Draw close, have a seat on the sofa and I will tell you a tale from the days when the golden-haired, blue-eyed people, the Tuatha dé Danaan arrived in Ireland.
Dagada the chief god of the Tuatha was married at the time to Mórrígan a rather feisty goddess who spent rather to much time shape shifting into a crow, but that is another story. Dagada and Mórrígan had no children at the time . However Dagada had a bit of “fling” with Boann the river goddess and to them a son was born called Aengus Og. Boann was quite a busy goddess who had lots of river based things to do as well as being married to someone else. So she went to Dagada and basically said “This is yours, look after him” … Needless to say Mórrígan was mightily fucked off by this turn of events and went as they say “Full Postal” on the Dagada.
Much was the shouting, painful was the hitting, powerful where the curses that where thrown, indeed some say that the reason we have Gorse Bushes (Many Thorns) and Broom (no thorns) is a curse that bounced off the Dagada’s shield and changed a Broom bush into the sort of thing you really really do not want to fall into.
With a glorious slap that echoed from Tara to Doire she swooped out of the great hall in a swirl of dress folds and hair, slamming the great oak doors with such force they split from floor to ceiling, leaving Dagada and Aengus stunned and looking at their feet which had surprisingly become donkey’s hooves.
Morrigan was quite rightly in a very very bad mood. She transformed into a sea crow and flew north. Flying calmed her but only a little, so she kept going until she arrived at the coast near what would become Portstewart. She landed in the sand hills near the mouth of the river Bann. Transformed back to her human form and sat hugging her knees rocking back and forth and muttering dark curses.
Sometime before this , a old humpback whale called Bébinn famed for his song had died of extreme old age in the North Channel and had been washed up on the beach and all that was left of it was its skeleton with some sinews stretched between the bones of its ribs. When the wind blew, it stirred the sinews and made music.
The music of the wind reached Morrigan and soothed her, slowly she started to relax and after a while lulled by the music she felt her rage subside and she fell into a deep sleep.
Dagada recovered the use of his feet and transforming into a white stallion he galloped north to find his angry wife. He looked for her for her for days and eventually found her asleep on the sand in a bowl shaped depression in the highest sandhill on Portstewart Strand. He realised that it was the music of the whalebones and sinews that had calmed her. She awoke and her husband took her gently by the hand and led her home. The next day he went into the woods, cut down a bent branch and strung it with animal sinews. After that, when the Morrigan was distressed, he played on his new instrument and all was calm again.
The harp that Dagada made was called Uaithne and the music was known to change the seasons and also to change the emotions of men, women and children in many ways. If he played the music of tears those that listened would cry and sob.
If he played the music of mirth, people would laugh so hard that the strength left in their bodies and they had to sit down.
If he played the music of love, people would become calm and remember their true loves or see the person that was their soul mate.
If he played the music of sleep, a soft, beautiful tune would send all the listeners into a deep restful sleep for 12 full hours.
Many stories of the Harp are told in the old stories. How it has passed down to 1000’s of generations of Irish Harpers and was lost when it was buried with the last magic harper. It was found again in its resting place in Donegal, eventually ending up in the ownership of Donnchadh Ó hAmhsaigh (Denis O’Hampsey) a famed Irish Harper credited with the tune to “Danny Boy” which was called “O’Cahan’s Lament” in those days.
When Dennis died at the age of 112 his harp passed into the hands of Guinness family and can be seen in their museum and is now seen on millions of bottles and cans of Stout …. On the harp is inscribed
In the time of Noah I was green,
Since his flood I had not been seen,
Until 1702 I was found By Cormac O Kelly underground:
He raised me up to that degree
That Queen of Musick you may call me.
It is said if you visit the gave of Donnchadh Ó hAmhsaigh in St.Aidan’s churchyard on the slopes of Benevenagh and look out to sea, you might be lucky and hear the wind play the tune than took the anger from the Dagada’s wife. If you don’t you can nip to a pub and drink a pint of Guinness