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Courtesy of: https://excavations.ie/report/2001/Clare/0006032/

Twenty-one trial-trenches were excavated by mechanical digger in the vicinity of Quin Friary and St Fineen’s Church, over a two-phase programme of testing in advance of the provision of visitor centre facilities for the friary. These facilities will include the construction of a visitor centre, the making of a path and the construction of a bridge over the river Rine.

In the area of the visitor centre, two trenches were excavated to natural undisturbed levels. Nothing of archaeological significance was recovered.

In the area of the proposed bridge, west of the River Rine, five trenches were excavated to natural, and nothing of archaeological significance was discovered. A further trench was located just west of Quin Friary, and east of the River Rine. Beneath the sod of this trench a layer of hard core was revealed at the western end of the trench, slightly overlying the topsoil. This was associated with recent ESB activity. Excavation was cut short at the eastern end of the trench when it appeared that a fill consisting of rough, uncut stones was being revealed beneath the topsoil. Although these stones were not faced and had no retaining feature, it may be that they were associated with a building adjacent to the friary. The only extant remains of this building consist of an eastern gable, immediately adjacent to the trench.

Excavations in the area of the proposed path revealed a number of skeletal remains. Two metres north of St Fineen’s Church, in a layer of grey-brown clay, a large quantity of disarticulated human and animal bone was found. The bone was often fractured and broken. At a depth of 0.46m below ground level a skull and an articulated portion of a human skeleton, comprising a femur and a lower bone, were uncovered. Fragments of other possibly articulated remains (a pelvis and one long bone) were also revealed. East of this, in similar grey-brown clay, another articulated skeleton was revealed. The skeleton was of a small child, and was orientated east–west, with the head facing east. Occasional animal bone finds came from trenches 10m north of St Fineen’s Church. Approximately 10m east of St Fineen’s Church the remains of at least three human skeletons, lying in situ in an east–west orientation, were discovered. Two were represented only by the lower sections, while the upper part of another skeleton lay directly over one of the lower remains. This discovery of three skeletons confirmed the high archaeological potential of the area. As a consequence an alternative area to the north-west was chosen for the proposed path.

In the area of the second proposed path, seven trenches were excavated to natural and nothing of archaeological significance was discovered. In an eighth trench some animal bones were discovered in the topsoil, mixed with a very small amount of human bone. The bones extended across the trench in a narrow band in an approximately north-east by south-west direction. A cut was made across the trench to catch the extent of the deposition of the bones and to determine whether or not they were articulated. It was determined that the bones consisted of a possible animal burial with a very small amount of disarticulated human bone.

Monitoring of all ground disturbance related to the development was recommended.

 

 

 

Seán na Gealaí

Halloween is the direct descendent of Samhain. It was the night when the gap between this world and the spirit world narrowed.  Known as Oiche Shamhna or ‘spirit night’, the souls of the dead were expected to return to the family home. The Church introduced the Feast of All Saints (Nov1) and the Feast of All Souls (Nov 2nd) to counter Samhain. Evil spirits were also thought to be abroad and people avoided travelling alone on this night.

   “Deireann na daoine go mbíonn sidheogaí amuigh oidhche Shamhna”, Schools’ Collection (NFCS 249).

Origins of Samhain

Contender 1- Tulsk, County Roscommon

Oweynagat Cave, Uaimh na gCat, meaning the ‘Cave of the Cats’ in Rath Croaghan. The Book of Leinster names it as dorus iffrin na Hérend – Ireland’s Gateway to Hell. Demons and all kinds of creatures emerge from here on Oiche Shamhna.

 Echtra Nerai (the Adventures of Nera) is first mentioned in the 10th century Cath Maige Mucrama story,  happening at Samhain.

Oweynagat Cave is also said to be the home of the Morrigan. She is portrayed as a goddess of battle and war, with the power to transform into crows or ravens. Her dreaded cry was frequently heard over battlefields.

