Holy Hills of Ireland

The Irish landscape is alive with pagan powers, gods, and spirits. Inside every hill are feasting halls of otherworld beings, who sometimes emerge into our dimensions, or entice the unwary into theirs. Lakes and rivers have their own divinities, sacred pagan springs cure everything from toothache to insanity, and gods and goddesses live on in ancient stones.In this beautifully illustrated book Hector McDonnell describes how Ireands preChristian beliefs still shape Irelands beliefs and customs.

• Crachan, Co. Roscommon, the sacred royal assembly site of Connacht, named after Crochain Croidhearg,
• First published 2008 AD Wooden Books Ltd 2008 AD Published by Wooden Books Ltd. 8A Market Place, Gl
• CONTENTS Introduction 1 Nothing Lost 4 Creation of the Sacred 6 Skies in the Landscape 8
• 1 INTRODuCTION Ireland has an extraordinary wealth of mythological material, and almost every hill,
• 2 3 P u ffi n H o le n ea r K il ke e , C o . C la re . C u ch u la in l ea p t b e tw ee n s
• 4 5 NothiNg Lost the First live on The Lebor Gabla Erenn relates that Noahs granddaughter Cesair bro
• 6 7 CreatioN of the saCred shaping the beyond Irelands early inhabitants frequently expressed their
• 8 9 skies iN the LaNdsCape holding the heavens The earliest megalithic monuments are possibly as ear
• 10 11 eNCasiNg time marking seasons The Irish megalithic builders effectively created sacred caves o
• 12 13 greater powers Gods and Goddesses We only see Irelands deities now through the distorting lens
• 14 15 iNNer divides the fifths of Ireland The Fr Bolg brothers division of Ireland into five created
• 16 17 the CouNtrys fairs fractals of five As well as the sacred assembly hills of Irelands fifths th
• 18 19 up North Ulsters Mountains Many Gods live in Ulsters hills. Slieve Donard houses the last pag
• 20 21 dowN south the mountains of Munster Limerick has three fairy mountains, inside which are sdh,
• 22 23 out west the mountains of Connacht Most famously, Irelands national saint defeated his worst s
• 24 25 faCiNg east mountains of Leinster Leinster lore is often frustratingly uncertain. Dunamase Ro
• 26 27 oN the friNges promontories and coastline The edges of Ireland were venerated as points of con
• 28 29 watery ways rivers and lakes Irish waters tell many mythological tales. Lough Owel, Westmeath
• 30 31 spiNNiNg rouNd circles Near the end of the Neolithic period which produced the great megalithi
• 32 33 staNdiNg aLoNe monoliths The ancient standing stones that are found throughout Ireland vary fr
• 34 35 vaNishiNg poiNts meeting places This sacred landscape included many magical trees. Some were
• 36 37 New heights Christian complexes Christianity was well established by AD 431, when the pope sen
• 38 39 turNiNg stoNes cursing and curing Bullns are often found at old church sites and holy wells.
• 40 41 weLLs springing up within Countless wells were blessed by Patrick, including Altadaven, Tyrone
• 42 43 over the water island ways to the beyond Irelands subsiduary islands were repositories of anci
• 44 45 gazeteer of mouNtaiNs AltAdAvin, Alt a Deamhain, Tyrone, on Blaeberry Sunday, in late July, th
• 46 47 knockfeerinA, Cnoc Frinne, Limerick, the hill of truth, one of the three fairy hills of Munste
• 48 49 mouNtaiNs CoNtiNued MAgherinteMPle, Cavan, on the first Sunday of August people came to the ru
• 50 51 slieve crooB, Down, Lughnasa customs were performed around its megalithic cairn. Stones were
• 52 53 CirCLes, CairNs megaLithiC sites Mainly these sites were created circa 2,000 3,000 BC, but c
• 54 55 assembLy pLaCes fairs These assemblies and fairs were essential for the ancient Irish kingdom
• 56 57 gLossary of irish Names ine, a landgoddess, sometimes a daughter of Manannn, the sea god, or o
• 58 neMhedh, third settler in Ireland, he cleared twelve plains for farming and lit the first fire at