Celtic Ireland

The imagery, provided by top-flight and award-winning photographers, was chosen for its connection with our homelands and its ability to evoke emotion. The cards carry an intriguing or inspiring story, poetry or prose on the reverse. The Irish language is used for the wording and is accompanied by an English translation. Although there is an educational element, the cards are a celebration of identity and culture more than anything else.

Eco-friendly cards: Card from responsibly managed forests (FSC®), vegetable-based inks, recycled paper envelopes, compostable outer slips.

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Card size: 152x152mm. Blank inside.

Photography: Hauke Steinberg, Gareth McCormack (CE101, CE104, CE113, CE116), Helen Haden (CE108), Doug Chinnery (CE112)
Text on Reverse of Card

Code: CE101		 Ráth Mealtain / Ramelton – ‘The Ringfort of Mealtan’

Rinne mé smaoineamh i m’intinn is lean mé dó go cinnte,
I considered in my mind, and determined for sure
Go n-éalóinn ó mo mhuintir anonn don Oileán Úir.
To leave my family and cross to the New Island.
D’iarr mise i m’impí ar an Ardrí os mo chionnsa,
In my petition I prayed the High King above me
Lem shábháil ar achan chontúirt go gcríochnóinn mo shiúl.
To save me from every danger until I finished my journey.

Anon.

Emigration is still a common experience for the people of this highly distinctive region in the far northwest of Ireland, where the Irish language is still in daily use. Some leave for Scotland, others for the ‘New Island’ of North America. One of the most enthralling accounts of emigration from Donegal is Rotha Mór an tSaoil (‘The Great Wheel of Life’) by Micí Mac Gabhann (1865–1948), a man who searched for gold on the Klondike and returned to Ireland. Ramelton was the birthplace of New Jersey Senator William McAdoo (1853–1930), one of the first statesmen to make the environment an issue in public life.
 

Code: CE102		 Cnoc Uarchoille / Spancil Hill – ‘Hill of the Cold Wood’

Dá mbéadh maoin agamsa,
Had I wealth,
Agus airgead im phóca,
And money in my pocket,
Do dhéanfainn bóithrín aicearrach
I would make a little road directly
Go doras mo stóirín,
To the door of my little treasure,
Mar shúil le Dia go gcluinfinnse
Hoping to God that I would hear Torann binn a bhróige,
The sweet sound of his shoe,
Agus is fad’ an lá ann ar chodail mé
And it is many a day since I slept
Ach ag súil le blas do phóige.
Unless hoping for the taste of your kiss.


Anon.

County Clare, in the southwest of Ireland, was the birthplace of King Brian Boru (941–1014). The Spancil Hill area, despite its fertility, was long an area of heavy emigration. Several well-known songs about the place still circulate amongst Irish exiles.
 

Code: CE103		 Caisleán Lios Mór / Lismore Castle – ‘Castle of the Great Court’

Slán dá dúntaibh is díol seirce,
Farewell to its fortresses which inspire love,
Slán dá haibnhibh nach ard a nglór;
Farewell to its rivers whose voices are not loud;
Meinic damh uaidhe gan easbaidh,
The learned frequently stay and lack nothing,
Is slán uainne dá heagraidh óir.
Farewell from us to its golden vessels.

Anon.

Lismore Castle stands in the wooded Blackwater valley, remnant of Ireland’s great forests. The fertile landscape of Waterford inspired Spenser’s Faerie Queene, and still contains Irish-speaking communities. The Blackwater, Ireland’s second-longest river, abounds in trout. The first castle was built in 1185. Lismore was the birthplace of Robert Boyle (1627–1691), founder of modern science. Famous foreign residents and visitors include Sir Walter Raleigh and Fred Astaire.
 

Code: CE104		 Cionn Fhánada / Fanad Head – ‘Head of the Sloping Land’

Ní bheanfaidh duaigh ná dochar
No distress or damage shall affect
Re Tír Chonaill chiúnshrothaigh
Quiet-streamed Tyrconnell,
Nach díbh dleaghair a diongbháil
and may you not be required to withstand them
Don tír ealaigh imiolbháin.
In the swan-haunted white-edged land.

