Seanchas: Tradition & Lore
Dá mbáidte an dán, a dhaoine
Gan seanchas, gan seanlaoidhe
Go brath, acht athair gach fhíor
Rachaidh cách gan a chluinsin.
Should poetic art be drowned, O people,
Without traditions, without the ancient lays
Until judgment, save the fathers of each,
All shall die without ever being heard
— Tadhg Dall Ó hÚiginn
“Two paths diverged in a wood …” or maybe two gates open in an enchanted grove. Another way to look at it is that a forge and a cauldron are two pages on the same leaf: two approaches, one place.
In the eighth century, an account appeared of three cauldrons in which poetic ability was brewed. Some connect these to talent, others to the chakras, but whatever the case, here is the text with its translation … make of it what you will.
Myths, stories and songs relating to the history of the Celts, old and new. This is an informal gathering every Wednesday at the Waterfront Country Café on Salt Spring Island to talk about our Celtic Heritage.
Myths, stories and songs relating to the history of the Celts, old and new. This is an informal gathering every Wednesday at the Waterfront Country Café on Salt Spring Island to talk about our Celtic Heritage.