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The Strange Wonder of Fairy Light
We often find that accounts of people encountering fairies at night begin with a strange and unusual light near a rath, stone circle or...
Blúiríní Béaloidis 15 - The Salmon In Folk Tradition
Irish communities have been sustained for centuries by the fruits of our seas, rivers and lakes, from which both physical and economic...
Blúiríní Bealoidis 26 - Seals In Folk Tradition
Seals have been an integral part of coastal life in Ireland for generations, and as such there exists a large body of tradition, belief...
Blúiríní Béaloidis 03 - The Moon In Folk Tradition
Since the earliest times, Man has sought to come to terms with the unknown powers and forces that act upon life and wellbeing. It is...
Blúiríní Béaloidis 05: The Threshold Of Plenty - Harvest Customs In Irish Tradition
The arrival of the harvest was for our forebears a time of great celebration, for it marked the point at which the lean months of June...
The Hazel Tree in Irish Magic, Witchcraft and Folklore
The hazel tree was held in high and mystical regard by the ancient Irish people. In Irish mythology the hazel tree was said to bestow...
Blúiríní Béaloidis 25 - Midsummer
Midsummer has long been observed as a period of jubilant celebration, with communal gatherings at bonfires and prayers, recitations,...
The Amadán - The Most Dangerous Fairy of All?
The Amadán is a denizen of fairy said to be most active during the month of June and a fairy being sometimes linked to the solstice...
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...
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...
The Folklore of Daffodils and the Return of Spring
I noticed that the first daffodils are beginning to emerge on our local fairy fort, Rathvilly moat, so I wonder if this is a sign of...
Tír na nÓg & The Irish Otherworld
Where, or even what, is Tir na nÓg? Being a Fortean writer who happens to be Irish, as opposed to being an invested scholar or advocate...
Brief encounter with a strange sea creature in the waters off Inis Meáin
"My father was out fishing one night and something came beside the boat, that had eyes shining like candles. And then a wave came in,...
A Faerie Horse?
"Long ago there lived in the townland of Doon a man named Harty. He had a farm of land near the Shannon. Every morning Harty used to find...
Irish Folklore: 'The Wise Wife and the Mermaid'
"There was supposed to be a Mermaid living in Lough Key. Long ago she could be seen sitting on a rock on the shore, every day, combing...