iurra- Uiurra I lifornia onal ity WURRA-WURRA GROTTO AND IMAGE OF WTJKRA-WUKKA Drawn by John Innes, from his reconstruction of this very ancient Celtic Idol, as described in the Legend. WURRA-WURRA A LEGEND OF SAINT PATRI C K AT TAR A HERE FIRST TRANSCRIBED AND COMPARED WITH THE TESTIMONY OF ANCIENT REC- ORDS AND MODERN HISTORICAL RESEARCH By CURTIS DUNHAM AUTHOR OF "THE GOLDEN GOBLIN," ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, INCLUDING A RE- CONSTRUCTION OF THE VERY ANCIENT CELTIC IDOL CALLED WURRA-WURRA By JOHN INNES NEW YORK DESMOND FITZGERALD, INC. PUBLISHERS COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY DESMOND FITZGERALD, INC. TO THOSE DESCENDANTS OF THE O'SHAUGHNESSY WHO PRE- SERVED THIS LEGEND OF ST. PATRICK AT TARA ; TO THE MEMORY OF FATHER O'SHAUGHNESSY, FROM WHOM IT WAS RECEIVED ORALLY ; AND TO THE ANTI-WORRY SOCIETIES OF CHRISTENDOM, THIS TRANSCRIPT IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 2057974 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS Grotto and Image of Wurra-Wurra . . Frontispiece Facing page Patrick casting down Cromm Cruach and the twelve smaller idols 12 Keth, Patrick's Strong Man, describing to Finola the virtues of his handstone 20 Keth MacMaragh in the bog, beset by the wizard spells of Lochru 38 Keth recites the Brehon Law to Dubthach Mac na Lugair and his debtor 44 Dubthach, the Royal Shanachy, driving home the price of his poems 48 Far down Glanngalt Keth sees the torches flaming about the Grotto of Wurra-Wurra . . 52 With his mighty handstone, defying Lochru, Keth shatters the idol Wurra-Wurra 62 Finola runs to Keth and delivers an urgent message from Patrick 64 Keth, in the shattered idol's place, hears Finola's great worry 76 Patrick marries and blesses Keth and Finola of the White Shoulder 78 ssa WAS in J:he days whin the good . : Patrick of Armagh slept with j wan eye open, owin' to the mur- derous desire of a bunch of hay- thin magicians to hang onto their jobs at the court of King Laeghaire. There was the chief royal wizard, Lochru by name, an* two other divil-sint Druid priests, namely Caplait an* Lucat-Moel, who hild the WURRA-WURRA graft of makin' wise haythins of Ethne the Fair an' Fedelm the Ruddy, the King's two daughters an* the twin apples of his eye; an' between the three of thim, with the King lookin' their way wan day an' Patrick's way the next, the spells of wind an' water an' black magic the good Patrick had to circumvint were sure a caution. Now Patrick, bein' a gintleman and the guest of King Laeghaire at Tara, could not WURRA-WURRA turn himself loose on mimbers of the King's own household. All the same, if he was to clane up Ireland, Druids, snakes an* all, 'twas important to begin by convertin* the King. So he was goin' easy like, wan day miltin' Laeghaire to tears with his iloquence, an* alas! the nixt day findin' the King bowin' down to the great gold an 1 silver idol, Cromm Cruach, which stood on the plain near Tara surrounded by twilve smaller idols of brass an' tin. 'Twas WURRA-WURRA a case of Cromm Cruach against Patrick an* the Four Gospils with the odds even. Wan thing was plain, Cromm Cruach the big idol, an* all the little idols must go. So wan day, in the prisence of King Laeghaire an' all his household an' a great multitude of the people, Patrick raised his staff before Cromm Cruach, an* in the twinklin' of an eye the big idol an* all the little idols sank into the plain up to their necks. 'Twas a miracle the like of which had niver been seen in Ireland. An' King Laeghaire, seein' that all the spells of his Druid magicians could not raise up Cromm Cruach again, nor even the smallest of the little idols, be- came a Christian on the spot. Observin' the same, old Lochru the wizard fell to ragin' an' tearin' out his long whiskers 12 k ^^w, Patrick casting down Cromm Cntach and the twelve smaller idols WU RRA-WURRA by handfuls. CapJait an' Lucat-Moel were frothin' at the mouth because of their fat jobs gone a-glimmerin'. 'Twas a great day for the good Patrick, barrin' the prisint failure of the multitude to follow the ex- ample of the King. Instead of fallin' on their knees to receive the blissin' of Patrick as he stood there with Sechnall his bishop, Ere his judge, an' Pres- biter Bescna his chaplain, all in their church vestmints, the people turned their faces to the West as wan man, beat upon their brists an 1 cried out: "O, Wurra-Wurra! " In their mixture of ancient Irish an' Gaelic (which was the common speech in those days), three times they cried: "O, Wurra-Wurra!" be- fore they would let Patrick bliss an' disperse thim. 13 WU RRA-WU RRA Now there was in Patrick's train Keth Mac Maragh, his strong man, the same that carried him on his back through the bogs an* was his champion whin it came to fightin' barbarians who would