The Kingdom of Munster is one of the Kingdoms of Hibernia, a political division among the Changelings of Ireland.
Overview[]
The Southern portion of Ireland includes Cork, Waterford, Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, and Kerry. Its associations with the tradition of rebellion against England, as well as its classic “Irish” scenic beauty make this part of Ireland popular with visitors tired of the cosmopolitan Dublin region and the starkness of the West. Here, too, are popular centers for items associated with Ireland: lace, crystal, castles, and “blarney.”
Slievenamon[]
Rising 2,358 feet above the Suir Valley in County Waterford, the quartzite dome of Slievenamon (“the mountain of women”) affords a panoramic view of the countryside. From its top, the green slopes and lush plains of Counties Tipperary and Kilkenny to the north, the mist-shrouded Comeragh Mountains to the south, and the fertile Suir Valley, watered by the River Suir, display their finery. Despite intrusions by the modern world (a television antenna near the mountain’s top and gashes in the landscape where hedges have fallen to the desire for greater agricultural convenience), Slievenamon retains much of its singular dignity.
Finn MacCool’s Mountain Home[]
Slievenamon lives on in legend as the home of Finn MacCool, the giant-sized hero of tall tales and myths both comic and tragic. The mountain’s gentle slope served as the site for a race among the land’s eligible maidens for the “honor” of winning Finn in marriage. The sorrowful tale of Diarmaid and Gráinne has its beginnings in the outcome of that race, won by Gráinne to her regret. Preferring young Diarmaid to the aging Finn, Gráinne geased Diarmaid to run away with her, only to be pursued by Finn and his Fianna band. The slopes of Slievenamon now serve as an occasional meeting place between the Kithain and the Fianna Garou. Once thought to be an important faerie freehold before the Shattering, it is now part of the bawn of a Garou caern.
Cork[]
Called the Republic’s “second city,” Cork, with its nearby port of Cobh, lies in the low marshland around the River Lee on the southern coast of Ireland. From its founding as a monastery in the seventh century by St. Finnbarr, it grew into a Viking settlement and later a Norman city. Cork’s history as a hotbed of rebellion comes from its support of James II against Cromwell’s armies, its involvement in the Fenian uprising, and, later, in the Irish Civil War, and it’s continued opposition to the treaty which ended that was and established a divided island. The atmosphere of modern Cork attests to the presence of a large university population as well as a thriving artistic community.
Cork’s landmarks include St. Finnbarr’s Cathedral, a 19th century structure belonging to the Church of Ireland (Protestant) built atop the ruins of the original monastery; the Beamish Brewery; the Butter Exchange (now a craft center); University College, and the Cork museum, which includes exhibits of the city’s early history along with memorabilia from the period of the Irish Civil War. Nearby Cobh (literally the Cove of Cork), served as the departure point for many America-bound emigrants from Ireland in the years following the Great Famine.
Blarney Castle[]
This 15th century castle, situated high above the River Martin northwest of Cork, enjoys worldwide fame as the home of the Blarney Stone, thought to be half of Scotland’s legendary Stone of Scone given in tribute to Cormac MacCarthy for his support of Robert Bruce in the Battle of Bannockburn. The magical properties attached to it (its ability to confer eloquence on anyone who kisses the stone) stem from the fact that it once served as a potent repository for Glamour before the Sundering, long before its installment in the castle wall. (It was, perhaps, one of the largest examples of dross known to fae.) The long centuries and long lines of eager tourists have diminished its store of faerie magic until only a glimmer of its former splendor remains, and that is inaccessible.
The grounds around the castle ruins, now a series of landscaped gardens and an arboretum, contain several oddly shaped limestone rocks reputed to have associations with Druidic worship. A stand of yew trees still serves as the meeting place for a coven of Verbena mages, while the nearby “Fairy Glade” radiates a strong enchantment discernable by the Kithain. There are rumors that it serves as the entryway to a hidden freehold of one of the ancient sidhe, trapped in her castle by the sudden collapse of a nearby trod that would have borne her to Silver’s Gate. Kithain from Cork sometimes travel to the area around Blarney Castle in hopes of locating the precise entry to the freehold, if it still exists.
