For some time now I've been thinking about a visit to Inishowen in Donegal, a place which is full of happy childhood memories for me. On this occasion, I wanted to head for one place in particular, Stroove, on Inishowen's most Easterly point. These days Stroove is probably best known for its lovely sandy beach and lighthouse, but I felt a pull to learn more about the stories of Srúb Brain (which means 'Bran's Point') and I wanted to observe for myself its relationship with the wider landscape.
But before we get to this, let's back up a bit first. The folklore associated with Stroove is fairly diverse and I found it confusing at first. Saint Colmcille is said to have left from Stroove on his way to Iona, Bran's Point has an association with Ravens (the word Bran can also mean Raven), and there is a mythical Welsh King also named Bran. Chough (pronounced 'chuff') can be found nesting locally, and these have a distinctive red beak. It may also be that the name describes the beak-like shape of the headland at Stroove.
I'm deeply indebted to the wonderful 'Unknown Swilly' Blog for the heads-up on much of what follows... The 8th Century text 'The Voyage of Bran', describes how a woman from the 'otherworld' brought a musical silver branch to the palace of Bran. The branch comes from the otherworld, and the woman invites Bran and his company to sail there and experience its wonders (including a magical apple tree), before she disappears... After two days voyage, the party of 27 men (3x3x3 - a magical number) meet the 'Sea God' Mannanán Mac Lir driving his chariot. Mannanán (helpfully!) provides them with directions to their destination which is described as 'the Island of Women' or 'The Land of Wonders'. The men stay there happily for many years, apparently without aging. However, homesickness eventually kicks in for one of the party, Neachtan, and Bran agrees to travel with him to Ireland. He is strongly advised against this by his lover, and is told if he goes, he must not set foot on land!
Bran does go, and the pair reach land at Strúb Brain where Neachtan jumps from the boat. As soon as Neachtan touches Irish soil he turns into a pile of ashes.... Bran remains in the coracle and calls out that he is a 'son of Febal', but no-one remembers him except to say that the name is known in folklore.
A fascinating poem whose title translates as 'The conversation of Bran’s Druid and Febul’s Prophetess above Loch Febuil' (Lough Foyle) references Strúibh Bran was and is likely to have been written no later than the C8th. Legend has it that Loch Febuil takes its name from Feabhal son of Lodan, of the Tuatha De Dannan; however it may also be a reference to a 'lip' - perhaps recalling the appearance of Magilligan's Point when viewed from Greencastle.
Not only is the title of the poem fascinating to me, but Bran's Druid seems to describe a lost land of the 'treasures of the woman-troop' which 'would be a great find for the man who would find it. For wonderful are the pure treasures which are beside Srúb Bran', enough to 'ennoble a tuath (tribe), or more than two...'. In response, the Prophetess talks fondly of how wonderful life was in 'Febul, dark and rich in horses', and describes how 'Mag Febuil' (the Plain of Foyle?) 'of the white flowers is a stony grey sea'
Plenty to chew on then, but without over-thinking it (and because truthfully I was still pretty confused) I still mostly just wanted to spend time in Stroove and experience it myself.
The only way to understand the spirit and stories of a place is to spend time there!
After a day on the beach with the kids, I managed a great swim in the sea after dinner. The water was surprisingly warm (my last encounter with the sea at Stroove hadn't been so pleasant!) & I was treated to a rainbow over the lighthouse. The beach there slopes gently and it makes for quite a safe bathing spot.
The next morning I climbed some rocks while the sun shone, picked some flowers, & spent time getting re-acquainted with hidden corners of the coastline. Seals, cormorants & seagulls made their presence known, and a small fishing boat gathered up its nets from the night before.
Mostly I just enjoyed watching the sea & the busy-ness of the life along the coastline. I was completely irrelevant and that's always a comforting feeling!
A couple of days later, and as planned with the aid of the historic environment map viewer, I went in search of the 'holy well' & cross-inscribed stone at 'Portkill' just North of Stroove beach. I parked in the car-park , crossed a field and spent some time a little too close to the edge of the perilous cliffs up there (beautiful but deadly!) before deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and sticking to the path.
