Macha is a
goddess of
ancient Ireland, associated with war, horses, sovereignty, and the sites of
Armagh and
Eamhain Mhacha in
County Armagh, which are named after her. A number of figures called Macha appear in
Irish mythology, legend and historical tradition, all believed to derive from the same deity. The name is presumably derived from
Proto-Celtic *
makaja denoting "a plain" (genitive *
makajas "of the plain").