Tales from the Cailleach: The Lament of the Old Woman at Samhain.

I am known to my neighbours as the mad one who talks to the fairies and it is said I walk the roads 

whilst others sleep.

These same neighbours come to me for help with the troubles of country living; a sick mare, a lame cow or the strange event that preys upon the mind.

At these times I make the tea, stand the pot on the hearth and let the silence brew. 

I suggest a simple explanation for the opening door, the chill at the fireside or a room the dog won’t enter. 

Most times they are satisfied.

With others a pinch of truth is all that’s needed to recall piseogs and buried knowledge that goes on long into the night.

So I live amongst these people, not quite accepted by them, for I do not go to mass as they do 

nor hail the priest as father.

I keep to my own ways, spirit unbounded by men with rules and robes.

Now and then I catch a sharp glance from some busy farmer as I visit mound and thorn but they do not guess my secret.

Three times a year I leave my home in darkness, needing neither broom nor steed, I rise from bed 

to fly above the sleeping townland.

Whitethorn scent may rise to meet me or, as tonight, turf smoke greets my flight across grey fields.

Image by Peter Gordon at http://explorelight.com

Skimming winding river I am observed but not by human eyes. 

Deer, owl and hare all know my ways, the night is ours.

Over hidden valley and bald mountain top I rise to settle on the tumbled cairn. 

Below land stretches away in shades of darkness undisturbed.

A sigh, long and deep, escapes me. 

Eyes close to invoke Samhain long past when the people knew and held us close.

Heart heavy with old memories, sorrow gnaws at my breasts and I nurse it. 

Alone, unloved, forgotten in this modern world.

Bitter wind shakes me from the past. 

Keen-eyed again, I stretch my sight to spy the distant horizon. 

Far off, a shift, a smudge, disturbs my vision.

A wisp of smoke.   A soar of sparks.   Now a flare of yellow red. 

Tlachta’s fire is kindled !

One by one other heights reply; 

Teamhair, Cruacháin, Uisneach, Sliabh na Caillí, Cruachán Aigle and Binn Ghulbain. 

Sliabh gCuillinn, Sliabh Dónairt, twin fires upon Dá Chích Anann. 

Hill top beacons burst with fire. 

In valleys tiny flames wake as dormant village cross-roads ignite. 

A million flames, a rosary of fire across the land.

The old ways are remembered!

Three calls from sharp-mouthed Raven cleaves the silence, The Great Queen rises from her cave. 

Beneath Brí Éile Brigid’s forge is lit anew as one by one, across the night, mounds open 

and those who have never left return.

Here, upon the Height of Ireland, I stand tall again and at my side Manannán shares his secret smile with me. 

The tide has turned.

Samhain greetings to you all!

This story was inspired by reading ‘The Lament of the Old Woman of Beare’, an Irish poem written in the 10th century,
which led me to wonder if The Cailleach lived amongst us and if so, what sort of neighbour would she be?

This virtual film relates a version of the poem translated by the Celtic language scholar Kuno Meyer. 

In the ancient past the Samhain fire was ceremonially lit by the Druids on Tlachtga, the Hill of Ward in Co. Meath. 

It is believed that answering fires were also lit on other prominent places across the landscape.

In more recent times the Tlachtga ceremony has been rekindled and this short film shows part 

the ceremony in 2015. 

The Burren: Land of the Fertile Rock.

Slieve Elva from slieveelva.com

I have visited the Burren countless times over the years, each time I’m awestruck by the landscape which leads me astray amongst the grey purple rock and twisting roads.

Although the Burren appears barren, it has been inhabited and farmed for almost six millennia and 

is full of unexpected treasures awaiting discovery.

‘The Lowering Sky’

The iconic Poulnabrone dolmen, Poll na mBrón, "hole of sorrows”, above, is thought to have been built here because of a natural spring which rises close by. 

The spring has flowed for thousands of years as it does to this day. 

The ice carved rock and water scarred limestone holds the resting places of many ancestors.

Páirc na Binne wedge tomb is one of 80 such monuments on the Burren.

The Glenisheen collar, perhaps an offering to the gods, 

was found by a local man near Ballyvaughan in 1934.

Here Pagan practices sit side by side with Christian devotions.

Abbey at Kilmacduagh with hill top mound on the horizon.

A luxuriant hidden valley hides a clear spring well.

Spring flowers emerge in unlikely places.

There is a goddess above a doorway,

near a stone to cure the backache.

Twisted whitethorn turns against the Atlantic wind

and sudden lowering cloud descends down to the Flaggy Shore.

The wild Burren holds many surprises.

