#ceist

"less known" honestly covers basically everything except, like, the táin and maybe tochmarc emire or serglige con culainn most of the time loool there is so much out there that is basically completely unknown to non-specialists and also often to specialists, especially when it comes to the late tales

tumblr also gives a misleading impression of what's well known because. well. i think all three (3) people who care about toruigheacht gruaidhe griansholus are on this site, because i was introduced to it twice, by two different people, both of whom are tumblr users (i'm forgetful. by the time the second time happened i had forgotten the first and only found it later while going back through a chat). but otherwise that story is super obscure, like, almost nothing has been published on it since 1922/24. ruairi o huiginn discussed it in passing in a couple of places since then and that's it. but it has some really good cúláeg moments in it AND it's completely batshit, i mean truly, so much happens in this text

so that's probably my favourite one that definitely qualifies as obscure! it has something in it for everyone because it just never stops adding more things. ever

For studying/learning - have you heard of the website sionnach.app? It's a free irish learning web app (mobile apps in development still) that seems like a great alternative to Duolingo for anyone jumping ship (or who never liked it in the first place). It's stylistically quite different from Duolingo but seems very well developed. I had never heard of it before this week but it looks great, so I'm spreading the word!

It’s probably supposed to be a poem but we did it as a rap with actions and all in school.

This one:

Gestures and actions during Irish/Gaelic Pagan prayer.

This is not a foolish question at all! In fact it is a great one. Honestly finding the right words is the hardest part. There is little in the way of documented proof of how pre christian Gaels prayed so reconstruction is necessary. This makes it tricky to find authentic sources, thankfully there is a few practice's we can reconstruct with a lot of certainty. (Sources in bracketed links)

Clockwise/Deiseal movement The act of moving in a circle in a clockwise direction (deiseal) is frequently seen to be auspicious and is used in many Irish Christian rituals. Many of these practices are still done today, especially at holy wells or other pilgrimage sites such at the various stations on Croagh Patrick (link). The opposite of this is anti-clockwise or Tuathal is frequently used in curses. This is a recurring theme throughout Irish and Scottish folklore and has been argued to be partially of a pre Christian origin(Link to book containing a chapter on the topic specifically chapter 10)

This is usually done at Holy Wells while doing the rosary. The well itself or an object near it like a statue, rock or tree is encircled by the worshiper usually 3 or 7 times while reciting the rosary. (link)(link)(link). And is a still living practice.

This clockwise movement was also used in medieval rituals, with supposedly in the Book of Fenagh, an inauguration ritual is described where a bell shrine was walked around a king and his solders clockwise. (in book chapter 10).

The use of the word deiseal and its association with blessing led it in the past to be an equivalent to "bless you" after a sneeze. (link). The sunwise or clockwise direction is synonymous with blessings.

Head down, eyes up The Carmina Gadelica contains a number of prayers from gaelic scotland. Many of which follow a standard christian practice and just as many are situational in nature like to be said while washing ones hands, however certain ones stand out as being representative of a greater traditions of actions due to their unusualness.

References to raising ones eyes (link) and leaving the palms open and outstretched are mentioned (link page 290)

Both women and men were said to curtsey with men doing a bowing motion much like a curtsey in that it involved the bending of the left knee to the side and the right one straight as a show of respect (link)

To summarise with a quote:

"So the lifting of hands, raising of the eyes, and the bowing of the head are all actions that could be done during our prayers. In raising our hands we show a gesture of giving, just as we ‘give’ prayers of thanks, or blessing, or whatever other purpose we might be praying for, especially since there seems to be a since that we’re meant to raise the palms up to the sky (or moon, more to the point) instead of simply holding our hands out, palms up. It’s less a gesture that might suggest we’re asking for a handout than it gives a sense that we’re reaching out." -An Introduction To Gaelic Polytheism by Marissa Hegarty

Curse pose While not involved with worship, poets when preforming a satire, often magical in nature were said to stand on one foot, with one eye closed, holding up one hand, and sometimes speaking with one breath. This seems to specifically used for cursing however.

What to incorporate into your pagan practice I would then recommend that while praying, walking in a circle in a clockwise direction with a bowed head, eyes up, while holding out your hands with the palms skyward would be appropriate. I like to have one hand over the other. After the prayer has concluded a curtsey should be done.

...

This may be a stupid question, but I am wondering with all this talk about getting Scottish Gaelic added to DuoLingo, why hasn’t Bòrd na Gàidhlig set about creating an app specifically for learning Scottish Gaelic in a fun, and engaging way?  An app which can be released worldwide on Android and iOS suitable for mobile phones, tablets, and the web?  Make it free for those downloading from Scotland, and charge a small/minimum subscription for anyone outwith to continue to fund updates, if needs be.  Alternatively, it could be funded with advertising from Scottish producers. It would be nice if it wasn’t a translation based app, but an audio-visual immersion experience, so that anyone wishing to learn Scottish Gaelic would not need to know English first.  Topics on the environment, history, and culture (old and new) of the Gaels and Scotland could be explored at the more advanced levels.  The structure of the language is such that it does not necessarily fit into a pre-set mould for learning, so why not create something unique?  Why invest in another printed dictionary - which will probably cost the purchaser dearly - but not engage with popular technology?