The Hill of Tara, known as Temair in gaeilge, was once the ancient seat of power in Ireland 142 kings

s are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and historic times. In ancient Irish religion and mythology Temair was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods, and was the entrance to the otherworld. Saint Patrick is said to have come to Tara to confront the ancient religion of the pagans at its most powerful site. One interpretation of the name Tara says that it means a "place of great prospect" and indeed on a clear day it is claimed that features in half the counties of Ireland can be seen from atop Tara. In the distance to the northwest can be seen the brilliant white quartz front of Newgrangeand further north lies the Hill of Slane, where according to legend St. Patrick lit his Pascal fire prior to his visit to Tara in 433 AD. Early in the 20th century a group of Israelites came to Tara with the conviction that the Arc of the Covenant was buried in on the famous hill. They dug the Mound of the Synods in search of the Arc but found only some Roman coins. Official excavation in the 1950s revealed circles of post holes, indicating the construction of substantial buildings here. A new theory suggests Tara was the ancient capital of the lost kingdom of Atlantis.The mythical land of Atlantis was Ireland, according to a new book. There are a large number of monuments and earthen structures on the Hill of Tara. The earliest settlement at the site was in the Neolithic, and the Mound of the Hostages was constructed in or around 2500BC. There are over thirty monuments which are visible, and probably as many again which have no visible remains on the surface but which have been detected using special non-intrusive archaeological techniques and aerial photography. A huge temple measuring 170 metres and made of over 300 wooden posts, was discovered recently at Tara. Only two monuments at Tara have been excavated - The Mound of the Hostages in the 1950s, and the Rath of the Synods at the turn of the 19th-20th Centuries. Click here to see a comprehensive map of the monuments on Tara. Click here for theTara photo gallery.

Map of Tara

The Stone of Destiny

Sitting on top of the King's Seat (Forradh) of Temair is the most famous of Tara's monuments - Ireland's ancient coronation stone - the Lia Fail or "Stone of Destiny", which was brought here according to mythology by the godlike people, the Tuatha D Danann, as one of their sacred objects. It was said to roar when touched by the rightful king of Tara. WHICH STONE? Formerly located just north of the Mound of the Hostages (see map), it was moved to its current site after the Battle of Tara during the Irish revolution of 1798 to mark the graves of 400 rebels who died here. Some say the true Stone of Destiny was formerly the Pillow of Jacob from the Old Testament. They also claim it was flat and that it was moved from Tara by King Fergus of Scotland and was named the Stone of Scone which then became the coronation stone of British kings at Westminster Cathedral. Many historians accept that the present granite pillar at Tara is the true Stone of Destiny, but a number of people have argued that the Stone of Scone is in fact the real thing. One legend states that it was only one of four stones positioned at the cardinal directions on Tara - and it is interesting to note that the Hall of Tara, the ancient political centre of Ireland, is aligned NorthSouth. The following verse is from the Dindshenchas story about how Tara got its name: Cathair Crofhind ('twas not amiss), was its name under the Tuatha De Danand, till there came Tea, never unjust, the wife of Erimon lofty of mien. Round her house was built a rampart, by Tea daughter of Lugaid; she was buried beyond the wall without, so that from her is Temair named. Download your FREE Tara The Seat of the Kings was its name: the kingly line of the wallpaper (pictured above) which Milesians reigned in it: five names accordingly were given it from contains the verses on left. the time when it was Fordruim till it was Temair. Read the rest here.

The Mound of the Hostages

The "Mound of the Hostages" is a megalithic 'passage tomb' and is the oldest monument on the hill of Tara, dating to about 2,500BC. The name "Mound of the Hostages" derives from the custom of overkings like

those at Tara retaining important personages from subject kingdoms to ensure their submission. One of the legendary kings of Tara was named Niall of the Nine Hostages in recognition of the fact that he held hostages from all the provinces of Ireland and from Britain.

The passage at the Mound of the Hostages is short, and is aligned on the cross-quarter days of November 8 and February 4, the ancient Celtic festivals of Samhain and Imbolc. Just inside the entrance on the left is a large decorated orthostat. This picture shows the short passage at the Mound of the Hostages at Tara. As a solar construct it is not as accurate as other passages, which are notably longer, but according to Brennan (The Stones of Time, 1994) the daily changes in the position of a 13-foot long sunbeam are more than adequate to determine specific dates. The passage would, without any doubt, also capture the light of the Full Moon at certain times in the 19year cycle, specifically the minor standstill rising position.

