Saturday, November 30, 2013

Douglas – Cork, Cork County, Ireland

The adventurers were ready to start their new expedition on the ancestors this day – awaking early and hitting the road by mid-morning. They were lent a vardo “Primara” (small economy car) by the family for their expeditions around the green isle of Eire. They were added onto the insurance and ready to go. After a long rest the last week on catching up with jet-lag from the United air dragon into Shannon, the North American trio were starting to finally adapt to Irish time. Sir Thomas Leaf was ready to find some more holy wells to add to his manuscripts and research. Lady Etain took him first to St. John’s Well in Carrigaline. The sun was warm and bright and down a sub-division road they went. Looked more like an alley Sir Thomas Leaf thought. Parking was a bit rough as the road led to a steel gate and someone was already parked in front of it. They pulled over to the stone wall as tight as they could so the other person could back out albeit narrow. The Prince of Endurance atop his father’s shoulders, they trekked on down the path, past some rock ruins, down to a bee-hive shaped cairn that was covering the fresh water spring with a small opening from it out of which the waters flowed down into the local stream. A broken cross was atop it, and scratch etchings of crosses by pilgrims atop the stones. Across from the well was a stone altar that labeled the well St. John’s. Apparently a blind man came here, washed his face with the waters of this natural spring, and his blindness was cured. Thereafter he built the beehive rock cairn over it to protect it. Every Saint John’s feast day the local church comes to the well to celebrate and pay tribute to the Saint and his miracles. Sir Thomas leaf discovered that is was actually called earlier the “Tobar Eoin Óg” or “St. Renogue’s” Well, dedicated first to Saint Renogue before Saint John. The trio partook of the magical waters, splashing on their eyelids to help better their eyesight. Sir Thomas Leaf had a meditation and the adventurers were back on their way to the vardo. Onward ho!

From Saint John’s Well the delvers made their way to the Curraghbinny Woods, had some snacks, then trekked a mile up Curra Binn, the Curraghbinny Hill atop of which Binne the Giant was buried in Binne’s Cairn. The power of the giant could be felt. Intriguing Sir Thomas were several lean-to wickiup type shelters around the wood’s edges at the base of the grave. Archaeologists had found no bone in these graves, just an arc of smaller stones closer to the center. In the center of the monument was a heap of stone and clay. That is all that was found within the cairn. Nearby however were found cattle teeth, cattle bone, charcoal, cremated human bone, a small bronze ring, and two collections of water-rolled pebbles imported from elsewhere. The cremated human bone found nearby was carbon dated roughly to be 4,000 years old. One could only picture a stone giant being that large heap of stone and clay shapeshifting to a giant like the Icelandic trolls in the darkness of the night, then gathering up local cattle and farmers to munch on for their feast, scattering the bones and remains like sunflower seed shells tossed aside by Agent Mulder in the X-files. Sir Thomas leaf took a moment to meditate with the prince of Endurance and Lady Etain atop the mound before hiking down through the faerie infested woods with spongy moss, lichen, and age-old oaks. Down the hill they came upon the ruins of the old Curraghnbinny Tea house into which they explored and took awe at the inspiring views of Cork Harbour. Intriguing trees along the way down as they hiked another mile back to their vardo. Onwards from there they headed to the sacred site of Tobar Ghobnatan. En rout though, they stopped in the village of Carragaline for a Dairy 99 and to pick up some snacks. Sir Thomas Leaf also headed into the local health food shoppe for some echinacea pills and immune system enhancers as Sir Thomas Leaf and Lady Etain were starting to come down with a cold.
Driving up the narrow castle stone lined walled road to Tobar Ghobnatan they quickly came across the Tobar Ghobnatan Holy Well on the right and drove up a bit and parked on the left. The Prince of Endurance was asleep so Sir Thomas Leaf and Lady Etain took turns heading up to the well. Sir Thomas Leaf grabbed his empty bottle to fill with the sacred waters and hiked on in. Immediately on the left after passing through the Holy Well’s gate he spied a 3/4 circle of fungi – Fairy Ring (mushrooms) – certainly a magical portal to Tir na nOg. Down the path he went and found the Tobar Ghobnatan Wishing Trees and Well. The Rag tree was full of clouties and trinkets, prayers, and jewelry offered to the fae, the spirits, and Saint Ghobnatan with petitions to ask to heal someone they loved. A brief meditation above the waters, Sir Thomas Leaf left his wishes and partook of the waters, taking some home to America with him. He was impressed with how well the sacred place was kept, that mugs were left for others to partake of the waters from, and cleaned water bottles for them to fill with water to take home with them. On the way back out, Sir Thomas Leaf walked around the fairy ring three times three with hopes a door would open for him to allow him to go partake of fairy food and drink, alas it did not. Instead he was back up at his vardo, while Lady Etain went to the well, and took some photos of cattle trying to pass a car coming down from the church yard in the narrow lane.

They drove up to the car park and Sir Thomas Leaf explored Saint Ghobnatan’s hut, which was potentially a pre- Iron Age metal smithing site, some decree could have been the site of the Tuatha de Danann’s own smith himself. He noticed the Tobar Ghobnatan cross etchings in the stones in the stone ring, then went to look over the statue of Saint Ghobnatan. He got to visit and partake of the waters of the well that stood there as well, which could of been Saint Ghobnatan or St. Abban’s. Downward he went into the Church yard where he had a moment of reflection at Saint Ghobnatan’s grave and onto the ruins of the church where more cross markings could be found. Onwards they went from the sacred site to try to make Gougane Barra before nightfall. They were distracted on the road by the Prince August Toy Soldier Factory where they dropped into the factory for a tour, admire the ancient Goddess figurines they had made, and picked up some molds to make some elves, trolls, goblins, and zombie figurines themselves. Then into the dark they went to Gougane Barra, the sacred site where they originally were going to get married. Looking for Lú, Gougan Barra Dragon, they heard noises in the bushes, but no water serpent in the lake. They visited St. Finbarr’s Holy Well: Gougane Barra and walked around the saint cells and stations soaking in the mystery and spooky nature of the place. The lore about Saint Finbarr was extraordinary. A good evening was had. They drove back to Douglas to their mom and dad’s homestead dining on dinner saved for them in the oven. A wealth of information and magic was achieved that day from the ancestral sites of good ol’ Ireland.