Brighid? Was She Gobnait Too?

A story, or two, is told about Gobnait's journey
to seek "a place of resurrection".

This story start when Gobnait left the mainland of her native County Clare to escape some enemy.

We speculate who or what the enemy was, but Gobnait went to the island of Inis Oírr, otherwise known as Inis Thiar or Inisheer, the east or rear island of the Aran Isles.

On Inis Oirr, Gobnait found sanctuary and eventual learning within the monastic community of St. Enda there. On the north side of Inis Oirr today there is an medieval oratory dedicated to Gobnait, known locally as "Cill Ghobnait". This is what still remains of where the monastic community was.

While staying on Inis Oírr the stories tell of an angel appearing before Gobnait telling that her, or the, "place of resurrection" was not on Inis Oirr but in the place where she would find nine white deer grazing.

Gobnait left Inis Oírr and commenced a journey around Erin to seek for "a place of resurrection", that place with nine white deer grazing.

Gobnait's travels took her through the southern, coastal counties that we now know as Kerry, Cork and Waterford.

These travels were through several years of her life, and Gobnait did settle awhile in some places and founded small monastic communities.

One was at what is called Kilgobnet, Cill Ghobnait, north of Dungarven in Co. Waterford.

Another was at Dunquin, Dún Chaoin, "Caon's stronghold", a beautiful spot on the Dingle peninsula that overlooks the Blasket Islands and is semi famous today for its intriguing road down to the pier, portrayed in a popular postcard of a flock of sheep walking down it.

There is another Kilgobnet south west of the N72 road on the south side of the River Laune north west of the the beautiful MacGillicuddy Reeks, Na Cruacha Dubha, "the black stacks", that most tourist buses in Ireland make part of their itinerary
as this is the start of the Ring Of Kerry trek.

The site of this Kilgobnet, not far from Kilorglin, was said to also be an important site of Lughnasa from ancient times until way past the years of Gobnait. It is said Cromwell and his army attacked a Lughnasa gathering and pillaged the area. A male goat, a "puck" ran to escape and arrived in the village, now small town, of Kilorglin and collapsed weak.

The people there understood this as a warning of Cromwell's men approaching and they successfully protected themselves. Since then the people of Kilorglin have honoured the goat through the famous annual Puck's Fair. Dates of Puck Fair are August 10th, 11th and 12th each year, no matter what days these fall on.

Eventually, several years later, when Gobnait walked the banks of the River Sullane,
Abha an tSuláin, from what is now the town of Macroom.
At various places along the river Gobnait met white deer,
three at Clondrohid, Cluain Droichead, which is about four miles north west of Macroom
and six at Ballymakeera, Baile Mhic Íre, a couple of miles south east of Ballyvourney

It was at Ballyvourney, Baile Bhuirne, "town of the beloved",
when she found a place with nine deer grazing.

This place was on a hill overlooking the Sullane, Abha an tSuláin, river and looking into the Derrynasaggart hills, that many visitors know better as the "Paps Of Anu".

Gobnait crossed the river at that point and it was within these hills that Gobnait was to settle, work her ministry and eventually be buried.

The monastic community Gobnait founded in the Derrynasaggart hills was for women who are said to have learned to perform miracles.

Derry is known to be from Dara, a place of sacred wood, often refers to oak but can be other hard woods and sometimes is Rowan, and many Rowan trees still grow here.

Saggart in the name comes from the word Sacra from where we get "sacred" with the word Saggart being derived from words meaning "home of sacredness" which would be fitting for a small monastic community.

Rowan is closely linked to the Morrigu, Morrigan, particularly her womb from which the goddess Brighid was first born. There is a legend that we are all always umbilically connected to the womb of the the Morrigu through our lives, connected to the Rowan.

This all provides a strong symbolic link to the hills of Derrysaggart being named after being a sacred place of women, a sacred place for connection to the divine feminine, and one of the connections that causes me to speculate the link between the Gobnait and Brighid traditions, aside from the close dates of reverence of both.

