Cape Elizabeth
I wanted to write something a little different this week for my blog. In just a couple more weeks, my college career will be over, and recently, I finished my capstone. For the last two years, I have been researching the relationships between Mainers and people from away (ie. the tourists and retirees from different states). For years, people have been flocking to Maine’s coastal towns guided by advertisements of “the way life should be.” But why?
To answer this, we have to go back to Ireland around 500 BCE, the beginning of the Iron Age. (Well, technically, I could take you back further to explain the development of religion, but that would make for a very long post). At this time, the Irish are practicing Celtic paganism, a religion with many gods and a lot of emphasis on nature. Brigid was a rising goddess in the religion, acting as a patron of fertility and healing among other things.
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland (left) and Acadia National Park, Maine (Right)
Enter Christianity. Though Ireland was one of the few places never conquered by the Roman Empire, the influence of Christianity was inevitable. Reformers came to the island and by the end of the 9th century BCE, most of Ireland’s inhabitants were Christian. The conversion was gentle, at least by 9th century Roman standards. Christians wanted to spread their faith, but they were willing to make a few changes to appease the locals. Celtic paganism was integrated with Christianity. Many previously revered locations remained holy, and gods were dubbed saints, including the newly named Saint Brigid.
Remember how I said that there was an emphasis on nature? Well, water was especially important. Rivers and natural springs were regarded as Holy Wells and were believed to originate from the Otherworld. Bathing in them could bring wisdom, inspiration, and healing. People from all over would journey to the wells to bathe in the water. Churches would be built near these Holy Wells, and despite changes from Goddess to Saint, the belief was still there, and the tradition continued.
Camden Hills State Park, Maine (left) and Dingle Peninsula, Ireland (right)
Why does this matter? Why do I care about Pagan Goddess-Saints and their Holy Wells in Ireland? Because (a) they’re cool, and (b) Maine’s early population was predominantly Irish. Fleeing persecution for their religious beliefs, people left Great Britain and Ireland for the New World. In the early 1700s, a man named Colonel David Dunbar was granted land in Maine for settlement. He recruited several Scotch-Irish families in Massachussetts to make the move. A whole slew of issues occurred pertaining to Natives, Proprietors, and Maine’s cold winters, but by the end of the century, Maine was becoming home to several established towns.
News of Maine’s environment spread back to the city folk in Massachussetts, New York, and even Philadelphia. They heard tales of Maine’s coastline and clean ocean water. People began heading to Maine’s coast, starting in the southern part of the state in what is now Old Orchard Beach. The old and the ailing came to the water, believing that it and the crisp sea air would make them healthier—the extent to which was never measured.
at Jordan Pond, Acadia (left) and Popham Beach (right)
This idea never fully disappeared. People still come to Maine for the lack of pollution, both air and visual. Although the healing benefits of Maine’s coastal air and water may not prevent wrinkles, it can cause peace of mind, and in a world where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, it’s no surprise that sometimes people just want to live amongst nature. Even if it’s just for a little while.
