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GRÁINNE�GAELIC GODDESS OF THE SUN

Rang 3 Ennis CBS

Mr. Spring

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THE LEGEND �OF GRÁINNE

Gráinne or Grian is said to be a beautiful pre-Christian goddess of the sun. Some people describe her as having bright cheeks like rays of the sun. Her father was a local king from Sliabh Aughty. She is connected to the Winter Solstice (An Ghrian Bheag) while her sister Áine is linked to the Summer Solstice. Gráinne and her sister are remembered in counties Limerick and Clare. Gráinne is said to have drowned in Lough Graney and her body was found at Derrygraney. She is buried in Tuamgraney near Lough Derg and is protector of her people: Aes Gréine.

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Gráinne is remembered in Tuamgraney in East Clare. It’s name in Irish is Tuaim Gréinne, the burial mound of Grian as recorded in the Book of Lismore. Grian is also the Irish word for the sun.

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LARGE COLLAGE OF LOUGH GRANEY BY PUPILS

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Size = A3 x 8

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TUAMGRANEY

  • Tuamgraney is a small pretty village in East Clare. It is a special place. It is named after Gráinne who is sometimes called the Lady Gillagréine. There are many old monuments in the area including Gráinne’s burial mound. The village has the longest used church in Ireland called St. Cronan’s. The stone head in the picture is from the church. It is supposed to be the head of Gráinne. Many stone heads are found in churches in Clare and all over Ireland. They may have been seen as having great power.

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  • Near the village in Raheen woods is Ireland’s oldest tree – The Brian Boru Oak. The seedlings and acorns from it are collected every year for seedsavers in nearby Scarriff. The author of a famous book called Surnames of Ireland also lived in Raheen. Gráinne’s well is near the village of Feakle.

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LEGO MODEL OF GRÁINNE

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OTHER CELTIC SUN GODS AND GODDESSES

  • Áine: Irish goddess of summer sun.
  • Alaunus: French sun god.
  • Belenos: French god of the Sun
  • Brigid: an Irish goddess with solar power.
  • Étaín: Irish Sun goddess
  • Grannus: Sun god – a similar name to Gráinne.
  • Lugh: A warrior Sun god.
  • Macha: Irish Sun Goddess – like Gráinne but remembered north of Clare and Limerick.
  • Olwen: The Welsh Sun goddess
  • Sulis: The British Sun Goddess whose name is related to the Irish word solas meaning light.

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  • Activity Time: Our class made emojis of these as well as other sun gods and goddesses.

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FLAGS WITH SUN SYMBOLS

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RESEARCH FOR FLAGS

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THE SUN

  • The Sun

The sun is about 4.5 billion years old! The sun is a part of the solar system. There are 10 more planets other than the sun. The sun is important to a lot of living things like animals, humans and plants!

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  • Animals Need the Sun

Animals need the sun to keep warm. Cold blooded creatures lay out in the sun to keep warm and go into the shade to cool down. Animals also need the sun so there will be food for the animals to nibble on.

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  • Plants

Plants need the sun to grow. Leaves are flat so they can catch as much sunlight as possible. An indoor plants will lean to the nearest window to get some sunlight. Don’t step on plants! We had a school visit from a heritage in schools expert who spoke about the music of plants. We found out that Marina lives in and runs Lough Grainey Nature Santuary!

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