Not far up the road I discovered a shrine to St Colmcille, built around what seemed to be a fascinating (and pleasingly feminine-looking!) natural geological feature. No sign of any water though! It is apparently a tradition in the area to visit this shrine on 15th August (I visited on the 10th). Further investigation revealed that I would need to find a safe path down through the cliffs to the early ecclesiastical site below in order to find the cross and well, but as time would not permit this, I enjoyed the view and contemplated the ocean again. A place of comings and goings.
I found a lovely alternative water-source hidden nearby under some ferns (good enough for me!) & I was joined by two dark birds (they might have been crows or something else, I'm not sure) and a kestrel at close quarters.
Here the water draining from the land into the sea might best be described as 'herbal tincture' (and if you've ever seen the colour of Donegal water you'll know what I mean!). There was mercifully little litter or plastic to be seen along the shoreline where the water seemed clear and vital. Still, I couldn't help thinking about what continues to drain into the seas elsewhere all over the world - waters full of slurry and pesticides - and about the shorelines which bear stark witness to human laziness and greed.
Humans are around 60% water - the outer world is only a reflection of our collective inner world. No wonder we have forgotten who we are.
Later we headed off to visit Grianan of Aileach - the 'sunny place'. I first noticed the site and hill while we were still some distance away. We headed for the 'visitors centre' at a nearby hotel first. I highly recommend it! Very interactive, with some lovely interpretations of the Tuatha De Dannan mytholody - the kids loved it. Despite the explanations on offer though, and the fact that I'd learned a bit about this site elsewhere, I still didn't feel I had a good grasp of the site at all. However, as is now my philosophy, I decided just to go there with an open mind and not try to over-think it.
The key thing for me once we got up there was the views, which even on a bad day were impressive! You can see the whole landscape in all directions. Lough Foyle, the River Foyle, Derry, Lough Swilly with its inlets, hills and ancient sites all on display - a true observatory and not just of the Sun. Of course this makes sense for a strategic site and fort, and it has been identified as the inaugural site for the Kings of Ailech. However some beautiful images on the 'Unknown Swilly Blog' had got me thinking about the relationship between this 'Sun Temple' and Stroove. Despite the poor weather I could still make out the shoreline as it tapered towards Greencastle and beyond - some 37 km to the North East of Grianan.
Looking over to the waters of Lough Foyle from this 'Sun Temple' I was reminded of an absolutely incredible sunrise I witnessed crossing the Boyne on my way to Dublin in February. The early morning sun was bright golden orange - so bright that it flooded the water of the Boyne valley turning the whole thing seemingly into liquid gold! I nearly drove the car off the road... I thought about how the same thing would probably happen here if the conditions were right (that Lough Foyle would turn to liquid gold, not that I'd drive the car off the road!).
Such a place, where the land, sea, and sun interact in this magical and transient way would surely not have gone unnoticed from the Solar Observatory at Grianan. A quick check shows that, when viewed from Grianan of Aileach, they meet at Bran's Point around the time of Lughnasadh. Over the course of the few days, the Sun, making its return journey across the skies, rises again out of the water. It shines first light over Lough Foyle before reaching land again a week or so later.
It is interesting that the annual pilgrimage to St Colmcille's Shrine at Bran's Point still takes place on 15th August. Perhaps the comings and goings of Bran and Colmcille recall the comings and goings of the Sun over Loch Febuil.
Stroove then, the place where an ever-youthful Sun begins to rise out of the magical underworld; re-born out of water, to shine its golden light over the waters of the Foyle at first harvest.
'...for wonderful are the pure treasures which are beside Srúb Bran
Though he goes, let him come back again...'
Credits and more reading:
http://unknownswilly.wordpress.com/
http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=17099 https://archive.org/details/voyageofbransono01scuoft/page/n6
The Lough Foyle Colloquy Texts: Immacaldam in Druad Brain 7 Inna Banḟátho Febuil Ós Loch Ḟebuil; John Carey, Pub. Ériu Vol. 52 (2002), pp. 53-87 (35 pages)
Myth Legend and Romance; an Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition Myth Legend and Romance; Dr Daithi O'Hogan
Myths and Legends of the Celts, James MacKillop
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