Another legend of the Cliffs of Moher that would not too much sense to most readers.
To start the “story”, you need to first have some knowledge about Christianity and Ireland. Before St. Patrick came to Ireland, most people believed in and practised Celtic paganism. Instead of having someone or something as “God”, these deities are usually historical heroes who process superpowers. One of the well-known ones is the TuathaDé Danann.
The words “TuathaDé Danann” mean “People of the Goddes Danu”. They were descendants of the goddes Danu. They learned their skills in art, science, poetry and magic from some mythical cities before they migrated to Ireland.
So, now back to the story. St. Patrick arrived in Ireland. He was preaching and converting all over the country. This angered the TuathaDé Danann. As masters of magic, they transformed themselves into horses (what?) and galloped to Kilcornan to protest (what?!).
Here is a completely unrelated picture of horses and our favourite hero Jon Snow :)Not sure if these angry horses managed to make a point but they ended up hiding in the Kilcornan caves, which are quite close to today’s Cliffs of Moher.
Many many years later, one day, seven foals came out from the caves. Frightened by the bright sunlight, they ran to the edge of the cliff (instead of running back to the cave…). Eventually, they all ended up falling over and died. The spot where they fell off, is now known as the Cliff of the Foals, or Aill Na Searrach.
What have we learnt from this legend about the Cliffs of Moher? Easy – Inbreeding is really bad for you. The TuathaDé Danann were once so smart and skilled to be called Gods. After years of inbreeding, they couldn’t even figure out the best way to avoid the sun is to go back to the caves.
Another unrelated picture – King Joffrey Baratheon, a child of inbreeding, dyingWritten by: Susan K.
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Finn McCools Tours.
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