Beara Peninsula[]
Forming the upper half of the shoreline around Bantry Bay on Ireland’s southwestern tip, the Beara Peninsula and its many fishing villages had a reputation as a center for smuggling operations in earlier centuries.
Castletownbere, the principle town on Beara, accommodates both tourists and agents for the fishing industry. Much of the inland area still retains a relatively unspoiled character, filled as it is with lakes, woods, fields, and moors. Local Kithain find it a good place to “get away” from more Banality-laden environs.
Puxley Castle & Copper Mines[]
Near Castletownbere, the ruins of Puxley Castle and its associated copper mines tell an ignoble story of greed and the xploitation of the once-rich mineral resources of the surrounding lands. The Puxley family, Anglo-Irish industrialists, grew rich for a time on the labor of local miners. Their residence, built in the middle of the 19th century, reflected their love for pomp and tasteless extravagance. In 1921, after the mines played out and the family was forced to return to Cornwall, the old IRA put the mansion to the torch.
Today, the ruins exude an eerie aura, and many have sworn that they have sighted ghostly figures hovering nearby. The copper mines serve as a freehold for a motley of sluagh, who delight in the privacy the underground location gives. The potential hazards caused by unmarked mine-shafts discourage hordes of sightseers, helping to protect the integrity of the freehold.
Ring of Kerry[]
The scenic road called the Ring of Kerry circumscribes the Iveragh Peninsula on Ireland’s southwest coast, encompassing several historic and natural landmarks: coastal fishing villages, sandy beaches, the home of Daniel O’Connell, and the mountain range known as MacGillycuddy Reeks, which contains Ireland’s highest peak, Carrantuohil. The ring fort known as Staigue Fort, constructed without mortar, dates from the Iron Age. According to legend, the structure was built in a day and a night. Derrynane House, where Daniel O’Connell lived for many years, lies on the southern end of Iveragh on the outskirts of the town of Caherdaniel.
Near the southeastern end of the peninsula, the village of Kenmare, founded by a surveyor under Cromwell’s command, has near its town center a ring of stones known as the Druid’s Circle. Lough Currane, a small lake separated from Ballinskellig Bay by a strip of land occupied by the fishing village of Waterville, contains Church Island, site of several early Christian ruins including a beehive hut thought to have been the home of St. Finan. The ruins of a sunken castle are visible on a clear day beneath the water of Lough Currane.
Killorglin & the Puck Fair[]
Though its hilltop location overlooking the River Laune makes the village of Killorglin a picturesque spot for salmon fishers and sightseers, its main attraction is the annual Puck Fair held for three days every August. A wild mountain goat, caught for the occasion and crowned as Puck, presides over the festivities, which feature livestock sales, drinking, dancing, and general merrymaking. The traveling community of Ireland once converged upon Killorglin during the fair.
One story concerning the origin of the Puck Fair claims that it commemorates a stampede of wild goats that once warned the village of an impending assault by the English. Other legends claim that the celebration originated before the coming of Christianity to honor the old magic of the land.
Commoners Court[]
Today, the Kithain of Munster (particularly the commoners) use the Puck Fair to hold an annual commoners court, to the dismay of Queen Nuala. On a few occasions, a daring pooka has served as the feted Puck of the fair, although a persistent story circulates about one such fearless Kithain who was never seen again after being so honored. The eshu population of Ireland, most of whom come from travelling stock, congregate here for rounds of storytelling and to reaffirm their solidarity with others of their kith.
Dingle Peninsula[]
Dingle Bay separates Iveragh from the Dingle Peninsula, a finger of land noted for its seascapes, Iron Age forts, ogham stones, early Christian ruins, and a sizable Irish-speaking community. Sheltered beneath the slopes of Ballysitteragh Mountain, the town of Dingle once served as a major trading port with Spain until its destruction by the forces of Elizabeth I and, later, those of Cromwell. In the 18th century, it was a haven for smugglers. Today, Dingle is a tourist town famous for its local celebrity, Fungie the dolphin.