not accept the Gospil with whole heads. Keth was moreover a bit of a shanachy, or story-teller, in his way, with a head full of the old tales an' histories set down in the Book of the Dun Cow, which made him the frind of ivery small boy wheriver Patrick carried on the good W URRA-WURRA work. So whin he heard the multitude cry out: "O, Wurra-Wurra ! " at the downfall of Cromm Cruach, Keth was disturbed in his mind. Niver before had he heard those words of lamentation uttered by a multitude all in spontaneous accord. Yet in the mouths of sorrowin' girls forsaken by their lovers, an' old women at a wake or grievin' over sheep with the foot-rot, they were words as familiar in Patrick's time as they are to this day. WURRA-WURRA But the thing that most disturbed the mind of Keth Mac Maragh was the sight of Finola of the White Shoulder, wan of Pat- rick's three embroider- esses which means a Christian mimber of Patrick's own house- hold turnin' her pretty face to the West with the multitude an' joinin' in the cry of "Wurra- Wurra!" 'Twas sure a haythin act, an' as Keth had been for a long time swate on this 16 W U R R A - W U R R A same Finola, findin' her white shoulder a plisant place to rist his head on, he wint speedily an' taxed her with it. But Finola only hung her pretty head an* was silent. "Finola," says Keth, "ye ought to be ashamed of yoursilf, you a mimber of the good Patrick's household an' a 'broiderer of the sacred vestmints." Niver a word answered Finola, but only hung her head the lower. Then said Keth Mac Maragh with a keen look at the girl : " Finola, 'tis yoursilf has told the truth though not a word has passed your lips. Cromm Cruach, which- 17 WU REA-WU ERA our good Patrick has over- thrown, was not the only great false god in Ireland." Now the girl appeared startled, but her head still drooped an* she answered neither yes nor no. With a smile half hid by the hair on his lip, Keth spoke sternly to her: "Finola, I have it from your own lips that you came to Patrick at Tara from your people over in the West country. 'Tis over in the West stands another great idol, an* the name of it is Wurra-Wurra." 18 WURRA-WURRA At these words Finola began trimbling violently, though she spoke no word, an' her head still drooped. Keth Mac Maragh showed the girl no mercy. "'Tis in my mind, Fin- ola," he said, "to make a journey over into the West country, an' find this heathen god, Wurra-Wurra, an* cast him down even as Patrick cast down Cromm Cruach." Now the girl lifted her head and spoke up quickly: "But you are not in orders, Keth, an' have no Bishop's 19 WURRA-WU ERA staff to raise against this idol if so there be one." "Tis true I have no Bishop's staff," said he, "nor do I nade wan. I have me hand- stone. I have me handstone, the same that did for Mace Cairthinn, mind ye, Finola. An' 'tis in me mind that the handstone that spilled the brains of the King's strong man is enough to bash the countenance of a haythin idol." And he took the stone out of his shield to gaze on its fine shape and feel the weight of it. 'Twas a smaller wan," he said, "a mere stone from the brook with no virtue whativer, that David sunk into the forehead of Goliath." "Is it the same," whispered Finola with awe in her eyes, "that gave ye the triumph over Mace Cairthinn?" Keth, Patrick's Strong Man, describing to Finola the virtues of his handstone WURRA-WURRA "'Tis a better wan," spoke up Keth Mac Maragh proudly. " 'Tis of fresh-slaked lime mixed with those same brains of the King's strong man that I spilled with the old wan mixed with Mace Cairthinn's own brains an* dried in the sun till it has the hardness of flint an' the toughness of oak. Besides mark this, Finola 'tis a true handstone with all the virtues of me own Red Branch Knight- hood. An' who can throw it fairer or swifter than Keth Mac Maragh?" At these words Finola turned strangely pale. Prisently she threw her arms about the neck of Keth an' besought him not to journey off into that wild West country. "Keth, darlin'," said she, "'tis the coun- try of the Badb an' all the Dedannan furies, where the terrible Banshees are only the 21 WURRA-WURRA least of the bad fairies. They will have your body an' youi soul." An* then she whispered: "Stay with Finola. She nades ye, an' an* soon she'll nade ye sore!" Now Keth was touched with the tears of Finola, but he was an obstinate man an' his mind was made up to have it for his own great triumph and credit with Patrick, the castin' down of Wurra- Wurra. 