Ancient Standing Stones

In the churchyard at Tara there are two standing stones, which are believed to be ancient remnants of a time when there were many stone monuments on Tara. The taller of the two stones is thought to feature a figure of the Celtic fertility god Cernunnos, and is similar to many of the 'Sheela na Gig' representations found across Ireland. These stones may date to the Neolithic period, although are more likely to have their origin in the Bronze Age. In the early histories it was noted that on this section of the hill there once stood a monument called "The Cross of Adamnan" commemorating a seventh century saint who called a church synod at Tara to enact laws that gave greater rights to women.

The ancient documents about Tara named many standing stones on this section of the hill Dall, Dorcha, Maol, Bloc and Bluicna. The Standing Stones of Tara also recall the legend that candidates for the High Kingship of Tara had to drive their chariots toward two sacred stones standing closely together. They remained closed for the non-accepted candidate and opened a path only for the rightful king.

The above photo shows the great 'Banqueting Hall' at the Hill of Tara. Click here to see great aerial pictures of the Hill of Tara. Mythical Ireland has also reproduced the ancient tale about how Tara got its name, from the old collection of placename stories in the Dindshenchas - click here to read this tale.

Threat to the Hill of Tara

The Hill of Tara is under threat from the construction of a new motorway, the M3, which is currently being built and will disect the tranquil TaraSkryne valley and pose a threat to many monuments which will doubtlessly be uncovered during its construction. Already a unique hengiform site has been revealed at Lismullen, and this has stopped work on the motorway. Read up-to-date news about the whole M3 saga on out "Sites Under Threat" forum. Read what the experts said about the M3 here. Support for this expert group has come from a number of sources, not least the South African born Oscar-winning actress, Charlize Theron. SOURCES: 'Tara', The Discovery Programme, Government Publications 1995. Ordnance Survey Letters Meath, John O'Donovan, 2001. The Tara Walk, Michael Slavin, 2000. The Book of Tara, Michael Slavin, 1996, Wolfhound Press. Martin Brennan, The Stones of Time, 1994, Inner Traditions. The Legend of Tara, Elizabeth Hickey, 1988. Web pages of interest: Discovery Programme - new information on Tara. New monument discovered under Hill of Tara. Tara information from the Stone Pages. The Metonic Cycle - Dozens and Thirteens

AN EASY QUESTION FOR ASTRONOMERS? Here's a very interesting question which many astronomers would initially imagine is easy to answer: "If you saw the Full Moon above Orion tonight, when could you expect to see another Full Moon in EXACTLY the same position among the stars again??" If that's got you thinking, don't be surprised. The answer will not roll of your tongue, even if you are an astronomer! The first time I was asked that question, I was at a loss. You see, the Moon's movements through the sky are not straightforward, like those of its companion, the Sun. With the Sun, we know it takes 365 and a quarter days to make a full journey through the Zodiac and return to the same position in the sky again. It follows the same imaginary line (Ecliptic) every time it does this journey. It's regular and easy to follow. The picture on right shows a Full Moon above Orion on a sample date, December 18, 2021, at 23:57. When will the Full Moon return to exactly that position between Taurus' horns? TRYING TO WORK IT OUT The Moon makes its full journey through the sky in, roughly speaking, 27 days (the exact decimal figure is 27.322 days). That's called the Siderial Lunar Month, or the Tropical Lunar Month. Simple enough, one would think. So the Moon returns to the same background stars every 27.3 days. There's the answer to the question. But wait - the question is "If you saw the Full Moon above Orion tonight, when could you expect to see another Full Moon in EXACTLY the same position among the stars again??" And herein lies the problem. While the Moon takes 27.3 days (Tropical Month) to return to the same background stars, it does not return to the same phase until two days after. In other words, the time it takes the Moon to return from one Full phase to the next is, roughly speaking, 29 and a half days. (Actual period expressed as a decimal is 29.5306 days). That period is called a Synodic Lunar Month. So, we have a Full Moon above Orion's outstretched hand. We know the Moon will come back to this position in 27.3 days (Tropical Month), but it won't be full until 29.5 days (Synodic Month). So when can we expect to see it Full again, and back in the same position between the tips of Taurus' horns? We will need to count the number of same phases (Synodic Months) and the number of returns Orion's hand (Tropical Months) to find out. THE LUNAR YEAR 12 synodic months, or 12 returns of the Moon to the same phase, forms the period of time known as a lunar year. If you start from the Full Moon closest to the time of Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st), and count how many times the Moon returns to this position and how many times it returns to the same phase, you will find that in the time it has returned to Full Moon 12 times, it will have passed Orion's hand 13 times. This is one lunar year. 12 same shapes, 13 returns to the same stars. This lunar year is exactly 354.372 days long, which is a whole 11 days shorter than a Solar tropical year.

