The Feat of Ladchend mic Bairchida Searles Sun Dec 17 12:32:22 2000 The Feat of Ladchend mic Bairchida*p*The Feat of Ladchend mic Bairchida is the feat of dream interpretation among the Filidh and the Draíothe IMO. I base this opinion on the dindshenchas of Loch Garman wherein Cathair of Tara has a dream in which he meets an Otherworldly woman who is the daughter of a great land owner. She is clad in garments that are every hue of color that men can see. She is also very pregnant and carries her child within her for 800 years. There is a great hill in the dream and on the hill is a golden tree that produces music for all the world to hear. When the wind whips through its branches, fruit falls to the ground for all to eat. She bears a son who is stronger than she is even on the day of his birth. He becomes a great warrior in many battles. *p*Cathair summons his Druid, Brí mac Baircheda, to interpret the meanings of the dream (here I see "Brí" as being a mark of the Druid's abilities rather than being his actual name, Ladchend). The Druid arranges for a fee to be paid to him and then hebegins to interpret the king's vision. First, he tells the king that the woman of the dream is the river Slane that runs through his land. The many colors of her raiment are the men of every new art under the heavens. Her father, the great landowner, is the earth of the fields. The son that gestates within her for 800 years before birth is Loch Garman itself. He (the loch) will be stronger than his mother (the river) because her strength flows into him. The great hill of the dream is the might of Cathair. The tree of gold is Cathair himself. The music of the tree is his own eloquence. The fruit of the tree is the king's generosity. *p*This dindshenchas of Loch Garman is said to proceed from the "light of verse" that the teller of the tale (Eochaid the Learned) has kindled for a great king: *p*Eochaid eólach, diarb assa, *br*fofuair súithi senchassa, *br*do loch Garman tail na thí *br*ic adnad rand do roríg. *p*It's my opinion that it describes a situation wherein a Druid is called upon to interpret a dream based upon the allegories it contains concerning the land, the king and his future. To me, the interpretation within this tale is clearly a case of Dichetal do Chennaibh applied to the images of the dream itself. The Feat of Ladchend mic Bairchida is a matter of applying a form of imbas to the images and interpretation of a dream. This is one of the four feats of the Ollamh. *p*Searles*p**p*Searles O'Dubhain wrote,*br*: The four feats of an Ollamh that were performed in the last *br*: year of training were the feat of Ladchend mic Bairchida and *br*: the feat of Chota and the feat of Bicni and the feat of *br*: Béci. The Four Cerda of the Ollamh Searles O'Dubhain 760 Sun Dec 17 12:19:56 2000