The town of Ventry, on Dingle’s southern coast, has a distinguished place in both Irish history and legend. One of the last of the lands occupied by the Danes, Ventry is also the site of Finn MacCool’s legendary battle with the “King of the World.” On the western edge of the peninsula, the village of Dunquin (Dun Chaoin) plays an important role in the preservation of the Irish language and culture, offering courses in Gaelic and serving as a center for traditions which are disappearing elsewhere on the island. Currachs still ply the waters off its coast. The Gallerus Oratory, a dry-stone church near Smerwick Harbor, dates from the early Christian era (6th through 9th centuries). The Iron Age structure known as Dunberg Fort and the ogham stones of Ballintaggart in the southwestern portion of the peninsula are from Ireland’s prehistoric era.
The McSkeath Household[]
South of the village of Ballyferriter lies the homestead of the McSkeath family, kinain of House Scathach. A large farmhouse and several smaller buildings for tools, livestock, and the family’s one truck forms a small enclave within a sheltered valley. While not a freehold, it is nevertheless relatively free of Banality’s taint due to the knowledge possessed by its inhabitants of the reality of the fae.
In every generation since the Sundering, at least one member of the McSkeath family has awakened to their faerie nature, perpetuating the tradition of Scathach protection over the Kithain and mortal inhabitants of the area. Sorcha McSkeath is the latest in that unbroken line. Her brothers, while they know of their sister’s dual nature, are fully human (with faerie blood).
Skellig Islands[]
The rocky pair of islands called the Skelligs rise off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula. In the 6th century, monks retreated to Skellig Michael (or Greater Skellig), the larger of the two islands, where they built a monastery on its craggy slopes. The six beehive huts, two oratories, and a church (built in the 12th century) formed the physical structure for a small, self-sufficient community of religious ascetics. The monks spent their time in prayer and the illumination of manuscripts, when they weren’t hunting seals or gathering bird eggs and feathers to trade with the mainland in return for the few items they could not produce themselves. A 600-step staircase carved into the rock by the industrious monks provided a precarious path to the monastery.
Until their abandonment of the island sometime before the 13th century, 13 monks always inhabited the monastery. After their departure, the island became popular with pilgrims, who would brave he sometimes stormy crossing to climb the stairs and visit the ruins, occasionally continuing on to the top of the island to pay their respects at the Needle’s Eye, a standing stone on its crest.
The smaller island, Little Skellig, has long served as the home for an astonishing variety of birds. Many such nest on the cliffs of Skellig Michael. Since 1987, both Skelligs have become bird sanctuaries, off limits to tourists and pilgrims alike, although boat tours around the island are sometimes available from local fishermen.
Castle of the Merfolk[]
Long before the Shattering, Greater Skellig once housed a castle belonging to merfolk who dwelled in the waters off the coast of Ireland. Here, in lonely splendor, the fae of the waters would host their landbound faerie cousins. By the arrival of the first monks, though, the merfolk had departed for other regions, some say to Arcadia, while others claim that they retreated beneath the island where they dwell in an underwater domain inaccessible to the world above.
The clurichaun claim that there is yet another island, Caer Skellig, which exists beyond the visible Skelligs. Hidden from mortal view by strong enchantments, this faerie isle serves as a shelter for a small group of old fae trapped in the world by the closing of the gateways to Arcadia. Another tale holds that the third Skellig operates as a base for a group of Kithain pirates who raid the mainland’s freeholds for faerie treasures and dross. Neither rumor is confirmed, although a few selkies who make their homes not far from the Skelligs have occasionally explored the nearby ocean waters for signs of the isle’s existence.
Tralee[]
North of the Dingle Peninsula, the town of Tralee, with a population of 16,500, is the capital of County Kerry. Twice torched by its garrison before finally surrendering to the English in 1691, Tralee contains only buildings constructed after the 17th century. Once a harbor city, modern Tralee new serves the surrounding area as a market town and center for tourists on their way to the Dingle and Iveragh Peninsulas. Once a year, the city hosts the Rose of Tralee International Festival, an all-Ireland beauty pageant commemorating William Mulchinock’s sentimental poem. The world-renowned Siamsa Tire folk theatre summers in Tralee in between its tours promoting the best of Irish traditional culture. The Steam Railway, a train that runs along a narrow-gauge track between Tralee and the Blennerville Windmill, provides a scenic route to the largest windmill in the country.
