Creggan: An Creagan
Directly halfway between Omagh and Cookstown in the north of County Tyrone, at the foothills of the Sperrins, is an area which is like a gaelic, cultural and archaeological gala; the place is called Creggan (an Creagan in Gaelic meaning rocky or barren place) - it is one of three places in Ulster called Creggan. In many ways, it's yet another part of hidden Ireland; hidden Ireland being the target of my quest for ten years and the purpose of this blog!
Until circa 1940, there was a Gaeltacht in this area, and it died when the last speaker Peadar Joe Haughey passed away (coincidentally and intriquingly, another Gaeltacht in south Armagh at another one of Ulster's Creggans (which has been blogged here earlier under unique enclave for Gaelic poets) died at the same time!) Both Gaeltachts were badly treated and in many ways, shafted by the Board and Department of Education in the north of Ireland in the 20's and 30's; arguably it was part of a coherent and strategic anti-Gaelic policy, to render them dead and gone! Now, there is but one Gaeltacht in the six counties in the north - in west Belfast (sprouted up in the last few decades). The cottage of Peadar Joe Haughey can be visited and is restored and displayed, as it was when he lived in it!
VESTIGES FROM THE ANCIENT PAST
The landscape around here is dotted with megaliths consisting of: Cairns, Wedge Tombs, Stone Circles, Raths, Court Tombs, Portal Tombs (Dolmens) etc. For instance, to the west of the enchanting Visitors Centre is Aghascrebagh Standing Stone, the only standing stone in County Tyrone which has an ogham inscription; Dunnamore Wedge Tomb, is also known as the Giant's Grave (such an interplay of names happens in many different places in Ireland); and approximately six miles from here is the famous Beaghmore - three pairs of Stone Circles, a circular setting of upright stones, along with five small cairns! It is the largest in Ireland! It was one fair september day, some years ago, that I went a-looking for them, as part of my megalith hunting pursuits. They are so hidden and hard to find, it's like they are covered by some invisible covering; perhaps a great pair of binoculars would have helped or just some eyes with xray vision. I walked around as one doing a series of ceremonies encirling the epicentre or a baby crawling around the navel of its father's belly - as if circumnavigating the central cog of a machine but to no avail. I was encircling the fields as if wrapping them in my breast; I was ekeing out every nuance of the countryside - so much so, that even 'though, it is a very remote and untouched area, I attracted the attention of an elderly couple - the man actually watching me with binoculars from his doorstep (I should have asked him for a loan of them when I went over to have a wee chat!).
The area also has a bogland landscape, which is a unique bogland in Ireland. The most typical type of bog in Ireland, is the one that's found in Connacht; this one is different. And the aforementioned Visitors Centre is located at the heart of it; there are some great walking treks and routes going from the Visitors Centre around the bog, like spokes from a wheel. It's such a pleasant and enjoyable ramble to inhale the smoky, pungent bog aromas around here, much like inhaling the aromas of Ireland at the dawn of its being (especially as so many of Ireland's bogs have been destroyed - up to 80%!); indeed, one can rent cottages here, called An Clachan Self Catering Cottages, which contain a traditional feature of a cul-tighe (cultyee) in the kitchen - basically, a dual purposed contraption, which fronts as a seat during the day and a bed by night!
Finally, An Creagan Visitor Centre/Bar is an excellent venue, with a beautiful, sanguine fire, which would warm the coldest of hearts and render them sentient beings of indomitable warmth! It offers an inside track, an inner sanctum, an unseen door into the traditional gaelic culture of the area; evenings of traditional music, storytelling and song are regular eye and ear catchers throughout the year and live music features each weekend.
The area called the Creggan is like a Gaelic Gala in the Sperrin foothills of Tyrone, which in many ways is not only a part of hidden Ireland but is hidden County Tyrone as well! It is an authentic and vibrant place, much like, places one finds on the Ring of Kerry - as if time locked; and a flagbearer of the Ireland that is being rapidly lost in the modern, materialistic society of today.
www.an-creagan.com