Also to be considered are two hills in the territory of Luachair Deaghaidh, Sliabh Luachra, within Derrysaggart, that are called Dá Chích Danann, "the two breasts of Anu". Anu or Danu, is a goddess of myth stories told of as bringing fertility to the whole province of Munster. The ancient cairns on both peaks resemble nipples on breasts viewed from a distance.

The stories of St. Gobnait specifically mention and return to a "place of resurrection."

What is resurrection?

We hear of it, most commonly, as a place where our spirit will rise again from its lifeless body after the point of death.

How about believing this to be a place
where our spirit is most alive
while still within our living breathing body.

It is that place where our spirit calms and feels at home.
It is a place where we feel whole with no longing or yearning
to be anywhere else or be anyone else.

I believe that "a place of resurrection", our own place of resurrection is the place where we can freely create and be wise without the burdens of concerns, anxieties and inner demons.

A powerful place of resurrection is where a place does not just have this affect on us but somewhat on the the people who visit. If our place is a guide to whether others may journey to resurrect themselves, who have served powerful graceful service.

A Place of Resurrection is very fitting for the start of Spring I feel, the time of Bhride, of Brighid, and a time when new life for the year ahead is born, is budding, is awaking. It is a time we attempt to make our new resolutions and affirmations to resurrect ourselves.

The start of spring is a time I feel we become a child again, considering ourselves, our place in the world and our identity and how we can be better united and be of better service.

All of these things I believe Gobnait discovered and symbolized on her arrival and settling in the side of the Derrynasaggart hills at Baile Bhuirne.

Gobnait is regarded as the great protector of Ballyvourney, Baile Bhúirne. Much of this protection is associated with healing.

One story tells of how Gobnait kept the plague away from Baile Bhúirne by drawing a line along the eastern borders of the parish with her stick. The plague is said to have never came across that line.

Gobnait's healing and protection stories almost always originate from her hives, her bees and herself as beekeeper.

Gabnait's healing supplies were the honey, royal jelly, propolis, and pollen from her hives plus the plants from what pollen was taken from. All of that was blessed with prayer sacred water and maybe fire.

It is as if she was the bee goddess on earth and was well and truly a patron saint of beekeepers and their bees.

In addition to healing protection there are stories of Gobnait preventing invaders, such as O'Donoghues of the Glens, from raiding the cattle of Baile Bhúirne by letting loose a swarm of bees from her hives to attack any approaching invaders.

One version of this tale tells of the bees turning into a helmet shape and attacking. Another tells of the beehive turning into a bronze helmet and the bees themselves turning into attacking soldiers.

Another version of this tale has the beehive turning into a bell which then became known as Gobnait's bell hung from the abbey. A story is told of foreigners arriving and tried to build a castle with Baile Bhúirne that local people did not want. Every night, after the masons left Gobnait knocked down their building work by throwing her bell at the castle. Eventually they gave up trying to build it.

Another version of this castle building tale tells of Gobnait throwing a huge stone ball at the castle each night. This stone ball is now said to be the big one in the wall of the medieval church.

Protection of health and care of the sick is the most valuable of Gobnait's work. Her well is still at Ballyvourney and has been an attraction for pilgrims for more than 1600 years now.

In 1602 when O'Sullivan Beara, his soldiers, their women, children and servant marched from their defeat at Kinsale to the territory of O'Rourke in Breifne, stopped awhile at Ballyvourney to refresh at Gobnait's well and pay homage to her as well as pray for her protection.

Even today her well in the church yard at Ballyvourney there are many discarded crutches indicating many people believed they were cured by Gobnait responding to their prayers.

Gobnait's traditions and stories remind me of the Bhride and Brigid stories.

Her feast day is close, also in February,
the 11th of February..

