The village of Allihies at the tip of the beautiful Beara Peninsula, West Cork.

An Early Bronze Age funerary urn from Carrowntober East, Co. Galway. It dates from c. 2000 BC

Mist rolls in at Drombeg megalithic stone circle in Co Cork

The ruins of an early medieval 12th century round tower at Aghaviller, Kilkenny

Henry Joy McCracken, a leader of the United Irishmen rebellion was hanged in Belfast on this day in 1798

'Freedom is a condition which can be lost and won and lost again; nationality is a life which, if once lost, can never be recovered. A nation is a stubborn thing, very hard to kill; but a dead nation does not come back to life, any more than a dead man.'

Robert Emmet led an armed insurrection against British rule #OnThisDay in 1803 to establish Ireland as an independent Republic.

Proclamation of Independence 1803
https://www.failteromhat.com/declare1803.php

Emmet was 25 years old when he was sentenced to death. Lived a life of meaning in such a short time on earth.

'My race has survived the wiles of the foreigner here. It has refused to yield even to defeat, and emerges strong today.' - Thomas MacDonagh

In Irish mythology the dragon is a hybrid creature of many forms. Sea-serpents, devouring worms, & leery-eyed beasts are common. However the real criteria for the dragon is functional - they serve as malevolent forces, reality distorters, & penultimate tests of sovereignty.

The Muirdris, a terrifying sea-dragon that once inhabited the waters about Ireland. It was killed by Fergus mac Léti, a mythical king of Ulster, but not before his face was disfigured by the beast's horrific gaze. ('diuderc' - a death-gaze)

The 'Cattle Raid of Fraích' is an Irish tale which influenced the legendary epic Beowulf. In it, a warrior named Fraoch defeats a fearsome serpent who guards a magical rowan tree - he is mortally wounded, but survives thanks to the supernatural healing of the faerie.

In ancient Europe, dragons were linked to areas like bogs and marshlands. These places were filled with serpentine creatures - worms, maggots, eels - hence seen as the source of a dragon's wealth due to their powers of regeneration & decay.

In the medieval Irish story 'Tales of the Elders' the ancient hero Caoilte recounts the deeds of the Fianna to St Patrick, and explains that it was once their duty to rid the land of serpents and dragons.