Ruins of Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland.
Dunluce Castle is a now-ruined medieval site in Northern Ireland, the seat of Clan McDonnell. This is also a place where an early Irish fort once stood.
The first historical recording of the people called the Celts was in Ancient Greece around 700 BC.
Moving from East and Central Europe, the Celts first arrived in Ireland about 500 BC.
The story of their arrival is intermingled with that of the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan, a mythical tribe of the Goddess Danu.
With the arrival of Christianity in the fifth century AD, written records then observe that the Celtic language was being spoken all over the island of Ireland.
However, the Celtic Ogham script was used in Ireland from the fourth century AD to the eighth century AD.
The script consisted of strokes or notches cut along the edge of a standing stone. 
Therefore, Ogham is seen as being the first written records of life in Ancient Ireland.
The written word was not, however, much required in Celtic life, as the hierarchy placed the storyteller high in importance within the tribe.
Within this is also placed the Druid, whose powers of recall, knowledge and tribal history, as well as poetry and lore, was central to the wellbeing and social standing of the tribe or clan.
In this, the Celts loved storytelling. Before they learned to write, the Celts passed on their stories from one generation to another. Here is my grandfather, Hugh O’Neill of Tyrone, who was both a wonderfully gifted storyteller and musician. My elder brothers, Phelim and Sean are with him by the fireside in Omagh, County Tyrone.
The Celts built large earthen banks or stone walls around their farms to protect themselves and their animals.
These walls were called raths or duns.
Many place names in Ireland include the word rath or dun.
Examples such as Rathcormac and Dunloe come to mind…try looking at a map of Ireland and see how many you can pick out!
Many of the fortified homes were enlarged to become know as Hillforts, offering more protection and domination of the landscape. Oftentimes these sites were used later to build castles and larger settlements.
Ireland is covered with the memories of our ancient tribes and people.<
Welcome to the Cottage Podcast!
This is Saturday morning at Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland. 
After some adjustments, I’ve managed to sort the Podcast in terms of volume. 
Here it is, complete with the photos I promised to take this morning. 
Each morning I arise and embark on a series of rituals, that culminate with a hot cup of tea in one hand, my camera in the other and faithful Jack by my side. 
It is then that I step out… 
This has been my ritual, though not always with Jack, for the past twelve years. 
And so it continues… 
What has manifested here on this little piece of sacred Earth still takes my breath away! 
I touch base with it as many times a day as I can! 
I take thousands of photographs every year, for the sheer beauty of what Mother Earth can do on three acres of “poor land,” is beyond incredible! 
And this has manifested in one of the last remaining countries on Earth that continues to refer to itself as “Mother.”
“Mother Ireland”
The Great Mother, Mother Earth, Goddess, Creatrix! 
The Celts were one of the last remaining tribes of the Goddess…in that they recognised the spirit of the Earth as female. 
There lies a message in that…
I believe it to be simply this…”I am alive and filled with joy and waiting…” 
And earlier today…
This portal to the Otherworld: a place of being for the Celts, where life existed, but not as we know it!
The portal is the Old Fairy House, which was once the gateway to Kilronan castle. 
This ethereal looking gatehouse was created many years ago, when only horses and carriages travelled the roads of the west of Ireland. 
It was built in the vernacular tradition, using water worn limestone hewn from the surrounding earth. 
Many years have passed since a horse or carriage passed by… 
The entrance is no longer a part of the old estate. 
Here it stands, watching the centuries pass by, unimpressed by progress…and perhaps, if stones could talk… 
I have a notion to bring my video camera with me next time…would you like a video of this enchanting place?
Equinox is all about balance…the balance of equal day and night, of dark and light. 
I await the first light of morning with great anticipation, aware that the light grows more and more precious, to be cherished. 
We are creatures of the light!
We are poised at the turning time and the descent towards Samhain. 
The Celts only recognised two parts of the year in terms of life, and that was Summer and Winter, for Samhain, despite falling on the 31st of October, meant “Summer’s End.”
The sun is casting long shadows…we grow evermore closer to the turning. 
In the night sky, Fomalhaut – the Autumn Star – is making its way across the heavens each night. 
The equinoxes and solstices formed an important part of ancient rituals here in Ireland. 
This Autumn Equinox is also referred to as Mabon.
Mabon is a good time to look at the ancient Greek legend of Persephone and Demeter.
“The breezes taste
Departing summer hath assumed
Stone monuments were built here in Ireland and aligned to witness the light on these days.
One can still view the illumination of these chambers in ancient cairns, at sunrise, on important celestial days. 
It just remains for me to wish you all a Happy Equinox on this beautiful evening at Bealtaine Cottage.
An ancient land, old superstitions and human burial are all part of this intriguing story of love and rejection. 
Join me as I recount the story of The Fairy Tree and what lies beneath…