Slieve Gullion. Co. Armagh on the Ring of Gullion, an Ancient landscape. Sitting on the highest point sits the Cailligh Birras House, with a lake situated behind the cairn. The cairn is Aligned to recieve the rays of the setting Sun on the Winter Solstice. The story of The Cailleach is a favourite of mine , she is a timeless Goddess , all of us at once, maid, mother, and crone.
The story goes : She had been running invisible with the deer when she saw Fionn and his warriors ride towards them and fell a mother doe, whose fawn was left motherless. She appeared to them as a fawn herself and lured Fionn who chased but lost her. So he thought. After she knew he had been separated from his men. She appeared to him as a .maiden , beside the lake. Weaving an enchantment , she was crying softly , and of course he asked her what was the matter, she told him she had lost her gold ring in the lake and was too nervous to retrieve it as it was said to be bottomless. He boastfully said he was strong enough to find it and he dived into the cold boggy lake.
He did in fact find the ring , but when he resurfaced , she had disappeared. Weakened he sat on a boulder and after a time, his men came riding up as they could see his horse , but they didn't recognise their leader Fionn of the long fair hair. because he was now a feeble and old white haired man.
Now he did get his youth back eventually but not his fair hair. And that's another story.
Artist Patricia Mc Ateer