A MYTHICAL CELTIC HERO LIVES ON

The truly ancient Celtic festival of Lughnasadh is an athletic, and sometimes unusual, celebration of the season's first harvest

- Pat Kinsella

One of the four major festivals on the Gaelic calendar (along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane), Lughnasadh is an ancient celebration of the first harvest, traditionally taking place at the end of July and beginning of August.

The name derives from Lugh, a fantastic figure from Celtic mythology.

Mentioned in early Irish literature, Lughnasadh likely predates Christianity by several millennia. The festival is most commonly associated with Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, however it was the foundation of Lammas Day, which is how the first harvest is celebrated in England in the Christian era, and Gŵyl Awst (Festival of August) in Wales.

WHO WAS LUGH?

A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann - a race of supernatural beings in Celtic mythology - Lugh appears in folkloric tales as a warrior and a master craftsman. He's the father of Cú Chulainn, a central figure in the group of Irish heroic legends and sagas called The Ulster Cycle (who is sometimes seen as an incarnation of Lugh, rather than simply his son). Lugh appears in tales told across Europe, where his name crops up in several place names, including the French city of Lyon.