Five miles northwest of Tralee, the cathedral of Ardfert stands amid the ruins of earlier religious structures, including the remains of a monastery founded by St. Brendan the Navigator in the 6th century.
The Rose of Tralee[]
Rosemaire, the freehold of Lady Rowena, lies just outside Tralee near Ardfert. A modest looking, two-story framework house showing signs of gentle decay, it conceals a chimeric manor house complete with festive gardens. Here, Lady Rowena exercises her duty as Queen Nuala’s agent over the Kithain of Kerry. Despite her aloof demeanor, the Fiona noble holds open court in her freehold twice a month and judiciously hears complaints and decides issues brought to her by her subjects. Occasionally she also plays hostess to King Fiachra of Connaught, who delights in visiting Tralee for a chance to ride the Steam Railway.
Killarney[]
The town of Killarney sits at the mainland edge of the Iveragh Peninsula, at the head of the Ring of Kerry. A popular tourist venue noted for its pony-drawn tourist cars and other picturesque relics of bygone times, Killarney is also the base for exploring the nearby Killarney National Park. Within the park are the three connected lakes that make up the celebrated “Lakes of Killarney.” Ancient forests still survive around the waters of the lakes; stands of yew, holly, birch, and hazel provide shelter for smaller plants and shrubs such as the strawberry tree, tree-fern, thorn-apple, and bamboo of various kinds. Despite its frequent visitation by tourists and sightseers (and the attendant problems that accompany careless trompers through wild places), many parts of the lakeside and the surrounding park remain relatively uncluttered.
County Clare[]
Sandwiched between Counties Galway and Kerry, County Clare boasts some of Ireland’s loveliest natural scenery as well as some of its best music. The western part of the county, along the rocky coast, contains spectacularly dramatic landmarks, while the remainder of the land holds a quieter attraction, with a number of historic sites and one Bronze Age re-creation center.
Ennis[]
The capital of County Clare, the town of Ennis once housed the kings of Thomond, the O’Brien clan whose roots in the area date from the 13th century. Noted for its many folk festivals and “singing pubs,” Ennis also houses the ruins of the Ennis Friary, founded by the O’Briens in the 14th century. Statues of Daniel O’Connell and Eamon De Valera commemorate more recent history.
Doolin[]
The tiny village of Doolin, on the coast of Clare, offers a ferry service to the Aran Islands from March through October. The island of Inisheer, of the Aran Islands, is just a short hop by plane from Doolin which is also the home of the Doolin Ferry Company, which makes a daily run to the islands in winter, with more frequent passages in the summer. A ferryman named Timmy Dwyer is an employee of the company but can be "persuaded to take his own boat to the islands for a small fee." He does like to haggle over a price though, especially if the crossing is particularly late or at a dangerous time.
In addition, Doolin has developed a reputation as a gathering place for the best traditional musicians in Ireland, with a trio of pubs that provide venues for evening performances by groups from all over the county. Many young musicians summer in Doolin to study music from the best of the best.
- See also The Pub of Plenty
Cliffs of Moher[]
Rising more than 650 feet and stretching for five miles along the western tip of Clare, south of Galway Bay, the Cliffs of Moher thrust straight upward from the gale-ridden Atlantic to form a massive wall of sheer stone made of alternating layers of sandstone, flagstone, and black shale. All along the cliff face, sea birds make their nests along the rock ledges that mark the layered rock. Breathtaking in their stark beauty, they are probably one of the most photographed sites in Ireland. At their highest point stands O’Brien Tower, built in the 1800s as a lookout point for Victorian tourists. Near the tower, a car park provides a place for visitors to leave their vehicles to view the scenery around (and far, far below) them. Musicians and other performers gather in the car park for spontaneous performances.
The Burren[]
One of Ireland’s most curious natural phenomena, the flat expanse of bare, broken limestone rock that forms the Burren in northwest Clare only appears barren to casual viewers. The cracked, stony ground actually hosts an astonishing variety of plant and animal life, which mixes alpine and Mediterranean species in a unique environment. Over 25 species of butterflies, many birds, wild goats, hares, badgers, and other small mammals also inhabit the pasture lands and turloughs (shallow, seasonal lakes) in and around the Burren. Still, to the uneducated eye (and most tourists), the area appears deserted.