So, could that be the answer? Is 12 returns to the same shape, one Lunar Year, the time it takes the Moon to return to exactly the same background stars? Let's try it out. Using an astronomy program such asSkyMap Pro, go forward 354 days from our sample date, Dec. 18 2021, and we get December 7, 2022. This is the first time since our start date that the Full Moon is visible in the horns of Taurus, so it's pretty close. But it's not bang on. Remember, we're looking for the Full Moon in exactly the same position. If we wait another lunar year, another 12 returns to the same phase, 13 returns to the same shape, we see the Full Moon in this region of the sky again, but its position is under the Pleiades, a bit west from the original position. So we have seen 24 Full Moons and 26 returns to this part of the sky. This is two pure lunar years. To get a more accurate return of the Full Moon to the horns of Taurus, wait another Synodic Month. This takes us to December 26, five days after Winter Solstice, the year 2023. We have seen 25 Full Moons and 27 returns to Orion's hand. In order to keep the lunar periods attached to the solar year (remember we are watching for the Full Moon closest to Winter Solstice), we have added 1 "pure" lunar year containing 12 synodic months, 13 tropical months, with a period we will call the lunar "leap" year - 13 synodic months, 14 tropical months. This is a very valuable 'first lesson' in learning the Metonic cycle - "Dozens and Thirteens". We can express these periods in an easy-to-remember fashion as follows: 12,I 12 synodic months ending 11 days before 1 tropical year II,25 25 synodic months ending 8 days after 2 tropical years In this notation, developed by Charlie Scribner, the 12 comes before the I because the 12 synodic months ends 11 days BEFORE 1 year. In the second period, the 25 follows the II because the 25 sm ends 8 days AFTER 2 years. We use the period counts of same Moon phases and returns to the same stars, called the Synodic month and Tropical month, to warn us when to pay close attention to what the Sun is doing and to better manage time. If we continue our series, we add another "pure lunar year". This time, we will see the Full Moon for the 37th time, and we've seen it pass Orion's hand 40 times. It's now December 14, 2024 and the Full Moon is this time located just above the upper horn of Taurus. This gives us the third Metonic interval: 37,III 37 synodic months ending 3 days before 3 tropical years The numbers of tropical years in our evolving series have an interesting quality. They are equal to the numbers of tropical months (in the latest instance 40) minus the numbers of synodic months (37). So 3ty = 40tm - 37sm.

Remember the formula: TY = TM - SM

The number of tropical years equals the number of tropical months minus the number of synodic months. When the synodic month and tropical month come back into phase with one another, when same shapes return to the same stars, the synodic and tropical months also come back into phase with the sun and his

seasons. The numbers of tropical years are equal to the numbers of tropical months plus the number of synodic months. The three different periods form what we now call an harmonic. Adding another pure lunar year takes us to: 49,IV,53 49 synodic months ending 14 days before 4 tropical years (53 tropical lunar months) If we add a second lunar leap year to the series, we arrive at another Metonic interval: V,62,67 62 synodic months ending 5 days after 5 tropical years (67 tropical lunar months) The first lesson, "Dozens and Thirteens", continues: 74,VI,80 74 synodic months ending 6 days before 6 tropical years (80 tropical lunar months) VIII,87,94 87 synodic months ending 13 days after 7 tropical years (94 tropical lunar months) VIII,99,107 99 synodic months ending 2 days after 8 tropical years (107 tropical lunar months)

The Full Moon back in Orion's hand after Metonic The Full Moon in Orion's hand again, this time at Interval V,62 - five days after 5 tropical years, date: Metonic Interval VIII,99 - 2 days after 8 tropical 23 Dec. 2026. years, date: 20 Dec. 2029.

