Druids by Ross Anne

Author:Ross, Anne [Ross, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9780750952484
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2004-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

The Book of Invasions

The Book of Invasions is an ancient chronicle purporting to give the origins of the Irish people, and known as Lebor Gabála Érenn (‘the Book of the Conquest of Ireland). Large fragments of this are found in the Book of Leinster, the Book of Lecan and the Book of Ballymote. About 1630 a version of it was compiled at the monastery of Lisgoole in Co. Fermanagh by the Franciscan scholar, Brother Michael O’Clery and his helpers. They drew on ancient books, now lost, most of which were written in the twelfth century AD and containing much archaic material and traditions. The Book of Invasions is in both verse and prose; the verses clearly had a mnemonic function, i.e. they were a summary, in verse, of the facts contained in the prose passages. This chronicle was widely known from the Middle Ages on. It was relied upon by the annalists to provide the beginnings of Irish history. Lebor Gabála confidently summarises the history of the world from the time of Adam and Eve and follows this with a list of the various ‘races’ which conquered and settled in Ireland.

Some 300 years after the deluge, a certain Parthalón and his people came to Ireland from Greece. Three centuries later, Nemid came with his sons from Scythia. Soon after, they were troubled by the Fomorians, a race of pirates. There was a huge battle and both sides were almost destroyed. However, three of the Nemidian leaders escaped. One went to northern Europe, one to Greece, and the third, Britan Mael, went to the island of Anglesey. The descendants of the first two, Beothach and Simeon Breac, eventually returned to Ireland. Simeon’s descendants were the Firbolgs and Beothach’s the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé established themselves as masters of most of the country at the great battle of Moytura, near Cong, in Co. Mayo. The last colonisation was by the sons of Miledh, who were said to have come from Spain c.1,530 BC. They conquered the dominant Tuatha Dé. All the royal clans of later Ireland were believed to have descended from the three sons of Miledh, Heremon, Heber and Ir.

How much of this is true, how much is fanciful, is difficult to determine. It is not improbable that the Milesians were in fact the Celts and that Spain designated any lands beyond the sea. If this is true then the ancient records would find support in archaeology.

The most interesting thing is that all these records of ancient times refer to men called Druids. Parthalón is said to have brought three Druids with him – the roots of their names mean Intelligence, Knowledge, Inquiry. The Nemedians had Druids who challenged the magic of the Fomorians by their own spells. The Druids of the Tuatha Dé Danann threw a cloud of darkness over the Druids of the Fir Bolg to enable their own people to settle in Ireland. While the Milesians were travelling to Ireland from Spain, their chief Druid, Caicher, told the people where they were going.

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