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Of the coming of the companions of God to Ireland
taken from divers annals


In 673 there was a comet, and a star of great brightness
Seen in the months of September and October
In the year of our lord 690
It rained blood in Leinster.
Butter in the churn turned to flesh and blood
A wolf spoke with a human voice
The sea between Ireland and Scotland froze solid
And there was travel across the ice

In the year of our lord 721
in the monastery of Clonmacnoise
While the monks were at prayer
A ship was seen,
Her sails filled with wind
Sailing above the round tower,
In the upper air, where the fallen angels
Throng thick as fish

And a great iron anchor was heavd over her side
And dragged in the dust of the street
And into the church, till it stuck fast under the altar

and the chronicle tells us
that the monks were sore afraid
when a sailor swam down the rope
to pull it free, and they saw him drowning
in the goodly air, and rushed then to his aid
to pull the anchor free, and the ship sailed on
with no word of human language shared

In 734 there was the appearance of a dragon
“both huge and ugly to behold
And a great thunder heard after him in the firmament”

in 743 an awful marvelous sign was seen in the stars
in 745 in the night a terrible and wonderous sign appeared
amongst the stars

in 759 three showers fell in Crich-Muireadhaigh in Inishowen.
First pure silver of an unknown working
Then a shower of wheat, and last a shower of honey
Of a fair and rich flavour.
In 760 fire came from Heaven
and slew men in Dearthach Aedhain
In 765 “a terrible and wonderful prodigy
appeared among the stars”

and in 805, the Ceile De,
the clients and companions of god
came over the sea with dry feet, without a vessel
and a scroll was given them to preach
out of heaven and carried up again when the sermon
was finished

this year, cakes and bread bled when cut
and the birds spoke with human voices