Welcome back to the Candlelit Tales Podcast.

Here in the darkest time of the year, we’re telling stories to get cosy with. 

In this episode, for the longest night of the year, Sorcha is telling the story of the Daghda’s Harp. This is a story we’ve told many times, often for younger audiences. But here it is presented in a different light, as a story about healing from hardship and remembering that, eventually, there will be light again.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the people who donate to us each month via
https://www.patreon.com/candlelittales and anyone who sends us a once-off donation through the Paypal button on our website http://candlelittales.ie/

Please note the content of these stories may be triggering for some listeners, please take care of yourself as you listen. 

Triggers include mentions of war, trauma, and mass death.

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Episode 186 - Stories For The Dark - The Daghda's Harp

We are a group of storytellers, performers, and musicians. We tell Irish myths to a live audience with live music.
Candlelit Tales was founded by brother-sister storytelling duo Aron and Sorcha Hegarty. Driven by a passion for Irish mythology, we started retelling the stories to a near-empty room upstairs in a Dublin pub one rainy evening in November. The next week, the room was a lot less empty, and we were joined by musician Ru O’Sé. By the fourth week, the room was full, and so was the hall outside. We realised that when we share our passion, it becomes contagious. And we’ve been telling stories and playing music from that day to this. 

Since then, over the past five years of telling stories in the capital of this nation of storytellers, we have developed and refined our uniquely expressive, naturalistic and modern style. Live music is the heartbeat of all our performances, and a live original music score composed by a team of talented musicians drives the rhythm of the stories

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Welcome back to the Candlelit Tales podcast.

This episode continues our new series on the greatest High King in mythological, pseudo-historical memory: Cormac Mac Airt.

This episode brings us to the beginning of the end for Cormac. As the king aged, and believed that his greatest adventures were behind him, Bealtaine brought with it an invitation for the most extraordinary journey of his life. 

Please note the content of these stories may be triggering for some listeners, please take care of yourself as you listen. This story includes mentions of parental abandonment, abduction, and separation.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the people who donate to us each month via
https://www.patreon.com/candlelittales and anyone who sends us a once-off donation through the Paypal button on our website http://candlelittales.ie/

Find details of our upcoming shows here: https://candlelittales.ie/performances/

Episode 249 - The High King - Promise & Plenty - Part 1

Welcome back to the Candlelit Tales podcast.

This episode continues our new series on the greatest High King in mythological, pseudo-historical memory: Cormac Mac Airt.

This episode tells the second part of last week’s story ‘Fire and Fury’ where we were introduced to some of Cormac’s struggles as a High King who was not a fighting man. Insulted by the Ulster men, he had conceded the Kingship rather than pose a direct conflict. But his mother pointed out, he found himself needing to curry favour for a much greater fight. And two men from Munster would help him. But he trusted neither, and he as it turned out, was not to be trusted either.

Please note the content of these stories may be triggering for some listeners, please take care of yourself as you listen. This story includes mentions of public humiliation, violence, and violent death.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the people who donate to us each month via
https://www.patreon.com/candlelittales and anyone who sends us a once-off donation through the Paypal button on our website http://candlelittales.ie/

Find details of our upcoming shows here: https://candlelittales.ie/performances/

Episode 248 - The High King - Blood & Beetle

Welcome back to the Candlelit Tales podcast.

As this episode is released on the first of May, also called Bealtaine, we decided to take a break from our current series on Cormac Mac Airt, and talk you through some of what we’ve learned over the years of telling stories about this fire festival.

We recorded a video to go along with this talk, and you can find that over on our YouTube channel. We’d love if you could check it out and let us know what you think!

Sorcha mentions the book “The Year in Ireland” by Kevin Danaher, and we’d highly recommend you try and get your hands on it if you’re interested in this topic, though it is currently out of print. Eithne Massey’s “The Turning of the Year” is also a lovely volume, combining information about the seasonal celebrations with folktales and myths linked to particular times of year.

Please note the content of these stories may be triggering for some listeners, please take care of yourself as you listen. This podcast includes Sorcha’s idea of what jokes are, which may be painfully cringe for some listeners.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the people who donate to us each month via
https://www.patreon.com/candlelittales and anyone who sends us a once-off donation through the Paypal button on our website http://candlelittales.ie/

Find details of our upcoming shows here: https://candlelittales.ie/performances/

What Is Bealtaine In Ireland?

Welcome back to the Candlelit Tales podcast.

This episode continues our new series on the greatest High King in mythological, pseudo-historical memory: Cormac Mac Airt.

This episode tells the story of Cormac’s struggles. Now that he had gained the kingship, he found he had to hold it, and he had promised that he would hold it with wisdom and justice, rather than violence. This proved a difficult task, with warriors from the North who claimed his leniency was a sign of weakness.

Please note the content of these stories may be triggering for some listeners, please take care of yourself as you listen. This story includes mentions of public humiliation, violence, and violent death.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the people who donate to us each month via
https://www.patreon.com/candlelittales and anyone who sends us a once-off donation through the Paypal button on our website http://candlelittales.ie/

Find details of our upcoming shows here: https://candlelittales.ie/performances/

Episode 247 - The High King - Fire & Fury

Welcome back to the Candlelit Tales podcast.

This episode continues our new series on the greatest High King in mythological, pseudo-historical memory: Cormac Mac Airt.

This episode tells the story of Cormac’s meeting with his beloved Eithne, and the tragic tale of what her feckless relatives did to her beloved foster father.

Please note the content of these stories may be triggering for some listeners, please take care of yourself as you listen. This story includes mentions of poverty, injustice, and destitution.

This podcast is proudly sponsored by the people who donate to us each month via
https://www.patreon.com/candlelittales and anyone who sends us a once-off donation through the Paypal button on our website http://candlelittales.ie/

Find details of our upcoming shows here: https://candlelittales.ie/performances/

Episode 186 - Stories For The Dark - The Daghda's Harp

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