Here comes the Harvest... Half way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox comes the Gaelic festival of Lughnasa.

Held on 31st July / 1st August, Lughnasa or Lughnasadh is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature. It is one of the big four Gaelic seasonal festivals; along with Samhain, Imbolc and Bealtaine and corresponds with the main European Harvest Festivals.


The festival, which is believed to have had pagan origins, is named after the god Lugh and is a combination of the words Lug (for the God Lugh) and the Irish word nasad (an assembly). Lughnasa is also, of course, the Irish name for the month of August.

The festival in Ireland featured religious ceremonies, great gatherings and athletic contests including the Tailteann Games and feasting, trading and matchmaking. Visits to holy wells were included.

Many of the rituals in Ireland around Lughnasa would have taken place on top of hills and mountains with religious rites, such as offering the first of the corn, a feast of new food especially berries and dancing.

The customs around Lughnasa were practiced widely until the 20^th century with events including ‘Mountain Sunday’, ‘Crom Dubh Sunday’ and ‘Garland Sunday’.

Here are three original Lughnasa events that still survive to this day in Ireland:

Reek Sunday - Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo

The custom of climbing hills and mountains at Lughnasa has survived in many areas around Ireland and the most famous is probably at Croagh Patrick where the Reek Sunday climb on the last Sunday of July to the top has been recast as a Christian pilgrimage.

Croagh Patrick in County Mayo (www.mayo.ie)

Puck Fair – Killorglin, Co. Kerry

The famous Puck Fair, known as Ireland’s oldest fair, which takes place at Killorglin, Co. Kerry for three days beginning on 10th August is believed to have its roots in Lughnasa. The Puck Fair or Aonach an Phoic (Fair of the He-Goat) is one of Ireland’s oldest fairs and the goat is believed to have been a pagan fertility symbol. Every year a group of people go up into the mountains and catch a wild goat, bring it back to the town and the "Queen of Puck", traditionally a young school girl from one of the local primary schools, crowns the goat "King Puck” and the festivities begin.

Puck Fair in County Kerry (www.thegatheringireland.com)

Lughnasa Festival – Craggaunowen, Co. Clare

Open-air museum Craggaunowen in Co. Clare hosts an annual Lughnasa Festival which re-enacts elements of the history and heritage of Ireland spanning from the Bronze Age, through Iron Age, Early Medieval period to the 16^th Century. This year’s festival takes place on 3^rd and 4^th August and includes displays of replica clothing, artifacts, jewellery and weapons. Showcase events include the Brehon Law Trials and a glimpse of how life was lived in a Crannóg.

Lughnasa Festival, Craggaunowen in County Clare (www.shannonheritage.com)

Lughnasa, of course, was also made recently famous by the reference in Brian Friel’s play Dancing at Lughnasa, made famous in a film of the same name featuring Michael Gambon and Meryl Streep.