Brian Rua U'Cearbhain

Brian Rua is a well-known 17th century Errisman. He is remembered as the prophet of Erris, a large Barony in the north west of County Mayo. Papers relating to the life and the prophecies of Brian Rua, known collectively as "Tarngaireacht Bhriain Ruaidh" were destroyed, apparently by his own son, who lost his temper with his father when the two had one of their regular disagreements.

Brian Rua lived in the parish of Kilcommon in the townland of Inver. Believed to have been born around the year 1648, the story of Brian Rua is known by every person, man, woman and child in Kilcommon parish into this 21st century. Passed down through the mouths of the people through successive generations from the 17th century, in 1906 a renowned Celtic scholar called Michael Timoney from Lahardane set out to collect the story of Brian Rua and publish it, so that it would not be forgotten. The stories were carried down the generations in the Irish language and published in that language. In 2000, as part of the Millennium Project, the story was translated into English and published as part of the book 'Traditional Cures and Gifted People' by Philomena Cronin.

References

• Achill Railway: http://www.realizedvision.com/railways.php
• Cronin, Phil, 'Traditional Cures and Gifted People. With a translation of Red Brian Carabine's Prophecy' (2000) Crossmolina
• Mayo County Library:- https://web.archive.org/web/20100407144307/http://www.mayolibrary.ie:80/en/LocalStudies/
• McDonald T. Achill Island. Archaeology-History-Folklore (1997) Longford
• Noone, Fr. Sean. Where the Sun Sets (1991) Erris
• Nolan R. Within the Mullet (2001) Kildare
• Timoney, Michael.Tarngaireacht Brian Ruadh 1906 Lahardane