'seven curses'

Guess ths goes here. Where i now liv there used to b an elderly travellr widow woman who was well nown for throwin her curses whch true or not upset people. Her fav was my seven curses on ya. Just wonderin where did that come from and bnyond superstition what did they mean? Uses? Ye know what I mean :-)

Hey Guiney - nice to see part of the face behind the posts

I'm not sure if anyone else on here follows the old tales, but I believe it to be derived from the tale of Macha, daughter of Sainrith mac Imbaith (the wife of Cruinniuc)

Her curse was to first invoked when she was dieing in childbirth after wining in a race against a horse. The challenge was given in order to save her husbands life. She was left unaided by the men of Ulster, who heard her cries but refused to come to her aid as she was seen as an enemy of the king.

With her final breath she cursed all those that could hear her cry with nine days of labour pain to be suffered at the time of there greatest need. According to legend it was a plight that nine generations of men had to suffer.

Through the years Macha's curse took on seven forms:

1.To suffer the pains of labour

2.To never look upon your true love

3.To have an illness no healer can cure

4.To have ears that will hear no kindness

5.To find no rest for weary limbs

6.Nor food for a hungry heart

7.To die the death of a man forgotten

I find it very revealing that such things were incorporated so well into the Pavee psyche even if its original form was lost. Reflecting back the once held knowledge of Celtic wisdom and possible application...Sure... who knows

Have to say ths is v cool!

Thanks!

Dark. But theres othrs gud1s too. Tho totaly believ that som pavees still have the gris of the old ways

read this seasns voice o the traveller and a guy (handsome lol) from the mag was on the gery ryan show about curses! pity i mised it

Spooky paddy, spooky!