April 15 St. Ruadhan of Lorrha

The Irish love a good story and a good legend. Some of the legends are bigger than others. St. Ruadman (pronounced roughly Rodan) was part of one of the biggest legends in all of Irish History. As with many legends, there are seeds of truth, some historical facts that start the legend then it grows. So it is with the Curse Of Tara.

The story begins with King Dermont. He was considered a wise a fair ruler, though he made his share of enemies along the way. He held court at Tara – the mystical heart of Ireland. It was the custom at the time for the King’s spear-bearer to make the circuit of the country periodically and to enter every important home with the spear held lengthwise across him.

King Dermont’s spear carrier arrived in the province of Connacht, and made his way to the mansion of Aedh Guaire (Hugh Guaire – henceforth known as Hugh) on Kinelfechin. Hugh, at that time, had round his home a stockade of red oak, and had a new house too, that was just built with a view to his marriage feast. The spear-bearer came accordingly and Hugh bade him welcome. The spear-bearer said that the house must be hewn before him (to make the entrance wide enough). Now Hugh had put a lot of work into his new house and thought the request an insult and idiocy.  So he beheaded the spear carrier.

Now at this time the discipline of Ireland was such that whosoever killed a man void of offense, the slayer must be killed, unless it were that the King should order or permit the acceptance of cattle-price. Hugh fled to Saint Ruadhan for protection. Dermont himself comes to Ruadhan to look for him, but Hugh had been put into a hole in the ground by Ruadhan … Dermont asked Ruadhan where he was, for he was sure he would tell him no lie. ‘I know not where he is,’ said Ruadhan, ‘if he be not under yon thatch.’ After that Dermont departs to his house, but he remembered the cleric’s word and returns to the recluse’s cell, and he sees the candle being brought to the hole where Hugh was. Dermont eventually seized Hugh and carried him off to Tara losing two servants to Ruadhan in this round of the contest. One was blinded when searching the Saint’s kitchen, the other had his arm mangled when trying to pull Hughout of the hole. Both remained with Ruadhan.

Ruadhan then called upon his fellow saints to aid him,a brotherhood of saints who had studied at Clonard, rallied together and hastened with him to Tara where they proceeded to “ fast upon the King”. This was an ancient form of hunger strike where the participants sat outside the king’s tent and fasted until they died or the king gave in from shame. But King Dermont would not be shamed and set up a “fast upon the fasters”.

This brotherhood  set up camp and continued their fast, their tent exposed to weather and to wet,  every other night without food (the slow way to die …), Dermont and the clergy, fasting on each other.

Meantime Brendan the Navigator had landed from one of his expeditions abroad and hearing what was afoot hastened to join his fellow saints. They had by this time established a household of their own on Tara and the bitter contest dragged on for years, while presumably the unfortunate Hugh remained chained in some miserable underground hole. Eventually they asked the King again to grant them custody of Hugh, which he absolutely refused as he did before;

Ruadhan and a bishop that was with him took their bells that they had, which they rung heartily and cursed the king and the place, and prayed God that no king or queen ever after would or could dwell in Tara, and that it should be waste for ever, without court or palace. A hundred and thirty-six pagan and six Christian kings had ruled uninterruptedly at Tara. Dermont was the last of them. His successors deserted the royal hill and lived elsewhere.