'Twas true also that he had become a trifle weary of the white arms of Finola forever draggin' about his neck. So he threw them off gintly, lavin' her there on the 22 WURRA-WURRA ground half dead with grievin', an* wint straight to Patrick for lave to go on a journey on business of his own. The good Patrick, bein' easy in his mind an 1 cheerful now that Cromm Cruach was done for, gave Keth his lave an' a blissin' ; an* lest Finola's arms should drag at his neck again, he did not delay, but took his shield an' his handstone an* was off on his long legs for the West country. Indade, 'twas well he did not loiter, for the old wizard Lochru had already got wind of his interprise an' was brewin' his most divilish spells against him. 23 WURRA-WURRA Caplaitwas in the same business. 'Twas a close call for Keth Mac Maragh, for between thim these two howlin' old wizards bossed all the bad fairies an' de- mons an' reptiles in Ireland. All this, mind ye, was before Patrick had got ready to attind to the snakes. The land was full of thim. As for fairies, good an' bad, at the time whin the good Patrick landed at Wicklow they were 24 WUERA-WUEEA thicker than the people which is worth raymimberin', for there were tin times as many Irishmin in Ireland then than iver has been since. In those days 'twas a case of Ireland for the Irish, with the rist of the world lookin' on in envy an' covetousness, but takin' care to kape their hands off to save their heads. There was no nade for Keth to carry meat or drink which was another fine thing WURRA-WURRA about Ireland in those days. At ivery cross- roads was an inn maintained at the public expinse, for the intertainmint of travellers without money an' without price, an* the pot always a-bilin' day an' night. 'Twas the shanachies an' poets who travelled about thicker than thieves, singin' their songs an' tellin' their tales at the courts of the kings, that were the cause of all this hospitality, for WURRA-WURRA these gentry put on even more airs in those days than they do now, havin' free graft iverywhere, so eager were the people to hear all the news an* the romances. 'Tis already towld how Keth was a bit of a shanachy himsilf, an* well versed in all the wizardry of Patrick's Druid inemies. 'Twas a full grown man's job, by this token, that 27 WURR A- WURR A old Lochru took on himsilf in layin' his plans to save Wurra-Wurra from the vi'lint hands of Patrick's strong man. An* 'twill iver be to the credit of Lochru's divilish subtlety that he so near finished for poor Keth by transformin' himsilf into a false shanachy an' tacklin' the lad on his soft side. Through County Armagh an' well into Fermanagh Keth Mac Maragh passed safely, livin' free on the fat of the land an' kapin' an eye opin for signs of the old idol Wurra-Wurra. 'Tis 28 WURRA-WURRA true that wance Lochru tried to beguile him with a venomous banshee in the guise of a beautiful maiden all smiles an* improper al- luremints ; but Finola's white shoulder was still so fresh in his mind that he only laughed an' bid her the time of day an 1 passed on his way. Wance, too, Lochru sint a swarm of sheevras which are the most impish of all the bad fairies with orders to choke Keth to death on salmon bones as he ate his avenin' meal ; but 'twas all in vain, for Keth was wise an' kept his fingers crossed. Havin' seen the failure of these poor experimints, Lochru changed his face out 29 W U R R A - W U R R A of all raysimblance to him- silf, an* took a small Irish harp an' wint an' sat on a hillside among the sham- rocks close beside the broad road along which he knew Keth was soon to pass. This was his preparation for the grand schame that was to hocus-pocus the idol- hunting strong man for good an' all. Prisintly, as Keth Mac Maragh hove in sight, all tired and dusty from a hard day of travel, Lochru, in his guise of an old an' decrepit shanachy, twanged the 30 WURRA-WURRA strings of his harp an* began to sing of past glories whin he was royal shanachy at Tara with four an 1 twinty pupils all sheddin' lustre on his performance. But whin Keth came abrist of him on the road he lifted his voice in a sort of refrain, the substince of which caused Patrick's strong man to prick up his ears an' pinch himsilf to be sure he was indade awake. For this was the unexpicted purport of Lochru's refrain: " Hail the dawn of Erin's Golden Age, Redeemed from Druids' evil signs and spells. Rejoice at ancient idols overthrown And demons banished to their flames below. Cromm Cruach's head doth bow to Patrick's power; Great Laeghaire takes the Gospel to his heart; No more shall idols lure the simple mind E'en Wurra-Wurra's fatal hour has struck. Hail Erin's Golden Age, Hail Patrick and the Blissed Word ! " 31 WURRA-WURRA An' no sooner had the schamin' Lochru in his disguise exprissed these fine Christian sintimints than Keth fell for him. Yis, Keth Mac Maragh fell for him complately swallowin* bait, hook, line an 1 all. Old Lochru, pretindin' not to observe the prisince of the lad, was about to reel off a few more yards of his song, but Keth fell on his neck, sayin' : " Hiven's blessin's rist on