This latest Metonic interval, VIII,99, brings the Full Moon in Orion's hand to within just two days of the date of the same Moon we saw eight years back. The original observation was made on December 18th (2021), with the current observation on December 20th (2029) and since our very first Full Moon eight years ago we have seen 99 Full Moons, and a whopping 107 returns of the Moon to Orion's hand. That's a lot of moon watching! Here's an interesting fact: This VIII,99 Metonic subunit which brings the same phase of the Moon back to the same part of the sky two days after eight solar years, is actually made up of two of the smaller intervals. You can add them up yourself to see how it works: 37,III,40 V,62,67 VIII,99,107 37 synodic months ending 3 days before 3 tropical years 62 synodic months ending 5 days after 5 tropical years 99 synodic months ending 2 days after 8 tropical years

37,III,40 + V,62,67 = VIII,99,107

Adding 37,III, the 3 days before, to VIII,99, the 2 days after, finds the even stronger tie: 136,XI,147136 synodic months ending about a day before 11 tropical years Add VIII,99 to 136,XI and find the answer to the question!: XIX,235,254 235 synodic months ending at the same time as 19 tropical years or 254 tropical lunar months.

This is the Metonic Cycle, and it brings the Full Moon back to where we first observed it, between the horns of Taurus all those long 19 years ago.

The Full Moon back above Orion at the 11-year Finally, the Full Moon returns to the exact position Metonic interval of 136 synodic months. This interval where we saw it 19 years before. Compare this with brings the same phase to within one day of its the very first image at the top of the page. original date.

It's most incredible. If you see the Moon tonight, watch closely its position and phase, because you won't see it returning to that exact position and phase for another 19 years, or 235 synodic months, 254 tropical lunar months. You might not even be alive the next time it happens. Try it with a computer program like SkyMap. Just pick a date and look at the phase and position of the Moon and add 19 years. Here's how it works out in terms of actual days:

365.24 days (solar tropical year) x 19 = 6939.56 days 29.5306 days (lunar synodic month) x 235 = 6939.691 days 27.322 days (lunar tropical month) x 254= 6939.788 days

But remember, you DO NOT have to know the day counts in order to see the Metonic Cycle in action. It's the whole period counts which give us the intervals. We don't think of 12,I -11 as being 354 days. We think of it as being 12 returns of the Moon to the same shape, in this case, Full Moon , and that this is 11 days before the Winter Solstice sunrise. Try it with another example, this time the Full Moon on Spring Equinox, 2000, March 20, the old pagan Easter, with the Moon under Denebola, the tail of Leo the Lion, in the stars of Virgo.

Full Moon on March 20, 2000, the Spring Equinox, under Denebola in the stars of Virgo.

Full Moon 19 years later, March 20, 2019, in exactly the same location under Leo's tail.

You can try some of the other intervals too, and watch how the Full Moon returns to this part of the sky. But remember, think of whole period counts instead of big numbers of days. Add 12 synodic months, one solar year minus 11 days. If you can look out a window and see a moon among the stars right now, you will see this Moon return to the same shape and passing the same stars in 19 tropical years, 235 synodic months, 254 tropical months. We have seen how this can be uncovered visually, without the need for complex mathematics and astronomical instrumentation, and also how we do not need to know the actual day counts because we can record the cycle with period counts - synodic months, tropical months and tropical years. We don't even need to know about fractions. This "Metonic Cycle" is named after a Greek, called Meton, who lived in the 5th Century BC, and who claimed he discovered the cycle on his own. It seems that simple visual observations are all that's needed to see the cycle . . . and there's plenty of evidence it was known and recorded long before Meton ever existed. If you have SkyMap, you can download the starter maps which I have used for the examples on this page and open them with SkyMap (after you save the file, go to SkyMap, click on 'File' -> 'Open' and locate the file). Here are the files: Full Moon in Orion's hand, 18th Dec. 2021 Full Moon on Spring Equinox, 2000

PAGES OF INTEREST: Calendarstone: See how the Metonic interval V,62,67 was recorded on a 5,000-year-old stone at Knowth. Lunar stone: More lunar calculations at Knowth.

