Book Description

Using archaeology, history, place-names, mythology, and folklore, this book examines one of the smallest territorial units in Ireland from the beginning of history c.600, and traces its development to c.1100. It argues that these people from a remote area of Donegal constituted a tiny kingdom that had an ongoing association with the pagan god Lug - Lugh Lamhfhada. The book demonstrates how the people's original devotion to Lug was transmuted through conversion to Christianity, reconstituted in aspects of the cult of St. Colum Cille and of a probably invented local saint - Beaglaoch. From c.725, their territory and influence were expanding - eventually giving rise to the powerful O'Donnell and O'Doherty families. Although relatively large in contemporary European terms, there is still only limited documentary evidence. However, this study makes the Donegal landscape itself speak in a revealing manner and offers a unique insight into wider early medieval history and religious culture.