ye, old man; for 'tis indade true, as ye've said, that Wurra-Wurra's fatal hour has struck. Tell me where to look for the owld idol that I may bash his face with me hand- stone." " Do me eyes desayve me?" said the false shanachy, returnin' Keth's embrace. "No; sure 'tis the good Patrick's strong man that 32 WURRA-WURRA stands before me Keth Mac Maragh, who, wan day, will be a bishop." "Tis the same," said Keth, swellin' with pride at the wizard's prophecy for that was Keth's great saycrit ambition, to become a bishop. An' now Lochru had him hard an* fast. No suspicion of the false shanachy could have been beaten into his head with an axe. "But the time passes," said Keth; "show me the road to Wurra-Wurra, that I may speedily earn me bishop's staff." Lochru was playin' with the lad as a cat plays with a mouse. " Have ye no fear of the druid wizards? "he said. "Canyecircumvint the spells of Lochru? Are ye after thinkin' that Lucat-Moel an' Caplait will let ye come at Wurra-Wurra to do the idol harm?" " Divil take the wizards an' all their 33 W U R R A - W U R R A spells," answered Keth. "Sure, 'tis Keth Mac Maragh, champion strong man an' as good a scholar as the bist of thim, that has all their spells at his finger-ends. So set me on the road to Wurra-Wurra." " Be it so/' said Lochru. " I persayve that ye're already a bishop, savin* the ordination. 'Tis well. Give heed to me words, for 'tis growin' dark an' ye must travil the night through to escape the sure destruction which Lochru has prepared for ye. 34 WURRA-WURRA " Priss on your prisint way, lad, till ye've rached the top of the third wooded ridge. There ye'll see below ye in the moonlight the glimmerin 1 surface of a great bog, an* on the farther side of the same an owld round tower to the right, an' Concobar Mac Nessa's ruined castle to the lift. Go straight down to the edge of the bog an' suddenly ye'll see that a fine, hard road leads across it. Cross the bog without fear. 'Tis a short cut to Wurra-Wurra over beyond the round tower, an' 'twill lave ye safe from 35 WUEE A-WUERA Lochru an* all his demon immissaries. Have ye me directions fixed clear in your mind, lad? " " Yis," said Keth. " An* may the blissin's of Patrick an' all the saints rest on your white head, vinerable owld man, for, thanks to you, Wurra-Wurra is already as good as done for." The nixt minute Keth's legs were leadin' him straight into the trap so cunningly set for him, an* old Lochru, raysumin' his own face an' form, was chucklin' into his long whiskers. Now whin Keth came to the top of the third ridge an' looked down upon the great bog, 'twas the darkest hour of the night, whin the bad fairies are up to their worst 36 WURRA-WURRA divilmint, an' the dangerous elves an' demons attind to the summons of their masters, the Druid wizards. From the top of the ridge there was no sign of any road across the bog; but Keth, full of foolish faith in the words of the false shanachy, stopped only to draw a full breath, an' was off down the slope at his top speed. An' sure enough, as he neared the bog's edge, he saw before him a straight, hard road gleamin' in the moonlight an' stretchin' clear an' fair to the hill-slope on the farther side. With a shout of triumph, Keth laped forward an' ran swiftly out upon the road over the bog. An' thin, all at wance, there was no more road, an' he found himsilf flounderin' up to his arm-pits in the quaking mud of the stickiest bog in Ireland. 37 WURRA-WURRA An' while he floundered he heard a peal of faymiliar, divilish laughter from the bog's edge. There stood old Lochru, holdin' his sides an' waggin' his head an' thin, in a flash, Keth saw it all, how he had been hocus-pocussed by a false shanachy who was none other than Lochru himsilf. 'Twas useless to waste breath lamintin', or hurlin' hard names at Lochru ; Keth saw that he had nade of it all to extricate himsilf from the bog which he would have done right speedily but for the trump card the old wizard played thin an' there. All at wance Keth found himsilf sur- rounded by a swarm of meisi which are the most dreadful phantoms that inhabit the World of Darkness summoned by the in- cantations of Lochru. The sight of thim 38 Ketlt Mac Men ayh in tfi* bog, tenet by the wizard xpeOs of Loctiru WURRA-WURRA froze Keth's blood in his veins. For a time, so full of terror they filled him, he could nayther speak nor move. Manewhile, ivery minute the bog sucked him down deeper. Sure it would have been all over with Keth Mac Maragh if, suddenly, there had not appeared before him a vision of Patrick, fearless in his great faith, casting down Cromm Cruach in the very prisince of King Laeghaire an' the most powerful of the Druid wizards. The vision gave him strength to raise his voice to the glory of God an' de- fiance of the divil, so that he no