Ro Loiscit na Lámasa — These Hands Have Been Withered
Cover art by Caspar David Friedrich Notes Attribution: The poem is attributed to Oisín mac Find — Oisín son of…
REcent posts…
Seilg Shléibhe gCulainn — Chase of Sliabh Guilleann
Cover art by William Henry Bartlett Fionn and the Fianna are out hunting when Bran and Sceólang begin to give…
Cath Chnoc an Áir — The Battle of the Hill of Slaughter
Cover art is ‘Rock of Cashel’ by William Henry Bartlett Notes There are prose and poetry versions of this story…
Bruidhean Eochaidh Bhig Dheirg — Red-haired Eochaid’s Enchanted Hall
Cover art is ‘Black Rock Castle’ by William Henry Bartlett Translated by Nessa Ní Shéaghdha and Máire Ní Mhuirgheasa, Trí Bruidhne,…
Amhrán an Díthreabhaigh — A Hermit’s Song
Cover art by Peter Monsted Notes This poem belongs to the rich tradition of early Irish hermit poetry — the…
Messe ocus Pangur Bán — The Scholar and His Cat
Cover art is ‘The White Cat’ by Franz Marc Notes This is perhaps the most beloved of all Old Irish…
“A great obnubilation was conjured up for the bard so that he slept a heavy sleep, and things magic-begotten were shewn to him to enunciate, apparently in his sleep. This was called “illumination by rhymes,” and a similar method was used in Wales. When consulted, the seer roared violently until he was beside himself, and out of his ravings the desired information was gathered. When aroused from this ecstatic condition, he had no remembrance of what he had uttered. Giraldus reports this, and thinks, with the modern spiritualist, that the utterance was caused by spirits.” – J.A. MacCulloch (Art by Herbert Norris)
“Becoming a Druid is a life-long task. Indeed, many say that the work of being a Druid is a constant process of becoming, of reaching the archetype of strength, wisdom, clarity, invulnerability, and gentle humanity, together with an understanding of nature at its rawest edges. We stretch through our souls the essence of life, to the spirit that vitalizes, to the gods that empower us, in search of inspiration.” – Emma Restall Orr (Art is A print from La France et les Francais a Travers les Siecles, Volume I, F Roy editor, Saint-Antoine, 1882-1884)
“Members of the learned caste or priestly profession in Celtic and early Irish culture. The word ‘druid’ is probably derived form the Celtic dru-wid, which would have meant ‘very knowledgeable’. The Greek and Latin writers attest to the importance of the druids among the Celtic Gauls. They were at the centre of society, making decisions on matters of tradition, custom and law and also on general questions concerning nature and human life.” – Dáithí Ó hÓgáin (Art is ‘The Bard’ by Thomas Jones)