Add to this consideration of the 11 days between the feasts of Bhride/Brighid and Gobnait.
There many similarities between the traditions of both saints

In regard to the 11 days it is worth considering the reform of the Julian calendar in Erin in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. This led to an 11 days difference meaning if 11th February on the Julian calender was translated to the Gregorian calendar it would be the same time as Brighid on the 1st of February. All suggestions welcome regarding this dating!

There is also some vague storytelling speaking of the Bhride Triple Goddess actually being

Bhrise or Brighid - patron of the hearth and all smithwork,
Gob or Gobnait - patron of all healing,
Grain or Grainne, who's myths and traditions are barely told - patron of poetry

This also follows the triple transformations from
birth to maiden, maiden to mother and mother to crone,

A maiden was taught to care for the hearth
and the craft of smithcraft to extract ore to metal
and create the sword for their mate to be
to be her dowry to her mate of their union
so that he may use it to honour her and protect her.

This serves the fundamental purpose of Bhride

A mother was taught to nurture, nourish and heal
the ways of the bees,
the ways of the honey, propolis and pollen
and the ways of the plants pollen comes from

This serves the fundamental purpose of Gob

A crone was the teacher
a teacher of art and drawing, the most primitive of poetry
a teacher of sound wrapped up in chant for easy memory
an inspirer of symbols that sounds can be wrapped in and linked
to form language.

This serves the fundamental purpose of Grain

Though it appears we could calculate the feast days of Brighid, Gobnait or Grainne back to February 1st, through an understanding of calendar changes arriving at our current Gregorian calendar, it seems that the Triple Goddess triskele of Bhride, Gob and Grain were for the complete cycle, every cycle of every year.

So, was Brighid also Gobnait and Grainne too?

Why is it told in stories that a complete Goddess, like Gob, breaks into three or four entities with four different identities and purposes?

How does Gob, and other goddesses like Bhride, suddenly become three of four goddeeses of the same goddess. It is indeed confusing stuff
... at first.

A Goddess is told of as being
a complete cycle of creation,
a cycle of its birth living and passing
all connected with no beginning or end.
Tales tell that before her there was nothing!
But as there is no time beyond
our human invention of time
as a measurement of planning
it means there was never no goddess.

She arose from the great timeless void, to give birth from herself, Bhride and Brighid legends, before anything else had ever been born.

Then the three or four entities of her spirit, given different names, were told as giving us separation of sky, land and water and earth, air, fire, and water, of fours seasons of the year, four seasons of our life and three season of our being such as maiden, mother and crone.

A goddess is an unseen whole of life that is connected to the unseen forces of nature that affects what we see, feel, hear, smell and taste. We give a face to the goddess and faces to all unseen things that touch our senses The goddess faces and bodies taken the forms of animals, reptiles and birds as well as humans to help us understand and explain the dances, changes and synthesis of elemental energies.

Goddesses, in our visualized forms, have been given associations with plants, animals, stones, colours, sounds, music, poetry and the crafts we handle with our hands. However we visualize the goddess and goddesses we give her a face.

We do this with Gods too, and relationships between goddesses and gods.

We implant goddesses, and gods, within the hearts of leaders, chieftains, warriors, fathers and chieftains, maidens, mothers and crones. We call upon goddesses into our hearts or to walk with us as our guide, mentor, protector, nourishment and healer.

Not far from Ballyvourney, Baile Bhúirne, we find that Gobnait is part of a different tradition to what is celebrated at the various Kilgobnet sites.

Following on from the Triple Goddess Mystery that links a more ancient Gob with Bhride and Grainne I move onto a lesser known story of the four goddesses of Gob that are said to have been human manifestations of Gob, who inspired the name of the Saint Gobnait

Folklore stories and legends of Erin provide us with confusing intertwined divinity family trees. If this concerns us then I feel we have missed the point, the teaching, and the wisdom, that the created presence of these goddess images present to us.

In short I feel all this is from an ancient poetic attempt
to present the unseen as human images that we find
easier to colour and shape-shift in our mind.

