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In Irish lore,
the Cailleach (pronounced "kyle-yeukh")
descends from the mountains at Samhain
to rule the land until Beltaine. She
is the most ancient of all Celtic
legends. Cailleach means "Old
Wife" and she has been described
by various different names - Bronach,
Mal, Mish,
Cailleach Bheara.
The
legends tell of Brigit who was the
mother of the gods themselves, the
Tuatha de Danann. Brigit and the Cailleach
were opposing forces - Brigit reigned
over the light part of the year, while
the Cailleach reigned the 3 months
of winter.
Brigit was
the goddess of new beginnings and
birth, being represented by the lamb
and the sheering of sheep in the spring.
There was a game called Sibyl that
placed Cailleach against Brigit, the
Dragon against the Lamb. At Samhain,
Cailleach Bheara would triumph over
Brigit, but at Oimlec the reverse
would be true.
One story tells
about Cailleach Bheara who was originally
a Spanish princess named Bheara. It
was foretold that she would go to
the River Eibhear on a certain night
and discover a salmon dressed in colorful
garments. On that night, she would
meet her future husband. Eventually,
that night came to pass, and she eloped
with Eoghan Mo'r of Magh Nuadat. They
set sail for Ireland. When they arrived,
they landed on the North side of Bantry
Bay. Eoghan named the peninsula after
his wife, Bheara.
The Dingle
Peninsula is considered to be Cailleach
Country. Almost every aspect of this
area is named after the Cailleach
Bheara. There are more than 2,000
archaeological sites in this area,
many of which pose religious significance.
Mish - one of the numerous variations
of the Cailleach -rules the mountain
range of this area.
In the area
of the Cliffs
of Moher, she is called Bronach,
which means "Sorrow." At
Hag's Head,
she is called Mal.
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