The festival of Lughnasa honours the Celtic god Lugh of the Tuatha de Danann.

Lugh was the  god of arts and crafts among Celtic tribes and Lughnasa sat high in the Calendar of festivals.

Lughnasa ushered in the harvest season.

Lughnasa was a celebration of, and for, the Divine, for a successful harvest.

This ancient festival marks the first day of autumn in the Celtic Calendar, and thus the start of the harvest season.

In Britain Lughnasa is known as Lammas, from the Anglo-Saxon hlaef-mass meaning ‘loaf-mass’.

Here in Ireland the nearest Sunday to Lughnasa was known as Cally Sunday, the traditional day to lift the first new potatoes.

The man of the house would dig the first stalk, while the woman of the house would don a new white apron and cook them.

The floor would be spread  with fresh, green rushes in their honour.

Lughnasa was celebrated on the hills and mountains as well as the valleys.

Climbing a hill or mountain and celebrating with lighting a bonfire was, and remains, a tradition.

In addition to climbing hills, Lughnasa was also a time for visiting holy wells.

Lughnasa falls on August the 1st and the evening before is usually when the celebrations begin…

I am hosting an “Open Weekend,” for anyone who wishes to visit the Permaculture gardens of Bealtaine Cottage.

This will be over the weekend of the 7th and 8th of September and in aid of The Leitrim Animal Welfare Shelter, so there will be charge of ten euros per adult…and will include tea and home made cakes!

This wonderful animal sanctuary is where I have adopted two dogs from, including Jack!

If you would like to visit Bealtaine Cottage on this special open weekend, please let me know in advance, so I can make arrangements for cakes, teas and coffees to be available!

This is a link to a short film made by RTE TV all about this wonderful animal sanctuary!

Hopefully we can raise much needed funds for this cause so close to my heart!

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Thanks to the following lovely people who have donated to the Leitrim Animal Sanctuary…

Carole (wspines) from Whispering Pines Farm

Vivien Cruickshank