I feel these images, these dieties, are not to worship or believe in but to enjoy as poetry stories set to the four season of our year and four seasons of our lives.

There is an area around the foot of the Paps of Anu, facing
north and north east where Gobnait is venerated as four sister
goddesses that were later the names of christianized saints.

Lasir, Lassi, or Lasier of : Churchacres, Teampaill Fearainn

Into a different area than counties Cork and kerry, where Co. Roscommon borders with both Co. Sligo and Co. Leitrim.

Lassi, Lasir, Lasair the "Flame". Lasair, was told of as a goddess of the spring budding, and new born animals. Her christianized feast day became February 1st, same as Bhride and St. Brighid, and that became declared as the first day of spring.

To separate from the Brigid connection her feast day was moved to the last Sunday in August after Cromwell's men destroyed and filled in the original Lasir's Well and the water sprung up again in the new position the well has been in since after Cromwellian times. Maybe the end of August is when the well re-appeared. We do not know.

Stories tell of Lassi not being of the image of fire, of the flame, but having beautiful long black hair and wearing silver to image the moon. She lived on an island that was an apple orchard on Loch Maothla, now known as Lough Meelagh. The god Flann is said to have brought her the Rose of Sweetness, that never withers, that he planted in the centre of the orchard for the bees to spread pollen to sweeten the apples. He also brought her the Comb of Magnificence so her hair would always embrace her beauty, and the Girdle of Truth so she would be unconditionally devoted to the birth of all new life.

It is also said that single childless women would come to Lassi at her well at Spring
where she guided them to look into the pool and see a vision of the mate they will
meet the following Bealtaine.

It seems this legend somewhere, some time, moved celebration of Lassi to close to Bealtaine when she became known as Lasir. As Lassi she had similar traditions and virtues of Brigid, including cattle, but as Lasir became a patron of shepherds and their shearing.

The saint Lasair who took on the variation of Lassi and Lasir's name also lived on the apple orchard Island and build a red clay home where the Rose Of Sweetness once was and in the orchard she had bee hives. When her father, Ronain MacNinneadha, St. Ronan, passed away she moved from the island, buried him where their red house was, renamed the island Inis Naomh, Holy Island, and placed beehives over his grave and moved close to her well near the shores of the lake.

Iníon Buí, or Inghean Bhuidhe : of Dromtarriffe, Dromtairbh

Inion Bui, the "yellow-haired girl", the "bloom of youth", was told of as a goddess of the coming of summer. She is the nurturing mother goddess of the ripening of the crops. Her christianized feast day became May 6th, that became declared as the first day of summer.

Latiaran : of Cullen, Cuilinn Uí Chaoimh

Latiaran, the "Breast of Light", is a goddess of the harvest. Her christianized feast day became July 25th, or the Sunday closest to it, that became declared as the first day of reaping the first harvest.

There is a story that tells of Latiaran going to the smithy (Brighid ? ) every morning to bring "the seed of fire". When the smith told her she had pretty feet, she looked down, vanity overcame her, and her apron caught fire. With her entire being on fire she sank down into the ground below a heart-shaped stone and was never seen again.

Crobh Dearg, pronounced "crove derg" : of Shrone City

Crobh Dearg, the "red claw", was told of as a goddess of the cauldron and regeneration through the winter Her christianized feast day became November 5th, or the Sunday closest to it, that became declared as the first day of distributing the harvest and preparing for winter.

The story is that she transforms into a vulture, then later to a raven, then to a dove.

At Shrone a farmer I was talking to called her Ciara, saying that comes from old words meaning "holy darkness" which was also an old folklore name to describe being intoxicated.

In her early christianized form Crobh Dearg's feast day moved to February 1st , some thinking this was done so that some of the Brighid and Lassi tradition would move into Munster.

Then Crobh Dearg's feast day was moved to the time of Inion Bui, at Bealtaine, as the Shrone site became regarded as one of the best sites in Erin for meeting and mating. A carnival and fair atmosphere built up and a fair was on the site from May 1st up until about 20 years ago.

