Lugh

Lú Lámhfhada

Radiant young champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann, master of every art

Lugh, called Lugh Lámhfhada (Lugh of the Long Arm) and Samildánach (skilled in many arts), is a radiant young chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythology. Medieval texts, above all Cath Maige Tuired, tell how he came to Tara and named craft after craft until the king let him sit in the sage's seat. He then led the gods against the Fomorians and killed his grandfather Balor.

He is associated with skill, kingship and the champion's role in battle. Celtic Reconstructionists, Druids and other Gaelic polytheists honour him today, and many Irish people meet him through literature and place-names. His name lives on in Lúnasa, the Irish word for August, and in Lughnasadh, the harvest gathering he is said to have founded for his foster-mother Tailtiu.

See the gallery

Lugh spear Millar, 1905. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Harold Robert Millar

How to recognise Lugh

Youthful faceLook for a handsome, well-built young warrior in his prime with a bright, open face, in contrast to the older gods around him.
Gold circletCath Maige Tuired has him arrive at Tara with a king's diadem, shown as a plain gold circlet that marks his royal standing.
Spear Gáe AssailHis famous spear, the Spear of Assal, is one of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann; devotees' stories say no battle was won against it or the one who held it.
SlingA leather sling recalls the sling-stone (cloich tabaill) with which Cath Maige Tuired says he struck Balor's Evil Eye, while folk and later tellings use a spear instead.
Hound FailinisA hound named Failinis, a greyhound in some tellings, is among his possessions and may stand at his side.
Golden glowA soft warm light behind him recalls his link with daylight and summer, though scholars caution that he is not simply a sun god.

Names and titles

Samildánach, Skilled in Every ArtHis title for being equally skilled in many arts, won at the gates of Tara
Lámhfhada, of the Long ArmHis most common epithet, long-armed, for the far cast of the spear or sling
The Coming of LughHis arrival at Tara, offering every art until the king welcomed him
The Sling-Stone at Mag TuiredIn Cath Maige Tuired he fells Balor's Evil Eye with a sling-stone
Lugh's GatheringLughnasadh combines his name with an assembly: the gathering of Lugh

Feast days

Lughnasadh (Lúnasa)1 August, every year

The Gaelic festival marking the start of the harvest. Its name means the assembly or commemoration of Lugh. Medieval tradition says Lugh founded it in honour of his foster-mother Tailtiu.
How it's celebrated. Historically it brought hilltop gatherings, fairs, games, feasting on first fruits and bilberries, and visits to holy wells in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Today Celtic Reconstructionists, Druids and other neopagans keep it with offerings of first grain, shared meals, dancing and bread-baking, and practice varies by group. Its customs also live on in harvest fairs and in the Christian pilgrimage of Reek Sunday.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lughnasadh · Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids: Lughnasadh · The Celtic Ranch: Lughnasadh
Reek Sunday (Garland Sunday)25 July 2027 (date to be confirmed)

A Christian pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, honouring St Patrick, who tradition says fasted on the summit. Many see it as the Christian continuation of the old Lughnasadh hill gatherings. It is also called Domhnach na Cruaiche.
How it's celebrated. Pilgrims climb the mountain, known locally as the Reek, and many go barefoot. Masses are celebrated on the summit through the morning and confessions are heard there. Estimates of attendance range from about 15,000 to 25,000 or more. Lughnasadh is a separate observance, kept by neopagans on 1 August, but the two are historically linked.
Sources: Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference: Annual Croagh Patrick pilgrimage · Wikipedia: Reek Sunday · Association of Catholic Priests: Reek Sunday