An Invitation from the Cailleach

Join us at Loughcrew on the evening of Lughnasa, 7th August 2023, 7 - 9pm

The first time I visited Loughcrew, Carys was still small enough to be carried up and back down again in Conor’s arms. In the 16 years that have passed since then, I have returned many times to the Hag’s Hill; I feel comfortable there, it’s as familiar to me as my back garden, and yet retains an air of mystery. I can never get enough of the sense of space and light, that my feet are treading the same earth as the cairn builders thousands of years earlier. When my fingers trace the carved symbols on the stone orthostats, still as sharply incised as the day they were made, I feel a connection to the artist, and that thrills me. To watch the light creep down the passage and light up the chamber is as special an experience today as it must have been back then.

It used to be that you could borrow the key and rock up at Cairn T whenever you wanted, let yourself in, and stay as long as you liked. Not so any more.

In 2017, the Office for Public Works sealed Cairn T because they said it was no longer structurally sound. The closure was only meant to be temporary, but here we are in 2023, no survey has been done, no remedial action taken, and the cairn remains firmly under lock and key.

We can’t be sure what ceremonies were once held here. But one thing is clear: these cairns were built by the community for the community. It was meant to be a space where people gathered. Throughout the centuries, people have continued to gather at Loughcrew, for all sorts of different reasons. And now, we are gathering again, and you’re invited.

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So what’s it all about?

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What you need to know

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Grandmother Song by Sheffy Oren Bach

This is the song we’ll be singing on the night. Here are the lyrics:

I hear the voice of my grandmothers callin' me
I hear the voice of my grandmother's song
She says, "Stand in your power
Women stand in your power
Listen, listen, listen, listen"

I hear the voice of my grandmothers callin' me
I hear the voice of my grandmother's song
She say, "Give birth, give life
Mothers give birth, give life
Listen, listen, listen, listen"

I hear the voice of my grandmothers callin' me
I hear the voice of my grandmother's song
She say, "Teach them, be wise
Grow and teach them, be wise
Listen, listen, listen, listen"

I hear the voice of my grandmothers callin' me
I hear the voice of my grandmother's song
She say, "Wake up wake up
Child wake up, wake up
Listen, listen, listen, listen"

This is Loughcrew, Sliabh na Caillí, the Hag’s Mountain. Please join us if you can.