Celtic saints
Celtic Maritime Connections Arts and Culture
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A view of Pembrokeshire Connections with Ireland, Celtic saints and the Myths and legends that surround us by Andrew Dugmore of Pembrokeshire Paths.
Pembrokeshire and its Irish connections
Pembrokeshire’s position of prominence providing linking routes to England and the continent, were the stepping stones for journeys between Ireland and Pembrokeshire.
There is a rich history of the coming and goings of Pembrokeshire and Irish peoples and the settling of the Irish has left a significant and influential mark upon the shape of Pembrokeshire people.
Speak of Pembrokeshire’s heritage and the coming of Irish folk are a prominent feature of the landscape.
I am currently researching the influence and the movement of Irish people through history and will be writing a popular introduction to the subject including
–- bronze age metal traders of the Wicklow hills
- the Ogham inscripted standing stones
- the journeying missionary Irish and Welsh saints
- the Viking raids from Ireland
- pilgrim routes
- an escape from Irish famine
- the continuing commercial trading.
I am also sometimes a man of wandering words and in an initial wade into the words of this wandering work I write.
The Pembrokeshire and Irish promise
Pembrokeshire’s position of prominence
Protruding arms of purpose
Arms to give and receive
There upon the Irish came
The Wicklow gold a reason to sail
Whitesands bay, the Golden Road
Journeys begun and journeys to come
A way to England the Irish looked on
The land they loved, when Romans went back
They settled their home, the Deisi tribe the 4th century reside
The Irish dug deep, brought influence to root
Ogham stones, Irish marks, a writing Goledic
St Dogamels, Nevern and Cilgerran
The spirit of faith ablaze
The paths of trade established strong
Pembrokeshire providence on song
St David a man to anchor down
Irish saints follow tracks worn out of Gold
A union strong a cause to unite
St Patrick, St Brynach. St Aidan , St Gobham, St Elvis
Irish Saints on fire
Then a tale of Arthur, the Mabinogian relates
King Aurthur to Ireland set sail, to return Porthclais
The Preseli hill a battle commence
A time of good now turns red
Visitors of Norse, take Ireland as their host
Hear tales of this great and promising land
Set sail to stake their claim
St Davids devastated, vicious Viking raids
Viking sails suddenly stop but new Norman armies now rule the roost
And where once the Vikings came now the Normans set sail from Milford
The Irish gains are there to claim
A sense of order descends, old 6th century saints now dug out
A new reason to travel, to pilgrim the sites that once homed the holiest of names
Across the Irish channel the faith again to follow,
A pilgrimage road unfolds St David to Rome and beyond
By now the path was clear
And when times fell hard, no food for the family, poverty hit hard
To Pembroke they came for relief, thousands sought sustenance
Times were now moving on a royal mail coach London to Milford to set sail
Commerce, busy routes of trade
Solva, Newport, Tenby, Porthclais commodities to trade
A railway line rolls on and sea journeys come of age
A ferry line each day and each night
Both Pembrokeshire and Ireland are now full in sight
And now we stand on the edge of time
An Irish land not now stricken by famine
But a land that leads the way
A nation of plenty
A land of inspiration
And what about that county premier
That principle land
What will that Pembrokeshire Promise provide?
by Andrew Dugmore
Pembrokeshire paths
