Ireland and By the Bog of Cats: Space and Time

           By the Bog of Cats is set in a fictional bog in the factual bog system in the Irish Midlands. This extensive system is an important tourist destination for the Midlands because of presentation of the natural beauty of Ireland (Irish Region Office - Regions of Ireland: Midlands Region Archived 2011-01-10 at the Wayback Machine)*. The Midlands not only contain this wide-ranging bog system but also systems of lakes, waterways, and canals which date back "to the early Christian period."  

           In the play, religious and mythological iconography takes a paramount role. In Ireland, religion is heavily incorporated into the landscape through sacred sites. In the Midlands specifically, important Christian sites scatter the landscape. One of these, the Clonmacnoise, dates back to the early Christian period like the bog system (“Clonmacnoise”). This area was established by "Saint Ciaran in the 6th century on the banks of the River Shannon." A website detailing important sites for tourists to visit in Ireland tells that "the site includes the ruins of a cathedral, eight churches (10th-13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and a large collection of early Christian grave slabs." 

           Though the area has been Christianized since the 400s, the Irish Midlands do still contain important remnants of the ancient pagan period. Within By the Bog of Cats relics of the ancient pagan period and Christianity become syncretized. Found within the landscape of the Midlands, one of the most important areas for pre-Christian Ireland, The Hill of Uisneach, is found. The Hill is considered to be the symbolic center of the land in Irish mythology, a type of axis-mundi (Rees 159-161). Ancient Druidical ceremonies were conducted here in association with the pagan holiday Beltaine which celebrates the beginning of summer. 

           One of the most important themes of the play is the forced displacement of people from their land that is achievable through the abuse of power and economic disparities. The Midlands is one of the poorest areas of Ireland. The Irish Times tells that “poverty in the […] midlands and west regions are more than 50 per cent higher per capita than in the southern and eastern regions” (Burns). The Midlands area also receives a large amount of financial aid/welfare from the European Union in comparison with other areas of Ireland.

            In researching the background of names in this play, it was interesting to see how connected they were to Ireland’s Christian past. Hester’s name is a variant of the Persian Esther who plays a great role in a Biblical story (“Hester Name Meaning”). Esther was a Jewish woman who lived during the Persian occupation over the Jewish people. During this time, the Persian government was seeking to confiscate Jewish property. However, King Xerxes married Esther and, as queen, she was instrumental in ending this plot and, therefore, protecting her people and their land. Similarly, Hester Swane is instrumental in taking control of her situation and keeping Carthage from removing her from her own land, though in a much darker way. Another important name in the play is Carthage, which is an anglicized version of the Irish name Carthach (“Carthage Name Meaning”). The name also means loving which expresses the role Carthage formerly played in Hester’s life and presently in the life of his new bride. This also shows the paradoxical nature of names in that he is extremely unloving to Hester at the time of the play. Carthage’s name harkens back to the Irish Saint Carthach who founded a monastery in the 7^th century. Carthage was also a major city during Classical times and became both a colony of Rome and a center for early Christianity. This, then, relates to the classical story of Medea on which By the Bog of Cats is based. The name Kilbride combines both Ireland’s Christian and Pagan past. This name is an anglicized version of the Gaelic Mac Giolla Brighde (often anglicized as McBride) (“Kilbride Family History”). This name means “son of the servant of Brigit.” Brigit was an Irish goddess dating back to pre-Christian Ireland. However, when Ireland was Christianized, Brigit became sainted and associated with an early Irish Christian nun.

Works Cited

Burns, Sarah. “Almost 800,000 Live in Poverty despite Improved Economy – Think Tank.” The

            Irish Times, The Irish Times, 8 Jan. 2018, www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-

            news/almost-800-000-live-in-poverty-despite-improved-economy-think-tank-1.3348396.

“Carthage Name Meaning.” SheKnows, SheKnows, www.sheknows.com/baby-

            names/name/carthage

“Clonmacnoise.” IrishTourist.com, Irish Tourist,       www.irishtourist.com/details/clonmacnoise.shtml.

“Hester Name Meaning.” SheKnows, SheKnows, www.sheknows.com/baby-

            names/name/hester.

“Kilbride Family History.” Ancestry, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com/name-

            origin?surname=kilbride.

Rees, Alwyn David., and Brinley Roderick. Rees. Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland

            and Wales. Thames and Hudson, 1961.

*I could not cite this source because when I returned to it after writing my page, the website was under construction