Regarding food in Irish tradition, Kevin Danaher, writing in 1964, noted that "Sometimes we get the impression that Ireland, in ancient times, was a land of plenty, and again we get quite the opposite impression - that our forebears lived out their lives on the very edge of starvation. In reality both these impressions are wrong." As an expression of culture that permeates every aspect of life, food holds a central place in Irish folk tradition, and for episode 41 of Blúiríní Béaloidis, I am delighted to be joined by Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Senior Lecturer in the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology at Technological University Dublin to discuss food in Irish folk tradition. Máirtín, along with Dorothy Cashman, was co-editor of the recent "Irish Food History: A Companion", published by the Royal Irish Academy in hardcopy in 2024, and available freely online via EUT+ at the following link: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/irishfoodhist/1/

For this episode of the podcast we discuss Máirtín's background, exploring the way in which he came to take such an interest in Ireland's food history, as well as examining the themes of continuity and change in the context of the Irish diet. Join us as we explore Irish food traditions in the context of calendar observances, the life cycle and ritual observances, as well as considering regional foodways, the importance of hospitality and the impact of the Irish language on our understanding of both food and place in Irish tradition. From milk, butter and the Brehon Laws, to spice bags and purple Snack bars, join us as we explore changing attitudes to food in Ireland.

This is also the first episode of the podcast which we have been able to record on video, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Andrew Fogarty, Veronica Aguilar Olmos and Dominic Martella for their support for the series to date, and for organising the shoot. I hope listeners and viewers will please forgive my excessive humming-and-hawing in this episode - I felt quite nervous in front of the new setup! Video for this episode is available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x4PdbSXrSk&ab_channel=UCD-UniversityCollegeDublin

Hello a chairde, and welcome to episode 40 of Blúiríní Béaloidis, the podcast from the National Folklore Collection.

It would be remiss of me not to commence this episode of the podcast with long, grovelling apologies concerning the absence of signs of life regarding the series over the last year and a half. The good news is that the podcast still exists, the work of the NFC continues apace, and the bad news, well… there is no bad news really; just the reality of one individuals less-than-perfect attempts at keeping a variety of plates spinning while kicking cans down the road. Forgive me please!

Forty episodes ago, we commenced our wanderings through the folklore furrow by asking 'what is folklore?' Now, having traversed some of the way together, we will stop to consider well, what is a folklore archive?

Folklore archives, in actively setting out to document the traditional customs, practices and memories of ‘ordinary people’, have tended to develop on the margins of the professional archival world. They offer unique cases for archival research, as the systems of classification and description they employ, along with the impulses that motivate them, pose questions regarding the relevance of formal archival ideas (which often developed in response to the needs or large and powerful government bureaucracies).

In this episode we will explore the role and nature of archives generally, and will consider the form and nature of the folklore archive specifically. We'll hear from the visionary individuals who established the folklore archive in Ireland, will explore Ireland's troubled relationship with archives, look at the systems of classification and description which are employed in folklore archives, and consider what use this material offers us in these troubled times.

I have many people to thank for helping me to create this episode; Cathal Goan, for his kind permission to use excerpts from his wonderful 1985 radio documentary 'Lest They Perish', Cormac O'Malley for permission to use recording of him reading account of the destruction of the Public Records Office of Ireland in his father Ernie O'Malley's memoir 'The Singing Flame', my colleague Kate Manning, Principal Archivist at UCD Archives for her alerting me to a fascinating 1935 government memorandum concerning the establishment of the Irish Folklore Commission, my colleagues at the National Folklore Collection for their assistance, support and good humour, and finally to yourselves, dear listeners, for your continued interest and support in our work.

So, sin a bhfuil! We're already working away on a new series of interviews and episodes, and please God, will return with more next year.

Beirigí bua agus beannacht!

