Prayers & Pilgrims in Shrone, Co. Kerry, Ireland 1977
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- Опубликовано: 26 апр 2022
- During May for thousands of years people have been coming to Shrone in Kerry a place of pagan beliefs, faith, customs, music and dancing.
Dan Joe Cronin tells Áine O’Connor about this ancient place, and why people have been coming on pilgrimage here for seventeen centuries.
For the best part of two millennia, people have come and gone here. The City, or Cathair Craobh Dearg, is an ancient stone ring fort in Shrone, County Kerry near the Paps of Anu mountains.
We’re all holy people here.
Like most ancient sites on this island, its original pagan intentions were subsumed into Christianity, and it is now a place of pilgrimage on Lá Bealtaine, or May Day. Similarly, the fort’s name came from one of a triad of pagan war goddesses, who later became St Craobh Dearg.
The pilgrimage is held on 1st May, but people also come here up until the 12th of May. Local folklorist and expert on the site Dan Cronin explains what the pilgrimage entails,
You start at what is known as the Gap here. Certain prayers are said there, and then it’s up to an individual themselves to say what prayers they like going around the outside of the wall, of the outer wall three times, and then they come in and say their prayers inside, in the circle, in the cathair. There are various stations marked with crosses...I think in pagan times, these marks were circles, and there’s one of them still to be seen here, on one of these stones...
Although the pilgrimage was a serious day with an emphasis solely on spiritual matters, Dan Joe Cronin says that it was also a great social occasion, with music, dancing, sporting games played, and plenty of merriment, once the prayers were completed. The economic constraints of the Second World War brought an end to the festival side of the pilgrimage,
Fifty years ago, say, they came from Cork city on May Day with all their games, all the rest of it, the place would be thronged with people...jesters and jugglers, and all the voices mixed together. Harp players, this was a great place for harps. And a lot of old relics have been dug up and found around the place, harp tuning keys, various other things.
Pilgrims coming from far away did not always bring luck to local people however, as one man discovered to his detriment. Despite offering hospitality to a pilgrim who called to his house, some misfortune would always befall an animal on the farm once the man had left. This went on for a few years until the man talked to his neighbours, who told him to secure all his farm buildings and prevent anyone from accessing them. Once he had done this, the visits stopped, and he found had no more recurring problems with his livestock.
In addition to the various prayers said in the City, pilgrims also reverence the statue of Our Lady of the Wayside and drink water from the holy well and fill bottles with it to bring home. Lastly, they leave something behind at the base of the statue, such as a coin, but in days gone by, items such as ribbons, hairpins and handkerchiefs would be left behind.
It was a pagan aspect of the thing. They were leaving their troubles behind them, I presume.
In the past, folk beliefs and certain practices relating to animals were taken very seriously in this part of Ireland. A sick cow would be driven into the City on May Eve, and left overnight in the hope that she would be cured the following morning. New milk was poured over the door to the cow byre, and the family home, to protect the profits of the farm.
On the morning of May Day, whitethorn and golden cups flowers were placed around the well, to prevent anyone skimming the water from the top, and depriving people of the luck, protection and healing which was associated with this water, when drawn on that day.
This episode of ‘Next Stop’ was first broadcast on 18 May 1977. The reporter is Áine O’Connor.
‘Next Stop’ was a weekly programme from and about the provinces highlighting items of general interest of concern. Programmes included a viewers’ service with exchange of ideas as a way of comment and reaction. 
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Nice to see memories of tradition. Where is our traditions, culture heritage identity gone today? Ireland is almost no longer Irish.
I agree, it has lost a lot. Modern aspirations have undermined tradition and left it by the wayside.
Wonderful to see such tradition.
The hard men of Ireland
Ireland is so beautiful
Peaceful people i miss old Europe 😢
It was often the case..Christian adoption of ancient places and practices. It may surprise some to learn just how much overlapping we’ve had. History is kept alive through such things.
Yes I love the overlapping and peculiar to Ireland, prayers and pagan customs. It is quite funny sometimes the way May Bealtaine etc is magical yet also the Month of Our Lady. Easter then most holy time of year but the pagan rituals are there.☘
Catholic, not Christian.
Christianity has no link to pagan festivals, idolatry etc. That is all anti Christian.
@@user39h2j8il Well, it's a matter of opinion.. it's highly subjective and there is no right or wrong regardless of any of these "born again" fanatics will tell you. Catholicism is undoubtedly Christianity.. the only people who would say it isn't are some self righteous groups of fundamentalist Protestants who have hijacked the term "Christian" and somewhat ungodly think it only applies to themselves, much to other people's amusement. But on the contrary, Catholics believe those types are offending Christ by ignoring his Mother, and in turn, feel they will go to Hell for that.. so in a sense, Catholics don't see them as Christian either. Neither is correct.. and neither have the right to say what the other is.. they can, of course if they wish, but ultimately they're both wrong. Regardless whether they believe they are or not.. both are Christ following faiths.. and when you really get down to the finer points, there's not a huge deal of difference between them. Christianity has nothing to do with Paganism but I'm puzzled how anyone can say Christianity has not taken from Paganism.. the Christians have been appropriating the Native European pagan festivals, sites and traditions for centuries.. since Christianity's origins in Europe really.. pretty much all the Christian celebrations are stolen from Pagan precursors. It's very basic knowledge. When the Christians first came they burned down Pagan places of worship and erected their churches on sacred sites and burial grounds.. took the pre-established Pagan festivals, put a Christian spin on them, and converted the Pagans under threat of the sword. Few ideologies have resulted in more blood spilled than Christianity. I think many older people in Ireland believe that but Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism and to a lesser extent Protestantism amongst the sons of the planters in the occupied North is their "native" traditional faith.. when in reality, others would say is more or less rebranded Judaism. Some native European Pagans would say Christianity is a foreign desert cult created by goat herders 2000 years ago and has no place in Europe.. and while there may be nicer ways to put it, can anyone really deny that? I personally feel people should be free to believe what they wish.. even if it is fairytales.. but what gets me, even today, after all this time, you get Christians who are still steeped in denial, delusion and insufferable arrogance. I've never met a serious Christian who I'd class as being a free thinking or having a high degree of intelligence. I don't mean that as an insult to them, just a mere observation. I think if many Christians actually studied the origins of their faith in depth, rather than blind faith in doctrine, they would have a hard time looking in the mirror without asking themselves "Am I a fool?"
Dan Joe has a great accent. I still remember visiting New Grange and the accent of the tour guide, "five towsand years agoooo,"
"""Learning to Trust the God who Loves and Keeps us""--- Thank u CR's--- V.V--- BEAUTIFUL...🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏..............
Hi Mary Kate☘💚🧚♂️
Good stuff
Does anyone know where this is and if the tradition is still continued
Pretty sure it's Kerry in the South
This applies to us as well (Australia). I'm first generation with a lot of Irish blood 💚
Cu Cailte!!
Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, it’s with O ‘Leary in the grave…
Even those old Pagan people were very holy people, they were had their belives
A tb door Matt makes sense do tell on cr
The entirety of Catholicism is an adaptation of pre-Christian European and Levantine paganism. Saints, feast days, litanies, icons, etc etc.
And likewise in Mexico, Central and South America, the adaptation of and syncretism with indigenous practices and beliefs.
Nice to see they were having a nice ceili!
He has to be putting that accent on. 🤣
That is pure Irish accent....
100% Kerry accent, my family