Warrior or The Other Fella ?
The Mullicháin No 20
The Mullicháin is a Mystical character who controls the wheels of life and time in the Mystical Valley of Ross Broc, (St Mullins), a powerful warrior, a magical being, who has been spoken of down through the centuries. Where he came from no one Knows, is he an ancient Celtic God? Is he one person? What we do know is that those who have crossed him regretted their lack of belief in his existence. He often appears at the dusk , a large muscular warrior surveying his kingdom as he wafts like a cloud through the Sky, you can feel his presence ,his power .He also takes the shape of the old man sitting on a stone wall smoking his pipe and will pass the time of day with you but can just disappear in a blink .There have been reports of the same man in the pub telling tales of old even playing 30(cards) with the local lads and when he is no longer there no one comments they all know who he is but just carry on playing as if he was never in their presence .The visitor wants to see evidence of the Mullicháins existence before they will believe ,however they accept that there are otters in the river or foxes in the forest though they have never seen any of the animals of the wild in the flesh.
So yes, we can show him as the old man walking up the hill or sitting on the wall but what about the warrior who has kept the invaders from the Mystical Valley through tricks and magic that baffles all. Armies have vanished in this valley the Viking’s and Norman’s avoided the place like the plague never recording what happened to their men for fear of the Mullicháin. The Normans learned the hard way to believe The Mullicháin was there but never saw him.
The Mullicháin knows everyone and what they are up to who the relations are, the secret service is not at the races when it comes to these lads all-seeing all-knowing observers of mankind. Often across the fields you can see him walking after a few cows blending into the landscape minded by no one and it is a brave man that will try to investigate who he is .There is an understanding in the country in leaving well enough alone, we know who he is leave it at that accept the existence of the Mullicháin .The outsider will get no help from the local folk ,pushing his nose into country business interfering with what their fathers and his father before him just know to be the real world beyond the understanding of the towns people whose minds have lost touch with the other world .Unlike the Irish Fairies which are in abundance all around Ireland our man is absolutely unique to this Mystical valley where what are considered strange goings on in other places are the norm here. Moling the saint settled here and you would wonder how the lads tolerated this pious fellow well when you hear what the saint was up to putting curses on the locals and pulling the wool over the eye of the king of Leinster you will see how he fitted right in.
It is not by chance that the village of St Mullins never developed into a major town, situated in a very strategic position controlling the river this valley should have been a thriving town. Ohh!!! Yes they tried, the Vikings snuck up the river under the morning mists with muffled oars silently crossing the Scar with vicious intent. But trying to sneak into St Mullins is just not going to happen with every pass guarded and the rivers patrolled by the raven, rook, swallow and swift .The Mullichain is a shape shifter capable of being any animal or person that he desires his real form is a massive 8 foot warrior who can decapitate any foe with a sweep of his hurl .The invaders never had a chance, the annals tell us of a number of battles where hundreds of heads were left behind ,what they omit to tell us that they were Viking heads and that the fear of the Gods was sent through their clans. The Mullicháins protect their Valley and the lands beyond with fearsome power but sometimes by just putting the wind up the invaders like they did with the Normans.
Well after defeating the Viking lads in Wexford and Waterford Strong Bow the leader of the Normans invaders sent his men down to St Mullins where they found this Mound overlooking the river and taught it would be grand and handy to turn it into a Motte and Baily. That’s a kind of IKEA self-assembly fort on top of a mound of earth and stone. There was no resistance from the locals sure they were only waiting for the fun to Start no one in their right mind would think of setting up camp on the entrance to the underworld of the Mullicháins. Knights disappeared, horses went raving mad, The Dulachán (headless horseman) Rode by every night and soldiers just dropped dead, not a mark on them. Now wouldn’t that put the wind up you? The Little people turned their milk sour and brought a plague of mice on their food your man The Mullicháin has some powerful pals. When reinforcements were sent for, they were met by the greatest knight of them all the Mullicháin himself. The English had a shot at taking over St Mullins they built a Star fort on the hill of Choolhune and The Bald castle down over the quay in St Mullins you might ask where are they now? “Tá siad imithe hiomlán anois “ they are totally gone .
So, like all the rest of them they high tailed it out of the valley and St Mullins remains a peaceful and Mystical Valley.