Jonny

Bees have been cultivated in Ireland since early times. Of value for their wax and honey, there were also believed to be blessed creatures, as Dáithí Ó hÓgáin writes: "probably because of the use of their wax to make church candles, and one medieval legend describes a swarm of bees building a little container around a lost communion wafer to protect it. They were also thought to be possessed of special wisdom, and to take an acute interest in the affairs of their owners. If a bee entered the house it was regarded as a good omen, and the bees in their hive would be told in advance of projects that the family intended to undertake in the belief that they might effect a beneficial influence. When a member of the family died, it was customary to place a black piece of cloth on the hiveso that the bees could join in the mourning". For this episode of Blúiríní I was honoured to have been joined by my friend and colleague from the National Museum of Country Life in county Mayo, and alumnus of the taught MA in Irish Folklore at UCD, Tiernan Gaffney. Tiernan is an Assistant Keeper of the Irish Folklife Collection at the National Museum of Ireland, his folklore research often explores the creation and connection of communities within shared spaces. Join us for episode 39 of Blúiriní Béaloidis as we honour those blessed, wise and industrious little ones, and talk about an upcoming National Museum of Ireland exhibition, “Murmur of Bees”which will launch in the summer of 2023.

To learn more about the National Museum of Ireland: Country Life, visit: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Country-Life

Lying in fields and ditches, at the edge of old and overgrown graveyards and in lonesome places all over Ireland rest forgotten echoes of our past. Large and unwieldy stones; blocks of granite and sandstone flags which, used in former times as tests of strength, still reverberate with the memory of heroic feats.

The tradition of stone lifting, while well-attested in Scotland, Iceland and other parts of Europe, is a topic about which very little is known in Ireland. For the past year, David Keohan, multiple national European and world champion in kettlebell sport, world record holder, avid strength historian and self-described stone-lifting fanatic, has been (literally) unearthing this little-known aspect of traditional Irish physical culture. Guided by material relating to the practice of stone lifting as found in the archives of the National Folklore Collection, David has been travelling the country identifying lifting stones mentioned in manuscript sources gathered by folklore collectors, and has been talking to locals who remember the lifting of these stones in former times. It has been an honour to assist in shining further light on this topic, and I was delighted to be joined by David for this episode of Blúiríní as he discusses his adventures to date.

Join us as we attempt to set out the scope of the tradition as it existed in Ireland, drawing on NFC collection to examine the occasions on which these stones were lifted, their connection to funeral games and the dead, the role of lifting stones as rites of passage or method of settling dispute as well as their associations with hags, giants and mythical champions.

The richness of our archival collections now serve to assist in the regeneration and reanimation of this once widespread custom, and should serve as a source of inspiration and pride; linking us with the past, with our birthplaces and with those who have gone before us.

David's Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/irish_move_athlete/?hl=en

David's YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@davidindianakeohans3566

Two highly recommended and very beautiful Rogue Fitness documentaries were mentioned at the outset of the episode. They are available here:

Stoneland (Scottish stone lifting tradition): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhQlNwxn5oo&ab_channel=RogueFitness

Fullsterkur (Icelandic stone lifting tradition): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Tcsg2Yac8&ab_channel=RogueFitness

Website here dedicated to the memory of Scotsman Peter Martin (mentioned in this episode). Peter held a special affection for the Gaels, and his research into Gaelic strength culture and traditional stone lifting was without equal: https://www.oldmanofthestones.com/

"Long as the day is, night comes, and alas, the night is coming for me too... Someone else will have pastime out of my work when I'm gone on the way of truth. A person here and a person there will say, maybe, 'Who was that Peig Sayers?' but poor Peig will be the length of their shout from them. This green bench where she used to do the studying will be a domicile for the birds of the wilderness, and the little house where she used to eat and drink, it's unlikely there'll be a trace of it there."

