OpenStreetMap
The Pursuit of Dermot & Grania (or Diarmuid and Grainne)
Posted by b-unicycling on 11 April 2022 in English. Last updated on 17 April 2022.To help me procrastinate from mapping the buildings in Co. Tipperary and because I came across one of them recently, I’ve decided to go on my own pursuit of Diarmuid agus Gráinne on OpenStreetMap. There are a couple of instances on the British War Office map all over the country that are marked as “Dermot & Grania’s Bed”. According to Irish mythology (to cut a very long story short), Grainne made Diarmuid flee with her from her engagement party, and they fled across the whole country, sleeping out in the open (first separate, later not so much).
Throughout history, secretive or mysterious places like caves, dolmens etc have been given that name. The legend is mentioned a couple of times in the Schools Collection on duchas.ie, so that is what I’m using now to track them down, because I cannot search the British War Office map. Unfortunately, I can only read the English texts… But their journey will be trackable, once I am done.
Maybe I’ll get to see one of them at some point.
I’m using the hashtag #Diarmuid&Grainne for my changesets, if anyone wants to check it out. Check for yourself on overpass-turbo. (Thanks, Daniel!)
Discussion
Comment from DeBigC on 12 April 2022 at 08:57
Awesome idea! I had heard of such places, but I was sure we learned in school that they were remnants of old structures which didn’t have any available heritage back story, so mythology made up the gap for locals.
Our primary teacher once did this as our Irish reading, and there was an animated book we had in school. The story seemed to be like Romeo and Juliet, or at least repeat the motif of wrong love and outcast lovers, not supposed to be together and staying ahead of the jealousy revenge and resting hither and thither… but ending in tragedy.
Thanks for using the original spelling here #Diarmuid&Grainne
Comment from b-unicycling on 12 April 2022 at 22:06
Thanks for commenting. I’ve recorded a video on how I added two more and some literary background, but I’m only chancing it, as usual. ;-) Video will go online on April 23rd.
Comment from LateNightTone on 14 April 2022 at 04:12
Perhaps this is still to vote in your video entry - but the one Diarmuid & Grainne’s reference I’m aware of from outside the mapping scene (and possibly one of the most impressive examples you’ll see on the ground) is Diarmuid and Grainne’s Bed Cave or Diarmuid and Grainne’s Cave in County Sligo.
It’s a massive cave entrance, high up on the side of the blind Gleniff Horseshoe valley, north of Sligo town, up a very steep slope (and also requiring crossing private land for access, so permission may need to be obtained before visiting). I think it’s the highest cave entrance in Ireland, although I’d need to check some sources on that. Heres the node.
Comment from b-unicycling on 14 April 2022 at 09:52
Hi, thanks for that. I had come across photographs of it alright, but hadn’t searched for it on OSM. The spelling is different than on the British War office map; I’ve changed your spelling to
alt_nameand added the BWO spelling asname. I hope that’s alright with you.