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Bealtaine, Fairies, and the Pleiades
In a previous post I wrote about the connection between our concepts of the similar patterns which appear throughout the universe,...


Is time your friend or master?
'We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.' - H.G. Wells....


A Guide to Sustainably Gathering Seasonal Wild Edibles and Medicinals
Seeing as the growing year is upon us, it's the ideal time to share this guide for those of you considering gathering your own wildfoods...


Fairies and the Changing Seasons
I had a question put to me recently which I found interesting. Do fairies come and go with the seasons, and might one type of fairy be...


The Elf Stone
"The 'Elf-stone' (aka Elf-shot) is described as sharp, and with many corners and points, so that whichever way it falls it inflicts a...


Bluebell Folklore
The bluebell thrives at the start of the warmer weather but will die off from mid-June, when the trees have their full compliment of...


Filaments of Connection - from the Macrocosm to Microcosm, and back
When it comes to mythology and ancient indigenous wisdom it is generally accepted that the stars, constellations, and the cosmos itself...


Spring Equinox & The Fairy Hunt
"And beyond them, almost hidden by the moon shadows, were the Lords of the Ever-Living Ones: the antlered helmets of the Wild Hunt, the...


The Fairy Wind
Some believe that the Good People travel within a 'Fairy Wind' to move from one place to another, this is why must never interfere with a...


Blúiríní Béaloidis 08 - Wind & Storms In Folk Tradition
Owing to their impact on human affairs, weather occurrences of all sorts were a source of preoccupation for our forebears, who would look...


Blúiríní Béaloidis 12 - St. Patrick In Folk Tradition
The 17th of March sees countries the world over celebrate Saint Patrick's Day - a day which is commonly marked with large parades and...


Fairy Paths and Ghost Roads
A few posts back I wrote about the secret fairy-paths of the air, and how a person might inadvertently get whisked away being caught up...


Blúiriní Bealoidis 28 - Land & Language
Our guest for this edition of Bluiríní Béaloidis is writer and documentary maker Manchán Magan, whose recent book 'Thirty-Two Words For ...


A Guide to Sustainably Gathering and Weaving with Tree Bark
Would you like to have a go at making a woven bark sheath, or perhaps try you hand at some basket weaving? Getting hold of traditional,...


Witch Bottles and Irish Folk-Magic Protection
17th century witch bottle excavated in Bow Lane, Dublin I recently read Andrew Michael Hurley's novel, The Loney, which is a tale of folk-magic and superstition, as well as a dark coming of age story. One of the pivotal moments in the book is when a 'witch-bottle' is found and the ominous repercussions that ensue. In case you don't know what a witch-bottle is, a very basic summary is a vessel, usually a glass bottle or small pottery urn, which contains pieces of hair, nails


Seasonal Poetry & Prose: 'The Darkling Thrush', by Thomas Hardy
I leant upon a coppice gate When Frost was spectre-grey, And Winter's dregs made desolate The weakening eye of day. The tangled...


The Irish Keening Tradition: Singing the Soul Home
Keening, which was once an integral part of the Irish grieving process, began to vanish from before the 1880’s. In many academic papers...


The Sheela na Gig - An Ancient Fertility Goddess?
Sheela na Gig’s are stone carvings of women exposing their genitals which are found mostly on church buildings associated with the Normans, however they have also been found outside Ireland and many believe they are vestiges of older, Pagan iconography. There has also been some support for two carved figures found on Boa Island, Co. Fermanagh to be considered as part of the Sheela na Gig family and one of these carvings is believed to be pre-Christian. Sheela na Gigs can als















