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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...
The Owl Woman
As we enter the darkness of the falling year and the coming of the Cailleach, it is interesting to note the various roles the owl plays...
Samhain and the Cailleach
Samhain, the astronomical moment of liminality, is drawing closer. Although Halloween will be celebrated on the 31st of October, the...
Keening Traditions and the Irish Wake
When looking at the lifecycle in terms of folklore it cannot escape ones notice that many aspects of the life cycle have clearly defined...
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...
Moon-Bathing Folklore
As well as a full moon, tonight and tomorrow morning will bring a lunar eclipse. I won’t go into the science of this as there are already...
Blúiríní Béaloidis 10 - The Cow In Folk Tradition
Cattle have been central to Irish farming since the Neolithic period, and in early Ireland were even used as a unit of currency. In this...
The Rise of New Fairy Religions
Recently, there has been an explosion in the growth of new fairy religions, as well as the popularity of fairy worship within mixed...
Dark Bealtaine Folklore and The Fairy Queen
Depending on where you live on this beautiful planet, astronomical Bealtaine will take place on either May 5th or 6th this year. The dark...
Blúiríní Béaloidis 02 - May Day Folklore
The first of May is marked in Ireland (and across Europe more broadly), as a day on which the summer is welcomed in; where garlands of...
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,...
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...
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...
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...