1. Section of the poster for this summer’s Evil Eye Festival.

     

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  4. A warrior has come before the court,’ he said, ‘named Samildánach; and all the arts which help your people, he practices them all, so that he is the man of each and every art.’ Description of Lug in Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired.

    I’m reading this great book at the moment called Lug’s Forgotten Donegal Kingdom by Brian Lacey. I haven’t finished it yet, but went to the book launch and didn’t have the money after for the book being the pauper I am. But really enjoyed the whole idea of what he researched. He has been involved in nearly every archaeology dig in the area since the eighties, so really knows what he is talking about. 

    So just yesterday a friend gave me a loan of the book (remember sharing is caring!). So here through archaeology, history, place-names, mythology, and folklore he traces the people from a remote tiny kingdom that had an ongoing association with the pagan god Lug - Lugh Lamhfhada. So far it is just so damn impressive, but I can’t say much more as I haven’t finished it yet. 

     €26.95 from www.fourcourtspress.ie

     


  5. Woad - An Authentic Resource?

    Herodian, in the First Century CE (Common Era), said of the tribes - “they puncture their bodies with pictured forms of every sort of animals. And this is the reason why they wear no clothes, to avoid covering the drawings on their bodies.” I am inclined though, to at least challenge the ‘fact’ that they used woad to dye themselves blue.

    An interesting piece by Lora O’Brien who suggests that woad is not very well suited as a skin dye nor as tattoo ink.

    http://obrienink.blogspot.ie/2011/01/woad-authentic-resource.html