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Blúiríní Béaloidis 09 - Christmas Customs & Traditions
For this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon set out to take a critical look at traditional...


Traditional Plants of the Winter Solstice
History shows that the seasonal botanicals gathered were those thriving in the landscape around us. For us here in Europe, symbolic...


On the Path of Wholeness
I've been working alot with Hawthorn lately, the Celtic tree of Bealtaine. This old photo is of a West Cork Hawthorn, recorded just...


Wreaths, Cycles, and the Winter Solstice
Wreaths: (From the Middle English wrethe, a twisted garland or ring of leaves and flowers) have been used ceremonially for centuries to...


The Ancient Midwinter Deer Mother Goddess
Female reindeer are unique with regard to other deer species in that they grow and shed antlers. This attribute is part of the mythology...


Ancient Irish Star Lore: The Pleiades, Fairies and the Ancestral Dead
When it comes to ancient Ireland, star lore is conspicuous by its absence. There are some theories that the Celtic stories of Gods,...


The Time of the Cailleach
It is again a time of seasonal change and the Cailleach has stepped through the veil and into our world. The fields are bare and the wind...


The Turn of the Seasons
I was reading about a white stag shot by police in England today and I was reminded of both this image by Vexim and the almost archaic...


Taboo Folklore in the Irish Record: Sex, Death, and Dark Magic
Recently, I read posts from two different people arguing for opposing views of how Irish folklore should be treated. The first person was...


Warding Against Evil and Irish Folk-Magic Protection
Andrew Michael Hurley's novel, The Loney, is a tale of folk-magic and superstition, as well as a dark coming of age story. One of the...


Blúiríní Béaloidis 33 - Death
In life, there is much which seems uncertain to us. Concerning death however, there can be no doubt. It was an honour to speak with...


The Death Goddesses of Samhain and Winter.
Summer feels very far away now, and the surrender to the coming winter seems to hold more doubt and uncertainty for many than usual....


Divining the Future at Hallowe’en
The future, in its cloak of fog and mystery, has long been the object of curiosity and worry, urging us to grasp at the unknown and...


Blúiríní Béaloidis Episode 22 - Invisible Worlds (With Eddie Lenihan)
Our lives are built on the stories we tell. At both an individual and a communal level, they orient and mould us, shaping our...


Blúiríní Béaloidis 13 - The Soul In Folk Tradition
The idea of the existence of a soul or life-force which exists independently of the body is of considerable antiquity. In folk tradition,...


Dreaming the Dark: 'Sedna', the Siren and the Selkie (Part 4)
Part 4 of the series on Lilith as 'Sedna', the Siren and the Selkie


Dreaming the Dark: Baba Yaga, Pombagira, Santa Muerte, and Kali (Part 3)
Being Irish, I also went into a little detail about Lilith from the Irish perspective


Blúiríní Béaloidis Episode 27 - The Banshee (with Professor Patricia Lysaght)
The Banshee is a well known supernatural figure in Irish folk tradition. In origin a patron goddess caring for the fortunes of her...


Dreaming the Dark: Lilith, The 'Banshee' (Part 2)
An Irish perspective on shadow consciousness & the psychopomp Art credit: unknown On a winter night, you might hear it – a cry rising...


Dreaming The Dark: Illuminating The Corruption And Destruction of 'Lilith' (Part 1)
Given the time of year and the season that's in it, I'm taking this opportunity to share a four part article I published in 2017 on shadow p