Altair 2016: Day 51

Sunday 19th June 2016

Happy Fathers Day!

We had a lovely walk along the beach

Someone had a swim!

Ballycastle is delightful! An undeveloped, unspoilt seaside town. A long beach of lovely sand and families enjoying themselves.

Across from Ballycastle is Rathlin Island.

It is on Rathlin Island that Robert the Bruce, after he had lead his army to defeat at Methvan that he was forced to fles his homeland and seek refuge in a cave. He spent three months in this cave and, at his lowest point decided to giver up his fight for Scottish Independence. He saw a spider trying to escape through a narrow crack in the ceiling. Despite falling time and time again, the spider persevered and escaped. Robert The Bruce decided to fight once more, gathered his army telling them "If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again" Bruce and his army finally defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

There is a headland near by called Fairhead

According to legend, Fairhead got its name from the tale of a beautiful fair-headed girl who once lived in a castle on the island of Rathlin nearby. She had many suitors leading to a fight between two of them. One was mortally wounded and, as he lay dying, whispered to his servant to dance with the girl on the cliffs below the castle. The faithful servant obeyed, and danced nearer and nearer the edge of the cliff until they both fell over and died. The spot on the mainland where the girl’s body was washed up was from then on known as ‘Fairhead’.

Last one I promise you but I love all these legends

The Children of Lir Irish story – Long ago there lived a king called Lir. He lived with his wife and four children: Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn. They lived in a castle in the middle of a forest. When Lir’s wife died they were allvery sad. After a few years Lir got married again. He married a jealous wife called Aoife.

Aoife thought that Lir loved his children more than he loved her. Aoife hated the children. Soon she thought of a plan to get rid of the children.

One summer’s day Aoife took the children to swim in a lake near the castle. The children were really happy to be playing in the water. Suddenly Aoife took out a magic wand. There was a flash of light and the children were nowhere to be seen. All there was to be seen was four beautiful swans, with their feathers as white as snow.

Aoife said, “I have put you under a spell. You will be swans for nine hundred years,” she cackled. “You will spend three hundred years in Lough Derravaragh, three hundred years in the Sea of Moyle and three hundred years in the waters of Inish Glora,” Aoife said. She also said, “You will remain swans for nine hundred years until you hear the ring of a Christian bell.”

She went back to the castle and told Lir that his children had drowned. Lir was so sad he started crying. He rushed down to the lake and saw no children. He saw only four beautiful swans.

One of them spoke to him. It was Fionnuala who spoke to him. She told him what Aoife had done to them. Lir got very angry and turned Aoife into an ugly moth. When Lir died the children were very sad. When the time came they moved to the Sea of Moyle.

Soon the time came for their final journey. When they reached Inish Glora they were very tired. Early one morning they heard the sound of a Christian bell. They were so happy that they were human again. The monk (some even say it was St. Patrick himself) sprinkled holy water on them and then Fionnuala put her arms around her brothers and then the four of them fell on the ground. The monk buried them in one grave. That night he dreamed he saw four swans flying up through the clouds. He knew the children of Lir were with their mother and father.

In Ballycastle there is this lovely sculpture of 4 swans