{"id":4631,"date":"2020-03-08T22:55:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-08T22:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=4631"},"modified":"2020-03-08T22:55:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-08T22:55:32","slug":"old-crone-of-cairn-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/old-crone-of-cairn-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Crone of Cairn Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cairn<\/a>
Cairn Hill in North Longford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Old Crone of Beara is said to have dropped the stones that make up the cairns on top of Cairn Hill in Longford, but that is a tale common accross the country. As with many legends, the stories vary, with some saying she was another personification of the Goddess Bridget…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She stole the saints prayer books, her own powers to keep:
\nFor his creed spelled the end of her spells,
\nBut the cripples cries woke the saint from his sleep!
\nSo another of the old stories tells.<\/p>\n

There she lies, set in stone, waiting for her love to return:
\nCast there by the hand of the saint
\nThe sun high in the sky the summer stones does burn
\nCreeping shadows around it as if they an artist does paint.<\/p>\n

Does he come, does he come, Mannannan Mac Lir
\nComes from the hard cold crashing waves of the sea…
\nShe waits for him as the seasons pass… will he come for her
\nFrom the saints curse his touch set her free…<\/p>\n

On Cairn Hill there stands the stones she let fall
\nFrom her apron as she flew overhead
\nYet more tell tales it is not there at all
\nBut in theirs her rocks cover their dead.<\/p>\n

She drank in her time from the Well of Long Youth
\nAnd so she danced in the seasons of the sun:
\nBut she aged with the year as we age with years truth:
\nAt Samhain her old age again begun.<\/p>\n

But she is lonely now, and cries a widows silent tears
\nThe sadness those who linger and wait hopeless can be…
\nThe old Crone of Beara, set forever in stone
\nAwaits her lover as she looks across the wild sea…<\/p>\n

Reference:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.theirishplace.com\/heritage\/the-cailleach-beara-or-the-hag-of-beara\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.askaboutireland.ie\/enfo\/irelands-environment\/county-focus\/longford\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Old Crone of Beara is said to have dropped stones that make up cairns on Cairn Hill in Longford. As with many legends, the stories vary, with some saying she was another personification of the Goddess Bridget… #Irishlegend #folklore<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3740,76,168,3429,2925,169,23],"tags":[4271,228,173,4272],"class_list":["post-4631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-and-the-sidhe","category-folklore-and-legend","category-irish-legend","category-lesser-known-ireland","category-longford","category-myths-and-tales","category-north-longford","tag-cailleach-a-bheara","tag-cairn-hill","tag-irish-legend-2","tag-the-old-crone-of-beara","column","twocol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-1cH","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":144,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/in-the-shadow-of-cairn-hill\/","url_meta":{"origin":4631,"position":0},"title":"In the Shadow of Cairn Hill","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"13th July 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Are they true the old tales, that he who slay Queen Maeve, Neath one of these cairns in death enjoys sleep? That the grass and the rushes of the sides of the hill His corpse till resurrection safely does keep? We know not, is it, and is he but a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Folklore and Legend"","block_context":{"text":"Folklore and Legend","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/folklore-and-legend\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cairn Hill - aka Corn Hill in Longford in Ireland","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Cairn-Hill-aka-Corn-Hill-in-Longford-in-Ireland.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Cairn-Hill-aka-Corn-Hill-in-Longford-in-Ireland.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Cairn-Hill-aka-Corn-Hill-in-Longford-in-Ireland.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Cairn-Hill-aka-Corn-Hill-in-Longford-in-Ireland.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1731,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/from-corn-hill-his-spirit-watches\/","url_meta":{"origin":4631,"position":1},"title":"From Corn Hill His Spirit Watches","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"20th May 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest of the restored poems to the website, from a couple of years back Upon that hilltop he does sleep His spirit on all below does keep Watchful eye on cattle men and sheep Where the Black Pig its Dyke deep ploughed. From there in the dark and distant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Irish Legend"","block_context":{"text":"Irish Legend","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/ireland\/irish-legend\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cairn Hill and Edenmore Hill in Longford","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Cairn-Hill-and-Edenmore-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Cairn-Hill-and-Edenmore-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Cairn-Hill-and-Edenmore-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Cairn-Hill-and-Edenmore-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Cairn-Hill-and-Edenmore-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3682,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/hilltops-adorned-by-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":4631,"position":2},"title":"Hilltops Adorned By Man","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"21st April 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Cairns of stone, for our dead Hilltops adorned Prayed to and turned to Communicate with the spirits Crosses of stone and iron, for our dying Hilltops adorned Climbed upon, prayed upon Communicate with our saints. 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Notably there never was a crucifix put on top of this hill as there was on a lot of others.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Cairn-Hill-in-Longford.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3858,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/the-web-of-linen\/","url_meta":{"origin":4631,"position":3},"title":"The Web of Linen","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"4th August 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Based on a folk take of the Carty (as Carthy should be spelled!!!) family, told to the Irish Folklore Commission, Eileen's great grandfather is probably one the the three brothers from the Three Houses Field my dad spoke of... 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