Doagh Holestone
Doagh, Co. Antrim

I can think of no prehistoric monument of whose written history we know nothing the use and purpose of which have been so well preserved by inviolable tradition as the Hole StoneTo this

day, through all the changes of race and peoples that have occurred in County Antrimthe tradition that the Holestone is a betrothal, if not a marriage token remains unbroken, and couples from all the district round still plight their troths by clasping fingers through the ring or hole in this stone.
H. C. Lawlor, The Irish Naturalists Journal, 19301

Click on the image to view the Doagh Holestone in virtual reality.

This 1.39 m (4.5 ft) tall standing stone, with its prominent perforation, is known locally both as the Holestone and the Lovestone. The reason for the first name is evident, while the second name for the stone requires a bit of explanation. While some holed stones in Ireland are known for oath-making and others for use in childbirth,2 the Doagh Lovestone, 1.6 km (1 mi) outside of Doagh on Holestone Road, has acquired a reputation as the place to exchange marriage vows. Although the waisthigh hole in the pillar is but 8 cm (3 in) in diameter, it is sufficient for a womans hand to pass through, where she may grasp the hand of her intended on the opposite side of the stone. It may be that such ceremonies had their origin in an era when clergy were not conveniently available in rural communities, and a betrothal using the Holestone was good enough, according to local custom, to avoid the stigma of an illegitimate birth. A priest or the civil authorities could then later ratify the marriage when one was available.3 The persistence of pagan practices at the Doagh Holestone long after the introduction of Christianity may have been part of the reason why the dioceses of Down and Connor became separated. It seems that in 1137 Bishop Malachy OMorgair insisted on separating the two, not wanting to have anything to do with the people of Connor, who, he felt, still acted like pagans in their customs and way of living. They would not enter into lawful [ecclesiastical] marriages St. Malachy complained that he had been sent not to men but beasts.4

Tessie Agnew and Elizabeth Wilson discuss the betrothal rituals associated with the Doagh Holestone (1998).

It is unclear when the Doagh Holestone began its role as the regional connubial helper. Unlike two other perforated stones in Co. Antrim, this monument, likely from the Bronze Age, has not been Christianized by the addition of an inscribed cross. A travelers journal published in 1809 considers the stone as a land mark of the ancient Irish chieftains, 5 but does not mention any connection with fertility or matrimonial ceremonies. Even as late as 1887 an article in an academic journal states that there is neither record nor tradition respecting the purpose for which it was formed.6 A plaque at the site, however, informs that betrothal ceremonies there can be traced back as far as the 1830s.7

Dublin Penny Journal,1883.

While some accounts of the stone include its use for securing prisoners, 8 W.G. Wood-Martin in 1902 asserted that it was anciently connected with aphrodisiac customs.9Author and poet Anthony Weir suggested in 1990 that the modern custom of lovers passing a white handkerchief through the hole in such stones is actually a toned-down survival of a pagan fertility rite that used the conveniently-situated aperture for the insertion of the male organ.10 The Dublin Penny Journal in 1833 contains the sad story of a man who, around the start of the century, was in pain because an appendage (his hand, thankfully) was stuck in the stone. He was unable to extract it despite all his exertions. A gentleman announced to the crowd that had gathered that if he could get his powder-horn he would free him and blow up the stone in an instant!

At these words, the confusion and alarm of the multitude beggars all description, while the cries of the prisoner, which had hitherto been sunk in the noise, became piercing in the extreme. During the confusion, the gentleman had sent off privately for some vinegar, and on the return of the messenger, with it, he began to pacify the prisoner, and to bathe his hand, which had become swelled in the various attempts made to get it extricated; and he at length succeeded in effecting his liberation, without application to the much dreaded powder horn.11
At any time during the warmer months of the year a visitor to the Doagh Holestone might find the ground blanketed in colorful flower petals, the remnants of a recent visit by newlyweds clasping hands through the hole. Their family and friends attend this

modern rendition of a time-honored local practice, blissfully unmindful of a hand stuck in the stone generations ago or other, more ancient and pagan activities at the site. Elizabeth Wilson (see video, above right), on whose farmland the Lovestone sits, saw her daughter ride to her ceremony at the stone in a horse-drawn carriage. And it was the 28th of May, so it was quite a cold spring. And the winds were out, until quite late that year.12 Click here to see all the notes from this page.

