56 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



At Askeaton, in the same count}', " Crom Dubh, St. Patrick's servant," 

 lived in tradition as the intercessor on behalf of the Sidhfir, or " Good 

 People," with his potent master St. Patrick. He took their message to the 

 Saint " on the last Sunday in July, and ever since that day (for the first 

 Sunday in August it sometimes is) is called in Ireland Crom Dubh's 

 Sunday." ^ It would seem from this that the first Sunday of autumn served 

 in some localities for Crom Dubh's festival, as an alternative date to the last 

 Sunday of summer. Particularizing the day as Lammas Sunday, or the 

 first Sunday of August, Professor Brian O'Looney designates it by the twin 

 names, Domnach Lunasa and Domnach Crom Duhlv. and in a valuable account 

 of the day's programme at an actual celebration near Mount Callan, in 

 County Clare,- he informs us that the occasion was called " Garland Sunday " 

 by the English-speaking inhabitants of the district, "from the practice of 

 strewing garlands of flowers on the festive mound on this day, as homage to 

 Crom Dubh." The festive mound bore the significant name Altoir na 

 Ch-eine (altar of the Sun) ; the assembly ground was Bv.aile na Greine (fold, 

 or stead, of the Sun) ; and the festive assemblage was Cornthineol CTiruim 

 Duihh (the congregation of Crom Dubh). The clergy and elders of the 

 neighbouring parishes having " admonished the people to abandon the custom 

 of goinff to Mount Callan," the annual meetings at Buaile na Greine were 

 discontinued during the Professor's youth.^ 



Black Crom's Sunday, by reason of its universal recognition, stood out so 

 prominently in the national calendar that the " Four Masters " used it as 

 their date-mark when recording a murderous attack by Aedh 0"Euairc and 

 the Ui-Briuin, made in 1117 a.d., on the bishop and people of Kells. "The 

 name," wrote O'Donovan, " is to this day applied by the Irish to ' Garland 

 Sunday,' or the last Sunday in summer." * Summarizing this entry of the 

 " Four Masters," Colgan ridiculously dates the occurrence as " the feast of 

 St. Cromdubh" ;' and for his " ludicrous error " of canonising Crom he is duly 

 censured by Lanigan, who accepts unreservedly O'Flaherty's explanation of 

 the origin of Domnach Crom Dubh.* 



Lugnas, or Lugnasad, the favourite feast of the Celts, was celebrated not 

 alone throughout Erin and Gaelic Alba, but probably all over Britain and 



' David FitzGerald, in " Revue Celtique," vol. iv, p. 175. 



- This communication is incorporated in a paper on " Sun-Worship at Mount Callan," 

 read before the Royal Irish Academy in 1873 by Sir S. Ferguson. 



' Proc. R. I. A., vol. i, ser. ii, Ko. xi, pp. 267-9. The large patterns at Rath Sleacht 

 (Kilnavart, were discontinued under circumstances similar to those here described. 



* Note to " Four Masters," a.d. 1117. 



° " Infesto S. Cromdubii," " Trias Thaumaturga," p. 508. 



s "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,'' vol. iv, p. 56. 