In recent years, Jeff O’Connell wrote about the late Patrick Sheehan, professor of Modern Irish Literature. He recalled a visit they made to the Burren at 2am to discover whether places, once inhabited, still held the spiritual traces of the people.

“ … if anyone had seen us they would have truly thought we were, truly, away with the fairies … 

Suddenly we began to see tiny points of light all over the place for maybe 15 or 20 minutes.

We were stunned and found we’d had the same kind of experience.

We headed home and hardly ever talked of it again.”

Years later O’Connell discovered that the spot they had visited was the site of a long deserted village.

Although I love this grey green landscape, I have come to realise that I'm not wholly at ease here.
In the silence broken only by birdcall and wind, I have often felt myself observed and am certain that for a few moments I am not alone.

The land of the fertile rock holds memories of the past and old ones still haunt the land.

For a taste of the Burren in spring:

My understanding of the Burren has been greatly increased by reading “The Book of The Burren’ which includes chapters on its’ geology, flora, wildlife, pre-history, sacred wells and much more. 

You can order the book HERE

For a glimpse into how life may have been lived in the 16th century, the Burren mystery novels by

local author Cora Harrison, featuring her Brehon detective, Mara, are worth reading.

Her books are HERE

But nothing compares to visiting the place itself. 

If you intend to visit the Burren this is the map you need. 

The Burren by Tim Robinson is detailed enough to show wells, sacred sites and places of folklore,
but beware - it will not stop you from being led astray. 

Available from: Tim and Máiréad Robinson. Folding Landscapes. 

Roundstone, Co. Galway.  Email: info@foldinglandscapes.com 

foldinglandscapes.com

“In silent need they searched for Hallowed ground” The Pagan burials of rural Ireland.

Rath Coffey, also known as Raheen or the Fairy Hill.

I visited Rath Coffey before Bealtaine, when the leaves were just a haze on the branches and the Aos Sídhe had not yet emerged to travel the land.

A boreen skirts the river and leads to a tangled ditch filled with brambles but once clambered over, the mound is just a short walk away.

Although close to the road, it remains somehow remote and isolated.

The ráth is home to the Good People and there are many stories which relate the consequences of interfering with the trees and land about it. 

Human activity near the Otherworld mound is unwelcome, 

today Raheen Field is used to graze cattle.

It was understood that entering the mound led to underground passages which radiated outwards, enabling the Good People to travel beneath the land to various locations in the neighbourhood.

One such passage led to another local Fairy Fort near to the home of a family, the Bells, who were tormented by invisible hands. 

Why they attracted this attention isn’t recorded, though it was known that the unseen activity led the householders to block up a window.

The strong belief in the Good People meant that the Fairy Hill was respected but avoided and it’s position, close to the river Barrow, added to the perception that it was a liminal place, between this world and the Otherworld. 

Known as ‘the graveyard of Pagans’ the rath invokes an air of sadness even 

on a clear spring morning.

Rath Coffey once held an important role in the community but today few remember its’ secret: the mound was a cillín, an unofficial burial ground, where grieving families came to bury their unbaptised babies. 

Stones were placed to mark small graves on Rath Coffey.

The Church held that stillborn or unbaptised babies who died soon after birth, could not be regarded as members of the Church.

As they were considered to inhabit the Limbo of Children, a place between Heaven and Hell, these infants were denied internment in the consecrated grounds of Catholic cemeteries.

In the face of this decree some parents, if they had land, buried their infant in the corner of a field or garden, others had no choice but to lay their babies to rest in a once sacred place, away from prying eyes.

This ruling also applied to people who had died by suicide, mothers who died 

in childbirth but hadn’t been churched and strangers whose religion was unknown.

But the greatest number of those buried in pagan graves were unbaptised babies.

Throughout rural Ireland cillíní were in special locations, at the in-between places; 

by Megalithic tombs and ring forts, on beaches and islands, near sacred wells and old churches 

or beneath lone whitethorn trees.

Lone thorn and stone on Rath Coffey.

Perhaps some families believed that their infants would be cared for by their Ancestors or by the Good People when there was no place in heaven for them.

Research in 2013 recorded 1,394 children’s burial grounds within the Republic.

It was customary in rural areas to perform burials between dusk on the day the infant died 

and sunrise the following day. Often the father would be alone when he dug the grave and marked 

the site with stones.  

In one community, where 21 babies had been buried, WHITE QUARTZ  had been used to outline each resting place.

Raithin Well, Co. Clare which is surrounded by an air of melancholy. 

Research after my visit showed the presence of a cillín behind the well, 

close by the lakeshore.