Doagh Holestone, Co. Antrim Nearest Town: Doagh Townland: Holestone Latitude: 54 44 56.04 N Longitude: 6 4 18.91 W

The Gate of the Cow; Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone

Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry

Glas Gaibhnenn had milk for all; and when any one came to milk her she would stop, and there never was a vessel that she did not fill. One woman heard this; and once when Glas Gaibhnenn was near a river, the woman brought a sieve and began to milk. She milked a long time. At last the cow saw the river white with milk; then she raised her leg, gave the woman a kick on the forehead, and killed her. Caol na Crua was doing well, minding the cow all the time, till one evening Glas Gaibhnenn walked between the two pillars where she used to scratch herself; when she was full, her sides would touch both pillars.
Jeremiah Curtin, Hero-Tales of Ireland, 18941

Click on the image to view the Gate of the Cow in virtual reality.

The magical cow Glas Gainach appears in legends throughout the country.2 In contemporary Irish the cows name is usually given as Glas Gaibhnenn, the Green Cow of the Smith. The creature was connected in legend to Goibhniu, the blacksmith of the Tuatha D Danann. Here in Irelands most western reaches are two stone monuments vividly bringing into the landscape this enchanted cow whose milk was ever flowing. Both of these monuments may be explored here in virtual reality (left). Noted Dingle author and folklorist Doncha Conchir recounts these legends in the video, below right. The Gate of the Cow (Geata an Ghlas Ghaibhnigh) is formed by a pair of prehistoric standing stones on a hillside above the village of Baile an Fheirtaraigh (Ballyferriter), not far from the infamous massacre site at Smerwick. These are the two pillars noted in the story excerpted above. They are now incorporated into a modern field wall. Between these stones this magical bovine of benevolence would stand, her grand width completely filling the 4.15 m (13.6 ft) space between them. 3 About 5 km (3 mi) to the northeast sits the ruined twelfth-century Kilmalkedar Church. In an adjacent field is a large bullaun stone, its seven man-made depressions serving as bowls on the surface of the bedrock outcropping. Called the Keelers Stone it was here that the Glas Gaibhnenn was said to position herself, standing above the stone and freely decanting her bounty of milk into the bullauns. See the bullaun in virtual reality, below right, with a hotspot linking to the churchyard. Bullaun stones are discussed in detail below.

There was no need to milk her, as you only had to place the vessel under her and she milked herself into it. When no one came to her for milk, she milked herself into the basins of the Keelers Stone.4

Author Doncha Conchir recounts the tale of the magical cow (2001).

There are some 95 standing stones known throughout the Dingle Peninsula, most believed to date from the Early to the Late Bronze Age (c. 2500-700 BCE). Only a few of them were set up in rows, making a stone alignment as seen in the Gate of the

Cow, and also in the nearby Gates of Glory (below, left).5 Many observers have noted that such stone alignments are oriented to celestial events, such as the summer solstice alignment at Cloonsharragh. The Gate of the Cow and the Gates of Glory are not the only stone alignments that have acquired a reputation in folklore. A prominent example in Co. Meath would be the twin stones at Tara, Blocc and Bluigne, which are reputed to bar entry between them to any unworthy person.6 Also in Meath, the Speaking Stones at Farnaglough were said to have settled disputes. However, as folklorist Kevin Danaher noted, it would be unwise always to assume an Irish standing stone, or gallan, is as old as its hoary mantle of lichen might indicate:

There are many standing stones to be found, singly or in groups, over the whole of Ireland. Of course not all of them are burial monuments, and not all of them are ancient. Witness the remark of the Kerry farmer to a group of antiquarians. Here is the gallan now for ye. Professor Hackenbush ascribes it to the Bronze Age, but me own theory, supported by that of me Uncle Jerry, that quarried it and put it up, is that it is a scratching post for the cattle.7
Translators assembled the story of the magical cow Glas Gaibhnenn from a number of brief accounts in the original medieval material, which may have been based upon earlier oral traditions. One of those who popularized the story was Lady Gregory, with Gods and Fighting Men (1905). In her chapter The Coming of Lugh, three brothers, Goibniu the smith, Samthainn, and Cian are in possession of Glas Gaibhnenn. But when Cian went to Goibnius forge to have a new sword made, he left Samthain in charge of the magical cow. Then the evil Balor, with his single transfixing eye, distracted Samthain and stole away with the cow to his own island across the water.

Illustration from Elin Gow, The Swordsmith from Erin, and The Cow Glas Gainach. See note #1.

