BEARS - Margaret

 ART - THE IRISH BEAR 

by Margaret

 

There is evidence that in Ireland during the Iron Age (800BC - 43AD), the bear was admired for its strength and ferocity. It was thought to have much in common with humans as it walked on two legs, was omnivorous and liked the same foods, honey, salmon, fruit, nuts and meat.

 

Bones of bears dating back over 10,000 years have been found in caves in counties Clare and Leitrim. Recent work by researchers from the Institute of Technology, Sligo and Queens University, Belfast has dated two distinct sets of bones found in the Aillwee cave Co Clare in 1976 to 10,400 years ago and 4,600 years ago. The bones of the more recent bear show butchery marks which suggests that bears were hunted, or at least that carcasses of bears dying of natural causes were exploited for their valuable skins, fat and meat. In the Alice and Gwendoline cave in Co Clare ancient bones were discovered in 1902, recently, researchers analysing these bones have discovered cut marks on bear patella indication that somebody had been trying to remove tendons. These may have been used for sewing fletching or hafting. This group of bones has been dated to between 10,860 and 10,641. Perforated bear’s teeth, worn as necklaces have also been found Co Clare. The cave of Poll na mBear in Co Leitrim contains the bones of a number of bears and their cubs, dating to 2,000BC. DNA research on these bones shows that Irish bears were the maternal ancestors of the Polar bear, which gives evidence that the Irish bear must have bred with the archaic polar bear.

 

The people of pre-Christian Ireland had no first-hand knowledge of bears, as by the Iron Age they had already become extinct. Actual bear imagery both literal and visual is rare but a group of three stone bears of the era were found during the re-building of Armagh cathedral in 1840. The previous cathedral had been built on an Iron Age burial mound and the statues are clearly connected with this.

 

Although there is no written history, stories have come down to us through the Irish oral tradition. Tales such as the “Cattle Raid of Cooley” (An Tain Bo Cualnge) and of Cuchulainn and the Red Branch Knights, are from this time. We know that bears were held in high esteem as in the second century BC a high king of Ireland, Art Oenfer (Lonely Bear) was the son of Conn mac Airt. In modern times the family name O’Hart comes from macAirt, son of the bear.

 

With the introduction of Christianity into Ireland in the fifth century many abbeys developed across the island. In 589AD Columbanus set off with twelve companions, one of whom was Gall, from the abbey of Bangor to bring Christianity to Northern Europe. They settled in Luxeuil in France and then in Bregenz in Austria. Columbanus eventually moved on to Bobbio in Italy but Gall stayed in Bregenz and became a hermit in the woods. The story goes that one night while sitting by his fire he was charged by a bear. Gall rebuked it and the bear stopped in it’s tracks and disappeared into the woods to return with firewood, and the two shared the fire.  

For the rest of his days Gall was always accompanied by his bear.