Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

Sim- Worship
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is abroad. The flowers shake their headb. on the green
hills. The woods wave their growing leaves.' Retire, O
Sun ! The daughter of Colla is asleep. She will not
come forth in her beauty. She will not move in the steps
of her lovehness."
Crowe, who observes, " The sun was a chief deity with
us as well as the Greeks,"—adds, " I have long thought that
the great moat of Granard was the site of a
temple to the
sun." The Rev. F. Leman, in 1811, spoke of an inscription
upon a quartzosc stone, at Tory Hill, Kilkenny, in old
Irish characters, which he read Sleigh-Grian, hill of the
sun. "Within view of this hill," said he, "towards the
west, on the borders of Tipperary, rises
the more elevated
mountain of Sleigh-na-man, which, from its name, was
probably consecrated to the moon."
When Martin w^as in the Hebrides, he came across
observances reminding him of solar worship. " In the
Island of Rona," said he, "off Ness, one of the natives
needs express his high esteem for my person, by making
a turn round about me, sun-ways, and at the same
time blessing nrie, and wishing me all happiness."
Again—"When they get into the Island (Flannan) all of
them uncover their heads, and make a turn sun-ways
round, thanking God for their safety." The Rev. Mac
Queen mentions that every village in Skye had a rude
stone, called Grugach, or fair-haired, w^hich represented
the sun ;
and he declares that milk libations were poured
into
Gruaich stones.
Travellers have written of Hebridean boats, going out
to sea, having their heads rowed sun-ways at first for fear
of ili-Iuck on the voyage. Quite recently one observed
the same thing done by Aberdeen fishermen, who objected
to turn their boat against the sun.
In all myths, sun-gods are very successful in their war-