Journeying

Photo is from my recent hike among the cedar trees.

As we approach the New Year, lots of people start thinking about goals and what they hope to accomplish in the next year. It's good to experience a renewal, a time to make things right.

But I'm finding myself being more drawn to the concept of journey, of seeking the path God has marked out for me and following the best I can, in faith because I cannot see how it ends. I may have hopes and dreams and even plans for the coming year, but only some things are within my control. The rest I will leave up to God. And that's not an act of giving up. It's a journey I choose to take with a little bit of wariness and a lot of anticipation. God's plans are always better than my own.

From Celtic Wisdom:

Alone with none but Thee, my God,

I journey on my way;

What need I fear when Thou art near,

Oh King of night and day?

More safe am I within Thy hand

Than if a host did round me stand.

~Attributed to St. Columba

Tomorrow's Winter Solstice

Tomorrow morning (where I live) a unique occurrence in the heavens will take place. It's the first time in 372 years that a lunar eclipse will coincide with the winter solstice. The moon is supposed to be high in the sky because of where it is located at the solstice, making viewing the eerily glowing moon easier--if, that is, there are no clouds to block it.

Where I live the eclipse will take place between 1:30 and 2:40AM, so I'm not likely to see it. How about you???

Be sure to come back tomorrow when I'll be blogging about the winter solstice in Newgrange in Ireland.

The Stuff Legends Are Made Of

We know that the rock at the Giant's Causeway was the result of cooling lava compressed together millions of years ago (at least most people think it was millions of years ago.) This black rock is basalt and it's a natural wonder.

But what did the ancient people think when they saw it? They were no less intelligent but the study of rocks and the earth's composition was not part of their world. So what did they think when they gazed over the cliffs toward the sapphire blue ocean and see these rocks trailing out toward Scotland? (but disappearing before they reached it.) What they did was explain the

wonder in the traditional Irish way: they made up a story about it. This was not a manmade structure. No man could have done this, certainly. The gods? Well, maybe, but the gods are credited with all kinds of things. What if this was the work of a man--not an ordinary man, but a super hero?

They didn't use the term then, of course. This was the work of a giant, a mighty warrior. A giant named Fin MacCool or Fionn mac Cumhaill in Irish.

It seems Finn had a rival giant over in Scotland by the name of Benandonner. The two giants would shout to each other over the sea, challenging each other's strength. Nothing could be done about it, so Finn started building the causeway to reach the other giant.There are different versions of this story, but basically, when the Scottish giant started coming toward him, Finn realized how much larger he was. Using his sharp Irish intellect, he came up with a plan. He made himself a bed out of the rock and either went to sleep or pretended to be asleep. (I'd go with the latter. A bigger giant was after him! How could he fall asleep?) He pretended to be a baby while Finn's wife entertained the other giant by giving him tea made with stones and telling him MacCool would return shortly. As he chewed on the tea, Benandonner thought to himself, "This MacCool must be a tough one to drink this stuff." Then he noticed the "baby" asleep in his bed and thought, "If this is the size of the baby, how big is his father?" He reached out to touch the child and got his finger bitten clean off. Then he thought, "If the baby can do that, what is the father capable of?" Terrified, he ran off toward his home, tearing up part of the causeway as he went. That's why today it disappears into the sea.

This explanation of the existence of the causeway makes sense to me. How about you? ;-)

St. Fingar and St. Piala

Today is the feast day of brother and sister Fingar and Piala. Never heard of them? Me either until I read a short entry in The Celtic Year by Shirley Toulson. I did a little Internet searching and discovered only a bit more.

Their story takes place in the middle of the 5th century. Fingar was from a royal family, the son of a king name Clito who drove him out, along with many others including Piala, because St. Patrick had converted them to Christianity. They went to Cornwall. One account says there were over seven hundred people who went. However, they were not well received. King Theodoric, a pagan king, ordered them all killed. So, Fingar and his sister were early Irish Christian martyrs.

