Ancient Sources in The Isle Fincara Trilogy

Ancient Sources in The Isle Fincara Trilogy

In this post I describe how A G Rivett drew on ancient sources in The Isle Fincara Trilogy. I also describe ‘source synergies’ he encountered. That is, times when the world he imagined resonated with something he learned about later on.  The most striking example is the Trilogy’s title. In the first book, The Seaborne, the medieval Celtic island setting is simply called ‘the Island.’ Later, when Rivett learned of an island in Irish myth that occupied much the same location as he’d imagined, he decided to adopt its name for his Trilogy.

Fincara – an Island Beneath the Waves

Myth tells how druidic magic submerged the original Fincara and sent it beneath the waves. Here's a note from the classic text, Old Celtic Romances by P W Joyce, published in 1897: “The Gaelic tales abound in allusions to a beautiful country situated under the sea—an enchanted land sunk at some remote time, and still held under spell. In some romantic writings it is called Tir-fa-Thonn, the land beneath the waves. Sometimes it is O’Brasil, that dim land that appears over the water every seven years ‘on the verge of the azure sea’—and which would be freed from the spell, and would remain permanently over the water, if anyone could succeed in throwing fire on it.”  Fincara of the Trilogy has not been cast beneath the waves. But its fate, at the close of the Trilogy’s third book, The Shareg, is perhaps not so different.

Source synergy – the Women of Fincara

Joyce relates how Brian, son of Turenn, visited the island. “Then Brian put on his water-dress, with his helmet of transparent crystal on his head, and, telling his brothers to await his return, he leaped over the side of the ship, and sank at once out of sight. He walked about for a fortnight down in the green salt sea, seeking for the Island of Fincara; and at last he found it.” Brian entered a large house. There he found, “beautiful ladies, busily employed at all sorts of embroidery and needlework.” But when he tried to grab their cooking-spit, they laughed. Their leader warned, “the weakest among us would be able of herself to prevent thee.” This has resonances with strong women in The Isle Fincara Trilogy, from the wise woman, Mother Cochlane in The Seaborne to Morag as she grows in confidence at the end of The Priest’s Wife.

Source synergy – the Monastic Community at Bangor Isycoed

A second source synergy occurred when Rivett learned of the former monastic community at Bangor Isycoed in North Wales. This would in some ways have been like the community of Caerpadraig in the Trilogy. It was destroyed by events that relate to those in The Shareg, the third book.

The first person to write about the monks of Isycoed was Bede. He completed his Ecclesiastical History of the English People in 731. There, he records how the Bangor Isycoed community was suddenly destroyed around 616. A large number of monks who had gone out to the Battle of Chester to pray were slaughtered by order of King Aethelfrith of Northumbria. Bangor Isycoed means the monastery by the wood. Its first abbot, Dunawd, was among the British delegation that met with Augustine of Canterbury at the Synod of Chester. The present-day church is dedicated to him and has a striking display about the monastic community.

Forget the modern notion of a monastery

“Forget the modern notion of a monastery,” writes Vivien Lavis-Jones in History of Bangor Isycoed. “The Celtic monks, who were not celibate like the Church of Rome, lived with their families in dwellings made from wickerwork. The monks were self-supporting and some would have toiled in the fields whilst others would have been making copies of the scriptures or teaching. There would have been one hut, larger than the rest, that would have served as a church.” (Abbreviated quotation.)

The buildings and many everyday activities would have been similar to those at Caerpadraig with its collection of thatched roundhouses. The people of Caerpadraig are not monks, but Caerpadraig is a community with a strong spiritual tradition. In The Seaborne Father Hugh is their priest and he both reads and writes. So, unusually, does his wife Morag, who also offers spiritual leadership, alongside other prominent women of the community.

Celtic Christians

There never was a Celtic Church as such, with a standardised liturgy and set of beliefs. But there were themes that bound Celtic Christians together. Wikipedia quotes a widely held consensus: “Celtic Christianity denied the authority of the Pope, was less authoritarian than the Catholic Church, more spiritual, friendlier to women, more connected with nature, and more comfortable dealing with Celtic polytheism.” That’s a good description of the spirituality of Rivett’s islanders.

Augustine of Canterbury met Dunawd and other representatives of the British clergy very early in the 7th century. There's a story about how he remained seated to receive them. As a result, things went downhill from there. It's a salient detail which Rivett picks up in the last book of the Trilogy.

Drawing deeply on Ancient Sources

Rivett drew deeply on ancient sources as well as events from his own life in his Isle Fincara Trilogy. As a result, he could write with authenticity.  He lived for several years on a croft on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. Made from Lewissian Gneiss, some of the oldest rocks on Earth, the Scoraig peninsula lies between two sea lochs, pointing a finger at Lewis. While there, Rivett followed the practices of the Céile Dé. This is a tradition that stretches back to druids who believed in Christ but still continued many of their ancestral practices.

Céili Dé honour the natural world and see it as God’s First Scripture. They look back to the myths of their heritage, their ‘Old Testament’, and find wisdom there. This influenced Rivett deeply as he created his imaginary world. To learn about a tradition is only an introduction. Following its practices forges deeper understanding, and a connexion with those who practiced it before. There’s no doubt that the land and the Tradition combined and whispered to Rivett as he created his imaginary world – not to imitate either, but rather, to draw on their wisdom.

Editor, Pantolwen Press

Pantolwen Press publishes the Isle Fincara Trilogy.
Books 1 and 2, The Seaborne and The Priest’s Wife are out. You can order them from bookshops or purchase directly from their distributor, The Books Council of Wales, or from Amazon.
Book 3, The Shareg, is due to launch in October 2026 at the Wild Goose Festival of Writing and Storytelling on Iona.