Description
Description
1,000 piece puzzle
By Artist Rachel Arbuckle
Maeve was one of the great female figures in Irish legends. She was wealthy, powerful, desirable and a formidable opponent in battle. She was said to have run faster than horses, worn live animals and birds on her shoulders and slept with numerous Irish kings, discarding them as they failed to satisfy her. One morning Maeve was lying in bed with her current husband, Ailill. By Celtic tradition, whichever of the couple brought greater wealth to a union became the ruler of the household. So Ailill and Maeve began comparing their possessions.
They matched each other torc for torc and cloak for cloak until finally Ailill mentioned his magical great white bull which used to be in Maeve’s herd, but had defected to Ailill’s side of the fence, considering it unseemly to belong to a woman. The only beast in Ireland to match Ailill’s bull was the Brown Bull of Cooley. Maeve vowed to take possession of the animal, and when her offer to buy it was turned down she gathered her armies and set out to invade Ulster and steal it. The result was the Táin Bó Cuailnge, the Cattle Raid of Cooley, a lengthy battle in which many legendary heroes were slain. In the end Maeve did indeed win her bull, but it and Ailill’s bull flung themselves upon each other, tore each other to bits and died, leaving Maeve and Ailill’s wealth equal after all.
About Rachel Arbuckle
Dublin born artist Rachel Arbuckle has always been fascinated by our Celtic heritage. Inspiration found in the intricate knotwork adorning the ancient manuscripts, stone and metalwork, coupled with Rachel’s love of a good story, have combined to produce some of the most popular images in contemporary Irish Celtic art. Mythological warriors rub shoulders with ancient historical figures and intertwine with animals, birds and fish rendered in the artist’s unique style. Her colours, although modern, emulate the softness of the natural pigments used by the Celts and a discerning eye will recognise shades of both Tuscany, where Rachel currently lives, and the Beara Peninsula, where she thrives on the rugged West Coast of Ireland.
Rachel graduated from Dublin’s National College of Art and Design in 1990. In 1991 her first designs were launched onto the Irish market. Today her work is available worldwide, bringing a taste of Ireland to the four corners of the earth.
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