An Ocean of Green, Mischievous Fairies, and the Emerald Isle

Type_webhead_here After many hours on a trans-Atlantic flight, one grows anxious to see land. So it's a bit off-putting that when flying into Ireland's Shannon Airport, the plane sharply descends and enters what seems to be merely a bank of clouds. Then suddenly, like an emerald hidden in the drifting brume, appears Eire and her thousand shades of green. Even from the air, one can sense the mystical aura that abides in her ancient lands.

Ireland's first inhabitants arrived about 4,500 B.C. These mysterious stone-workers built worship sites and tombs that are scattered throughout the land. Many still stand. The complex stone carvings, the intricate layout of chambers that employ solar and lunar alignments for lighting, suggest an advanced population with strong religious and societal structure.

During the Bronze Age, around 1,500 B.C., the Tuatha Dé Danaan (people of the goddess Danu) arrived and conquered Ireland. They practiced their magic at holy sites across the isle. No one is sure whether these folk were actually divine or just had lots of supernatural powers, but they remained in power until about 500 B.C., when the Celts started arriving. Despite all the magic of the Dé Danaan, the newcomers had a big advantage -- they had discovered iron. As everyone knows, iron beats bronze (even magical bronze) hands down. After a few battles, the Dé Danaan -- not big on warfare -- escaped underground to hide in the hollow hills or sidhe mounds. Over the eons, they grew smaller and eventually became known as the Sidhe or fairy folk, but even today they continue to inhabit and protect wooded glens and fields, streams, and bogs, still practicing their magic rituals. Some of them are quite social and some are not so pleasant. Many have developed a merry, albeit slightly wicked, sense of humor that is practiced on hapless humans.

Eire is replete with stories of the fairy folk. These little people appear in many shapes and sizes. There are mischievous ones such as leprechauns and cluricauns; there are fairies that warn of death and danger, like the banshee; and then there are the frightening ones, the pookas and the dullahan. All in all, a group capable of instilling fear and wreaking havoc.

Is life for the little people very different from the human inhabitants of Ireland? During the Great Hunger, were the little people affected by the famine? And later, during the Troubles, did they tire of the constant fighting? Did some of the Sidhe sneak aboard ships bound for Amerikay, looking for adventure? Did they come to the New World and bide their time for a century or so? Have they just recently emerged and decided to enter the American mainstream?

American politics today resembles the whole coterie of Irish mythology. The Obama administration seems to run amok with the Sidhe, like leprechauns, for instance. Easily spotted by the ever-present rainbow, these magical folk promise unlimited treasure. Should a mortal succeed in catching one of these fellows, the leprechaun will share his wealth. But this fairy is tricky and the human captor must never take his eyes off the leprechaun until the gold has been handed over -- else the creature may vanish, taking his gold and promises with him.

On the other hand, one who is learned in leprechaun lore knows that leprechauns are thrifty by nature. They are often used to guard fairy treasures and they hide their own pots of gold very well. They would never recklessly spend huge sums of money.

Perhaps more prevalent in the administration are the leprechauns' relatives, the cluricauns. These mischievous fairies are known to appropriate anything they can get their hands on. They create mayhem in households great and small. Much of their thievery is done under the cover of darkness when they sneak in and quickly raid family larders and wine cellars. Many an unsuspecting family has awakened to find that its livelihood and much of its earnings have disappeared.

Another creature in Irish folklore that seems to have immigrated to America and found work in talk radio is the banshee. Unlike its Irish relation, the American banshee is usually not a woman and doesn't wail about the impending death of a mere mortal. The Yankee banshee cries about the impending doom of our economy. Like his Eireann counterpart, our banshee is driven to its mind-numbing keening by the actions of many with old Irish names such as Kennedy -- or those having a "Mc," "Mac," or "O" at the beginning of their surnames.

Yet another creature has been spotted in Washington -- the selkie, or shape-changer, that seems to haunt both Senate and House chambers. In the old country, the selkie had the body of a seal, but could shed its sealskin and live among people, pretending to be human. Today, American selkies may be disguised as Republicans who claim to be fiscally conservative, yet continue to spend taxpayers' money with carefree abandon. And speaking of the House, could it be run by a Cailleach -- a goddess known for ruling the winter and sending horrifying nightmares to all who would cross her?

But the most feared of all fairies is the pooka. It is always about, lurking under the cover of darkness, creating havoc and leaving devastation in its path. The pooka often assumes the shape of an enormous bogeyman. It has the power to destroy crops and merchandise, even entire villages, sucking up income and frightening all within its path. In the U.S., this creature is known as the deficit.

In old Ireland, the Celts learned to live peacefully with the Sidhe and the little people had a pretty sweet deal going. Although the Celts were more powerful, the mortals had an abiding fear of the fairy folk and were quick to pay the creatures the tributes they demanded. Not unlike the current situation with the American citizenry and our politicians.

The arrival of St. Patrick in 433 A.D. elevated the Irish to new heights of knowledge, releasing them from their near-slavish devotions to fairies and druids. Christian Ireland became a land of "saints and scholars," arguably responsible for preserving Western civilization after the fall of Rome. Unfortunately, there is no comparable figure presently on the American scene. St. Patrick, where are you when we need you?

I pray that all will take this in the harmless fun with which it has been intended -- and to all I wish a Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig and Sláinte Mhath!

Contact Robin Beres at (804) 649-6305 or .