Luck O' the Irish Mystery Cache
meleakett: Sounds like it’s gone! I no longer live on the island so I am unable to check it.
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Cache is not at the listed coords, although you might make a stop here on St. Paddy's Day!
You will need to solve the following questions about Irish history and folklore in order to find the cache. FTF prize is a $25 gift certificate to the Hillside Liquor Store (sorry kids!), and a bottle of green food colouring. Enjoy some green beer and have a great St. Paddy's Day!!
Assume that A=0, B=1, C=2, and so on.
Cache is at N48 AB.CDE W123 FG.HIJ
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A) The facts about St. Patrick are few. Most derive from the two documents he probably wrote, the autobiographical Confession and the indignant Letter to a slave-taking marauder named _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Patrick was born in Britain, probably in Wales, around 385 A.D. His father was a Roman official. (7th letter)
B) Patrick incorporated traditional rituals into his lessons on Christianity. In one instance, it is said he superimposed a sun, a significant symbol to the Irish, onto the Christian cross. Thus the Celtic cross was born. It’s a legend that he used the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to teach pagans about Christianity. (1st letter)
C) At the age of 16, Patrick considered himself a pagan. He converted to Christianity while enslaved by a sheep farmer. At 16, Irish brigands captured him and sold him into slavery in either Country Antrim or County Mayo in Ireland. When he was 22, he escaped, returned home, and then spent the next dozen years in a monastery in _ _ _ _ _ _. It is believed he turned to God while he was in captivity. (2nd letter)
D) The National Museum of Dublin possesses a bell, first mentioned according to the Annals of Ulster, in the Book of _ _ _ _ _ in the year 552. The bell was part of a collection of "relics of Patrick" robbed from his tomb sixty years after his death by Colum Cille to be placed in a shrine. (1st letter)
E) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a festival held on October 31–November 1 in Gaelic cultures. A harvest festival with ancient roots in Celtic polytheism, it continued to be celebrated in late medieval times. Traditionally, it was the time to take stock of the herds and grain supplies, and decide which animals would need to be slaughtered in order for the people and livestock to survive the winter. (6th letter)
F) St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but he’s not the only one. Brigid of Kildare and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ are also patron saints of the Emerald Isle. (5th letter)
G) A leprechaun (Irish: leipreachán) is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (3 words) of Irish mythology. Popular depiction shows them as being no taller than a small child. (12th letter)
Including Leprechauns, there are seven different types of Irish Fairies. The
following two questions are examples of these:
H) Around midnight on certain Irish festivals or feast days, this wild and black-robed headless horseman known as a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ may be observed riding a dark steed across the countryside using a human spine as a whip. By holding his severed head aloft, he can use his supernatural sight to spy the house of a dying person; wherever he stops, a mortal dies. (6th letter)
I) In remote areas of County Down, this fairie becomes a small, deformed goblin who demands a share of the crop at the end of the harvest: for this reason several strands, known as the '_ _ _ _ _'s share', are left behind by the reapers. In parts of County Laois, it becomes a huge, hairy bogeyman who terrifies those abroad at night; in Waterford and Wexford, it appears as an eagle with a massive wingspan; and in Roscommon, as a black goat with curling horns. (4th letter +2)
J) Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803) at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is based on the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide. A distinctive feature is the _ _ _ _ _ flavour which is derived from the use of roasted barley. For many years a portion of the drink was aged to give it a sharp lactic flavour, although Guinness has refused to confirm whether this still occurs. The thick creamy head is the result of the beer being mixed with nitrogen when being poured. (2nd letter)
**Note, cache is wheelchair accessible until the last meter or two, you may need a hand to make the grab. And watch for joggers, they come out of nowhere!!**
You can check your answers @ (visit link)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Oruvaq Ybt
Treasures
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