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Brug na Bóinne

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Brug na Bóinne, na Bóinde, maic Ind Óc [Ir., Brú: a) bank of a river, b) hostel, c) womb; of the Boyne]. The otherworldly residence first of Boand and of the Dagda but later, more importantly, of Angus Óg, Irish god of youth and poetry. It is usually identified with the great passage-grave of Newgrange, dating from 3200 to 2600 BC, but may include the nearby passage-graves of Dowth and Knowth, which are of comparable size and antiquity. All three are in the Boyne valley, 2 miles NE of Slane, Co. Meath.

Brug na Bóinne offers hospitality to countless guests in hundreds of Irish stories. At times it is synonymous with the power and/or generosity of Angus Óg. It provided endless supplies of ale, three trees that were always in fruit, and two pigs, one of which was living, the other cooked and ready to eat. In variant texts the great hero Lug Lámfhota is sometimes described as buried here.

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