Ireland

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

when i was 16, i chose to go to ireland instead of having a sweet 16 party, so just my mother, my father and i went. (a big treat- not having to share the car or anything else with my brother and sister, and as a middle child im kinda a loner, i enjoyed the time alone)

it was absolutely amazing. the first time i ever went, and i was blessed to be there on my birthday.
im irish by descent- my great grandmother was named Katie O'Connor, bright red hair, and her parents were from County Mayo- but we flew into Dublin, went south around kerry, then cut back across.

I felt an INCREDIBLE connection with the country. I feel a distaste for suburbia at times. i love the wildnerness feeling, the wide fields of and craggy rocks, waterfalls, wild sheep.

I ran into a horse once, on its own and it stood and looked at me and then ran off, shaggy looking, if not wild maybe feral?

The defining moment was when I walked over a hill completely on a whim, and lo and behold, at the bottom of the hill was an old ruin, with a streak of sunlight falling directly on it from a cloud, like a flashlight from the heavens... breathtaking. I was so drawn to it, I walked in itand there was an old cemetary...
I did some research and found out its called Hore Abbey.

As a part of the magical community how do you feel about places? Can you be drawn to a place, and what does it mean?? Also, familiars- can that horse be some sort of spirit animal, or i dont know what?

I need some thoughts on this!

[Fie]

I love Ireland myself and I've never been there =) Something about, the music, the culture, the old ways, they make me feel extremely spiritual. I totally believe that you can be attracted to a place and linked to it spiritually, maybe in a past life you lived in Ireland and were somehow connected to the Abbey? I would love to know which part of Ireland you found to be the most spiritual to you =)

As for the horse, you might find this page useful? http://www.whats-your-sign.com/horse-sy ... nings.html

Horses are extremely spiritual animals, so it makes sense (to me anyways) that if you were feeling very connected to the land and spiritual while in Ireland, that a horse would present himself to you.

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

thanks!
i looked up Hore Abbey, wikipedia had this to say:
'Hore' is thought to derive from 'iubhair' – yew tree. The former Benedictine abbey at Hore was given to the Cistercians by Archbishop David MacCearbhaill (in 1270)

interstingly, this abbey was built to reform Irish christians who were observed to be mostly pagan:
"never had he found men so shameful in their morals, so wild in their rites, so impious in their faith, so barbarous in their laws, so stubborn in discipline, so unclean in their life. They were Christians in name, in fact they were pagans."
(thanks to wikipedia, again)

kinda funny =p

I also found this on horses:

Celtic Horse Symbolism
The equine, Each, symbolizes the Goddess, travel and land. She summons people to travel in the physical and inner realms. She bestows energy and connects humans to the sun and the land.

As a Horse Goddess, she represents the cycle of birth, death, the afterlife and rebirth. Each is associated with the night, magick, the Moon, mystery, war, victory, valor and fertility.

(http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/artic ... and-wisdom)

[Bubblejoe_30]

Hey

I'm from Ireland and I enjoyed reading your post. Its certainly true if there is Irish in your blood there is no place like here and I don't think anyone I know would totally settle anywhere else. It sounds like you had an amazing time here and O'Conner is certainly a very Irish name, if you don't mind me asking what did this lady do did she ever work? As for the horses many many people here keep and ride horses, I myself have been riding and around horses from a young age infact I still have one of my own and there is always someone who you know that has horses, they are a very mystical animal and I feel extremely connected to them Ireland is a very beautiful place and I hope you get the pleasure of returning here someday. You will certainly find out we all enjoy the craic x

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

Ireland certainly is beautiful, i am itching for another visit, you're lucky to live in such an awe inspiring country!

my great-grandmother had a very intersting but sad life.
Her parents emigrated to America by way of boat, they were supposed to land in NYC but because of bad weather went off course and landed in the coast of Canada instead (nearby Nova Scotia i believe). Her parents died in Brooklyn when she was very young, leaving her to the care of an older sister. Her much older sister wanted nothing to do with raising a child, so she left her to an orphanage.
I'm not sure what work she got, probably whatever she could find living in a tenement house in Brooklyn. I know she spent much of her time as a scrubwoman.

because she was an orphan I don't know much about her grandparents in ireland or any other family.

[elouise]

Ceibhfhionn I have had a similar experience in Scotland!

I grew up in Australia but my mothers family are Scottish. I did a working holiday to Scotland a few years ago & while living there, walked the West Highland Way which is a 7-day treck from Glasgow to Fort William in the Highlands.

Just out of Glencoe you begin to climb a passage called the 'Devils Staircase'. When you get to the top the Highlands open up in font of you & its breathtakingly beautiful. As I am standing there (all hot & sweaty 'cause it's quite a climb) looking out at snow capped mountains stretching as far as the eye can see, I felt this HUGE rush of energy from the ground into my feet, up my legs & then embracing my whole body. It felt so divine & loving I started to cry ... & I know without a shadow of a doubt it was my ancestors welcoming me home.

