THE RIVER INNY

Our local river, the Inny, takes its name from Eithne. Who was she? She was a Celtic goddess of the Tuatha de Danann. After the arrival of St. Patrick she finds herself strongly attracted to Christianity but finds it hard to leave her friends in Brú na Bóinne. A story from early Celtic literature speaks of the debates between St. Patrick and Oengus Og, another Celtic god, over the fate of Eithne. She became a Christian, but died not long afterwards. She was buried by the Christian community at Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange).