HIST & MYTH: Tlachtga and Samhain

Written by Ben Kesp 

Ancient Festivals of Fire 

The end of another seasonal cycle is fast approaching and we are all getting ready to celebrate the ancient festival of Samhain. There is no other place in Ireland or the world more associated to the festival of Samhain than at Tlachtga or the “Hill of the Ward”, located near Athboy in Co. Meath, Ireland, twelve miles from the Hill of Tara. This is an ancient archaeological site which saw a big excavation dig in the summer of 2014 and like Tara the earthen works are most impressive by air. 

It was on this hill over two thousand years ago that saw the birth of Samhain which would later become better known as Halloween. In Irish Mythology, Tlachtga is the daughter of Mud Ruith a powerful druid and sun god. He is a figure of immense power and could grow to great sizes and his breath could turn people to stone! Not someone you would want to cross! According to myth and the tales that are retold, Tlachtga travelled with her father Mug Ruith to Italy to study under the powerful wizard named Simon Magnus. They constructed a flying machine called the “Roth Rámach” which would often be seen flying over the Hill of the Ward. 

While in Italy, Tlachtga was raped by the three sons of Simon Magnus. Following this ordeal, she journeyed with her father to Ireland using the Roth Rámach and dies giving birth to her three sons on the hill. Her followers buried her on the spot, raising a hill over her body. Fires were lit in her honour and especially during the middle ages the site had been prominent for festivals. The major ceremony held at Tlachtga each year is the lighting of the winter fires each Samhain to honour the goddess. 

It is a great experience is to be on the hill on the 31st of October each year to celebrate the ancient festival by fire light. The local grove of druids perform a very meaningful ritual to her name as they do each Samhain night mixed with music, song and stories. A collective energy was flowing on the nights that I visited in October 2014 and 2016 with an estimated one thousand people gathering to witness a ritual dedicated to the Goddess Tlachtga. Unfortunately this year following seventeen years of holding the ritual, there will be no public festival for Samhain 2017. This decision was taken to protect the ancient site on the Hill of the Ward. 

Tlachtga Celebrations 

With the arrival of Christianity to Ireland, the church incorporated these old rituals into the new religious calendar as a time for remembering the souls – All Souls Day. 

I encourage you to explore more about this ancient goddess and the wonderful stories associated with her and the Hill of the Ward. The ancient beliefs of our ancestors are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. Happy Samhain!