For this episode of Blúiríní, instead of focusing on one aspect of tradition, we for the first time dedicate our explorations to one individual; Mairéad ‘Peig’ Sayers who, by her artistry and mastery as a storyteller in the oral tradition, skilfully managed to express the wisdom of the many in the wit of the few, and yet whose printed autobiographies (as Irene Lucchitti notes in an article in Folklore and Modern Irish writing) ‘experienced a decline in reputation, suffering critical disdain and schoolyard ridicule in equal measure’. Now, nearly sixty-five years after her death, we hope to provide a platform through which her tales might find a new audience, one which, it is hoped, may find in her a source of inspiration and insight.

For episode 37 of Blúiríní, I was honoured to have been joined by Dr. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne and Dr. Pádraig Ó Héalaí, in the beautiful surrounds of the Museum of Literature Ireland and for the first time in front of a live studio audience - something which was a great pleasure for me personally! Thanks to my guests Éilís and Pádraig, to our friends at MoLI for taking such good care of us on the night and especially to all who came along in person and made the evening so pleasant!

This podcast also marks the launch of Thar Bealach Isteach / Into the Island, a nine month collaborative exhibition between MoLI and the NFC, which looks at Peig Sayers and the Blasket Island storytelling tradition. See moli.ie for details.

Blúiríní Béaloidis 37 is online now, I hope you'll join Pádraig, Éilís and I as we ask 'who was that Peig Sayers'?

Irish Travellers, known in their own language as Mincéirs or Pavees and in Irish called ‘An Lucht Siúil or, ‘The Walking People’, are a nomadic ethnic minority in Ireland with a distinct history, culture and identity. Historically, Travellers were called Tinkers, a reference to their trade as tinsmiths, and they also made a living through engaging with the settled community; by buying and selling animals, or through seasonal farm labour. They’ve also long been renowned as singers, musicians and storytellers who brought news, tales, songs and music from townland to townland, parish to parish and county to county as they travelled around Ireland. As a minority group however, Ireland’s Travellers they have long-faced discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, and are often reported as the subject of explicit prejudice in Irish society. For this episode of the podcast, I hope to enter into an exploration of Traveller culture and identity, and I’m honoured to be joined by David Joyce; an advocate for the Traveller community who has worked as both a barrister and a solicitor, and Áine Furey, a singer, musician, tour guide and alumna of the Department of Irish Folklore here at UCD. I hope you’ll keep us company for the next hour or so as we come to know and honour the culture, traditions, perspectives and experiences of Ireland’s Travelling people, to whom this episode is dedicated. For details concerning audio timecodes, see below:

08:20: Tom 'Bun' Connors in conversation with Seán Ó Súilleabháin, Cherry Orchard, Dublin (1967) listing some Travellers families and which parts of Ireland they're from.

14:20: Andy Cassidy, 'My Rifle, My Pony and Me' recorded by Alen McWeeney in Labre Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin (1967) My thanks to Alen, and to Pavee Point for permission to reproduce this wonderful recording! See more here: http://www.paveepoint.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/WhishtBooklet.pdf

27:35: Bridget Connors in conversation with Seán Ó Súilleabháin, Cherry Orchard, Dublin (1967) recounting the kindness of Kerry people, and the hostility with which she was met in other places in Ireland.

39: 54: 'Bun' Connors recounting the tinsmithing trade as it was practiced in his family, and how it was undone by the arrival of cheap plastic goods.

42:07: John Reilly singing 'The Jolly Tinker'. Recorded by Tom Munnelly while John and his family were camped at Cloongrehan, Cootehall, County Roscommon (October 1971)

47:02: John Reilly singing 'False Lankum'. Recorded by Tom Munnelly while John and his family were camped at Cloongrehan, Cootehall, County Roscommon (October 1971) See here for more: https://digital.ucd.ie/view/ivrla:31077

50: 22: 'Bun' Connors relates his experience of travelling around Ireland, and demonstrating how well he knows the homeplace of Seán Ó Súilleabháin(from Kenmare, county Kerry) in particular.

