Cad is brí le Ré na dTiompán (Reanadompaun)? Read how the powerful Druid used a ‘slat draíochta’ or magic stick to turn people into ‘tiompáin’ or standing stones!
Tá Ré na dTiompán (Reanadompaun nó Coimín Ré na dTiompán) suite go hiargúlta le sléibhte Chnoc Mhaoldomhnaigh mar chúlra agus na Comaraigh chun tosaigh uirthi. Tugtar “Mountain plain of the round boulders” mar mhíniú ar an logainm seo, nó “level ground of the standing stones”.
Tá dhá chuid leis an logainm seo. Cialaíonn an focal Ré “level, smooth unobstructed ground”. Séard is brí le ‘réidh sléibhe’ ná “stretch of moorland”. Ach níos tábhachtaí ná Ré tá an dara chuid den logainm – siad san na ‘tiompáin’. Sraith de shé ghallán sa ghort seo atá i gceist leis na tiompáin. Tá siad idir méadar agus méadar go leith ar airde agus seacht méadar ar fhaid.
Reanadompaun (Ré na dTiompán or Coimín Ré na dTiompán) is a remote townland, which has the Knockmealdown Mountains as a backdrop and the Comeragh Mountains to the front. The placename means “Mountain plain of the round boulders” or “level ground of the standing stones”.
This placename has two parts. The Irish word ‘Ré’ means level, smooth unobstructed ground. The second part of the placename, the ‘tiompáin’, refers to a row of six standing stones in a field. They are between a metre and a metre and a half high and seven metres long.
Cad as a tháinig na galláin/tiompáin seo? Arbh bunsraith iad nó an féidir go raibh ciorcal nó cromleac sa cheantar a baineadh anuas agus úsáideadh na galláin/clocha chun claí a thógaint astu? Níl freagra na ceiste ar eolas ag aoinne go cinnte.
Pé acu is fíor, tá scéal bréa béaloideasa faoi na Tiompáin agus conas mar a tharla iad a bheith san áit ina bhfuil siad:
Lá dá raibh, bhí triúr deartháir fánaithe agus a máthair, a bhí á n-iompar ar a nguaillí acu, ag gabháil an dúiche agus dhá mactíre ina dteannta. Bhuaileadar isteach go dtí teach Chian na Móin Oip (Cian of the golden diadems) – Draoi cumasach, láidir. Bhí clú agus cáil ar Chian mar bhí slat draíochta aige ina sheilbh darb ainm “An Plat Opareachta” (the Rod of Enchantment).
Bhí Cian as baile ag an am, ach thug an cailín aimsire cuireadh dóibh fuireach go bhfillfeadh sé. Bhí sí ag fuineadh aráin ag an am, agus nár thit braon dá srón isteach sa mbáisín ina raibh an t-arán. Bhí déistin ar na leaids faoin méid a chonacadar agus amach an doras leotha, an triúr, an máthair ar a nguaillí agus na con.
Tháinig Cian thar n-ais um thráthnóna agus chuala sé mar gheall ar theitheadh na gcuairteoirí agus d’éirigh mire air le fearg. Bheir sé ar an bPlat Opareachta agus amach leis ar a dtóir. Nuair a tháinig sé chomh fada leo, leis an mbuille is lú dá shlat draíochta dhein sé galláin des na cuairteoirí a léirigh drochmheas dar leis. Siad siúd na galláin seo, a deireadh na seandaoine, atá sa tsraith cloiche ar a dtugtar Na Teampáin – an triúr mac, an máthair agus na cloiche beaga, siad san na con.
Ag féachaint siar, nárbh fhearrde an scéal dóibh go léir dá dtairgfdís ciarsúr don gcailín aimsire agus fuireach le haghaidh béile Chéin na Móin Oip!
Is féidir a thuilleadh eolais faoi Ré na dTiompán a fháil ag an nasc seo.
From whence did these standing stones come? Are they the remains of a foundation of a building, or was there once a circle of stones or dolmen in the area, which was dismantled, and the stones used to build a fence? Nobody is sure of the answer.
Whatever the truth of the matter, there is a lovely folklore tale around the Tiompáin, which explains how they came to be where they are:
Once upon a time, three transient brothers and their mother, whom they carried on their shoulders, were passing through the district, accompanied by two wolves. They called in to the house of Cian na Móin Oip (Cian of the golden diadems) – a powerful, strong Druid. Cian was famous for a magic stick he possessed, known as “An Plat Opareachta” (the Rod of Enchantment).
Cian was not at home when they called, but his servant girl invited them to stay until he returned. She was kneading bread at the time and a drop from her nose fell into the basin of bread. The visitors were disgusted by this, so they left the house at once, all three sons, mother and wolves.
When Cian returned later that afternoon and heard how the visitors had left he became very angry at the disrespect shown him. He grabbed his Plat Opareachta (Rod of Enchantment) and took off in pursuit of the visitors. When he caught up with them, with the slightest blow of his magic stick he turned them into standing stones. And these are the row of six standing stones that you see today, known as Na Teampáin – the three sons, their mother and the two wolves, which are the two smaller stones.
On recollection, would it not have been better for the visitors had they offered a handkerchief to the servant girl and stayed to avail of the hospitality of Cian na Móin Oip!
You can get further information on Reanadompaun at this link.
