Dia duit, a chara!

I have just posted a YouTube video where I talk about the inspiration and creation process behind my drawing, "Torc Allta Ceilteach" or "Celtic Wild Boar." You can scroll to the end to watch it ↓

How it started

Torc Allta Ceilteach was inspired by a suggestion from a Welsh customer. He felt that a Celtic boar design could reflect both Irish and Welsh mythology. And I completely agree with him. The Welsh story that he suggested was about the Twrch Trwyth, so I promptly went off to find out more.

As I did the research for my drawing, I found a few little bits of information that I’m referring to as ‘little gems’ because, for me, they add a bit of magic and wonder to it all.

Let me fill you in….

Mythological Inspirations

Welsh Mythology:

Irish Mythology:

The enchanted boar in the story of Diarmuid and Grainne is a bit sadder than the story of the Twrch Trwyth. Diarmuid’s tragic end comes from being gored by a magical boar, who was once his friend and foster brother, Enda.

My Research

Little Gem 2: Máire writes that while Diarmuid and Grainne were eloping,

“they slept in a rock in Patrick Finley's land. The rock is still known as Leabaenediarmuid.”

I assume Leabaenediarmuid translates to Diarmuid’s bed. I love that she knows that a real-life local person, Patrick Finley, has a rock on his land that refers to the mythological story. Having the rock named as that is a great way to keep the myth alive.

Little Gem 3: Máire Ní Dhuibhne was told this story by someone called John J. Devine, who I’m assuming is Máire’s father or grandfather. At the end of the story, Máire writes,

“Diarmuid (O Duibhne) died and left after him two daughters and four sons. The Devines are descendants of these sons.”

So here she is claiming to be related to the mythological Diarmuid O Duibhne. I absolutely LOVE this blur between myth and reality. To me, it makes the magic real and alive.

My Drawing Process

To start with, I imagined what it might be like to see one of these wild magical boars walking through the forest, just crossing my path as I walked along. I imagine you would instinctively know that it was a magical creature if you happened to stumble across it.

I view my intricate line art as a way of representing magic and otherworldliness in my drawings. You can see that these patterns aren’t visible all over my Torc Allta Ceilteach. I’ve put them in places to suggest that you’re just getting a glimpse of the magical quality of the animal.

Recommendations

For a captivating retelling of Culhwch and Olwen, I highly recommend Michael Harvey's storytelling on YouTube. You might be interested to know that he’s also written a book about the story called Pig Boy.

And do explore Duchas.ie – The Schools Collection . You can start by typing in “Wild Boar”, or “Black Pig” and then enjoy getting lost down a lovely rabbit hole.

If you’d like to hear me stumble over some Welsh and Irish words, then you can watch the video on my YouTube channel or below. I also go into a more detail there than I have done here. Enjoy the video!

Finally, you can get your own version of Torc Allta Ceilteach on a t-shirt here!

Feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions for future projects.

Slán go fóill, goodbye for now!