When Cian saw his brother coming in he rushed out, and there he saw Balor and the Glas out in the sea. And he had nothing do to then but to reproach his brother, and to wander about as if his wits had left him, not knowing what way to get his cow back from Balor. At last he went to a Druid to ask an advice from him; and it is what the Druid told him, that so long as Balor lived, the cow would never be brought back, for no one would go within reach of his Evil Eye.8
The story continues with Cians efforts to recover Glas Gaibhnenn. However this quest soon becomes but a subplot in a long odyssey in which Cian impregnates Balors daughter and the god Lugh is born to them. 9 Lady Gregory told the story in her Kiltartanese style, an attempt to write English with an Irish syntax. 10 The earlier version by Jeremiah Curtin (top) was written in a more colloquial style, as a fairy tale. Doncha Conchir, in the interview (above right) extracts from the Glas Gaibhnenn stories only those elements that are bound to the local landscape. We visited with Doncha Conchir during our initial fieldwork in western Dingle in the summers of 1979-80. His voice is also featured on our entry about the off-the-beaten-track ancient site near Dn Chaoin (Dunquin) called Tigh Mhire. Our last visit to the folklorist, when we recorded the video interview on this page, was in 2001, just three years before his death. He was proud of these local monuments that allow such a tangible connection to the traditional legends. He was especially eager for us to visit the roughly 2.5 m- (8.2 ft-) square Keelers Stone, where the connection in folklore to the Glas Gaibhnenns milk is reflected in the belief of some archaeologists that these bullauns may have been used for separating milk and cream. Very close to the Keelers

Stone another bullaun, with but one large bowl, was found during road construction in 1984. It is now set in an upright position next to a wall on the west side of the roadway.11

Click on the image to view the Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone in virtual reality. A hotspot will link to the nearby church ruins.

Bullaun stones are to be found throughout Ireland, usually in close proximity to ecclesiastical sites, such as at Ballyvourney in Co. Cork. Peter Harbison suggests that they may have had some function related to pilgrimages, perhaps used for dispensing holy water. The Kilmakedar bullauns are located near the route of the Saints Road pilgrimage leading up to the ascent of Mount Brandon.12 Many of these stones even today are believed to hold water with medicinal powers; some are even called wart wells for the curative powers of the rain or dew found in the basin. Perhaps this belief is a consequence of the bullauns dimly remembered association with religious pilgrimage?

The depressions were explained as saints pillows (in the case of single depressions) or the marks of a saints knees while praying (double depressions). But it would have needed a lot of saints to explain the bullauns with up to nine depressions.13
Other bullauns, with small round stones placed in their bowls, were used as cursing stones. The small stones would be rotated counter-clockwise while the intended target of the curse was named. This was considered a procedure fraught with danger because, if the curse were deemed unjust, it could rebound on the operator of the stones. Such practices continue today, as we found when we visited the cursing stone bullaun at the ruins of St. Brigids Church in Co. Cavan.

Click to view the Gate of the Cow in full resolution. See example.

Click to view the Keelers Stone in full resolution.

T.J. Westropp described a most curious ritual involving a bullaun stone in 1903. A stone at Ardmore, Co. Waterford, with a hole at the bottom of its bullaun, was used in a ceremony on Ash Wednesday. A pole was set into the hole, and covered in a coarse fabric. The young men of the village would then dance around it, afterwards inducing unmarried girls into the frenzy, and then parading them through the streets perched on logs. Owing to the scandalous meaning attached to these rites, they were put down, and the stone removed and buried.14 Irelands Sites and Monuments Record in 2008 listed 837 bullaun stones in the country. Archaeologists agree that they most likely date from the early medieval period (c. 500-1200); however there is no such agreement as to their purpose. Many observers point out their similarity to stone basins used today in some indigenous cultures for the grinding of foodstuffs, especially corn. If they were really analogous to the grinding mortars used by Native American cultures, they might have been used similarly as gossip stones, where women (the primary food processors) could converse while working together on their domestic chores.15 This might explain why some Irish bullauns have so many bowls carved in a single large stone: to accommodate the conversation. Other archaeologists point to different potential uses for the multi-bullaun stone. Citing evidence found at Gallen Priory, near Ferbane in Co. Offaly, where an ironworking area featured a large stone slab with a 50-cm (20-in) basin scooped out of it, Brian Dolan proposed that some bullauns would have served for the crushing and sorting of ore in metallurgy. 16 Most Irish bullauns are found in association with early medieval church sites, and the Keelers Stone is no exception. In the next field to the east is Kilmalkedar Church (Cill Maolchadair) one of the most important ecclesiastical sites on the Dingle Peninsula, its 4-hectare (10-acre) site serving as the assembly area for pilgrims readying themselves for the ascent up Mt. Brandon. According to some authors, there is evidence on the site that the church was built on a site sacred before the coming of Christianity.17 The church may be visited in virtual reality by clicking on the hotspot available in the VR of the Keelers Stone. Dedicated to the seventh-century St. Maolceadair, the present church building dates from the twelfth century. The Romanesque architecture is enhanced in places with human and animal visages staring down at the visitor in stone carvings.18