Anyone reading this, if your ancestry is from a different part of the word from where you grew up, I strongly urge you to visit your 'mother/father land' at least once in your life. The only way I can describe is that I felt complete, like i'd come full circle & it gave me a sense of peace & belonging which has never left me.

[illbehere]

haha xD
i live in ireland. i have to say.. i hate the rain, but i love nature so itsp erfect for me =).
yeah its quite a buetfull country. i used to take it fro granted. im planning on LOTS of exploring of ireland this summer. hoping to go to New Grange and visit the portal dolmens.. maybe "borrow" some rocks haha xD.
i thought i was the only pagan here. i found a druid and he lives close by, i may be meeting with him tomorrow. i cant wait. i quite enjoy the idea of being a druid. nature is a very common part of ireland and i enjoy it.
yesterday i went to the woods and rand around and stuff. it was fun. the walk up and back was bad but getting there we had a sense of accomplishment. :p
if u even visit and come to Enniscorthy in Wexford then id love to meet up with you ;D. enniscorthy is more historic than most towns exept ferns.. but they smell bad XD.
yeah anywhoo. im glad u liked your journey =)

[black dove]

Hahaha, a visit to Ireland is pretty much #1 on my to do list. I'm about 40% Irish (all my mom's side), and around 2 years ago I actually started taking an interest in my heritage and fell in love. I don't know if 40% is exactly accurate, but I don't have any of my dad's (Italian/British Canadian) traits, so the Irish blood in me is definitely dominant to say the least. XD I may have an Italian last name, but I'm a Monaghan on the inside... or I guess in Gaelic its O'Manacain, lol.

Like you Illbehere, I have a big interest in Druidism. As of the moment though, I'm primarily focusing on the Celtic Pantheon and trying to learn it (at least as well as I know the Greek one).

Anyway, yeah, I would LOVE to visit Ireland in the not so distant future. Ever since I started connecting to my heritage, I felt some kind of connection to it. You guys said it, its just more mystical there... more natural...and more untouched by man.

[illbehere]

didnt know there was a second name Monaghan.. theres a county but i never heard of it as a name haha xD.
i met up with a druid, as u can read in one of my posts im sure ;x.. im too lazy to link it sorry xD.
he says the best place to start learning an ancient religion, is reading about the myths, legends and people who have had close contactwith people of the religion. im halway through a book called the philosopher and the druids. its about a young philosopher called Posidinous or some name similar to that ( i keep picturing him as the greek god of the sea haha )
yeah so i also have a book called "Celtic" its full of myths and legends. and lots of random sheets the druid gave me.
we've planned meeting every month, ill have assigned things to read. he says reading is great but practicing is best so i will be going to his house (of course with a friend with me in case he tries anything perverted.. better be safe than sorry with someone you meet only once) so yeah

[Kitty]

the horse mde me think of kelpies - lol
I'm half irish and tend to go there for sailing a couple of times a year and I totally agree thast you can really feel the history, the air is so much nicer and just feels so powerful.
Many traditions go with spirit animals or familiars, I'm don't know much about it as I'm definately not an animal person but I believe either scrying, meditation or ome other form of divination could help you understand what this horse is to you
I liked hearing about your grandmother, my dad's side of the family are irish in that dark hair, really green eyes way, add to that my mom being scottish and I also have bright red hir and green eyes

[silvergranites]

Hi
I am Irish and I have to admit it is a magical place. I have a horse (yes everyone seems to have one here in Ireland). The countryside is so peaceful and green. The sunrises are magical especially when you are alone in the of middle of acres bog land except the herd for of horses. The horses breathing and their steps rustling through the furze are the only sounds that surround you. The mist floats across the earth as the light breaks through and the smell of morning grass fills your nostrils. There seems to be always a place in Ireland where you can wander without meeting another soul but nowhere you can wander without meeting a horse

[tilarium]

I think you can be drawn to many places. For me the only place I've found was Yawgoo Valley, one of the Boyscout camps. It's the one place I've been so far that I've felt the most relaxed and at peace. I've seen many things there that most people don't even known exist. I can even narrow it down to one pond there, where all the feelings of ease I've felt is multiplied by 10. I haven't been there in 14 years though.... wow, has it really been that long sense I've been there last....

[Elluir]

I had an immensely similar trip. I could not explain it, but I just felt a home there. I was there for 10 days and felt like I'd been there forever. I love the British Isles in general. I spent 2 months in Bath, England and it was amazing - but it still didn't compare to my time in Ireland. Must be singing with my Grandma's Irish blood.