John Doan: Music
St. Patrick In the Spirit
On the Way To Confront King Laoghaire
"Crist lim, Crist rium
Crist imdegaid, Crist innium
Crist issum, Crist uasum
Crist dessum, Crist tuathum
Crist illius, Crist issius, Crist inerus
Crist icridiu cechduine immimrorda
Crist ingin cechoen rodomlabrathar
Crist incechrusc nomdercaedar
Crist incechcluais rodamcloathar."
(Ireland's earilest piece of literature in ancient Gaelic)
"Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ below me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me." St Patrick
(known as "Cry of the Deer" and "St. Patrick's Breastplate")Beltaine, the first day of spring, was expected to be like all the others that had preceded it over the centuries when Sacred Kings paid their homage to the pagan goddess Medb Lethderg (meaning intoxication) who served as presiding divinity over the hill of Tara. This celebration for the coming out of darkness and the ushering in of the season of light will be especially remembered for the events that took place on this day in the year AD 433. As usual, great festivities were planned involving dancing around the maypole, setting bonfires, and the drinking of mead accompanied with sexual license. It was not uncommon for the King to publicly perform a symbolic mating with the goddess in the form of a white mare. The whole affair was to begin when the high king, and he alone, sparked a flame to be seen by the multitude from miles around. Their custom proclaimed,"whoever in all the country, far or near, should
kindle a fire before the fire in the king's house was lit should be put to death by his people." Off in the distance, on the hill of Slain, lead by the divinity of God, Patrick began his ministry to the Irish people by kindling a fire of faith in remembrance of Easter. Calling together the elders, the king said to them: "Who is it who has dared to commit this crime in my kingdom? He must die." The Druid priests, Lucet Mael and Lochru, were said to have reminded the king of an ancient prophecy, "unless it is extinguished on this same night in which it was lit, it will not be put out forever." As the King summoned his guard to kill the offenders Patrick and his rag tag followers courageously chanted a hymn (included above) to protect themselves as they marched to confront the king. In a miracle they passed the warriors who saw only a herd of deer in the hills, with a fawn following them, and mistook the chan
ting for the call of the fawn after its mother. Although the king was reluctant to accept the new teaching he must have been duly impressed with Patrick to spare him his life. Patrick ultimately found his "warrior children," especially the druid priests, to be lovers of truth, many of which received the new teachings with all the zeal and intensity they had lately spent killing and enslaving one another and seizing one another's lands. Faith, hope, and charity came in the wake of Patrick in the spirit.