Darerca

CHAPTER 14

Darerca was living the life of a saint.
More and more, she found herself in deep prayer, in communion with a higher God. She'd also had visits from Victorious on his big white horse who had explained to her that Patrick was doing excellent work but more was needed. God needed her entire family and she agreed.
The one exception was a son from her first marriage - Gradlon Mawr, who had a different destiny, and who would become known as Gradlon the Great. He would become known in places like Cornwall in Britannia and Brittany in Gaul. He was, in part, a legendary figure.
Many of her sons despite following the church were married and she had plenty of grandchildren who visited her as often as possible. She also had helpers, local women, who looked out for her. One saw to her personal hygiene, another to her meals, and yet another gave leg messages with an ointment that moisturised her limbs. Another woman brought her on short walks and another saw to her grocery needs and meals. On Sundays, a few of the younger girls brought her to weekly mass.
It was at mass that she felt a superior force at work in her life, something tangible, something spiritual. It sustained her faith.
The church was small and made of stone and mud. It was lit by a single window. The shape of the church was like a boat upturned. An ancient technique was used in the construction with each stone overlapping so that they closed naturally at roof level. A door led into and out of the church which initially had a dark interior but brightened the further one went in.
Outside there was a rectangular set of stones called a leacht in Gaelic or a grave. The island afforded brilliant views of the Kerry mainland, the Skellig Islands and the island itself with its views of the Atlanticum Mare - Atlantic Ocean.
There was something about island life that toughened the soul. It was far from an isolating experience in that one needed their neighbours to survive the rigours of such living.
Island life relied on tried and trusted methods. Some foods were plentiful - milk from the cows, meat, fish and potatoes. Vegetables were grown and certain fruits were harvested in September - apples, blackberries and raspberries. They tried never to run out of flour, and even milled their own to make bread. They knew how to forage off the land, especially along the seashore. They knew when to harvest shellfish, seaweed and seagrasses.
Equally important, was an ability to forecast the weather. The men of the sea needed a good idea of what the weather might bring. Sometimes they knew by looking at the sky, or by watching how the sea was running, and how the tides ebbed and flowed. The two-man currachs were back and forth from the island to the mainland. The vegetation on the island was the same as that of the mainland - wild grasses, fuchsia and gorse or furze. Shamrock too. Wild clover. Wild garlic.
Different parts of the island afforded different views; Dingle in one direction, Beginish Island and the smaller Church Island that was accessible by sandbar and afoot if one knew the tides. The mountains of Kerry could be seen too - Coomacarrea, Beenkeragh, Carrauntoohil, Caher, Caunoge, Colly and Bentee. They could all be seen from the summit of Geokaun - an geocan - on Valentia Island - provided the day was clear and vision wasn't concealed by low-hanging cloud. On other parts of the island, the Skellig Islands were visible. Even the mighty MacGillycuddy's Reeks in the Killarney direction could be seen on occasion.
Despite the fact that it was an island one still needed a horse and cart to get anywhere fast.