It's often been noted, and I've written about it myself, that Ireland was converted with no bloodshed. It's true that there were no holy wars, nothing like The Crusades, and the people came to the faith because it melded so easily with what they already believed. But obviously people did die for their religious beliefs.

Fingar had a monastery named for him at Gwinear, near Hayle, the place of this massacre. Gwinear is the Welsh name for Fingar. As was common in the Middle Ages, a biography of this saint was written by his church (pictured above.) Many miracles were then assigned to the saint, of course--restoring a cow that was slaughtered to feed him and his companions, sticking a staff into the ground from whence came a fountain of water...but for me the thing to remember about Fingar and Piala and so many, many ancient Irish Christians is that they gave up their way of life, their homeland, and sometimes their families, to embrace the Christian faith.

This is still happening in some parts of the world. I don't know about you, but my life suddenly seems very easy.

What Do You See? Part Two

Following up on my last post. I did not see everything you saw. How interesting! That cute, blue shop did not really look like an outdoor store, did it? And yes, the cow is fake, but it is standing outside a "butchery" so I guess it's advertisement.

It's true that the cars park all directions. One of my Irish friends told me he was surprised that in America you are supposed to park in the same direction on the side of the street.

I did see lots of CCTV signs. Maybe this is a Northern Ireland thing because of the troubles. I don't know. Someone should enlighten me. But it didn't bother me. We certainly have them all over in America.

Here's what I noticed that I thought was a bit out of character: the mini van. Not that the Irish don't drive them, but larger vehicles are rare. The streets lack the multitude of SUVs and large pickups that we have here. The reason is likely due in part to the narrow roads and in part to the high prices for fuel. Economy cars are the way to go.

I enjoyed hearing all your observations. How about another go at it? (And yes, there is another minivan, but trust me, there were not many. I just happened to take two photos of them!)

What Do You See?

Let's have fun here. Here's a shot I took in a town in Ireland. Sorry, I can't remember where. Could have been Bushmills, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I noticed a few unique things in this picture. What do you see? If you've been to Ireland before, is there anything you notice here that is a bit unusual?

Not everything is unique in this picture. What do you see here that is typical of Ireland?

Anything surprise you? I hope you'll all play along. I'll add my observations later. But I bet someone will notice something that I didn't!

Downpatrick Cathedral

Downpatrick Cathedral in County Down, Northern Ireland, sits elevated above the city streets and is a beautiful place. During the 7-8th century a Christian monastery occupied the hill where the cathedral now sits. This monastery, like so many others, was victim to frequent Viking attacks and in the 11th century a round tower was built beside a stone church, apparently better to withstand attack. The round tower was taken down in 1790, sadly. (Personally it's interesting to me to note that my ancestors would have seen it because they left the area around 1770. It would have been in ruins then.) The remains of the round tower was then used to restore the stone church.

But most interesting (for us today and for pilgrims for centuries) is that the area was said to hold the earthly remains of St. Patrick. In 1900 a granite slab was placed over his grave (to discourage grave robbers.)

The grave was also supposed to hold the remains of the other patron saints of Ireland, St. Brigid and St. Columcille (Columba.)

Below is a picture of St. Patrick's grave apparently before 1900.

From downcathedral.org

It is generally accepted that the main walls of the Cathedral date from the years after 1220. Then the monks, in a petition to Henry III, King of England, referred to the fact that the House of Saint Patrick, which had often been destroyed and burned, was being rebuilt again. Further destruction took place during the wars with Edward Bruce in 1316 and finally, on the suppression of the monasteries in 1541, the Cathedral was laid waste. Notwithstanding its ruinous state which lasted until 1790, King James I granted a Charter to the Cathedral in 1609, providing for a Dean and Chapter. The Charter also decreed that the Cathedral should be dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as the former Celtic church had been before the arrival of de Courcy. Rather than lose the connection with Patrick, the name began to be used for the growing town, which assumed the name Downpatrick.

