The tradition of Donegal fiddle is populated with giants, including the hidden ones who kept the tradition alive at any given time over the past century or so. At the turn of the last millennium, it could be argued that the patriarchs of Donegal fiddle were the Campbell brothers, Jimmy and Vincent. They related to […]
The pagan customs of Imbolc: A look at the Irish and their Brigid, both goddess and saint
Imbolc is a perfect example of how holidays, along with gods and goddesses evolve over time. Last year, 2023, St. Brigid’s Day was made a national holiday in Ireland. That the holiday likely originated in the veneration of a pagan goddess, also named Brigid is lost on no one. But naming the holiday after St. […]
Ballygally Castle Hotel: The knock at the door isn’t room service, and a last dash across northern Ireland to home
It’s been almost 25 years since I visited the haunted Ballygally Castle Hotel, in Ballygally, Northern Ireland. Often named when listing the most haunted sites in the north, and occasionally at the top of the list, I can vouch for that I think. I experienced the most reported aspect of the haunting, though it had […]
Rattling the Bones: Digging into the psyche for ancestral memories of Brigid on Imbolc
We put the F in JFK I didn’t have to go very far back to find the name Fitzgerald in my family closet. It’s Irish, I knew that. Luckily, Fitzgerald is one of those families which has been extensively traced. We put the F in John F. Kennedy after all. The Fitzgeralds story started with […]
A search for my ancestors’ beliefs about witches and witchcraft in the witch hunts of county Kent, England
Elizabeth Anna Halke married John Bull II on October 30, 1620 in Brabourne, county of Kent, England. John was twenty years old, Elizabeth was a few days shy of sixteen. They were eight generations of my grandparents ago. Elizabeth was a popular name at the time. Our Elizabeth was named after her mother, and it turns […]
Looking for the history of witches in Southern Illinois in the folklore of those who feared them
I first approached researching Southern Illinois witches the way I would any subject … by getting to know the people. Where I made my mistake was trying to focus on the witches. A mistake, but because the witches were lost in the world of folklore. Who defined a witch here, as in most places, was […]