Even the cattle of Brigid were allowed to pass between two fires and drink from the well there at Bealtaine. This is a tradition that had moved from Brighid's Day, Imbolc time. Seeing the well, today, its hard to imagine this, but the farmer I spoke to at the well assured me it happened through his lifetime, and not so long back, said he.

It is as if Crobh Dearg replaced Lassi in Munster at Imbolc
then moved on to replace Inion Bui at Bealtaine
and Lassi returned as Lasir, for Imbolc,
then Lasir moved to replace Crobh Dearg at Bealtaine,
and Brigid arrived to take over Imbolc.

All through this Latiaran remained at Lughnasa
but Samhain left a vacancy
after Crobh Dearg moved to Imbolc
but some say Anu took over Samhain..

What I find strange and adds to the image for the area is that the two peaks of the Paps Of Anu, Derrynasaggart mountains, take on a triangular profile,
when seen from Shrone, that could be imaged as a goddess breastplate,
compared to the round maiden image they take on viewed from Ballyvourney.

Mythology tells us of a family tree of dieties so I
thought I would include a bit about these here too.

Scathach, "the shadowy one", is well told of us a warrior queen or chieftain who rose to divinity as an overall goddess for gathering the spirits of the slain and arranging their transport along Imrama na Anam, the path of the soul, on Sidhe horses to reach Tir na Nog. Stories of the elusive Grain or Grainne tell of similar passings between worlds,
as does the stories of the Morrigu, the Morrigan.

Scathach is said to have also been active on earth in human form leading a school for young warriors on what is now the Isle Of Skye, though some say
her domain was actually the Alps, and the story is
even told of her being in the Croatia and Bosnian mountains.

Her school for young warriors is said to have been much more than for teaching fighting skills but for the entire initiation of young men including instruction in the arts of war and "friendship of her thighs".

I find it fascinating that the hero Cu Chulainn is told of being trained by Scathach yet it was Morrigan, the Morrigu who was with him for his final moments on earth.

Scathach is told of being the daughter of a king of Scythia. We may hit on a snag at Scythians are said to be a blue eyed blonde haired culture that goes back to 7th century BC, about the time the Milesians came to Erin. Scathach is told of as being of the much earlier Tuatha De Dannan culture and the Morrigu much older.

Uathach, is said to have been the first daughter of Scathach who inherited continuing the initiation of the young boys.

Then we are told of three more daughters of Scathach, these being Lassi, Inghean Bhuidhe and Latiaran, these being three of the human form goddesses that together are Bob, from which it is believed Gobnait took her name from. Again, the missing link is Crobh Dearg who becomes linked up with Lassi, who is sometimes Lasir or Lasiar, because story tellers only like to tell of three names in a group, not four.

Their father of these later three, or four, is said to be a man named Douglas which I find a bit off of the wall as Douglas was not used in naming until the 16th century. Douglas comes from Dubh Glais, dark water, but still is not believed to have been used in naming much earlier.

I tend to wonder if Douglas really means Daghda? Daghda also said to be initiated by the Morrigu and from his seed gave birth to Bhride, to Brighid. We are also thrown a cog breaker when we hear the legend of Bhride being born from seed carried by melting ice into the Morrigu's womb to instantly be midwife to the first life and all life entering this earth
... even well before Daghda was born.

There is also another connecting story that tells of the three sons of Brighid, the Brighid married to Bres, who stole Daghda's cauldron, that never empties. They threw it into Loch Maothla, now Meenagh and where it landed overflowed to become the island of the apple orchard that became the home of Lassi.

It is said that the great saints were inspired and named after great teachers of old ways, and often not named after characters in the Christian Bibles. This is especially true with the women saints.

These great teachers of old ways appears to have also been named after the images of goddesses that have been given an image and face in stories.

These goddesses were created into images by humans to give faces and form to the unseen elements that affect and move our five senses, which together we call our spirit and soul.

