Centenary Gardens House 1

Centenary Gardens House 1. St. Patrick Meets the Mystery, Legends and Religion of Ireland. , In this house the story of St. Patrick meeting the legends and spiritual traditions of the Celtic People in Ireland is presented. St. Patrick became familiar with them during his time of captivity., The Celtic Religion of Ireland Before St. Patrick The Celts believed that gods and spirits were everywhere. They had sun worship, tree worship and wind worship. This is a hymn to nature by the Celtic poet Amergrin who lived 500 years before Christ., 'I am the wind that breathes upon [?] I am the wave of the ocean I am the murmur of the billows I am the ox of the seven combats I am the vulture upon the rock I am a salmon in the water I am a lake in the plain I am the God who creates the head of fire. Who announces the ages of the moon --- if not I Who teaches the place where couches the sun --- if not I' (Translation Douglas Hyde), St Patrick "I cannot remain silent concerning such great benefits which the Lord has been pleased to bestow upon me in the land of my captivity" (Confession of St Patrick), "More and more did the love of God and my reverence and faith increase so that in a single day I would say up to a hundred prayers and at night a like number" (Confession of St Parick), St Patrick's Breastplate [Not transcribed], The Lughnasa Festival During his time of captivity in Ireland, St. Patrick learned the language and the religious customs of the people. They celebrated four great festivals each year, Imbolc (Spring), Bealtaine (Summer), Lughnasa (Harvest) and Samhain (Winter). The most joyful was Lughnasa because it celebrated the new harvest. The people assembled on mountains and hills, at river banks and lakes for feasting, games and sport. Máire Mac Neill in her book "The Festival of Lughnasa", shows how many of these assemblies survived into our own century as gatherings of people on the last Sunday of July or the first Sunday of August. Some became Christian celebrations such as Croagh Patrick, Lough Derg and many holy wells, and some remained as gatherings for games, sport and celebrations. Bishop Joseph Duffy writes "The Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage shows how the memory of St Patrick worked itself into the older pagan mythology and folklore of the Irish people." (Patrick in his own Words p58) This map of Ireland marks the places where the Lughnasa Assemblies survived into our own century., The Legend of Oisín and Niamh in Tír no n-Óg [Not transcribed], The Legends of Ireland [Not transcribed].