53:55: Uileann Piper Johnny Doran playing 'Colonel Fraser, My Love Is in America, Rakish Paddy' recorded by the Irish Folklore Commission (1947)

56: 28: 'Bun' Connors relates his long standing friendship with Margaret Barry

1:00:55: 'Bun' and his mother Bridget Connors describe how Travellers used make a living from dealing animals, and gives account of the fairs they used visit.

1:04:10: 'Bun' Connors relates details of winter lodgings and the times of the year that Travellers used travel.

1:08:30: 'Bun' Connors recounts the ways in which the settled people would come and join them by the fire a few days after they had arrived into an area and set up camp. Describes the bonds and neighbourly feelings fostered over time.

1:23:39: Pádraig Mac Gréine recounts how he first met Traveller and storyteller Oney Power in county Longford in the 1930s.

1:29:40: 'Bun' and Bridget Connors give account of the context in which the Traveller language is used, providing examples of phrases and terminology.

1:39:38: Johnny Doran, playing Sliabh na mBan, a slow air, dedicated to the late Seán Garvey.

The Civil War was a schismatic moment in Irish history, and the fault lines it left split families, tore apart communities and turned former comrades in arms against one another in a bitterly divisive period of violence and conflict. According to historian Anne Dolan, ‘The memory of the Irish Civil War has been assumed, distorted, [and] misunderstood. It has been manipulated, underestimated, but most of all, ignored’.

Now, 100 years on, in marking the centenary of this period, The Civil War Memory project is currently underway (a collaboration between The National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin and award winning documentary filmmakers Scratch Films) to document and preserve oral testimonies, reminiscences and accounts concerning the Civil War. The collecting project will result in a body of archival material which will be deposited at the NFC for posterity, with two documentaries covering the collecting process being aired on RTÉ this autumn. If you would like to contribute to the project, please reach out to us at [email protected]

To take me through the project, and to discuss this phase of our history in more detail I’m honoured to be joined by my friend and colleague Dr. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh, Director of the National Folklore Collection. Join us as we discuss silence, memory and the trauma of war.

Audio timecodes:

10:58: Commandant Horgan in conversation with Séamas Mac Philib, 20 May 1980. Horgan explains how he and his brother were on opposite sides of the conflict, and how his mother would keep them separate when they would visit the family home.

14:36: Kathleen Farell in conversation with Séamas Mac Philib, 6 March 1980. Kathleen describes how IRA men were hidden in her house.

16:10: Patrick Galvin in conversation with Séamas Mac Philib, 10 January 1980. Patrick describes how he was unable to return to his job after the Civil War, and was fired when it was learnt that he had fought on the anti-Treaty side.

32:22: Patrick Galvin in conversation with Séamas Mac Philib, 10 January 1980. Patrick relates how it was difficult to shoot against former friends and comrades. Describes the 'great boys' he fought alongside in 1916 and in the 'Tan War' (the War of Independence) but states that everyone has a certain principle by which they must stand.

39:03: John O'Brien in conversation with Séamas Mac Philib, 04 November 1979. John relates local information concerning the assassination of Michael Collins. Is reluctant to share what he has heard out of respect for local families, and remarks that it could be dangerous.

Thanks to Tiernan Gaffney for editing these pieces from our sound archive!

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on the 6th of December 1921, bringing an end to the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence. To mark 100 years since the signing of the treaty, I joined my colleague at the National Folklore Collection, Ailbe van der Heide, to discuss her work in researching, editing and transcribing Urban Folklore Project recordings dealing with this tumultuous period of Irish history.

The 1979-1980 Urban Folklore Project originated as a Government employment scheme to provide work for university graduates at a time of severe economic recession in 1979-1980. The project was undertaken by the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin, directed by Dr Séamas Ó Catháin, and consists of over 700 tape recorded interviews which today form part of the Natinoal Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. Among the recordings are featured vivid contemporary accounts of the War of Independence as well as material concerning the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Irish Civil War.