Although successive deans continued to be installed within the ruined walls, there were no funds to rebuild the Cathedral until 1790 when Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough (and afterwards first Marquess of Downshire), along with the then Dean, the Honourable and Reverend William Annesley, provided the impetus to commence the restoration.

Read more here.

The interior of the cathedral is much newer than the exterior but still old by American standards.

Glenstal Abbey

My friend from Dublin, Patrick Comerford, gave me The Glenstal Book of Prayer when I visited him. I did not go to the Glenstal Abbey, which is in County Limerick, but I'm enjoying the book and finding it very meaningful. It's a Benedictine abbey. I found this lovely version of the Beatitudes on YouTube and wanted to share it with you.

Saul

When Saint Patrick first came to Ireland as a missionary, he landed at Saul where he converted the chieftain Dichu. Dichu then gave him a barn to hold services (in Gaelic, Sabhail, which became Saul). In 1933 the church above was built to commemorate Saint Patrick's first church. It is a Church of Ireland (Episcopal) and service is held there still on Sunday mornings.

Saul is also supposed to be the site of Saint Patrick's death on March 17 in the year 461 AD.

These pictures are from inside the church.

Below I'm signing the guestbook.

The feeling I experienced when I walked inside the church is hard to explain--peaceful, calming. It was almost as though I could sense the centuries of worshippers who came to that place.

Saul is near the ruins of Saint Tassach's church at Raholp. Tassach was a disciple of Saint Patrick, and was supposedly the one who was with Patrick when he died at Saul. This is supposed to be one of Ireland's earliest Christian buildings, although I haven't yet discovered just old it is supposed to be. The earliest churches were probably built of wood and thus did not survive.

The church at Saul, like so many of the holy sites, is built atop a wind swept hill with a magnificent view. The picture below takes in part of that view. In the distance you can see the gigantic statue of Saint Patrick. (It's the stick like thing sticking up on the hill far in the distance.) You can read more about that statue here. We did not visit this time, but it's on our list for next time.

If you get to Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, be sure to visit the church at Saul.

Why I Went North

This picture is in Downpatrick on a street where my Little ancestors probably walked.


Tom and I spent most of our trip to Ireland in the north. That sounded odd both to people here and to the people in Northern Ireland. But I don't regret the decision. Many of the sites I've written about are in Northern Ireland, as were some of the friends I had met over here. We didn't often run into other Americans while we were there. Wherever we went, after we spoke to someone, they looked surprised and said, "You're Americans!" They would always ask us where we were from. When we said Ohio, they said, "Oh" and nodded their heads. We told them it was okay if they didn't know where Ohio was. Many of them had been to New York,Boston, California, or Florida. "We're in the middle," we told them.

I think more tourists should go to Northern Ireland. It's beautiful, uncrowded, and welcoming. There is just as much history and ancient ruins and such. We ate at some wonderful places in small towns.

Many of the tourists who do go to Northern Ireland go there to research their ancestry. We didn't do any research on this trip,

but we did note the places that our ancestors

came from. Mine were from Downpatrick, County Down, and Tom's from Magherafelt, County Londonderry. Driving through the countryside where they probably roamed and on the street where they probably drove their

wagons or carts was inspiring. I've done the same thing in parts of this country where my ancestors lived. You can tell why they settled in eastern Pennsylvania (Tom's ancestors) and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia (my ancestors) when you see what that part of Ireland looks like. They felt at home with the landscape, I'm sure.

When we go back to Ireland (we were talking about going back before we even left)

I want to see other areas of Ireland, and Scotland too. But this time I got to go where I wanted to go. I'm sitting at my computer now and wishing I was back there. That memory of green will never leave me. It was amazing.

.

Baa, Baa, Orange Sheep?