longer quaked with paralizin' fear of the phantoms, an' was near strugglin' out of the bog. Thin it was that Lochru summoned Banba, queen of the Dedannan furies, an' with her diabolical aid caused Keth to be 39 WURRA-WURRA set upon by sheevras, leprechauns an' all manner of demoniac reptiles. All the bog about him was covered with thim, an' all the air murmured and shrieked with the flapping of demon wings. Pookas came arid sat upon his shoulders to priss him down into the mire, while the dread Badb, in the guise of a loathsome hag with the wings of a great bat, shut the air from his nostrils and clawed at his throat. Yet always, at what seemed the fatal mo- mint, the voice of Keth, raised in praise of God an' bowld defiance of the divil, so weakened the demoniac powers that old Lochru, raging in vain, saw the dawn ap- proaching an' his triumph unaccomplished. Indade, the triumph was Keth's, for, by the blissin' of heaven, he hild out. In fear 40 WURRA-WURRA of the blastin' rays of the sun, all at wance his demon inemies disappeared with shrieks of baffled vengeance, an' old Lochru with thim. An' soon Keth, still praisin' God an* defyin' the divil, was out of the bog an* dryin' himsilf in the sun. Whin he was dry an' somewhat risted an' raycuperated after the long agonies of that night, he retraced his steps to the road where Lochru had beguiled him. Wan day an' a night he spint at an inn for food an' slape, while the maids claned the bog slime from his raimint, an' thin proceeded on his way into the West. Not until he was out of Fermanagh an' well into Roscommon did he come upon any clue to the whereabouts of Wurra-Wurra. 41 WURRA-WURRA 'Twas truly strange that the right direction should come from another shanachy but a rale wan this time, none other than the great Dubthach Mac na Lugair, royal poet at the court of the King of Connaught. Keth came upon Dubthach as the re- nowned shanachy was fastin' on a false poet who owed him a debt for makin' up some rhymes which the false poet recited about the country as his own divine afflatus. This fakir was a failure at bog-drainin' named Fergus, an' havin' neglected to pay for the rhymes he couldn't make up for himself he was shut up in his house while Dubthach sat before his door, neither of thim eatin' nor drinkin', as the custom was, till the matter was settled. Dubthach was so pale an' lean from four days an' nights of fastin' 42 WU RRA-WURRA that his tunic was all in wrinkles about his shoulders. Fergus' plight was worse yet, for as he sat by his open window with his head in his hand he seemed only half alive Still ivery time Dubthach braced up an 1 called on him to pay the debt he came back with a sharp answer. 'Tis four geese an' a sheep ye owe me," said Dubthach, as Keth came up. " Ye're a liar. 'Tis three geese an' a pig," said Fergus. 11 The law is with me, I'll starve the heart out of ye," said Dubthach. " Yer rhymes were no good, they stuck in me throat," said Fergus. " But I'll pay ye the three geese an' the pig or see yer bones litterin' me doorstep." 43 WU RRA-WURRA Right here Keth stepped in, havin' great wisdom in such matters. After hearin' both sides he recited to 'em the Brehon law, an' then he said : 14 The both of ye are in the wrong. Fer- gus, what ye owe to Dubthach is not four geese an' a sheep, but four geese an' a pig." Hearin' this wise judgmint, Dubthach an' Fergus scowled fiercely at each other; but 'twas plain their jaws were achin' to come together on a flitch o' bacon, an' so Dub- thach spoke up: "Niver shall it be told of me," he said, "that I refused to mate an inemy halfway. Fergus, ye omadhune, open the door of your hovel an' let out the four geese an' the pig." Which the same Fergus did, with a string 44 ^Tf cheeks an' a white chin /'^ "has the day come so soon 6 4 f'inola runs to Keth and delivers an urgent message from Patrick WURRA-WURRA whin ye forgit the face of your own Finola?" "What!" said Keth in aston- ishment, "will ye tell me that your haythin heresies have so strong a howld on ye that ye've lift the household an' spiritual guidance of the good Patrick of Armagh?" "Nay," said Finola. "Tis for Patrick sure I'm runnin', an' the message is to yoursilf." "So! 