Visiting the cillíní was a very moving experience for me, remembering the lost infants and the countless bereaved women brought me to tears and it is unsurprising that many of these places are still shrouded in aura of sorrow.

However these lonely burial places are now being remembered and brought back into the community. 

This is a reclaimed ring fort in the Midlands, used by generations as an unofficial burial

ground for their unbaptised babies until recent times.

The site was cleared of brambles and undergrowth, the stones placed upright where they had fallen and new trees planted to create a place of remembrance and play.

On some days the space is filled with the laughter and shouts of local children

and offerings are left.

As time passes the fort will hold happier memories but the lost children will always be recalled by local people. 

And the land still remembers.

Please take 30 minutes to watch Oileán na Marbh, Island of the Dead, a programme first shown on TG4, broadcast in Irish with English sub-titles.

Fáilte / Welcome

Welcome to my newly designed blog!
Hopefully you'll find it easier to read and to navigate around.
I now have a proper gallery and 'how to order' page and will be adding sections to include more paintings as time goes on.
I also have a blog list at the foot of this page so that you can visit other bloggers from here.
The comments box has changed. You can still leave comments but they will be moderated which hopefully will cut down on spam.

Thanks for dropping by.
Jane

Áirmid's Healing Herbs

As we are still in the month of August - Lúnasa here in Ireland - I thought it would be appropriate to wish you all the blessings of the first harvest and post some details about the Irish herbal remedies and folklore of the plants seen in my painting of Áirmid.
Please note that I am not a herbalist so do not attempt to use any of the cures mentioned!
The information below has come from several sources including talking with local people who have 'cures'.
- A good reference book is "Irish Wild Plants - myths, legends and folklore" 
by Niall Mac Coitir, Collins Press 2006.

- Zoe Devlin's website is invaluable -  http://www.wildflowersofireland.net
- I  have only recently discovered Roy Vickery's fascinating site but know that I will be visiting it often -  http://www.plant-lore.com

I now have large art cards of Áirmid and the other Ever-Living Ones for sale - please contact me at morrigan@mac.com if you are interested in buying.
Áirmid's mythology and my painting of her father, the Irish god of healing. Dían Cécht, can be seen in the Gallery.

1 YARROW:

Athair Thalún

Used to stop nosebleeds and as a cure for coughs, colds and fevers.

Yarrow was used in love divination when 10 sprigs were plucked and the tenth thrown over the shoulder at Samhain. The remaining nine sprigs were placed under the pillow to give dreams of a future spouse. Also nine leaves were placed in a cloth and tied around the neck to bring good luck at fairs and on journeys.

2 HONEYSUCKLE:

Féithleann

Powdered leaves of honeysuckle were thought to prevent fevers and were also used as a cure for toothache, whooping cough, inflammation of the mouth and thrush.

Also known as woodbine it was used to protect against evil spirits and when drunk would cure effects of the 'evil eye'.

3 IVY:

Eidhneán

Used to aid the healing of burns and scalds as well as staunching bleeding and reducing inflammation. Ivy also cured pains, coughs, colds and bronchitis as well as relieving the pain of corns.

Nine ivy leaves of ivy placed under the pillow would give dreams of a future partner. 

4 SPEEDWELL:

Lus Cré

Used to cure jaundice, colds and earache .

5 RAMSONS:

Creamh

Wild garlic was taken as a preventative for infections and was thought to cleanse the blood. It was used to clean wounds of infection as well as curing coughs and colds. 

6 TORMENTIL:

Néalfartach

Used to ease digestive problems and heart complaints. In conjunction with St. John's Wort it was used as a sleeping draught.

7 DOG ROSE:

Feirdhris

The hips of the Dog Rose were used in jam making to provide vitamin C during the winter. It was believed that if a new born didn't pass urine a handful of briars was burnt under the child would cure the problem.

8 MILKWORT:

Lus an Bhainne

Milkwort, known as Fairy Soap, was taken in the belief that it encouraged the flow of milk in new mothers and was a cure for warts.

9 AGRIMONY:

Marbhdhraighean

Used as a cure for scurvy and a jaundice treatment.

10 MEADOWSWEET:

Airgead Luachra

Used to cure fevers and colds was well as to ease pain and kidney problems. 

Meadowsweet, when placed under the bed of the afflicted,  was believed to have the power to cure wasting sickness which was brought on by the fairy folk.

The scent of Meadowsweet was given to the flower by the goddess Aíne.

11 FOXGLOVE:

Lus Mór

Used to cure heart problems, colds and fevers as well as being used as a salve on the skin to ease swellings and burns.

Foxglove was believed to cure childhood fits if it was collected at Midsummer then boiled in water from three boundaries and drunk.