Go Magh Luing den leith eile
To Maylung on the other side,
Go Finn, díot do dhlighfidhe,
To Finn, it is your duty
Go bruach Toruigh, a ghruadh ghlan,
As far as the shore of Tory Island
Foruire a cuan sa chaladh.

Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn (c. 1580)

The beautiful coast of Donegal has always presented hazards to mariners. Fanad Lighthouse was built in 1818, as a response to the wreck of H.M.S. Saldanah.
 

Code: CE105		 Aillte an Mhothair / The Cliffs of Moher – ‘The Cliffs of the Ruin’

Éin chalaid co ceolchaire
The melodious birds of the shore,
Ceoilbhinne a ngotha gnáthai:
Musically sweet their habitual voices:
Impa rom-geib eolchaire,
Longing has taken hold of me
Ma ceilebraid cech tratha.
As they celebrate every hour.

Anon.

The coasts and islands of Ireland are as alive with birds today as they were a thousand years ago. The ledges and outcrops of the Cliffs of Moher are home to kittiwakes and guillemots, as well as gulls and countless other species. Bird-lovers have been coming here for generations, and the magnificent O’Brien’s Tower was built especially for the watching of birds. The rolling green interior of County Clare contrasts starkly with the rugged coastline. Here and there on Ireland’s western coast parts of prehistoric structures remain where the ocean has torn part of the land away. The name of these cliffs may refer to some structure now completely eroded. The cliffs themselves are some 200 metres high, with dramatic contrasting strata of black and brown rocks. Facing over to the Aran Islands, made famous by writers such as J. M. Synge and Máirtín Ó Direáin, they stretch for over five kilometres.
 

Code: CE106		 Cnoc na Clochóige / Knocknacloghoge – ‘Hill of the Stony Ground’

Rop crábdeach ar frithaire,
May our awakening be devout,
Ar monar, ar mod,
And our work and our activity,
Ar cotlud, ar cumsanad,
And our sleep and our rest,
Cen terbaid, cen tor.
Be without hindrance or trouble.

Colm Cille (7th century)

Irish poetry has always expressed a close relationship with time and nature. Until modern times, few settlements were large by international standards. Some thinkers settled in the wild places in order to get to grips directly with the great spiritual forces. Even today, an hour’s drive from Dublin’s legendary O’Connell Street will take you into the sparsely populated wilderness of the Wicklow Mountains. The O’Tooles and other clans fought for centuries to keep the Mountains outside the Pale, as the area of royal authority was known. After the Rising of 1798, a Military Road was built to deploy troops against the rebels. The last of them, Michael Dwyer (177–1826), surrendered in 1803.
 

Code: CE107		 Loch Té / Lough Tay

As é sin mo ghleann grádha,
It is the valley that I love, As é sin m’fhearann comhdhála,
It is my assembly ground, As é sin mo dhún ríogh re roinn,
It is my royal fortress and my portion, As é sin mo dhíon ar dhoininn.
It is my shelter against thunderstorms.
As é sin m’fhulaing oidhche,
It is my nourishment at night Cnuasach mo dhá chrobh choidhche,
That my two hands gather, Beanaim i ndoiribh dorchaibh
In the dark oak woods where I pick Do luibhibh, do lantoirthibh.
Herbs and an abundance of fruit.

The Songbook of Finn (15th century)

Many of the glens and hollows of the Wicklow Mountains were scoured out in the Ice Age by glaciers. Streams and rivers rise through the rock and peat, often through cool springs. The dark water of Lough Tay laps the shore of land owned by the Guinness family, who have scattered white sand along the water’s edge. The resemblance to a glass of Guinness has not escaped public notice.
 

Code: CE108		 Capaillíní Chonamara / Connemara Ponies

Níl gleanntán cnoic ná sléibhe
There is no little valley of hill or mountain,
Ná baile cuain sa méad sin
Or harbour town, in that whole place
Nach dtóiróidh mé más féidir liom,
Where I would not pursue her were I able,
‘S nach n-éalóidh mé lem mhian …
And where I would not escape with my heart’s desire …

Anon.