'Twas the likes of Fi- nola that gave me away ! " And Keth glowered darkly at the maid. "Tell me, Keth," she said in anxious tones, "ye've not 65 WURRA-WURRA done it? Ye've not bashed the great idol, Wurra-Wurra?" Somethin' towld Keth that 'twould be as well for him to dissimble. So he answered cunningly : " Sure the pot-bellied stone haythin sits as firm on his sate as iver he did." "O Wurra-Wurra! " said Finola, with hands clasped in gratitude. " Lave off your heretical supplications," said Keth harshly, "an* hand over me mis- sage from Patrick." "'Tis this," said Finola, givin' him a WURRA-WURRA tinder look from her eyes. "Another bunch of poor loon- atics have started down Glann- galt to lave their troubles with Wurra-Wurra. Patrick follows with his household, but too late to heal thim with the spirit of the Four Gospils before they feel the spell of the sacred grotto. So ye're to let thim, for this wance, resayve their easemint from Wurra-Wurra, as of old for sure, Patrick says, the great idol is an instrumint of God, not yet to be de- stroyed." "So be it," said Keth, dissimbling again. WUEEA-WUERA "Go you back to Patrick an* I will wait for ye beside the grotto." Finola flung hersilf upon his neck. ' 'Tis like the owld swate Keth," she said. " Ah, Keth, why are ye not always true to the gintleness an' hilp- fulness that shines in your face so like Wurra-Wurra's own?" Thin she kissed him and lift him, an* Keth wint slowly back to the grotto, with his chin on his brist, wonderin' how he was to restore the idol's broken head on his 68 W U E R A - W U R R A shoulders. He gathered up the pieces an* mixed some clay an 1 tried to patch thim together, but 'twas no use too well had the handstone done its work! An' now Keth could hear the fresh bunch of loonatics comin' shriekin' an* moanin' down the valley. 'Twas even a worse predicamint he was in, for, crowdin' the loonatics on all sides were scores an 1 hundreds of maids weepin' for their gallivantin' swate- hearts, an' old dames la- mintin' sheep with the foot rot, cows with calves miscast 69 WURRA-WURRA an' such like troubles which 'twas in the minds of thim to shoulder off on Wurra- Wurra. "Sure, 'tis a tight place I'm in," thought Keth Mac Maragh. " The loonatics, an' the maids, an' the old women will be after bashin' the head of me as I bashed their haythin idol. True, I* have me handstone, but what is wan handstone for all that crazy bunch?" An' then suddenly it flashed across his WURR A-WVRRA mind about what Finola had said of his face raysimblin' that of Wurra-Wurra. "Sure, 'tis only the fondness of her foolish little haythin heart," thought Keth. But as 'twas the only chance, an* the first of the loonatics bein' now close to the grotto, Keth Mac Maragh wint behind the headless idol an' leaned over with his neck in the hollow be- tween the shoulders which the handstone had cut as though through a bog-cured cheese. He brought his chin down near to WURRA-WURRA the idol's navel, prissed the cheek of him against the opin ear that remained so provi- dentially, hid his arms an* body behind the great bulk of the image an 1 thin upon the face of him he spread the gintlest and tin- derest smile that was in him. Sure it was all the same to the loonatics. Indade, it seemed an improvement. For, no sooner did a daft wan catch the twinkle in Keth's eye than the twisted brains of him WURRA-WUEEA were all straightened out an 1 he passed on rejoicin*. As the last of the crazy wans were droppin' their troubles on Wurra- Wurra, Keth saw that Patrick an* his fol- lowers had rached the bottom of the valley, where the blissed saint that was to be, sur- rounded by his bishops and his priests and his psalmists, all in their vestmints, was prachin' the Gospil an' makin' converts of iverybody. 73 WURRA-WURRA All the while Keth grew bolder with his smile an* the twinkle in his eye. Whin it came to the turn of the old dames with their cow-yard troubles, siveral times he forgot himsilf so far as to smile aloud. Indade, more than wan full-stomached guffaw did he give in the face of thim, an' got away with it, so rayjoiced they were with the lightness of heart that Wurra-Wurra gave thim. Whin it came to the sorrowin' maids with 74 WUEEA-WUEEA their sad tales on their swatehearts, beyond a wink or two at the prettiest Keth was moved to restrain himsilf. For sure, many were the pitiful tales of loving maids' troubles they poured in his ear! Tales they were that made his heart sore, an' disturbed his mind with recollictions of strange words lately dropped by Finola of the White Shoulder. 'Twas this new light on those same words that now caused Keth Mac 75 W UREA- W UREA Maragh to forget for a mo- mint the smile of Wurra- Wurra, an* to close his eyes with the pain of the thought that came to him. An 1 whin Keth opened his eyes the last of the maids was prostrated before him an* she was Finola! Quickly though his soul quaked he raycalled the smile of Wurra- Wurra to his face. 'Twas none too soon, for Finola, risen to her feet an* leanin' over, was pourin' into the idol's ear all the grafe an 1 dread that clutched her heart. 