Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

—
1^4 Old Irish Religions.
Chrishna, of Eastern origin ;
but the Welsh //// Gadarn,
the sun, was Finn Mac Hani in
Erse.
Griann, Greine, Grianan, Greienham, have relations to
the sun. The hill Grianan Calry is a sunny spot. The
word Grange is from Griann. There is a Grianoir in
Wexford Bay. The Grange, near Drogheda, is a huge cone
of stones, piled in honour of the sun. Greane, of Ossory,
was formerly Grian AirbJi. As Graine, the word occurs
in a feminine form. The beautiful story of Diarmuid, or
Dermot, and Graine is clearly a solar myth. The runaway
pair were pursued by the irate husband, Finn ]\Iac Coul,
for a whole year, the lovers changing their resting-place
every night. One bard sings of " Diarmuid with a fiery
face." The last Danaan sovereign was Mac Grene. The
cromlech on a hill of Kilkenny is known as the SleigJi-
Grian, hill of the sun. The w^omen's quarter of the
dwelling, was the Grianan, so-called from its brightness.
The cromlech at Castle Mary, near Cloyne, is Carrig-
Croath, Rock of the Sun. General Vallencey traces some
appellations for the sun to the Chaldaic and Sanscrit.
The Celts of Brittany borrowed their Snl, for sun, from
the Roman Sol. Caer Sedi w^as an Irish cycle.
Bel is also the sun in Irish, as in eastern lands. Beli
w^as their god of fire. Bel-ain were w^ells sacred to the
sun. The Irish vernal equinox was AicJie Baal tinne,
the night of Baal's fire. The sun's circuit was Bel-ain, or
Bel's ring. A cycle of the sun, or an anniversary, was
Aonach (pro. Enoch) ; and it is singular that we are told
that the days of Enoch were 365 years.
Easter, as is w^ell knowm, is connected with sun-w^orship.
The Irish Dancing Easter Sunday is thus alluded to in an
old poem
:
"But, Dick, she dances in such a way,
No sun upon an Easter day
Is half so fine a sight."