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Junk Food Past and Present; The Diet of Our Ancient Irish Ancestors
“The menu for this evening is pasta or chicken nuggets and chips,” I announced, smiling smugly to myself. Two ten year old boys in the house; it was obvious what they’d choose. “Pasta!” they both...
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Geis | The Curse in Irish Mythology
The geis (pronounced gesh or gaysh) is Irish for ‘curse’, or ‘taboo’, yet in some circumstances, they might also be seen in a positive light, as a ‘gift’. Irish mythology is awash with geisa, almost...
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Imbas Forosnai | Poetic Inspiration of the Irish Filidh
Something which intrigued me during my research for my latest book, Conor Kelly and The Fenian King, was Fionn mac Cumhall’s ability to call forth his magical powers and divine the future by sucking or...
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Where Do You Go To See The Book of Kells?
Image from Boyne Valley Tours. I know it looks flat, but it’s actually a big hill! Answer: Not Kells! Sadly, you have to go all the way to Dublin to see this famous manuscript, which now resides in the...
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Irish Mythology | Cattle Raids and the Mysterious Giant Bull
I am afraid of cows. This is because I was once chased by a stampeding herd of cows who took an instant dislike to the (very small) dog I was walking at the time, even though she was completely minding...
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Warrior Women of Ireland
Irish mythology is riddled with powerful women, yet they are quite an enigma. On the one hand, we have feisty Queens like Medb, fearsome Goddesses like the Morrigan, gifted healers like Airmid, female...
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6 Founding Principles of Ancient Irish Society
I’ve long felt that our ancient Irish ancestors were far more advanced and civilised than we give them credit for. Not simply because of the amazing engineering which went onto the construction of the...
View ArticleCuradmír | The Champion’s Portion
No, it’s not what you think… my, you all have such dirty minds! Concentrate. Curadmír comes from the old Irish word curad which means ‘of a hero/ champion/ warrior’, and also from the word mir which...
View ArticlePlanning Your Visit to Ireland? Trek Along the Iron-Age Trackway at Corlea
I love bogs. Not only do they provide us with sweet-smelling turf for burning over the winter, which keeps us so warm and cosy and drowsy, but they hide extraordinary secrets which they allow us to...
View ArticlePlanning Your Visit to Ireland? 4 Strange & Spooky Ancient Sites Associated...
The old festivals seem to me to fit perfectly into the cycle of seasons and the passing of the year. And also with the ebb and flow of my blood, or the beating of my heart, or my body clock, whatever...
View ArticleGifts from the ‘Hell-Mouth of Ireland’ #Samhain
Today I met up with Treasa and a bunch of lovely ladies for a visit to Cruachan and Oweynagat. To say I was nervous is a bit of an understatement; not because I was meeting up with a... Read More
View ArticleEithne and Fedelma: ‘Unfinished Business’
You may remember these two young ladies: And you may remember also the block I had when it came to writing the next post in my Incredible Irish Women series, and how I was given to believe that... Read...
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