Honoring Grief & The Irish Keen
This past week I have begun Dr. Mary Mc Laughlin’s new book, The Irish Keen: Grief Rituals and the Otherworld, and it feels like a warm welcome home - abhaile. Funny thing to say about a book written on grief and death, eh? Not when we consider how deeply rooted funerary rites and rituals are within the Irish cultural consciousness. And as we move closer to Samhain - the end of the harvest - not when I consider my own deliberate avoidance of the Keen.
Fómhar: Autumn Alignment
As Cónocht an Fhómhair, the Autumn Equinox draws near, the season is visibly changing with noticeable signs in our Appalachian Mountains - and echoing Irish hills. The air is crisper and cooling, which does change harvesting patterns throughout Meán Fómhair, September, or “the middle of the harvest”. The importance of this period is evidenced in folklore recorded in The School’s Collection of the NFC…
An Droch-shúil: The Evil Eye
An Drochshúil: The Evil Eye. Never an affliction a seasoned practitioner wants to admit they suspect. But I have learned - and have been reminded - that the Eye can crop up for both the best of us, and the worst of us. The unfortunate reality is that none are safe, unless one simply suspects that everyone, at some point, may be charm-setting - whether they know it or not.
Grab a Stout Blackthorn, to Banish Ghosts and Goblins
Selected Plants of Protection in the Irish Hedgerow, and in Appalachia
Whether a curse thrown by a neighbor, a witch stealing milk straight from the pail, or a chance encounter with the unruly Othercrowd, our Irish and emigrant ancestors employed many allies in the hedgerow and across the wayside to keep themselves safe and sound.
Fáilte {Welcome}
Fáilte, “Welcome” - a word used in both the colloquial and traditional Irish tongue to cultivate a spirit of hospitality, of community, of reception. It is a salutation, a keystone piece of larger phrases, and a communication of acceptance - all this I offer to you, dear reader. Tá fáilte romhat, you are welcome.