I took this picture in Ballycastle on the Antrim coast. The farmers in Ireland mark their sheep (many are free range) with spots of paint to identify them, but this was different. They are all orange! No one at our B&B could explain this, so I Google it. Still couldn't find much of an explanation, but others have seen them too in various places on the British Isles. I found this YouTube video.

Don't worry. There are still plenty of woolly white sheep in Ireland, tons in fact. Hopefully this trend won't catch on. Know anything about this? Let me know.

All Hallow Mass

For several days now I planned to blog on Samhain and the evolution of Halloween. But Halloween came and went and I never got to it. But truly, there are many good posts you could have read about the Celtic festival of Samhain, like this one or this one. (The last one is thanks to Lillian who posted the link on the Celtic Christian Spirituality forum, and there is more of the discussion there you might want to check out.)

In short, Samhain, pronounced sow-en, is the Celtic recognition of the dark half of the year and is considered to be the most important Celtic festival. It's a time when it was believed that those departed could walk among those living. It's a recognition of the thinness of the spiritual separation, and a time when mysterious and magical things can happen.

When Christianity emerged, this celebration easily merged into All Hallow Mass or All Saints Day, a time to recognize those saints who have gone on to heaven. (The night before became All Hallow Eve, and then Halloween.)

Many Christians want to ignore Halloween and celebrate a fall harvest. I'm all for forgoing the horror and all. But I think Halloween and Christianity are connected, and to ignore Halloween is to ignore this wondrous conversion of a pagan tradition into a Christian one--not a compromise, but rather focusing on what the people always knew was true about God--that the spiritual world is near.

So as my thoughts turn to All Saints Day, I think about those who have gone to heaven ahead of me and realize that they are not far away. God is with them; God is with me.

Scenes From Ireland

I'm sorry I haven't had much time to post here. For now I'm sharing a few photographs from Ireland.

Top: Dublin street.

Middle: Monsterboise High Cross

Bottom: Me and Tom at Nendrum Monastery Ruins in County Down.

Off To Ireland

I'm taking a break from Celtic Voices, but for good reason! I'm going to Ireland!!! It's my first trip and I know I'll have lots more to share with you when I get back. Please don't forget to come back! I'll post again sometime after Oct. 19. In the meantime, you can follow me on FaceBook to see how the trip's going.

http://www.facebook.com/cindy.thomson

Prayer as Dance

"I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy,

to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Romans 12: 1

This is an awkward subject for me since, well, I move awkwardly. But I admire those who dance and give praise to God and my spirit--if not my body--moves with them.

I found this YouTube video of J. Philip Newell, an author who I admire who writes on Celtic Christianity. He is leading a "body prayer." I decided to try it--in the privacy of my bedroom. But after I did that I realized I was missing the point. The symbolism is profound--God, self, others.

Searching for God

From Celtic Wisdom:

St. Columban expressed the belief that in order for God to answer prayer, one has to search God out. He said, "He must yet be besought by us, often besought; ever must we cling to God, to the deep, vast, hidden, lofty, and almighty God." The following prayer illustrates the searching, the longing to find the path to God:

Jesu, from to-day

Guide us on our way.

So shall we, no moment wasting,

Follow Thee with holy hasting,

Led by Thy dear Hand

To the Blessed land.

From the Celtic Psaltery by Alfred Perceval Graves

The ancient Irish Christians were searching for a closer relationship with God, to find out who He really was and what He desired for them. Do we have any different motives today?

Summer is Gone

Summer is Gone

Ancient Irish poem translated by Kuno Meyer

My tidings for you: the stag bells,

Winter snows, summer is gone.

Wind high and cold, low the sun,

Short his course, sea running high.

Deep-red the bracken, its shape all gone--

The wild-goose has raised his wonted cry.

Cold has caught the wings of birds;

Season of ice--these are my tidings.

The Owl

Continuing on with the theme of birds and Celtic symbolism, it will surprise no one to know that the owl represents wisdom. This bird was a guide in the underworld and could help one discern whether or not someone was being honest.

