an other garden no.25: cross infront of st.augustines well, lough atalia

 Stories and Histories

The stone cross pictured sits infront of St. Augustine's well on Lough Atalia, named after the Augustinian friary built upon the hill by the same Lough, in 1508. The well was once one of three which are thought to predate the friary. The single remaining well was named Augustine probably in an attempt to replace a pagan Domhnach Chrom Dubh site with a Christian name. Domhnach Chrom Dubh  was a pagan festival also known as Lughnasadh. Domhnach meaning Sunday in Irish refers to the fact that the festival day fell on either the last Sunday in July or the first Sunday in August. Crom Dubh refers to a figure who evolved  from the proto-Celtic god Donn. Crom in Irish means bent and dubh translates as black so.. The Dark Stooped One. The festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of the harvest season. 

This god known variously as the bloody bent one and the Elder King was said to cause the crops to ripen  and is considered archeologically the chief idol of Ireland. Some history would suggest that he demanded sarcrifies in return for such bountiful crops, at first human sarcrifice and later bulls. However this story may have been spread by Christians to deter people from Paganism. What we do know is that in its later incarnation the festival was celebrated water-side or mountain top with berry picking and the eating of the first meal  made from the years new food crop.

The beautiful stone cross was built in 2000, commisioned by the Galway Civic Trust, to replace the previous concrete cross.