Join us as we listen to the combatants and bystanders who bore witness to the burnings, raids and guerrilla warfare of the War of Independence, and who worked as part of a hidden network operating under the watchful eye of the crown forces and intelligence services.

On 6 December 2021, Ailbe van der Heide and Dr. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh will be delivering a free online lecture titled 'War of Independence Memories' for the Folklore of Ireland Society. To register, please visit: https://ucd-ie.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pHhotkMrSvuOK_JC4Eq5LQ

In life, there is much which seems uncertain to us. Concerning death however, there can be no doubt. It was an honour to speak with funeral director, death-care practitioner and proud Sligo native David McGowan on the topic of death for episode 33 of Blúiríní Béaloidis. Sit with us as we explore attitudes and customs regarding death and dying, from the practicalities and preparations of the corpse, to the wake house and beliefs regarding the departure of the soul. The episode features a good deal of archival audio from NFC collections, details of which can be found below. I'd like to thank David for being so generous with his time and knowledge, and send special thanks likewise to Síle Denver and the group Líadan, for permission to include their beautiful rendition of Amhrán Mhuínse to close the episode - baochas ó chroí libh uiléir. "Lord have mercy on the souls of the dead!"

Stream 'The Funeral Director' for free here: https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/the-funeral-director/118399528355

Support Líadan here: https://liadan.ie/

Archival audio timecodes:

12:24 - 13:50: Tom Dolan, Kinnegad, county Westmeath describes the 'crippling' that occurs to a body after death. Refers to a joke played at the wake house when hunched corpse was sat upright and had a pipe placed in its mouth. Rec. by Leo Corduff (1970) NFC T0504

13:51 - 14:39: James Grady, Lecarrow, county Roscommon describes how the corpse was laid out on a board to keep it straight, as it stiffens after death. Rec. by Jim Delaney (1961) NFC T0152

18:21 - 19:59: Michael Keenan, Lenamore, county Longford playing 'The Bucks of Oranmore' on the pipes. Rec. by Jim Delaney (1957) NFC T0023

22:42 - 26:33: Mrs. Meath, Ballyhaunis county Mayo describes beliefs regarding wakes, along with neighbourly assistance at the time of a death in the locality. Rec. by Leo Corduff and Ciarán Bairéad (1965) NFC T0298

26:34 - 27:21: Unidentified female singer on Aran islands, county Galway, giving example of keen for the dead (traditional lament). Rec. by Sidney Robertson Cowell(1957) NFC C0714

27:22 - 27:58: Eibhlín ní Mhurchú, Dundrum, county Dublin (formerly Baile Loiscithe, Kilmalkeader, county Kerry) describes keening lament as heard at wakes in her youth. Rec. by Ríonach Uí Ógáin (1995) NFC T2213

27:59 - 28:40: Brídín Iarnáin, Inis Mór, county Galway, giving example of traditional keen for the dead (1949) NFC C0161

37:30 - 39:01: James Grady, Lecarrow, county Roscommon describes how men would be sent for wake provisions. Gives humorous account of the carpenter who, fond of drink, keeps returning to house to measure the body for coffining, receives a fresh drink each time he enters. Rec. by Jim Delaney and Leo Corduff (1961) NFC T0152

39:02 - 39:54: Anne Kiernan, Kinnegad, Cloncrave, county Westmeath, describes the provisions laid on at the wake. Rec. by Leo Corduff (1971)NFC T0545

43:11 - 44:41: Stephen Dunne, Bride Street, the Liberties, Dublin describes the washing of the corpse by a charitable neighbour woman. Rec. by Jim Delaney (1968) NFC T0425

44:42 - 46:46: James Grady, Lecarrow, county Roscommon describes the washing and laying out of the corpse by local women. Rec. by Jim Delaney and Leo Corduff (1961) NFC T0152

58:52 - 1:01:07: Anne Kiernan, Kinnegad, Cloncrave, county Westmeath, describes return of a soul to pay a debt. Rec. by Leo Corduff (1971) NFC T0545

