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 […]
Harvest Moon: The Magic of the Home, Hearth and Hard Work
The tradition of Donegal fiddle is populated with giants, those who kept the tradition alive at any given time over the past century or so, and today it could be argued that the most recent patriarchs of Donegal fiddle are the Campbell brothers, Jimmy and Vincent. They related to Caoimhin Mac Aoidh in his history […]
Dame Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny, Ireland: A poisoner? Quite likely. A witch? Perhaps. A fighter? Absolutely.
DAME ALICE KYTELER was the culprit in the first successful witch trial in Ireland, if you can consider having an unfortunate woman burned at the stake successful. Alice however didn’t burn. She escaped the flames, leaving her maid servant Petronella de Meath to become the first Irish victim of the witch hunts. A wildcat of […]
