The Origins of Red Biddy

When the Celts finally conquered Ireland in the 2^nd Century, they sealed a final pact with their predecessors, Tuatha De Danann, when Cormac Mac Airt, High King of Ireland, married a princess of the Tuatha. Tuatha De Danann were the original fairies and leprechauns whose sorcery and magical powers were renowned throughout Europe. Thus Cormac's first daughter, Grinne, inherited the wild red spirit of the Celts and the magic enchantment of Tuatha De Danann.

When an ageing Cormac decided to conserve his family power, he urged Grinne to marry the leader of the Fanna, Fionn Son of Cumhal. The Fanna were the standing army of the High Kings of Ireland and their feats would make the Green Berets look like altar boys. To join the Fianna, a man had to be able to kill a wild boar at a hundred paces with his small spear - the big spear was kept for more serious confrontations. He had to quench a torch in the dark of night, run fifty paces through a forest track and relight it from a flint before the track got dark. He had to stand at the foot of Ben Bulbin, camn in hand, and when the hounds chased the fox over the two thousand foot peak, slice off his tail with one stroke of the sliotar. He had to chase a deer in full flight and vault over him without breaking his stride.

Fionn himself was no spring chicken so he sent his trusted warrior, Darmuid, to fetch Grinne. Of course no man (only woman) knew that Darmuid had a love spot in the centre of his forehead and any woman who looked at it immediately keeled over. As well as that, Darmuid was the ultimate hero of the Fanna. He, single-handed, brought them back from a ten-goal deficit against the fairies. He walked in front of Fionn into battle and walked behind him out of battle - no one else was needed. Grinne saw the love spot and wove a spell on Darmuid so that, instead of delivering her to Fionn at Allen, he took her on a romantic trip to the west. Fionn, on hearing of the deceit, mastered his entire army and pursued them relentlessly. Eventually they were trapped on Ireland's highest mountain, Carrontouhill, where Darmuid spent day and night warding off attack after attack. Grinne eventually decided this was no way to spend a honeymoon, so she used her De Danann magic to spirit them through the air to the magical mountain of Callan in Clare where no man can harm another. This is the mountain at the back of the brewery.

So overcome were they with the romantic aromas of heather and myrtle that they totally ignored the pursuing Fanna down in the valley around Inagh, and made love for seven days and seven nights. For three years they lived on Mount Callan with Darmuid providing salmon and wild boar. Then Grinne fell ill and told Darmuid that the only thing that would save her life was the fruit of the quicken tree which grew on the mountain to the north. This quicken tree (fraothog) was protected by the giant Sharvan (probably today's Shannon). Darmuid fought Sharvan for three days and three nights and brought back the berries to Grinne. As soon as she ate them she was transported by De Danann to Tr Na nOg (Land of eternal youth). Poor Darmuid, totally distraught and a broken man, came down off the mountain and made his peace with Fionn. He started making beer in the valley by the river Inagh and flavoured it with heather, Fraothog berries and myrtle to remind him of the idyllic years he spent with Grinne on Mount Callan.

Through the centuries, Mount Callan was the romantic mountain of the West. It is laden with history, from the third century Ogham writing on the tomb of the Celtic chief, Conn Maol Mac Morma (he was Darmuid's best friend), to the Dolmen on the lower slopes known as "Leaba Darmuid 'is Grinne" (the bed of Darmuid and Grinne). "Mount Callan Sunday", the last Sunday in July was a popular tryst for lovers up to the late 1940's. On this day lovers came to savour the magic and romance of the Tuatha De Danann and Darmuid and Grinne, and to make love among the heather. Grinne the Red Haired is said to be the Iarlas (changeling) left in the care of Biddy Early (see the Legend of Biddy Early). Hence the name of the beer - "Red Biddy".

Today Darmuid and Grinne still walk the mountain. In respect to Ireland's greatest lovers, we have flavoured Red Biddy beer with fraothogs, heather and myrtle. But treat Red Biddy with respect. She is strong - she is fiery. And be careful - Tr Na nOg is a transient place. The man beside you could be Darmuid, the girl in the corner could be Grinne and if that man staring at you were Conn Maol Morna, you should get out of here. Slinte!

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