76 Jfrth, in the shattered idoT place, hears Flnola's great worry W U R R A - W U R R A From Finola's lips the tale was like a white- hot iron in Keth's vitals. Yet it made his heart swell an' rache out to her so that he could not restrain himsilf, but turned his head an* put his lips to hers in a kiss that dropped her like wan dead at the idol's feet. Now Keth Mac Maragh knew what it was for him to do, an 1 he rayjoiced to do it quickly. He came out from behind the shattered idol, an* lifted the limp form of Finola in his arms, an* bore her swiftly 77 WURRA-WURRA through the press of people up to Patrick himsilf, an' said: "Good Patrick of Ar- magh, this maid gave her swate silf to me more suns gone by than it pleases me to raymimber. As thy faith- ful follower, an* for the honor of thy household, I pray you now give her to me in the name of our Holy Church an* in the sight of all min." An' Patrick, seein' how the matter lay Finola bein' raycovered from her swoon an' clingin' tight to Keth 78 Patrick marries and Messes Kelh and Finola of the White Shoulder WURRA-WURRA thin an' there married an' blissed thim. 'Tis towld in the books how Keth became a bishop, though niver would he alto- gether lay aside the hand- stone which had lain low the last idol in Ireland, an* how all the four fine sons that Finola bore him were sure death to snakes an* Druid wizards till not wan of ayther was lift in the land. Concernin' the grotto, an* the headless idol in it, all there prisint bein' now con- 79 W UREA -W URRA vertid Christians, by their own free will they prisintly destroyed ivery vistige of both. Yet to this day there remains on the lips of all the Irish race in time of trouble or worry that same ancient invocation: "O Wurra- Wurra!" An' the ixplanation is Patrick's own desire that it should be so. For, as he raymarked upon that occasion, Wurra-Wurra, as spoken in the Gaelic, is the same as wan calling upon the blissid Virgin, "O Mary!" in that tongue. FINIS. WURRA-WURRA From a Photograph of the original wax model of the reconstructed Idol. " Ye've only to whisper your worries into the blissed ear of Wurra-Wurra an' they'll all fall from ye, lavin' ye clane an' paceful an' in your right mind." Legend of Wurra-Wurra. HISTORICAL NOTES HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE LEGEND BANBA (p. 39) : "Banba, the queen of one of the three Dedannan princes, who ruled the land, sent a swarm of meisa, or phantoms, which froze the blood of the invaders (the Milesians) with terror." Joyce's Social History of Ancient Ireland. BOG-CURED CHEESE (p. 72) : "Masses of cheese have been found in bogs, of which some specimens may be seen in the National Museum." Joyce's Social History. BOOK OF THE DUN Cow (p. 14) : "One of the most ancient collections of Irish historical and legendary material, curiously named for the color of the cow in whose tanned skin it was bound." Joyce. BREHON LAW (p. 44) : "A judge was called a Brehon. . . . The Brehons had absolutely in their hands the 85 WU ERA-WU RE A interpretation of the laws and the application of them to individual cases." Joyce. CROMM CRUACH (p. 11): "Cromm Cruach, covered with gold and silver, and twelve other idols covered with brass about him." Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. "And the earth swallowed up the twelve other images as far as their heads, and they stand thus in token of the miracle." Book of Armagh. DEDANNAN FURIES (p. 22) : "A mythical race of powerful, demoniac and dangerous elves." Joyce. DEMONS, WIZARDS, DRUIDS (p. 24) : All the ancient accounts agree that while the Druids were the only educators in the Ireland of their time, they were also magicians and wizards, and could command the ser- vices of demons and fairies, good and bad. Tr. 'The demons used to show themselves unto their worshippers in visible forms: they often attacked the people, and they were seen flying in the air and 86 WURRA-WURRA walking on the earth, loathsome and horrible to behold/' Joyce. "God protect me from the spells of women (Druidesses) and Smiths, and Druids." St. Pat- rick's Hymn. DUBTHACH MAC NA LucAiR (p. 42) i Here the Leg- end does not quite agree with the authorities. In- stead of being attached to the court of the King of Connaught, he was royal poet and shanachy at Tara during the greater part of Laeghaire's reign as Over-King of Ireland. Tr. ETHNE THE FAIR, AND FEDELM THE RUDDY (p. 9) : In the "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick" and in the "Book of Armagh," these two daughters of King Laeghaireare mentioned as being under the instruc- tion of the Druid priests, Caplait and Lucat-Moel, at the time when Patrick overthrew Cromm Cruach and the twelve smaller idols and made Christian converts of the entire royal family. Tr. 87 WURRA-WURRA FINOLA OF THE WHITE SHOULDER (p. 16) : A heroine of the "Book of Armagh." Evidently the Legend mistakes her for Cruimthiris, mentioned in the "Tripartite Life" as one of the three embroideresses in Patrick's household. (P. 79) : The reference to the four sons of Finola of the White Shoulder is clearly