The bogs and mountains of Connemara stretch along the northern shore of Galway Bay. Lovers of nature are attracted by the wealth of wildlife. The Irish language is still in daily use, and the area was home to eminent writers such as Máirtín Ó Direáin, Liam Ó Flaithearta, and Pádraic Ó Conaire (on one of whose stories The Quiet Man was based).

One interpretation of the name is Cuana na Mara ‘Harbours of the Sea’. The inlets and lakes of the ragged coastline are so interwoven that you can never be certain whether the next shining water is part of the sea or not. The Connemara pony is said to have Arabian blood, which some say came from Spanish horses left by the Armada of 1588. In fact, the area had been trading with Spain for centuries before that.
 

Code: CE109		 Droichead na Leathphingine, Baile Átha Cliath / The Ha’penny Bridge, Dublin

Fil súil glais
There is a blue eye
Fégbas Erinn dar a hais;
That will look back at Ireland;
noco naceba iarmothá
Never will it see again
Firu Ereann nách a mna.
The men of Ireland or its women.

Colm Cille (7th century)

Exile was for centuries a minority experience, often undertaken voluntarily. Irish scholars fanned out over much of Europe, bringing the Dark Ages to an end. Their writings still turn up in libraries far from Ireland. Many more people experienced political exile from the 17th century on, and millions were driven abroad by the economic crises of the 19th and 20th centuries.

A Town at the Ford of the Hurdle – Baile Átha Cliath – by a Black Pool – Duibhlinn – grew into the boisterous, crowded, expensive, and completely irresistible city of Dublin. Writers such as James Joyce, Brendan Behan, and Flann O’Brien have brought it alive to natives and strangers alike. Perhaps its most recognisable symbol was built in 1816 and was originally called the Wellington Bridge after Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), first Duke of Wellington. The proprietors were empowered to charge a ha’penny and the Ha’penny Bridge is how it has always been known to most inhabitants and lovers of Dublin.
 

Code: CE110		 An Scairbh, Doire Fhíonáin / Scariff Islands, Derrynane – ‘The Shallows, Finian’s Oak Grove’

Gorm fallán fér na hinse,
Green and wholesome the grass of the island,
Dlúith a coillte cnóimhillse,
Dense her nut-sweet woods,
Cnuas toghtha is iomdha orra,
Many a choice bunch on them,
Tolcha tiorma taobhchorra.
The dry smooth-sided hillocks.

Anon.

Islands are a key image in Irish poetry, often as a focus of longing. Their self-contained completeness sometimes makes them a symbol of the self. County Kerry, in the southwest of Ireland, is a rugged land with its own distinct personality. Some refer to it as ‘The Kingdom’, where Irish can still be heard in some communities. The exuberant, independent character of the people has given rise to an entire genre of ‘Kerryman’ jokes. Famous Kerrymen include St Brendan the Navigator, thought to have reached the Americas, and Field Marshal Lord Kitchener.

The winding road round the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula, known as the Ring of Kerry, passes through Derrynane, birthplace of Daniel O’Connell (1775–1847). Known as ‘The Liberator’, he is credited with having secured Catholic Emancipation for the majority community.
 

Code: CE111		 Drom Beag / Drombeg – ‘Little Ridge’

Ind ráith i comair in dairfhedo,
The ringfort by the oak wood,
Ba Bruidgi, ba Cathail,
It was Bruidge’s, it was Cathal’s,
Ba hAedo, ba hAilello,
It was Aed’s, it was Ailill’s,
Ba Conaing, ba Cuilini,
It was Conaing’s, it was Cuilíne’s,
Ocus ba Maele Dúin,
And it was Mael Dúin’s.
Ind ráith d’éis cach ríg ar uar
The ringfort remains after every king in turn,
Ocus int shluaig foait i n-úir.
And the armies sleep in earth.

Anon.

