrect the dead warriors.

Later Dían Cécht killed Miach because he was jealous of his sons' healing skills and as Áirmed wept over her brother's grave her tears watered all the healing herbs of Ireland. Some say that 365 herbs sprung from the earth over Miach's body. 
Áirmid gathered and organised them all by spreading them on her cloak. 
Once again Dían Cécht became angry and jealous and scattered the herbs across the land
and it is for this reason that no human in Ireland knows all the secrets of herbalism and only Áirmid remembers.

Ocus atbert Dén Cécht,  ‘Mane pé Míoach, méraidh Airmeth.’

And Dían Cécht said, “Though Miach is not, Airmed will persist.”

Áirmid stands above the Well of Áirmid, now Christianised and known Lady's Well, 
which can be found in the grounds of Slane Castle Co. Meath. 
The waters from the well flow into the nearby River Boyne.
Info. on the Lady Well fete at Slane Castle can be found here - 

http://www.newgrange.com/news68.htm

For details about the herbs & their uses click HERE

Two goddesses

As you can see the painting is very detailed and contains 60 herbs and flowers which over the years were used in Ireland as cures for various ailments.
To help in identification I have included a 'map' of the plants below and in a later post will include their the uses and Irish names.

Art cards and posters of Áirmid are available HERE

LEAVES OF BIRCH, ROWAN, ALDER, WILLOW, ASH, HOLLY, OAK, HAWTHORN & HAZEL AROUND HER NECK 

1 YARROW
2 HONEYSUCKLE
3 IVY
4 SPEEDWELL
5 RAMSONS - WILD GARLIC
6 TORMENTIL
7 DOG ROSE
8 MILKWORT
9 AGRIMONY
10 MEADOWSWEET
11 FOXGLOVE
12 MALLOW
13 YELLOW FLAG
14 GOLDEN ROD
15 POPPY
16 SHEPHERD'S PURSE
17 VALERIAN 
18 VERVAIN
19 PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
20 CHARLOCK
21 SOAPWORT
22 CENTAURY
23 DAISY
24 PIMPERNEL
25 ST. JOHN'S WORT
26 BLUEBELL
27 COWSLIP
28 EYEBRIGHT
29 VIOLET
30 WOOD SORREL
31 PRIMROSE
32 MARSH MARIGOLD
33 CHICKWEED
34 CELANDINE
35 HARTS' TONGUE FERN
36 WATER CRESS
37 MAIDEN HAIR FERN
38 WATER AVENS
39 BOG BEAN
40 NETTLE
41 WORMWOOD
42 LADY'S MANTLE
43 MUGWORT
44 RAGWORT
45 DANDELION
46 SELF HEAL
47 DOCK
48 OATS
49 RUSH
50 ARUM LILY
51 WILD SAGE
52 MARJORAM
53 COLTSFOOT
54 GROUNDSEL
55 CLOVER
56 WILD THYME
57 MINT
58 BEARBERRY
59 BILBERRY
60 BRAMBLE

BUTTERFLIES:
A COMMON BLUE
B SMALL TORTOISESHELL
C SMALL WHITE
D PAINTED LADY

& ASSORTED BEES