Remember the owl character in Winnie the Pooh? Owl is the wisest one in the 100 Acre Woods. He drank tea in the afternoon and Winnie the Pooh, a bear with very little brain, often consulted Owl.

I would never suggest that animals be anything other than what they are. But I do think we can study them to learn lessons about life. That's all though. I wouldn't attach spiritual meaning to them, although the ancient Celtic pagans would have. Here's an interesting site called The Wise Old Owl. At the end the site's owner relates this warning:

Romans 1:22-23, "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

Ravens

I think birds are fascinating creatures, and apparently the ancient Celts did as well. That's why I've included the symbolism of a raven in a novel I'm currently working on.

To the ancient Celts, the raven was a bird of war, a bad omen, even demonic. The Irish druids used the raven for prophecy and tried to interpret the sound of their cries. Try your hand it if you'd like with the video below.

I don't know if I agree completely with the ancient Celts, but I do believe that God can use anything to send a message. Still, all that He has made (and he made these birds) is good. I do like the subtle symbolism, though. Stop, listen, and see what the natural world might reveal to you.

Hair and the Celts

I knew that hair and good grooming were important to the ancient Celtic people, but I discovered a few things recently that I didn't know.

Did you know that someone with dark hair symbolizes some kind of terrestrial strength? I have no idea what that means, but it certainly sparks the imagination.

Someone with blond hair was thought to have a close connection with God. Maybe subconsciously that is why in my novel, Brigid of Ireland, I chose to give Brigid blond hair. Lots of people have thought of her as a redhead (including the illustrator who had to change his first draft of the cover.)

Redheaded people are thought to possess magical abilities. In the Book of Kells, Jesus and some of the disciples are depicted as blonds with red beards.

I have blogged before about tonsures and the fact that the Irish monks wore theirs more like the druids' rather than like the western monks'. I blogged recently about the synod at Whitby in 664 and how that forced Celtic Christianity into some conformity. The tonsure was part of that and eventually the Irish monks adopted the Roman tonsure, which is said to represent the crown of thorns.

Both men and women wore their hair braided and sometimes curled, with gold balls tied at the ends. I'm not sure I understand where this obsession with hair came from, but now I know I can blame my own worry over bad hair on my ancestors!

What's A Crosier?

Simply put, a crosier is a staff used by bishops and abbots. The Irish crosier was a little different than those used in mainland Europe. From Ask About Ireland:
"...crafted in Ireland from the eight or ninth century up until the end of the twelfth century. The origins of the Irish-crosier, like its continental counterpart, lie in the shepherd's crook. Both abbots and bishops carried them as insignia of their office and they signify the pastoral care of the congregation. However, Irish-crosiers demonstrate a divergence from the main tradition of crosiers in the Western Church. The significant difference is the distinctive shape of the head, which curves in a crook shape with the addition of a short pendant drop at its extremity. This is in contrast to the volute or simple walking stick shape of contemporary English and Continental examples."

The picture above on the left is The Kells Cosier, which is held at the British Museum. It has been altered over the centuries. It is made of yew wood encased in bronze.

There are many stories about the saints working miracles with their crosiers. St. Maedoc supposedly halted an invading army by using his crosier to draw a line around himself and his people and their cattle that the army was unable to cross. One man tried, as the story goes, and instantly dropped dead. It was believed that these crosiers were given directly from God. Such a gift was so valuable that there were penalties for stealing them that were even more severe than what was imposed for stealing a gospel book.

The most famous Irish crosier was the Staff of Jesus, said to have been given to St. Patrick.

St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Sept. 9

Born in Connacht, Ireland, c. 516; died at Clonmacnoise, c. 556. Saint
Ciaran is one of the 12 Apostles of Ireland.

Okay, I'm a day late and a dollar short. Sorry about that. But I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to recognize one of the most interesting ancient Irish saints.