These images come forth to us like a dance through the seasons of the year, through the seasons of our lives, and the stages of life we pass through from child to senior.

Then all of this is rounded off by a singular great spirit we give different names and faces to that connects it all together.

With Saint Gobnait, I have started with a vision of a singular queen bee like Goddess such as what is described with entities like The Morrigu, Scathach and maybe even Bhride for those who visualize a rocking balance of all between light and dark, between Bhride and Morrigan.

From this queen bee goddess are the triple goddess, which in our tale has Gob in the middle as a mother that nourishes, nurtures and heals.

Gob herself is split into the imagery of four entities to match the four seasons with
Lassi - spring
Inion Bui - summer
Latiaran - harvest
Crobh Dearg - cauldron for winter

... though these four have moved around to different seasons
and even attempted to be condensed into three to be a trinity.

All this served for a long, long time as a set of visions and teachings
to guide people through their lives and what happens to them.

Then along comes Gobnait, we assume named after Gob,
who finds personal resurrection into a life devoted to
nourishing, nurturing and healing in harmony with bees.

Gobnait becomes known as Saint Gobnait
the patron of bees, beekeeping and honey.

I feel we can learn about our own roles in
nourishing, nurturing and healing
through the stories of Gob, her goddesses and Gobnait

We have learned if it simply means through their stories
we become more aware of bees and their
life saving and life preserving value to us.

At Dunquin, Dún Chaoin, there is Mass at 10:00am on 11th of February in Séipéal N. Ghobnait
Rounds are paid afterwards at Tobar Gobnatan and Cill Gobnatan, Ceathrú an Fheirtéaraigh.

Micheál Ó Gaoithín recorded that there was also formerly a fair at Dunquin and that drinking and selling went on for three days incuding 11th of February but eventually that ended due to clerical opposition, but not before locals had thrown the opposing cleric over a cliff!

At Ballyvourney, Baile Bhúirne, there are several masses through 11th of February, due to popularity, and the rounds are paid at Cill Gobnatan, the main site, including the the graveyard where Seán Ó Riada and Seán Ó Ríordáin are both buried. What has died down there is an overnight vigil in the old church at Cill Gobnatan from the eve of the feast.

There is a medieval wooden image of Gobnait, from the 13th century, is kept in a drawer in the church during the year, and brought out for reverence on 11th of February. The devotion is known as the Tomhas Gobnatan.

Visitors bring a ribbon with them and 'measure' the statue from top to bottom and around its circumference and cut. This ribbon they take home, store carefully, and is used to bless people when they get sick.

Gobnait is revered all year at Ballyvourney, though. The site is incredibly well maintained and the traditional rounds, the turas, are clearly marked for any visitors to pay reverence to them at any time.

Today there is an active church on the former Cill Gobnatan monastic site.
A tall statue of St. Gobnait is here, erected in the 1950s. She appears with a nun's habit standing on a bee hive surrounded by bees.
There are excellent information plaques around the sacred site with good walking maps.

More information is posted at the well, Tobar Gobnatan, which is the most popular mystical draws in Ballyvourney. There is an arched entryway that takes the pilgrim into a beautiful shaded path. As we may expect from an Erin sacred well there is a sturdy tree beside the well, not sure of species yet. From this tree there are always hundreds of tokens, clooties and rags hanging that have been placed there by pilgrims to hold their prayers. There are taps and cups available for drinking from the well or for pouring into personal vessels to take the sacred well water home too.

I also find it is a happy coincidence that Gobnait's feast also falls on World Day of the Sick, also on 11th February. This is said to be the day when, "Our Lady" appeared to Bernadette at Lourdes.

I often wonder if Gobnait is "Our Lady", as well as wonder if Gobnait is "Brighid".

Click here for my location map
of ALL of the Gobnait
and Gob goddess sites
that are featured here

... so that you can find and visit them
by transport, bicycle and by foot.