A drink made from the leaves would counteract fairy strokes in adults whilst a fairy changeling could be detected by placing two drops on the babies' tongue then three in each ear. The child was then placed on a shovel which was swung out towards the front door  three times whilst saying "if you are a fairy away with you!" 

If the baby was a changeling it would die, if not it would recover.  

12 MALLOW:

Lus na meall Muire

Used as a poultice to cure sores, bruises, ulcers and sprains.

Mallow stems, known as Hocus Fiáin was used to strike people in order to protect them from illness. The stems were later burnt in bonfire at Midsummer.

13 YELLOW FLAG:

Feileastram

Yellow flag was used to cure jaundice and sore lips. In Kerry a cure for rheumatism was to heat the flags then put them in a hut where water would be thrown onto them. Those who had rheumatism stood for a few minutes in the rising vapour then went into a tub of cold water.  

It was believed that a fairy changeling when banished into a river or lake would become a yellow flag. On Cape Clear bunches of the flowers were placed in fishing boats to bring good luck and a large catch.

14 GOLDEN ROD:

Slat Óir

Used to relieve heart complaints, stomach upsets and kidney problems.

In folklore it was understood to be used by fairies in a similar way to Ragwort.

15 POPPY

Cailleach dhearg

Poppy was used as pain relief particularly for toothache and neuralgia.

16 SHEPHERD'S PURSE:

Lus na fola or Lus an sparáin

Used by women to stop excessive menstrual flow.

17 VALERIAN:

Caorthainn corraigh

A sedative used to calm nerves.

18 VERVAIN:

Beirbhéine

Although not a native plant, vervain was used to protect cattle from the fairies on May Eve 

by tying a spring to the tail or horn of the livestock. 

19 PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE:

Créachtach

Collected at Midsummer it was used to heal wounds and cure diarrhoea and dysentery. 

20 CHARLOCK:

Praiseach bhuí

Used as a spring tonic and to cure jaundice.

21 SOAPWORT:

Garbhán creagach

Used as a protection against illness in a similar way to mallow, to treat lung inflammation 

and in the making of soap used to wash wool.

22 CENTAURY:

Dréimire Mhuire

Used to relieve liver complaints and as a tonic.

23 DAISY:

Nóinín

Used to heal burns, as an eye lotion and a cure for chilblains and ringworm.

24 PIMPERNEL:

Falcaire Fiáin

Used to cure jaundice, kidney inflammation, tooth ache and eye complaints.

Scarlet pimpernel was understood to possess magical properties giving the power of second sight 

and the ability to understand the speech of birds and animals.

25 ST. JOHN'S WORT: 

Beathnua Baineann

Used a a cure for depression and insanity as well as to staunch bleeding.

Provided protection especially when harvested at noon on a bright day near the full moon or on Midsummers' day before sunrise. Its effectiveness could be increased by passing the leaves through the smoke of a bonfire.

26 BLUEBELL:

Coinnle Corra

Used as a cure for coughs and throat ailments.

27 COWSLIP:

Bainne Bó Bleachtáin

Used to help insomniacs and as a cure for palsy.

Cowslips were believed to protect the milk yield of cows from the fairies at Bealtaine when rubbed 

on the udders. 

28 EYEBRIGHT:

Glanrosc

Used to cure those who had suffered a stroke.

29 VIOLET:

Sailchuach chorraigh

Used as a poultice to cure headaches, tumours and boils.

30 SORRELL:

Seamsóg or Samhadh bó

Used as cleanser and blood tonic and to heal sores, bruises and boils.

31 PRIMROSE:

Sabhaircín

Used to aid insomnia and as a cure for burns, jaundice and tuberculosis.

Associated with Bealtaine when it was gathered by children before dusk and placed in posies over  

doors and on windowsills to protect against the faeries.

32 MARSH MARIGOLD:

Lus buí Bealtaine

Flowers used in an infusion to cure fits and boiled in soup for heart ailments. 

Its juice which is caustic was used to remove warts. Similarly to primrose, marigold was linked 

to May Eve when the flowers were used as a protection for the home and the well.

33 CHICKWEED:

Fliodh

Made into a poultice to treat sprains, inflammations and mumps.

Chickweed is one of the healing herbs used in Dían Cécht's 'porridge' which is the oldest known 

Irish medical remedy which was used to cure sore throats and colds.

34 LESSER CELANDINE:

Grán arcáin 

The roots of the lesser celandine, known as 'pilewort', was used in the treatment of haemorrhoids. 

It was also known as 'scurvywort' as its leaves contained vitamin C.

