Cattle raiding was a popular pursuit in early Irish society given that the land was largely devoid of currency until after the Anglo-Norman invasions and the subsequent reorganisation of lucrative key settlements. Therefore, in the preceding centuries, livestock, clothing and ornate artefacts were central to this barter economy. Moreover, with these symbols of wealth came prestige. Normally, wealth and prestige could have been advanced through either manual labour or marriage dowries with the great and the good. But for some, it was more appealing and considerably easier to simply take what you wanted, by force, from rival kin. The most famous example of this sport in full swing is captured in the Tain Bo Cualigne in which the armies of Medb and Ailill, queen and king of Connacht invade Ulster in a thwarted bid to carry off the great Brown Bull. Theirs, however, is another story…

She told me how her dreams were persistently troubled in the months that followed her father’s murder. She fled the farm, her home, anew, every night. It made her feel nauseous. She would gasp and choke until the flustered Sister came to wake her with stilted reassurances. It was of little comfort that she had been taken into that sanctuary. She said that those stone walls were cold. Its cells were filled with empty souls. They had already forgotten how it felt to be young or to be alive. They must have blocked out any such thoughts long ago whenever they found Him. To them, life was ordered from dawn to dusk. Their thoughts mapped out by the Scriptures and prayer. It was their safety net. Their prison. How could they relate to her? Their isolation was deliberate. Hers was cruelly thrust upon her. Irrevocable.

But she misunderstood them. Their charity was universal. Any decent mortal would have fretted over the poor child and tried to console her. What the religious community failed to grasp was that she did not crave pity. Her eyes flashed if she even caught a scent of it. I discovered that shortly after we met. She hungered for friendship. Genuine friendship that was warm and encouraging. She only welcomed guidance when she sought it. She preferred to come to her own conclusions even if it made making mistakes. I admired that in her. I worried nonetheless.

It was only a matter of time before she left the abbey. I could tell that she was quietly planning to leave unannounced. She did not want any arguments yet let me know, without words, because I listened. What continued to mystify me was where she had planned to go and what she intended to do. She was a pariah and kept walking…