It wasn’t his fault. How could one so noble, so beautiful, have been at fault? He was the golden youth, the beloved one chosen by his mother’s people. How could it all have gone so wrong? How had his golden dreams become so tarnished? He had grown up with his mother’s glowing stories. “When you…
Author: Chris Thompson
Midsummer Midnight Skies over Leitrim
In the podcast episode, we mentioned how bright the night skies can be, here in Leitrim, even at midnight. The sun does not go far down behind the horizon then, and even at midnight the sun glow is still visible. It is easy to imagine that there is some wonderful city casting its light into…
The Romano-British temple to Nodens at Lydney Park:
I have never visited Lydney Park in Gloucestershire so I cannot give a personal impression of the complex. However, the site is very relevant to any exploration of Nuada. There are definite etymological connections between the British Nodens, the Welsh Lludd (Nudd) and the Irish Nuada. Descriptions of the temple complex given below are largely…
The Fisher King
The Fisher King is a figure closely associated with the Arthurian cycle and, more directly, with the legends of the search for the Grail. A discussion on the development and varying source materials for the stories is beyond the scope of this article, but similar motifs and character types appear in each version, the main…
The Story of Nuada
Nuada stared into a palm of silver, a cupped pool reflecting a refracted and shattered image of his frowning face. He held the hand up before him, flexed his fingers and five silver rays flared like a crown around his image. So it worked to his will then. It was more than a magnificent glove….
Tales of Sheebeg
The 1931 excavation of the cairn on Sheebeg In our conversation on Sheebeg, we talked about the excavation that took place in January 1931. I thought that it might be interesting to include a few quotes from the newspapers of the time and the only sketch that was made, as far as I am aware,…
More on Sheebeg
Below, as promised, some pictures of the hill and cairn at Sídh Beag. More material, such as the newspaper reports from 1931, will be posted soon… Watch this space!!
The Morrigan’s Prophecy
From “the Morrigan’s prophecy” spoken at the close of the battle of Moytura. (based on the translation by Isolde Carmody) Beneath the peaceful heavens lies the land. It rests beneath the bowl of the bright sky. The land lies, itself a dish, a cup of honeyed strength, there, for the taking, offering strength to each…
Uaimh na gCait (Oweynagat)
The Cave of the Cats Taken from a personal journal entry after an early visit to the cave …..“There it is, by that house” and we tumble out of the car into the everlasting drizzle. The cave of Cruachán was said to be the most notorious otherworld entrance in legend. From here the Morrigan emerged…
Brig and Rúadán
It was the first time keening had been heard in the green land of Ireland. The poetry of mourning, the ritual of the eulogy. Brig keened for her lost son, her impetuous red-headed boy, Rúadán. Rúadán was dead, killed by the spear of Goibniu, and the smithcraft of the Dé Danann, killed as a…