Beyond Samhair

In ancient Ireland supernatural elements had control over the people and their lifestyle .Each Clan had a King and each King had to conquer the evil forces that crept among the marshlands and fields .

During this period the lighting of fires was begun all over the land .
It was thought that fire warded off supernatural forces .

Between summer and winter strange things often occurred .
Mists and shadows . Whispers in the wind and other noises that sent shivers through the blood .

All the clan Kings of Ireland were called to the challenge and some were not equal to the task . The supernatural forces of that time were powerful and enjoyed a dominant place on those who lived on the land .

But just for now , I’d like to tell you the story of a battle between Clan King Conor and the Queen of the Mist , Si-Ora by name who possessed a strong command of super nature and liked to interfere with human kind .

Beyond the mists of time even before Celts ruled the land , an understanding of creation found its home among the creatures of night and day .
Seasons followed seasons and within each time there were battles between good and evil to be fought and won .

This ancient world was both mystical and magical .

Here is where this story begins .

Sometime between summer and autumn , when the mist fell down thick, on the trees , shadows seemed to freeze ,on the cold breeze and all around the Bog Oak , where leaves began to fall , on the land .

Here in this lonely barren place King Conor had heard the call .
The voice of Si-Ora had issued her challenge for dominance of the Bog Oak .

King Conor who was both wise and brave told his clan to light tall fires on the roads and in every place that surrounded the Bog Oak wilderness .

It was his belief that the flames of these fires could ward off any evil spirits that might come to help Si-Ora , the Queen of the Marsh and Mist , in her efforts to take control over the land in the seasons to come before next summer .

The King realised that he soon had to go and fight the Si-Ora .
Often before that fight could last all day and night .

As the fires on the land were lit , King Conor drank some mead and ate a some veal and herbs to give him strength for the fight ahead .

After the meal he asked for a kiss from the youngest member of each Clan family . With this kiss he walked away to take on the elements that awaited .

With the breath of his Clans life in his body , he walked along the road .
Fires were burning on the hills and on the roads with flames kicking the sky .
When he came to the bridge near the Bog Oak , Conor heard that voice begin to again call him . The voice was almost overpowering in its enchantment .

“Come to me now Clan King and let our voices unite . Say you will stay with me and then we can be one , here in this place , where the mist falls thick and fast . “

But Conor knew there and then if he was to surrender to the Queen of the Mist , he would never be able to return back across the bridge to the other side . So he refused to agree to her invitation .

“I will destroy you , not join you . “
said the brave Clan King .

“Then I shall destroy you and all your clan .“

But he responded ,

“If you dare to be brave as I am brave , then you will fight for this place where we stand . “

Then King Conor sounded off his voice in a battle cry that filled the earth and sky where he stood .

“A-Shah-lah , de-dah-de-dah . Ach come on and fight . A Shera-Ah-Lah , Orah –Cu-Cushen –Orah “

At this , a thick fall of leaves swept around Conor and rain fell in sheets .
After the rain a purple mist surrounded Conor on the bridge .

The Clan King had only one thought in mind , to conquer the evil spirit that confronted him in the mist .
He was in the grip of three spells that kept him bound within the mist .
Conor could not see , hear or speak .
With nothing but his bare hands , he could only wrestle with this being he was aware of who mocked him and struck him with a blackthorn stick . Conor was imprisoned within this mist and was not winning the fight . But then suddenly the mist was penetrated with a light . Conor realised that now he had the upper hand and was able to see the Queen’s ugly face . He gripped her by the neck and slowly squeezed tighter and tighter .

As the purple mist lifted Conor saw that one of the fires that had been lit by his clan had reached the Bog Oak bridge . The flames began to reach out from within the fire and asked for the Si-Ora sacrafice .
King Conor answered and threw the Queen of the mist headlong into the flames .

Just then the sun shone again and shed a new light on the land .
The lonely figure of Si-ora lay dying in the flames and soon transformed into l
leaves that were blown by the wind and carried away into the air .

The Clan King heard a voice on the breeze ,

“Can you hear my call Conor . I am always here . Touched by your feet and the snow in winter I lie in the leaves of autumn but soon to be kissed again by summer rain I shall again grow green and will call you again to fight for this land .”

But the wise Clan King was already well ahead of that and had stored up enough turf to burn fires for many seasons during the time between summer and winter .Known as Samhair .

Long after this time when the Kings of that era were declining ,there seemed to have been some sort of climate change that took place .
Some would have said it was a victory for the dark forces of super nature .

Many fields fell into bog .
Then about five thousand years ago the actual Neolithic farmers themselves lost enormous tracks of land due to climate change .
So it came to a situation when there needed drastic action to ward off the evil from the land .

So each year bigger and better fires were burnt to ward off the evil spirits from the land .This rite was then carried on from generation to generation .

Before the light of Christ had come , during the period from the second century BC to dark age Ireland , many people had spent time and lots of energy , fighting off or keeping at bay evil by their pagan rituals .
The fires on the land and belief of supernatural elements existed until about sixth century BC . It was around this time when a marked rise in the building of hill forts on the landscape changed .

The destruction of creed and culture is one of those events brought on by evil spirits and so Christ as the light of the world came to dispel that darkness .

Saint Patrick himself has lit the paschal fire and it was said that this fire in Ireland would never be extinguished .

Some people today still believe in such forces at work on the land and they are still able to prevent amazing works with certain rituals and rites .

It's true to say looking at the stories and legends that early life in Ireland had a certain spirituality that was very much focused on the world around them .
The brook that bubbled , the deer hoofed the hills and mountain , the harvest and each breath of lifev was was taken into consideration .
They fought for and protected themselves against evil and any foreign trespass on their land .

Look today at the modern world we live and see how our culture and creed can be eroded by what is happening around us . In these modern times the main focus is on money .
Companies have come and gone .
But the people are still here .
The people are still working for next to nothing and everything is mass produced .

Things brought and sold but for whatever reason they're not looking back at the shadow world , the dark elements that existed and still do .

What's needed is God .

I think when God created humans he spent a little more time on the Irish and in particular the Clan Kings of old who fought hard against the evil forces of the land .

Maybe we should try to incorporate alternate meanings to life in the modern world we live .

New thinking and understandings of the conscious knowledge and areas of super nature that would try to control the globe .

Where are the Clan Kings of today .

The End

By Paul McCann