Lisdoonvarna[]
The seaside resort and spa village of Lisdoonvarna dates only from the Victorian era and enjoys a spotty reputation among tourists as either a center for cultural festivities or a commercialized tourist trap. In either case, its main attraction is the annual Matchmaking Festival, where Irish bachelors come to find suitable wives (and vice versa). Nonetheless, a lovely song known as “The Road to Lisdoonvarna” is in just about every traditional Irish musician’s repertoire, so it has to have something going for it.
Limerick[]
Situated on the River Shannon, Ireland’s third largest city (population 80,000), has its origin, along with many other Irish towns, in the Viking settlement of the area. Prosperity under the Normans gave way to deprivation under British rule, and Limerick became a center of rebellion against Cromwellian forces. As one of the last Jacobite strongholds, Limerick suffered greatly when it finally surrendered. The Treaty of Limerick, which detailed the city’s capitulation, lasted only a few months before the English victors began instituting harsh restrictions upon their conquered subjects. Into the 20th century, the city boasted a tradition of nationalism and rebellion, culminating in a general workers’ strike in April 1914 to protest British martial law. Modern Limerick shows signs of industrial and commercial revitalization, a boon to a city known for its high unemployment and rampant crime.
Three distinct areas encapsulate the city’s history. King’s Island, connected to the rest of the city by the Thomond Bridge, forms the heart of the original walled medieval settlement and contains King John’s Castle (now a history museum) and St. Mary’s Cathedral, a 12th century structure altered by later additions that give its Gothic architecture a distinctly Romanesque twist. When the city came under English control, natives, barred from the city’s center, developed their own community outside the walls. Known as Irish Town, this collection of small shops and houses includes a few more elegant structures dating from the Georgian period, including the Customs House (now an art gallery) and St. John’s Cathedral, which has the tallest spire of any church in Ireland. The third section, Newton Pery, enters on O’Connell Street and includes many Georgian houses with brightly painted doors, formerly the homes of Limerick’s gentry class.
Chimeric Limerick[]
Centuries of religious persecution and economic deprivation have made Limerick a center for local Unseelie activities. In addition to a small group of Kithain working to undermine Queen Nuala’s rule, the city houses several motleys which seem to have no greater purpose beyond causing trouble and being generally rowdy. Much of the city’s Glamour stems from the repressed anger which collects in a town famous for its broken treaties and shattered dreams.
- See also Rock of Cashel
Waterford[]
The capital of County Waterford serves as the major seaport for Ireland’s southeastern coast. Known for its famous crystalware, the city of Waterford also contains several relics of its past as a Viking settlement. Reginald’s Tower, the newly restored 11th century Norman keep built atop the original Viking tower, houses a civic museum. A series of Viking arches, called sally ports, once provided passageways for the ships that trafficked along the river. Other medieval sites include the 13th century ruins of Blackfriars, a Dominican structure, a Greyfriars, a similar Franciscan abbey later taken over by Huguenot refugees. Other buildings in the city date from the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Modern Waterford, like many cities in the Republic, suffers from a high unemployment rate. The Waterford Crystal Factory, reopened in 1947 after a hiatus of nearly a century, provides some jobs, and the city continues to function as a busy seaport.
Waterford Crystal Factory: Boon for the Boggans[]
Founded by the Penrose brothers in 1783, the original Waterford glassworks factory enjoyed a reputation for fine crystal until taxes forced its closing in 1851. Reopened in 1947, with master crafters imported from Europe to train local artisans, the new Waterford Crystal Factory has revived the distinct cut-crystal technique that makes Waterford crystal unlike any other in the world.
Located below the factory’s showroom gallery is a small freehold inhabited by a motley of boggans who derive Glamour from the creative processes involved in the making of the crystal. The group’s leader is herself a master glass blower, while several of the younger members work as apprentices in the factory.
Other Fae of Note[]
References[]
- CTD: Immortal Eyes: Court of All Kings, pp. 66-73.