1:01:07 - 1:03:14: Jack Foley, county Down describes the earthly wandering of purgatorial souls (1958) NFC T0063

1:03:15 - 1:04:20: Mary Walsh, Kinnegad, county Westmeath, describes apparitions prior to a death, and visions of the recently deceased. Rec. by Leo Corduff(1970) NFC T0505

1:04:20 - 1:06:02: Michael Dolan, Glangevlin, county Cavan describes how a man used speak with the ghosts of his two sons, killed in the Great War of 1914-18. Rec. by Michael J. Murphy (1972) NFC T0587

With the coming of the cool wet weather of autumn, life begins to turn inward again . The fields lie fallow and bare, flowers wither, leaves decay, and all life seems to return to the earth. It's in this period of fading light, that strange and beautiful forms begin to arise from the undergrowth in the temperate regions all over Europe. In woodlands, fields, gardens and along roadsides, colourful fungi and mushrooms of all shapes and sizes quietly spring forth and flourish as if from nowhere, while all else appears in a state of decline.

A short entry in volume 1670 of the Main Manuscript Collection at the NFC contains information collected from around Ireland on the topic of mushrooms in folk tradition. The material contained in this volume, previously unpublished and explored in this podcast episode, explores traditional attitudes to mushrooms in Irish tradition and outlines their uses along with popular beliefs concerning them. Audio from the NFC sound archive also features, along with audio material from the collections of the Irish Traditional Music Archive and the singing group Landless.

My thanks to archivist Danielle Castronovo at the Economic Botany Herbarium of Oakes Ames, Harvard University for her help in filling the gaps of some correspondence between R. Gordon Wasson and the Irish Folklore Commission. My thanks to archivist Maeve Gebreurs at the Irish Traditional Music Archive for forwarding Diane Hamilton's 1957 recording of Robert Cinnamond's rendition of the song 'Gathering Mushrooms'. Thanks likewise to Emmett Gill, archivist at Na Píobairí Uileann for pointing me in the direction of the collection of which this song is a part. Thanks too to Dónal Lunny, copyright holder, for permission to include this piece in the podcast.

A variety of sources are consulted and discussed throughout, some links below:

Prehistoric fungal representations in Tassili Algeria

https://www.britannica.com/place/Tassili-n-Ajjer

A Prehistoric Mural in Spain Depicting Neurotropic Psilocybe Mushrooms?

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41242925

The Fungus Lore of the Greeks and Romans

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007153614800077

Dioscorides: De Materia Medica

https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/aconite/materiamedica.html

Mushroom Artwork of Otto Marseus van Shrieck

https://bit.ly/3nEwy3n

Plutarch: Essays and Miscellanies

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3052/3052-h/3052-h.htm#link2HCH0065

The Hypothesis on the Presence of Entheogens in the

Eleusinian Mysteries

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327838578_The_hypothesis_on_the_presence_of_entheogens_in_the_Eleusinian_Mysteries

Mircea Eliade - Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy

https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691210667/shamanism

Nora Chadwick: Imbas Forosnai

http://searchingforimbas.blogspot.com/p/imbas-forosnai-by-nora-k-chadwick.html

An Irish Materia Medica: Tadhg Ó Cuinn

https://celt.ucc.ie//published/G600005/index.html

William Camden: Brittania

https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/Camden/32

Seeking the Magic Mushroom: Life Magazine May 1957 (via MAPS.org)

https://bibliography.maps.org/bibliography/default/resource/15048

Tina and R. Gordon Wasson - Russia, Mushrooms and History (vols. 1, & 2) [PDF]

https://doorofperception.com/2015/04/r-gordon-wasson-seeking-the-magic-mushroom/

Audio featured from the Irish Traditional Music Archive:

https://itma.ie

Landless:

https://landless.bandcamp.com/

National Folklore Collection online portal:

https://dúchas.ie