Echtra Nerai, the Adventures of Nera

An Irish text taken from the Ulster Cycle, dating to the tenth century entitled ‘Nera and the Dead Man’, tells of the warrior Nera who accepts a dare during a dark and stormy Samhain night to tie a withy around the ankle of a hanging dead man. As he does so, the corpse suddenly comes to life and asks Nera to carry him on his back. Nera complies. After some adventures Nera gets the dead man back to his tree. All of this takes place at Samhain at Rath Croaghan/Cruachan, hence its association with Halloween.

Contender 2 – Tlachtga, Meath

The original Tlachtga was a druidess of considerable power and importance, the daughter of Mug Ruith who lived on Valentia Island in Kerry. He is said to have lived through the reign of nineteen kings, with his lifespan stretching back to the time of Christ on earth. Tlachtga and her father could travel the world on the Rath, a fabulous spinning wheel of fire that easily transported them. Mug Ruith sought out knowledge and learning like few before him and it was in this manner that he and Tlachtga travelled to study under Simon Magus (Simon the Sorcerer), who is mentioned in the Bible.

Simon Magus and Mug Ruith sent Tlachtga out into the world to gather as much knowledge as she could find. Upon her return they realized that her knowledge far surpassed their own!
They were outraged and such was their jealousy that they set the three sons of Simon Magus upon Tlachtga, who defiled her. She returned to Ireland where she gave birth to three sons, Dorb (Doirb), Cuma (Cumma) and Muach.

It was on the hill of Ward in county Meath that Tlachtga brought her three sons into the world, and it was there that she died, unable to sustain her life in the face of the utter grief and despair she felt at the indignity she had endured.

In recent years a renewal of the annual gathering on the hill of Ward now attracts hundreds of people at Halloween. A walk from Athboy up towards the Hill itself culminates with a celebration, with elaborate ceremonies and an acknowledgement of the cultural gift to Ireland and the world that Tlachtga represents.

In the ancient kingdom of Mide, Tlachtga was considered an important assembly place alongside Tara, Teiltun and Uisneach. These four ‘corners’ are recorded as having been the location of fortresses constructed by high king Tuathal Techmar at the foundation of Mide in the early decades of the first millennium AD.

‘Much of the (archaeological) evidence points towards a long history of ritual activity. Large quantities of animal bones – a sign of large scale feasting have been found throughout all phases of the site. The lack of evidence of any residential or day to day activity strengthens the idea that it most likely it was set aside purely for ritual or celebratory activity.

There have been finds in all three phases of the site, including scattered Bronze Age human remains and the skeleton of an infant between seven and ten months old… The child burial, next to a ritual deposit of cow bones, dates to AD 450 – around the time of the arrival of Christianity.

“The child was clearly buried with care and having not found any evidence of burials on the site, we’d have to guess that This child belonged to someone significant”.

Harvest knots and Guises

 

 

Homemade masks made by village boys calling to local houses on Oiche Shamhna

Outdoors

Unlike May when the fairies are active, November Eve brings malevolent spirits. It is the night for community bonfires, especially in housing estates in the cities and towns. Collecting the last handful of fruit and nuts.

Indoors

Families would attempt to have a celebratory supper on Oiche Shamhna. Family supper might be colcannon or pandy. They would first secure the house by sprinkling Holy Water and possibly placing a religious object in the thatch near the front door.

Typical Samhain Food included pancakes, stampy (a potato and apple cake, crusted with barley, enhanced with sea spinach and rock samphire & cooked with oil) apple cakes, nuts, blackberry pies.

An bairín breac/the barmbrack or the ‘speckled loaf’, containing oodles of dried autumn fruits is still a favourite treat, with lashings of butter.

Tokens inside the traditional loaf included the ring as a symbol of love and marriage,  a thimble (spinsterhood); a button (bachelorhood); a stick (to be beaten by the spouse); a rag (poverty); a coin (wealth) and a crucifix (the taking of religious orders).

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