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Opus Dei and the Five Roads to Tara
meath |
history and heritage |
news report
Monday March 27, 2006 23:43 by Con Connor - Ireland's Druidschool info at druidschool dot com
Celtic Royal City of Ireland The myth of the five roads to Tara comes alive and is found to be the truth and a treasure is returned to the Celtic World. The centre of Tara is found in the triangle where these five roads meet. The attached image shows the five ancient roads to Tara in red. The line of red dots on the photograph shows where there used to be a road to the east coast. This road to the east coast is clearly shown on the 1830's map inset in the circle - the map has been turned to align with the photo - see http://www.druidschool.com/site/1030100/page/809109 In this article - we will refer to the east road as the 'Gold Road'. Hold in your mind the Celtic use of the Horse and the 'Gold Road' can be seen as the Horse drawn wagon route to the Irish Sea, with its Chariot escort and the soldiers of the High King from the Ringfort at Rath Lugh. This was the Golden Age of Irelands Celtic Empire and Tara was its capital city. The very centre of this Royal City is where these ancient five roads meet. For the southeast we have the Leinster Road, which is the N3 from Tara today. It left the Royal City through heavily forested slopes at the southeast gate in the townland of Ross (near Tara PO). This was a level road that runs parallel to the sacred stream of the White Mare / Gabhra. The southwest road is the Munster Road. It has to go west and uphill to the car park and shops on top of the hill of Tara and before the summit it turns south and after half a mile it turns west again to leave the Royal City through the gates at Ringlestown Ringfort. The west route is the Connaught Road - across the northern slopes of Tara Hill overlooking the White Mare / Gabhra to exit the Royal City through the gates at Rathmiles Ringfort. This route would seek to cross the River of the Cow Goddess (Boyne) at Dowdstown where the current traffic bridge exists. The N3 road north from the meeting of the five roads is the Ulster Road. This Ulster Road slopes downhill to the bridge over the White Mare / Gabhra and on to today's town called Navan. |
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Jump To Comment: 1How the first mill in Ireland was build at Tara
The Gowra (Gabhra) Valley lies between the Hills of Tara and Skryne
and the Valley is crossed by the Gabhra river. The river owes its
origin in part to two springs on the eastern flank of the Hill of Tara,
one is known as St Patrick’s Well (possibly Liaig).
The second spring, possibly Nemnach, named in the texts on the
placenames in Tara. This is situated close to Ráith Lóegaire
and it reputed to be the site of the first mill in Ireland.
The connection between the spring and the river is reflected
by the literature in the explanation of the reason for building
a mill in that area. The king of Tara, Cormac mac Airt,
made pregnant his female slave, Ciarnait, and to ease her
burden he brought a mill to Ireland for the first time.
Ciarnait is credited in certain sources as the mother of
Cormac’s son, Cairpre Lifechair, who later dies in the
Gabhra Valley in the Battle of Gabhra.
The Metrical Dinnshenchas says of Nemnach in the poem Temair 111:
“Temair, whence Temair Breg is named,
Rampart of Tea wife of the son of Miled,
Nemnach is east of it, a stream through the glen
On which Cormac set the first mill.
Ciarnait, hand-maid of upright Cormac,
Used to feed from her quern many hundreds,
Ten measures a day she had to grind,
It was no task for an idler.
The noble king came upon her at her task
All alone in her house,
And got her with child privily;
Presently she was unable for heavy grinding.
Thereupon the grandson of Conn took pity on her,
He brought a mill-wright over the wide sea;
The first mill of Cormac mac Airt
Was a help to Ciarnait.
The Banshenchas (The Lore of famous women) recognises Ciarnait
as the mother of Cairpre Lifechair and this is reiterated
by an unpublished poem in the Book of Lecan.
In the story of the Death of Cond Cétchathach in the Book of Fermoy,
she is the mother of Cellach son of Cormac, the man who caused
the Expulsion of the Déisse and the wounding of Cormac mac Airt
and his self-imposed exile to Achall.
The existence of mills in the Gabhra Valley is further borne out
by the placename Lismullin (from muileann “mill”).
Lismullin House also lies in the path of this proposed motorway.
The connection is established then between Ciarnait,
Cairpre and the Nemnach that is one of the origins of the
Gabhra River in the Valley.