From Celtic Wisdom:

"...the founder of Clonmacnoise, an important monastic centre. As a student he is said to have been so generous that he gave away his only book to new arrivals at the monastery in Clonard and did not complete his own studies on time because of it. He is one of the few famous monks without a royal heritage. His father was a tradesman, possibly a carpenter or a chariot-maker. He was often told that because of his common background his sacrifice to a life of devotion was not as significant as that of others who had given up a royal inheritance. Once, when he visited St. Enda on Aran, he had a vision of a great tree growing in the middle of Ireland with branches spreading to all four corners of the land. Enda believed that this meant that Ciaran would be that tree of great influence, and he was, in a matter [manner] of speaking, by founding Clonmacnoise."

Previous related blog post: The Celtic Tree

More about Clonmacnoise

The Gathering That Wounded Celtic Christianity

Whitby is a seaside community on the northeast coast of England. In ancient times this was in the kingdom of Northumbria and the king, Oswy, celebrated Easter the Celtic way. His wife, however, was of the Roman tradition. This caused them to fast, both from food and marital relations, at different times. It was a personal inconvenience for the king that ended up having major ramifications for the Celtic Christians. A meeting was held at the monastery of St. Hilda to decide the matter.

The Celtic tradition was defended by a bishop named Colman who claimed that the tradition of Columcille had been handed down by the apostle John. The Romans, on the other hand, looked to St. Peter as their church father. Jesus said that he would build his church on the rock, his name for Peter. In addition, the fact that Paul had preached in Rome gave the Romans, in their view, the authority to correctly interpret this matter. Bede, the great scribe who wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, said that the Roman faction (voiced by Wilfrid) also noted that the rest of the Christian world celebrated Easter at the same time and it was only the British, Picts, and Irish—who after all lived on the most farthest islands in the ocean (read the most uncivilized) who celebrated Easter according to the Jewish calendar.

Wilfrid (a priest who spent most of his life trying to prove that Britains fully embraced the ways of the church in Rome and were not Celts) went on to explain that if the apostle John used the Jewish calendar it was so as to not offend the new Christians who had Jewish heritage. Surely, he contended, the practice was outdated.

The Celts would not have used a calendar developed by the Romans when the Romans had never been their rulers. They looked to history to date their observance of Easter. Admittedly, this seems like a minor point to debate. One can only believe that the true question was one of control and power. In the minds of the people who lived at that time, this debate was crucial. The Celts did not believe they were wrong, and the Roman world believed non-compliance meant these people were not true Christians.

The question of spiritual authority was the ultimate matter debated in this synod. Colman, when questioned by the king, admitted that Jesus had given Peter the keys to heaven as described in this passage in the Book of Matthew: “’And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’" When Colman was asked if Jesus had given St. Columcille, the founder of Iona and the spiritual father to all of Britain’s Celtic Christians, equal authority, Colman had to admit he had not.

Oswy ruled in favor of Peter and the Roman tradition because, he is believed to have said, Peter minded the gates to Heaven. King Oswy feared offending the saint would mean he would not be let in. Whatever the reason for the ruling, the result was that all the Celtic churches had to abide by the style of Christianity that was Roman. This was the Christianity that Pope Gregory I (“The Great”) had earlier sent Augustine to Kent to enforce.

Most scholars of the Celtic way believe this event served to end the strictly Celtic way of observing Christianity, at least in mass practice. The Celts held to their beliefs, however, and certain doctrines were not a part of their thinking, such as original sin.

I'm aware that not everyone will agree with what I've written. At least one editor has said that I've thrown Augustine under the bus. I'd love to hear what you think!

A Celtic Labor Day

Examples of Celtic labor from the Book of Kells Exhibit, Washington-Centerville Library

Although Labor Day is an American holiday, it still makes me think about the Celtic people. The Carmina Gadelica* is filled with prayers and songs for times of labor. There is a whole section devoted to labor. The people took God with them wherever they went and included Him in whatever they were doing.