The landscape of Ireland contains thousands of structures older than any written record. Ireland’s earliest chroniclers wove traditions about the megaliths and forts into a grand narrative of the island’s history from the beginning of the world. Informed by philosophical principals, this led to a discipline called dinnsheanchas linking every place with the events that happened there. The stone circle at Drombeg stands to the West of Clonakilty, in County Cork – an area renowned for its contribution to music, literature, and sport. Sometimes it is known as the Rebel County for its part in past struggles.
 

Code: CE112		 Loch Coirib / Lough Corrib

Gach loch, gach linn dá labhra,
Every lake, every pool of which you speak,
Ós dóibh féin téid i dtarbha,
Since it was for the good of
Fuil Eibhir is dóibh do ling,
Descendants of our common ancestor Eibhir that they
sprung forth, Ar a gcuid féin don Éirinn.
They are for the benefit of all in their part of Ireland.

The Contention of the Poets (17th century)

The origins of water and water rights have long been an issue in Irish life. According to some early theologians, shortly before the Day of Judgement Ireland would be covered by a sheet of water and thus saved from the general conflagration. The concept of water as a common resource for the good of all is still strongly held.

Lough Corrib is said to be named after Oirbisia, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann ‘Tribes of the Goddess Danu’. They were believed to have retreated unto the hills, burrows, and lakes when the first humans landed in Ireland. From the Lough the River Corrib flows down to the city of Galway. Like many Irish lakes, Lough Corrib is well-stocked with fish. Among famous anglers who loved Lough Corrib was William Wilde, grandfather of Oscar Wilde.
 

Code: CE113		 Cruach Phádraig, Cuan Mó / Croagh Patrick – ‘The Round Hill of Patrick’, Clew Bay

Tiucfaidh in Tailghionn tar muir,
The Adze-Head will come over the sea,
Budh sochar do Ghaoidhealaibh.
And will be a boon to the Gaels.
Benfaidh Eirinnn ar a broid
He will rescue Ireland from her travail
Is beinneochaid in tiurruid.
And he will bless the spring,
Mar beinneochus an sreibh slain
As he blesses the clear stream,
Patraic Mac Calproinn dá láimh:
Patrick son of Calpurnius, with his hand:
Tiucfaidh bradáon borb go mbládh
A wild salmon will come gloriously
Is tóigheabhaidh in tsithal.
And will lift up the cup.

Anon.

Tradition says that Saint Patrick was carried off to Ireland in 432, from his birthplace on the western coast of Britain. His surviving letters show how his courage and dedication overcame enslavement and lack of education. Hymns and prayers attributed to him are still in use. The bulky round peak of Croagh Patrick dominates the shore of County Mayo, a mountainous county running down to the Atlantic. Patrick is said to have spent 40 days fasting there in 441. Every year thousands of pilgrims climb the mountain, many barefoot.
 

Code: CE114		 Trá Ros Beithe / Rossbeigh Strand – ‘Headland of the Birches’

Nallsa thuidheacht do dhúiri;
Alas when tribulation comes;
Imbrúife na mórdhúili:
It will crush the great elements:
Lasfait talamh ocus nem,
Earth and heaven will blaze,
Tibre trethan bith aithgen.
No more will the ocean smile.

Anon.

The interplay of earth, fire, air and water was an important theme in early Irish culture. Poets and storytellers described strange living beings, as at home on the surface of the sea as humans are on the surface of the land. Heroes would undertake an iomramh or voyage to meet them. Coastlines and other interfaces between elements were also the boundaries between different powers and authorities. Anything found beyond the ninth wave was outside legal possession.

It was from Rossbeigh that the 6th-century Saint Brendan the Navigator began his iomramh that scholars believe took him to the Americas. The 18th-century poet Aogán Ó Rathaille, author of still-popular vision poems, took refuge here when patronage failed.
 

Code: CE115		 Teach Solais an Phoill Bhig / Poolbeg Lighthouse – ‘Little Pool’

Gé tá Éire san aird thiar
Although Ireland is in the western quarter
Atáid tíre i dtoineann grian
There are other lands where the sun sets
Le linn curtha a cuarta a le
In the course of its journey
Nach Hibernia ná Éire.
That are not called Hibernia or Ireland.

