IN CORK, IRELAND

The Drombeg stone circle at Glandore in County Cork…it was extraordinary to stand here, to lean on these stones which have been standing since 1100 B.C.  They are aligned with the setting of the sun at the mid-winter solstice, and close by is the fulacht 

fiadh, or cooking pit.

These cooking pits are thought to have been built close to 

water sources, with a hearth where stones were heated and 

placed in the water.  The heated water may have been used 

for cooking, for bathing, or for dying cloths.  

Sitting with my back to the stone, in the sunshine and with 

eyes closed, I was somehow able to feel the thousands of 

years of humanity that this land has known, with birth and 

death and ritual and feasting.  I imagined the gorgeous 

green hills covered with trees, and the people of that time 

gathered here in celebration.