Click to view a high-resolution composite image of the Kilmalkedar Ogham Stone.

These animal heads provided at least one nineteenth-century author, one of the antiquarian writers reluctant to credit the ancient Irish as the builders of the countrys national monuments, with a way to describe the Kilmalkedar Church as a pre-Christian Cuthite structure:

The building is called Teampull Melchedor, whichmay be translated [as] The Temple of the Golden Molach. On the inside of the soffit stone of the doorway is sculptured in relief the head of an Oxthe Golden Molach himself. The presence of this emblem of divinity is explained by the learned Bryant, who tells us that it was usual with the Amonians [Cuthites] to describe upon the architrave [lintel] of their temples some emblem of the deity who there presided. The Oxs head on the architrave of the Temple of the Golden Molach is eight inches broad, and projects five inches above the surface of the stone19
Another informant named OConnor ( Conchir) related a story of the Kilmalkedar Church with a more authentic sense to it. In June of 1979 Bosco OConnor told us that in local lore the church was said to have been constructed overnight:

The whole church was built in one night by the fairies, or people like that. And they couldnt finish it because they were supposed to have the building built before sunrise. And they were doing very well til this fellow fell off. And that is why the church to this day remains without a roof. And then there is a window in the side of that church, and its called chls snota, the eye of a needle. And if you lived to go through this window then you are saved. If not, too bad, youre going to the other place; you are damned.20

The Gates of Glory, in nearby Milltown, is another two-stone alignment. See note #5.

The churchyard features a very old sundial and an even more ancient standing stone, one with ogham writing and a perforation near its top. This stone is visible in the VR environment of the church (linked from the Keelers Stone, top left), 180 from the church doorway. According to some observers, this may be a Bronze Age standing stone, with its ogham inscription added in the Early Christian era. The stone may also be viewed in a highly detailed close up by clicking on the image, above right. View in full-screen mode, and scroll the image up and down to see all the ogham writing. The inscription has been read as ANM M(AI)LE INBIR BROCANN, which may mean the name of Mael Inbir, son of Brocan.21 Theres a second inscription, also visible in our close up view, which may read M(A)QI. Other holed stones may be noted inside the Kilmalkedar Church. Within Voices from the Dawn, additional holed standing stones worth exploring include one that has a role in Co. Donegals Gleann Cholm Cille Turas. The Aghade Holed Stone in Co. Carlow figures in the mythological origins of the U Nill tribe, and the Doagh Holestone of Co. Antrim continues to have a role in local marriage customs. The hole in the Kilmakedar ogham stone seems to be a unique feature among the Irish ogham stones. The stone has its own place in the folklore of the site; visitors to the stone today, continuing an age-old tradition, will put a finger into the hole for good luck. In the past those suffering from rheumatism, falling sickness [epilepsy], or other ills might, by passing three times around it, with faith and prayers, be restored to health.22 Until recently these folk beliefs, and many others relating to the ancient monuments here at the western end of the Dingle Peninsula, might still be heard in the neighborhood. Now, if someone is willing to relate any of the old stories, it is likely his source was a book rather than a seancha regaling his neighbors in front of a crackling fire. However as Doncha Conchir indicated in the video recorded in 2001 (above right), there may not be any further interest in these tales for a modern audience.

Whether any of the next generations continue on the traditions is doubtful. The things that delighted the former generations would have no effect on the present day generation. And Im sure much less on future generations.23
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The Gate of the Cow; the Kilmalkedar Keelers Stone, Co. Kerry Nearest Town: Dingle Townlands: Ballineanig and Kilmalkedar Latitude: 52 10 25.65 N Longitude: 8 20 1.86 W