God, bless Thou Thyself my reaping.

Each ridge, and plain, and field,

Each sickle curved, shapely, hard,

Each ear and handful on the sheaf.

Each ear and handful on the sheaf.*

I often ask myself if I do this. I think the very fact that I have to ask means I don't, or I don't nearly enough take God with me in my everyday tasks. Many Christians have a time of devotion or quiet prayer, and when I do this myself, I find myself often questioning whether I'm sticking God into 15 minutes a day and leaving Him out of the rest.

The Celtic people clearly had a different mindset. There was no separating God from the world. God is not only in the world, He is life, the very reason the world exists.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ~John 1: 3-5 NIV

I AM smooring the fire
As the Son of Mary would smoor;
Blest be the house, blest be the fire,
Blest be the people all.*

I have blogged about the Carmina Gadelica many times before (see this search) and probably will again. It's a wonderful collection that illuminates the spiritual belief of the ancient Celtic people.

I will give thanks to the King of grace
For the growing crops of the ground,
He will give food to ourselves and to the flocks
According as He disposeth to us.*

Féth Fíada

Féth Fíada, or the druid's fog, is thought to be an enchantment. The fog conceals someone, makes them invisible, and fog can truly do that anyway, right?

I found a passage from a book called An Account of Ireland, Statistical and Political by Edward Wakefield, written in 1812. Wakefield describes the fog in Ireland:

There are two kinds of mist or fog in Ireland, one of which is constant and uniform, filling the whole air in such a manner as to impede the view, and continuing in the same state till it vanishes, either by rising into the atmosphere or falling to the earth. This kind is commonly followed by rain.

The other consists of clouds of foggy vapours, scattered about, with clear spaces between them. These clouds are often strongly agitated, and sometimes driven about with great velocity. This species of fog arises, not only on the sea coast, but also in the interior of the country upon mountains, and often terminates in one general mist.

Mist carries with it a sense of mystery. Whether or not enchantment was involved, the foggy weather in Ireland was probably used to advantage. I'm reminded of the fog that concealed the American troops during the Revolutionary War in Brooklyn.

From: http://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/760827.htm

On August 28, severe rain storms prevented any fighting between Washington and Howe. Both sides stayed in place. Also, because of the high winds, Howe was unable to move his warships behind Washington's position.

On August 29, during the evening, Washington called a council-of-war to consult on the proper measures to be taken. It was determined that moving across the river was the only way to escape. Washington ordered that all boats that could be found to be gathered up. The plan was to use the boats to ferry his troops across the river to safety. This way, they could escape the British trap and withdraw undetected from Brooklyn Heights. A heavy rain and fog kept the patriot escape from being seen from Howe. Heavy winds continued to keep the British ships from advancing to Washington's position.

The withdrawal started soon after it was dark from two points, the upper and lower ferries, on the East River. The intention of evacuating the island had been so prudently concealed from the troops that they did not know where they were going. The field artillery, tents, baggage, and about 9,000 men were conveyed over East River, more than a mile wide, in less than 13 hours. Being only 600 yards away, Howe and the British army had no knowledge of the Patriot withdrawal that was proceeding.

On August 30, around 6:00 A.M., the last of the Patriots left the shore of Long island. The withdrawal had worked without the british finding out.

At 11:00 A.M., the heavy winds finally died down enough for the British warships to begin to move upriver.

At 11:30 A.M., the fog lifted. Howe ordered his troops to advance and take the Patriot works. When they arrived, they discovered that the Patriots were nowhere to be seen. Howe realized that he had let Washington and the Patriots slip through his grasp. The British warships were finally able to move upriver, just a few hours too late to stop the Patriots. If Howe could have captured Washington and his troops, this would have effectively ended the war.

So, the Féth Fíada was carried on in colonial America, it seems!