legendary. Tr. FASTING TO COLLECT A DEBT (p. 42) : 'The plaintiff, having served due notice, went to the house of the defendant, and, sitting before the door, remained there without food ; and as long as he remained, the defendant was also obliged to fast." Joyce. GEIS (p. 62) : "A geis was something forbidden. It was believed to be very dangerous to disregard these prohibitions." Joyce. GLANNGALT (p. 48) : "There is a valley in Kerry called Glanngalt, the glen of the gaits, or lunatics." Joyce. Here the Legend, by locating Glanngalt in Ros- common, is palpably in error. Tr. W U R R A - W U R R A HANDSTONE (p. 20) : "It was the custom at that time, every champion they killed in single combat, to take the brains out of their heads and mix lime with them till they were formed into hard balls." Book of Leinster. INNS (p. 26) : The hospitable custom of maintaining inns for the free entertainment of travellers is men- tioned by nearly all authorities regarding the social life of the ancient Irish. A most interesting ac- count is contained in "Joyce's Social History." Tr. LAEGHAIRE (p. 9) : Modern form, Leary; he was the Irish Over-King when Patrick landed at Wicklow and began his missionary labors in Ireland, A.D. 432. All the characters in the Legend are historic, and the names are spelled as originally derived from the Gaelic. Tr. MAC MARAGH, KETH (p. 14) : Evidently confused with Keth Magach, a famous warrior and champion of that time, whose exploits are narrated in the "Book of Armagh." Tr. 89 WU ERA- W UREA MACC CAIRTHINN (p. 20) : In the ''Tripartite Life" Mace Cairthinn is named as Patrick's Strong Man. Evidently the Legend confuses him with Keth Magach. (P. 21): According to the "Tripartite Life," it was Patrick's Strong Man, Mace Cairthinn, who became a bishop, not Keth Magach. Tr. METHEGLIN (p. 47) : Also called mead, "was made chiefly from honey : it was a drink in much request, and was considered a delicacy. ... It was slightly intoxicating. " Joyce. POPULATION (p. 25) : "For the people were very nu- merous in Ireland at that time, and so great were their numbers that the land could afford but thrice nine ridges to each man in Erin: viz., nine of bog, nine of field and nine of wood." Book of Hymns (Todd). PRESBITER BESCNA (p. 13) : Named, with all the mem- bers of Patrick's household, in the "Tripartite Life." Tr. 90 WURRA-WURRA RED BRANCH KNIGHTS (p. 20) : According to Joyce and other authorities, this was an order created by Concobar Mac Nessa, a very ancient king of Ulster, and whose greatest commander was Cuculainn, the mightiest hero of Irish romance. Tr. SHANACHY (p. 26}: "The people . . . took delight in listening to poetry, history and romantic stories, recited by professional poets and shanachies." Joyce. STANDARDS OF VALUE (p. 44) : As in many other coun- tries in ancient times, a cow, or an ox, was the standard of value. It seems probable, therefore, that the Legend is correct in using sheep, pigs and geese for the "fractional currency" of the period. Tr. STRONG MAN (p. 14) : These Strong Men, or cham- pions, like the smiths and other metal-workers, ap- pear frequently in the old annals as distinguished also for their knowledge of law and history, and for their story-telling ability. Tr. WURRA-WURRA TARA (p. 10) : Seat of the Irish Over-Kings. Old Erin's centre of government, of learning and of chivalry. Then, as now, the most eloquent of all words descriptive of Ireland's ancient glory. In poetry, imperishable in the line : ''The harp that once thro' Tara's halls." The scene of St. Patrick's first efforts to redeem Ireland from paganism. Tr. TOBERNAGALT (p. 48) : "Drinking of the water of Tobernagalt (the lunatics' well), and eating of the cresses that grew along the little stream, the poor wanderers get restored to sanity. . . . There is a well called Stroove Bran, which was thought to pos- sess the same virtue as Tobernagalt." Joyce. WURRA-WURRA (p. 18) : The authorities do not spe- cifically mention the existence of an idol having that name ; but they agree that idols were worshipped in all parts of ancient Ireland. Tr. The Irish up to that time (St. Patrick's) "had worshipped only idols and abominations." St. Pat- rick's Confession. 92 WURRA-WU ERA "The destruction of idols in various parts of the country was an important part of St. Patrick's life- work." Joyce. (P. 80) : Some Gaelic scholars hold that the fa- miliar exclamation, " Wurra-wurra !" is the nearest approach in that tongue to the conventional invo- cation of the Blessed Virgin. The Legend, how- ever, makes it, in that sense, an adaptation evidently intending a tribute to St. Patrick's well- known policy of harmonizing his teachings, as far as possible at the start, with ancient customs and beliefs. Tr. 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