05/05/2024

Today’s ramble is around the old churchyard at Drumhome, Co.Donegal, and although I should have been thinking of our local patron saint, Colm Cille who probably founded the monastery here, I was actually bewitched by the dandelions growing everywhere, how pretty their little star-faces are, and how they don’t seem to deserve their low status as weed rather than wildflower. Back to the dandelions shortly, but we’ve stumbled on yet another site with a rich history.
The establishment of monastic settlements by Colm Cille and his missionaries had a profound effect on the spread of Christianity in Ireland and Britain. These early monasteries were hothouses of literacy and scholarship, and they are why we retain so much of our mythology and ancient lore ( albeit in a skewed fashion). In fact, one of the most important scholars to spend time learning at Drumhome was Adomnán, who would become an Abbot of Iona, and biographer of Colm Cille- but he was also the author of ‘Cáin Adomnán’, ( known also as The Law of Innocents), a law to protect women and children in times of war. It’s always very humbling when you come across these peaceful and serene old places and think about what might have happened here. A later church on the site is now ruined, but the graveyard includes many names from the Plantation of Ulster, including Hamiltons and Thompsons.
But back to the dandelions, then! Out of curiosity, I trawled the folklore archive, and found nothing but good things - the dandelion as a fairy clock, as pig food, and it is listed as the cure for many many ailments, including coughs, warts,kidney trouble, purifying the blood - and one correspondent simply declares ‘Dandelions cure everything’. My favourite recipe from the folklore archive comes from County Clare and is as follows-
‘The leaves of the dandelion were pounded and the juice and pulp were put into a half gallon jar. A half a pint of whiskey was put in next and a pound of brown sugar and the remainder of water to fill the half gallon jar. This jar was corked well and left in a safe place for a month before using. This was taken every morning as a cure for cough’.
This little ramble reminds me, and hopefully you that this is the beauty of the Irish landscape, especially if you get off the beaten path. You will find history and folklore at every turn, we are so lucky we still have the tools ( the language, the texts, the folklore collections) to partner with our imagination and be such a satisfying and rewarding experience.
Enjoy! #donegal #Drumhome #colmcille #findmyireland #hamilton #thompson