35 HART'S TONGUE FERN:

Creamh na muice fia

Used in an ointment on burns, scalds, stings, warts and dog bites.

In general fern seeds were considered to be lucky if carried.

36 WATER CRESS:

Biolar

Used as a remedy for coughs and colds, to cure rheumatism and to ease labour pains. 

It was also known as the "hair of the well or stream".

37 MAIDEN HAIR FERN:

Dúchosach

Used as a tea but not as a cure.

38 WATER AVENS:

Machall Uisce

Used as a cure for diarrhoea and stomach ache.

39 BOG BEAN:

Báchrán

Used as a tonic to cleanse the blood and as a poultice to reduce swellings and inflammation. 

Also used to ease symptoms of a cold.

40 NETTLE:

Neantóg

Used as a tea to cleanse the blood. Nettle stings were thought to to relieve rheumatism and poor circulation. 

It was believed that taking three meals of nettles in May and drinking the juice of nettles gathered at Bealtaine would guard against illness for a year.

41 WORMWOOD:

Mormónta

Used as a cure for an upset stomach.

42 LADY'S MANTLE:

Dearna Mhuire

Used for kidney problems and to treat burns and scalds but also known to aid women who wanted to 

conceive a child.

43 MUGWORT:

Mongach meisce

Known as the 'mother of herbs' it was used as a cure for epilepsy, to restore menstrual flow and 

ease delivery in childbirth. The beliefs attached to mugwort were similar to those of St. John's wort 

as it was also used as protection at Bealtaine.

44 RAGWORT:

Buachalán buí

Used as a poultice to ease cuts, sores and burns as well as placing the head of the plant over an ulcer

to heal it. Known as the 'fairy steed' because it was believed that fairies rode upon ragwort especially 

at Samhain.

45 DANDELION:

Caisearbhán

Used as a diuretic and a cure for  liver problems, jaundice, diabetes, tuberculosis and consumption. 

Dandelion was also known as Bearnán Bhríde, 'indented one of Bride' because it was the first flower 

to appear after Imbolg. It was believed that the juice of a dandelion would remove warts if rubbed 

on them for nine days. 

46 SELF HEAL:

Duán ceannchosach

Used to cure sore throats, fevers, tuberculosis and the effects of a stroke.

47 DOCK:

Copóg

Used as a cure for nettle stings, liver complaints, coughs and colds.

48 OATS:

Coirce

Oats were a component of Dían Cécht's porridge used to cure colds and sore throats.

49 RUSHES:

Luachra

Rushes had many everyday uses including thatching and were used all over Ireland to make Brigid's Crosses 

at Imbolg. The ashes of burnt rushes were used to cure ringworm and when mixed with lard and applied 

as an ointment they also cured shingles.

It was believed that the only cure for the effects of standing upon féar gorta, hungry grass, 

was drink the juice from nine rushes which had grown by a holy well.

50 ARUM LILY:

Clus chaoin

Known also a Lords and Ladies, the plant is poisonous but its roots were used as a cure for worms.

51 WOOD SAGE:

Iúr sléibhe

Used to ease rheumatism.  

52 MARJORAM:

Máirtín fiáin

Used to calm coughs and ease aches and strains.

53 COLTSFOOT:

Sponc

Drunk as a tea to cure asthma, sore throats and to soothe a dry cough.

54 GROUNDSEL:

Grúnlas 

Used as a cure for headaches as a hot poultice to ease toothache and to heal wounds caused by iron.

55 CLOVER:

Seamair Lochlannach 

White clover was a cure for coughs and liver ailments whilst red clover cured coughs, bee stings and 

an infusion of its flowers was thought to cure cancer.

Finding a four-leafed clover was believed to be lucky and was associated with obtaining the second sight. Rubbing a mixture of clover and whiskey over the eyes cured 'fairy blindness'.

56 WILD THYME:

Tím chreige

Used to ease respiratory ailments and as protection against infection.

57 MINT:

Mismín arbhair

Used as a remedy for  measles, indigestion, stomach ache and colds.

Mint was used in love charms and as protection against bad luck.

58 BEARBERRY:

Lus na Stalóg

Used as a cure for bladder ailments.

59 BILBERRY:

Fraochán

Used as a diuretic, a cure for jaundice and as a pain reliever. 

Bilberries were gathered at the start of August and associated with the festival of Lughnasadh. 

On Knochfeerina Co. They were laid, together with flowers upon the stone which was believed to be the entrance to the palace of Donn in the Otherworld.

60 BRAMBLE:

Dris

Used to cure diarrhoea, swellings and sore feet.

Standing under an arch of brambles gave the power to curse another.