Is follus turmamh an ghréin
It is clear that the setting of the sun
Ann gach tír fhágbhas dia heis
Is in every land that it leaves behind it
Ó tá an domhain i modh chruinn
Since the form of the world is round
Is spéar gréine na cearcuill.
And the sky of the sun is a circle.

Anon.

The famous Poolbeg lighthouse has welcomed seafarers to this shore for two and a half centuries, but this area has been the threshold of Ireland for over two thousand years before that and may have been the ‘Eblana’ recorded by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy. The local area of Ringsend, mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses, is now a suburb of Dublin. It is the home of publishers and of the studios where U2 and The Chieftains record.
 

Code: CE116		 Glasoileán / Glassilaun Beach – ‘Green Island’

Mett in maigi, lion int sloig,
The size of the plain, the number of the hosts,
Taiinit liga co nglanboaid;
Bright excellent colours shine;
Finnsruth airgit, dreapa oir,
A white stream of silver, stars of gold,
Taircet foliti cach imroid.
Produce welcome at every drinking.

Anon.

The coasts of Ireland were the threshold of the sea, where Manannán, the king of the waves, would describe his realm as a bright plain crowded with creatures and heroes. Here time ran differently, and a sea voyage was a change of consciousness as much as a journey.

The shades of colour and brightness covered by the word glas include the sky and the sea, flourishing plants, and things that are fresh and unimpaired. The green island of Glassilaun lies on the Atlantic coast, where a beautiful pale beach attracts discerning visitors down to where the ever-changing sea and sky meet the land. Parts of the film Tristan and Isolde were filmed near here.
 

Code: CE117		 Gleann an Choim, Cill Iníne Baoith / Glenquin – ‘The Glen of the Shelter’, Kilnaboy

Gotha gadhar id ghleanntoibh
Dogs’ voices in your glens
Ar mhucaibh alta da ffiadhach;
Hunting for wild pigs;
Gach feindibh da ttigeadh a lathair
All the warriors that reached the place
‘S a ccoin cille ar iallach.
With their beautiful dogs on leashes.

Anon.

Cú, madadh, gadhar, madra – the important role of dogs in Irish tradition is indicated by the number of different names they have in the Irish language. Many early poems have the chase as their theme or setting. Irish dog-lovers have produced several famous breeds such as the wolfhound and the Irish setter. Glenquin lies in the wild and fascinating region of the Burren, near the coast of County Clare. The startling geology, the rich variety of the living world, and the wealth of archaeological remains going back millennia, attract visitors from all over the world. This area of Co. Clare is also known for its distinct style of music. The house in the picture was used for the exterior of the clergy house in the comedy series Father Ted, starring Dermot Morgan (1952–1998).
 

Code: CE118		 Dún Guaire, Cinn Mhara / Dungory Castle – ‘Stronghold of Guaire’, Kinvara

Dáil gach neith dá mbí ‘na- láimh;
Bestowing everything that is in his hand
Do-ní Guaire mac Colmáin;
Is the wont of Guaire the son of Colmán;
A mhian féin do gach nduine
To each one according to his own desire
Dáiltear le laoch Liathmhuine.
The hero of Liathmhuin bestows.

Anon.

Dungory was built in 1520 by the Hynes clan on the site of ‘The Fortress of Guaire’, a famous ancestor. Guaire was a 7th-century King of Connacht, the westernmost province of Ireland. He was as renowned for his generosity as for his courage. In 1924, Dungory Castle was bought and restored by the famous writer, surgeon, and patriot Oliver St. John Gogarty (1878–1957), caricatured as ‘Buck Mulligan’ in James Joyce’s Ulysses. He was a friend of writers such as W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and Lady Gregory. Today, the castle welcomes visitors eager for a taste of Irish history. The village hosts the annual sailing festival, Cruinniú na mBád ‘Meeting of the Boats’, where Galway Bay’s famous sailing craft are put through their paces.
 
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