The Irish standard., 1891-08-15
THOSE ANCIENT DRuIDS.
The Real Origin of That Interesting
and Ancient Landmark at
D0ss Point
WHAT NORTHERN GAEL"CLAIMS
An Outline Of the Ancient History of
Ireland and Where ths Head
Centres We're.

~
In my former article, writes Northern
Gael in the Belfast Weekly Examiner,
I said that many authorities, among
whom are one or two Irish arch@o olog1sts
Of pretty high standing, attribute the
origin Of the Interesting ruin at Doss
Point to the Druids, and so specious
seems their reasoning that The people
who live round there think there can
not at all be anv doubt about the mat
ter, and therefore they have given the
relic the name Of the "Druid's Altar, !"
and as such it is now known. / shall
now endeavor to prove Indirectly its
not of Druidic origin but that it dates
its beginning to much more modern
epoch. My opinion comedies with that
of the learned Father O'Laverty. Now,
in order to prove indirectly tits not a
Druid's altar, so called, we may ask
ourselves what are Druid's affairs and
wherefore their origin; what are Che
distinguishing character of these
crumbling monuments of Druidic WOE
ship, which antiquarians tell Us are SO
plent1fully scattered over Ireland? Who
were the Druids. and what form OF
worship was tneirs2 Antiquarians agree
that Druidism was the mode Of worship
practised by the inhabitants of this
island previous to the Introduction Of
Christianity by st. Patrick. This wor-
ship consisted of certain superstitious
rites, performed by our ancient ances~
tors ia oaken groves, which by their
gloomy aspect were calculated TO in
spire feeling OF religious awe in the
minds Of the rude worshippers who be-
took themselves thi5her for the purpose
OF assisting at these barbariOus rites.
AS the ceremonies We're Invariably con
Quoted in groves of oak, we are able TO
account for the origin OF the word
Druid, which comes directly from the
s1reek Drus, an oak, although some
authorities will have 1t that it comes
from Dern, a Keltio word, which, how
ever. bears the same translation, With
this religion which, we are told, was in"
troduced into this island by the Scythi~
ans, was incorporated much of sorcerY
and incantation upon which the Druidic
priests relied for sustaining their
potency over the primitive worshippers
who took part in their mystic observ-
ances. DIR. Ledwich tells us Drnidism
was professed by all the Keltic tribes
without exception and that there were
several great centres Of the worship
at which the people assembled in great
numbers at certain specified times IN
the year. One of these great centres
was down ia Kildare, which is derived
from Kildoire. the burying place Of the
oak, and here was preserved the sacred
or unextinguishable fire preserved from
the earliest ages by set of Druidesses.
Derry was another great seat OF Druid"
ism, as were also Roscarberry and Lis
more. Affairs we're erected in the Oaken
groves for the performance OF the
Druidic ceremonies. These affairs were
called cromlechs, which word in cur
Irish tongue means STOPPING stones"
i. g. the stone of alteration or bowling.
In English it signifies crooked stone,
derived not, indeed, from the shape but
from the position it was erected in,
viz, slanting. SO that the blood OF the
victims which the priests 1mrn dated in
sacrifice to their heather gods might
the more easily flow from it. and, more
over, that by dlvination from its mean
derings they might reduce auguries for
good or evil. Some authorities derive
the word cromlech from the Hebrew
coerum- -luach, that is stone table
dedicated for sacred purposes. These
altars are com posed OF rude. unhewn
stones called in Irish Leaba Calleagh or
hag's bed. To this day these stones are
held in Yeneration by the Irish people,
and SO deep is this superstitious rever-
ence that no consideration can induce
the people to interfere with them, al
though in many places tits popularly
supposed that underlying them are
enormous crooks of gold; but the
golden temptation cannot prevail, and
there they remain, the silent mementoes
OF dark and long bY-gone time. The
writer of this had the hardwood to ask
the gentleman on whose property the
Doss relic is. to allow him to dig for the
buried treasure, out no; twas an ex.
ternal heirloom in the family, he said,
and on no consideration would he allow