Rathcroghan - Owenygat and Maeve
The focal point of the complex is Rathcroghan mound, a broad, circular mound .... Surveying has revealed that it was built on top of an existing monument that was made of two concentric stone-built ring banks. A huge enclosure was also discovered surrounding the mound and other monuments.
Irish archaeology.org - a fascinating article
Recognised as the ancient capital of Connacht, one of the four provinces of Ireland, Rathcroghan, Cruachan Aí, ('fort of Cruachan'), in Roscommon, is an extensive landscape claimed as the oldest and largest unexcavated royal site in Europe. Many of the townlands have "Rath" in their names - Rath na gClaidhe, Rath Fuadach, Rath Céibhe or Céibe, Rath Mór, Rath na nDealg. Duchas.ie
There are six sites- Tara (Teamhair), seat of the Kings of Meath and the High King; Navan Fort (Eamhain Macha) Ulster; Rathcroghan (Cruachan) for Connacht; Knockaulin (Dún Ailinne) Leinster; and Cashel (Caiseal) Munster. Uisneach represented the union of the provinces and may have served as a meeting place for the kings.
These were places for meeting and feasting - festival sites from about 5000 years ago.
And places for burial.
About three miles from my home there is a townland called Rathcroghan in it there is a place called Roilignarí which mean Graveyard of the Kings. King Dathai is buried there and it is said that his crown is also buried
there with him. Eire, Fodla and Banba as well as Conn of the hundred battles. Duchas.ie Reilig na Rí - King's Cemetary
There is a stone not far my home called the "Long Stone". It is said that king Dathy the last pagan king of Ireland was buried there. He was killed by lightening at the foot of the Alps in Switzerland. His body was brought home to be buried in Rathcroghan. A stone six feet high was put standing on its end over the grave. Duchas.ie - The Long Stone
Oweynagat
The cave of Uaimh na gCat (Oweynagat) - or the cave of the cats or the gates of hell - is said to be the first site of Samhain.
This is Snowball, enjoying attention and keeping an eye on visitors.
There are several places in Ireland with specific legends, festivals and stories about Samhain so who is to say which was first.... and does it matter? They are all worth a visit!
" A friend expects a baby this week. Nine months in the womb it is preparing to enter the earth realm. Some of us visited another womb this week, Owenygat in Roscommon, the birthplace of the goddess Meave (Medb), she who intoxicates. A Goddess of Sovereignty.
This cave links to Samhain, the entrance lit by the sun as it sinks into the west at dusk. The Mound of the Hostages on the Hill of Tara, faces east, awaiting the sunrise at Samhain.
To
reach the high fissure of the inner limestone cavern you crawl on all
fours for about 100 yards, clambering and sliding, slime and mud
glooping into clothes.
Rocks, some stable and some loose, knobble the floor and provide insecure handholds. Truly the birth canal of the land."
There is also a goddess Maeve at Tara. She is Medb Lethderg - Maeve of the Red Side. And there is a Rath named for her.
There is also a 'yellow' link between the two places - Tara is Castleboy Townland and "An old road leading from Mantua to Rathcroghan is known locally as Bóthairín Buidhe because of the yellow sand and stone of which it is made." Duchas.ie - local roads
In the Adventures of Nera - Meyer- Echtra Nerai.pdf the events are set on Samhain feast night.
It is unclear whether the cave referred to is Owenygat or one of the Raths, but it is an unpleasant tale suitable for the night when the spirits and magical beasts emerge from the Underworld and time becomes warped by mysterious forces.
"It was a very dark night, and bad things would always appear on that night of Samhain, and every man that went out to try came back very quickly into the house."
Sacred Texts.com - Cuchulain of Muirthemne by Lady Augusta Gregory
Shadows
In this photo, taken at sunset at Samhain, it is the shadows of the living preparing to visit the shades of the past. Ghosts live in the shadows. We say that history casts a long shadow. Consider are you using your ancestors to give you and your life credibility?
We may proudly relate what our parents and grandparents did or be ashamed of their actions... we may be aware of their sufferings... we may be aware of their victories.... we would not be here if they had not lived and we honour their lives... that is fine... but when you use their existence to give you 'rights' then you have a problem.
What you have done? not what your ancestors did.
Consider what you have done for yourself, not in the name of your
ancestors.
We can not know what they wanted, or what they would want
from us. We might feel we are honouring them by preserving their
ways and what we imagine they believed, but they lived in different
circumstances and we cannot replicate their existence. Are you
living in the shadows of the past rather than the full light of the
present?
Sovereignty
We
are all familiar with people whose judgement is reliable, who we turn
to when faced with a tricky question. The steady, balanced,
dependable members of the community. In times past each family and
tribe had an inspirer, a leading figure who held the care of near
relatives and close friends in trust. Sometimes this suggested the
role of guardianship. If this chief executive of the people was to
have a successful governance they must connect with the land for this
is where we are nurtured. We will not survive without food. As the
male is physically stronger than most women he is usually protector,
and it naturally follows from this that the balance will be the
provider and is female.
Ancient
peoples, across Western Europe and into the wider world, describe the
land as feminine with attributes not only of the emotional and
spiritual woman, but also the physical woman. The earth itself is
formed into breast like hills, crevices, caves and rounded womb-like bowls.
Hence the earth is highly potent and active, likened to a goddess on
whom we depend for the very staples of life.
If
the people are to have good healthy crops and abundant harvests then
the land herself must be healthy and abundant, nurtured and cared
for. And this woman whose generosity we require is energetically not
a young inexperienced maiden or a wise crone grandmother but a fully
active mature parent. The manifest action is for her to be in
perfect union with the decision maker and protector for the
community, that they become benevolent mother and father of the
district. To do this the ideal is that they are a couple. And so
the ruler marries the earth goddess.
Cloak of Sovereignty from Samhain November 2010 - Journey to the Sovereign Self - Hill of Tara
Once
the concept of the ruler as 'king' is recognised then the women by
his side will be the 'queen' and the concept of Sovereignty arises.
The king is sovereign of the human world and the goddess is sovereign
of the natural earth world.
What
are they sovereign of? Some regard the rapidly expanding city as
infernal and seek consolation in countryside that is idyllic, open
horizons, picturesque views, close to our ancestors, where we see the
scratches of Ice Age glaciers on the rocks. We experience the
rugged, sublime, wilderness and uncivilised aspects of nature. The
variety of the hills, gulleys, wildflower meadows, mountain crags,
streams and lakes evoke an excitement in us. And yet the city has
its beauty as well, in man-created architecture, parks, markets and
vibrant social life.
What
qualities of personality do we find in the concept of sovereignty? Firstly the male, guarding and
protecting, then the female, caring and nurturing. Stereotypes and
archetypes for sure, but no harm or shame in recognising these
different qualities.
Bring
to mind the cartoon superheros. These characters are exaggerations,
but their attributes universal and guidelines for every day life.
Superman (friendship), Superwomen (beauty), Popeye (strength), Mighty Mouse (does the job), Inspector Gadget (flexibility), Marge Simpson (unconditional love), Shrek (integrity), Princess Leia (resilience).