Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore Podcast

The birth of a child is among the most important moments in the life of the individual, and of the community of which they are a broader part. Small wonder then, that there should exist so large a body of folk belief and custom regarding the protection of infants and the unborn. A darker body of tradition concerns those children who fail to thrive, who are sickly, and who appear wizened or otherwise deformed. In such instances, it was often believed by our forebears that the fairies - the supernatural race who exist unseen alongside us - had taken the healthy child and replaced it with a wizened and decrepit creature which was in fact one of their own. This creature was known as the changeling, and many drastic (and often violent) steps were taken in order to cast out and banish such creatures. Join hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon for this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis as they explore a body of lore and custom borne out of deformations and disorders, in which the supernatural permeates and punctures the ordered safety and shelter of the family unit, and in which drastic steps are taken to restore order in the home.

The idea of the existence of a soul or life-force which exists independently of the body is of considerable antiquity. In folk tradition, the soul was understood to depart the body, not just at the moment of death (where it was said to leave through the crown of the head), but during sleep (where it departed the body via the mouth in the appearance of a small creature or insect). For this 13th edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis (marking one year on the air!) hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan explore popular conceptions of the soul in folk tradition; from offerings left by our forebears to the souls of their departed ancestors, to those souls who return from the otherworld in need of help (or to exact revenge). From the lovers whose bonds transcend death, to tobacco spirits in need of prayer, join Claire and Jonny as they turn their thoughts to those who have gone before, and to those lost souls who wander among us still, between nightfall and cock-crow.

And a special word of thanks this month to our colleagues Mícheál and Réiltín at Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, Doirí Beaga, who kindly allowed us to use an audio sample from the bealoideasbeo.ie project, for which we are extremely grateful.

The 17th of March sees countries the world over celebrate Saint Patrick's Day - a day which is commonly marked with large parades and revelry held in honour of the Ireland's patron saint. But what do we know of the historical figure of Patrick, and how is he viewed in folk tradition? What relation does he bear to the Pagan order that preceded him, and how is he represented in the early literature? Join hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon for this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis as they consider the figure of St. Patrick, the pilgrimages still made in his honour and the impact he had, not only in Ireland, but further afield all over Europe. From Skerries in the east to Croagh Patrick in the west, from Duhallow in the south to Lough Derg in the north, join us in breaking our Lenten Fast as we give honour Ireland's patron saint.

We dedicate this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis to the memory of our late friend and colleague Finbar Boyle - suaimhneas síoraí air!

Betrothal and marriage are among the most central and important rites of passage in any community, and in Irish tradition one was not seen as an adult (regardless of one's age) until they were married. In this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon turn their attention to ideas around love, magic and marriage as represented in Irish tradition: from Shrovetide harassment of singletons to Lenten prohibitions on matrimony, and from divinatory pancake tossing to hard-bargained dowries, join us as we consider those matters of the heart that are never far from the mind.

Cattle have been central to Irish farming since the Neolithic period, and in early Ireland were even used as a unit of currency. In this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan explore material relating to the cow in tradition; from native breeds which were hailed by Sir William Wilde as resembling 'in the most remarkable manner, the ox-heads carved upon the friezes of Grecian temples', to the mythical cattle of the Glas Gaibhneach, and the goddess Bóinn - figures representative of fertility, abundance and plenty, who place the Irish material regarding cattle in the context of the broader European (and Indo-European) tradition.

From the Hindu Govinda to the Norse Auðumbla, and from Inis Bó Finne (Island of the Bright Cow) to Dublin's Cluain Tarbh (Meadow of the Bull), cattle have left their imprint on a landscape both physical and metaphysical that stretches from Ireland to India. Join us then as we give praise to that great 'rejuvenator of the world', the humble cow!

Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Delargy), founder of the Irish Folklore Commission, speaking of his 'burning urge to save' the traditions and customs of the Irish people in the face of a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.

It was this urge that led him to found the Irish Folklore Commission, and to surround himself with the brilliant men and women whom he tasked with gathering the rich trove of folkloric material to be found across the island of Ireland; those songs, stories, customs and beliefs passed on from generation to generation by our forebears, and which come down to us to this day.

For this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon set out to take a critical look at traditional practices relating to that most beloved of calendar custom celebrations; the midwinter festival of Christmas. Combining practices from the Nordic festival of Yule, the Roman Saturnalia and Christian tradition, Christmas is a time of feasting, goodwill and excess; a period marked by the suspension of normal social codes, and where all is mirth and merriment.

Now, as the winter solstice approaches, and with the sun coursing low across the December sky, we fill the house with symbols of regeneration and light to celebrate the return of 'Sol Invictus'; the Unconquerable Sun. Our candles are lighting in the window to guide the weary traveller on their way, our house is decorated with evergreens of holly, ivy and mistletoe, and so we bid our listeners Io Saturnalia, God Jul, Merry Christmas and Nollaig Shona!

Owing to their impact on human affairs, weather occurrences of all sorts were a source of preoccupation for our forebears, who would look to the natural world around in the hope of interpreting and predicting these climactic manifestations. Explanations given to account for sudden gusts of wind and storms in many instances made reference to supernatural forces; to the powers of the fairies, of witches, wizards, the clergy and even freemasons.

In this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan explore traditional beliefs regarding wind and storms in folk tradition; from the varying methods utilised by sailors in order to raise and control the wind to aid them on their journeys, to those curses and magical practices used by witches to bring revenge to against those who had wronged them, and the historic accounts in which such attacks were attributed to particular individuals.

From storm-inducting stone effigies to magical basins of water, join Claire and Jonny as they invoke the powers of the air!

Resources of Interest:

An example of a 'Furl Blast' or 'Fairy Wind' of the sort which would come rushing through harvest fields, sending newly harvested crops high into the air: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FSsSN2JJAw

Sailors purchasing knotted ropes with which they might raise wind. Woodcut from Olaus Magnus' 'Description of the Northern Peoples' (1555): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Olaus_Magnus_-_On_Wizards_and_Magicians_among_the_Finns.jpg

'The Ship Sinking Witch', woodcut from Olaus Magnus' 'Description of the Northern Peoples' (1555):

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Olaus_Magnus_-_On_Women_Skilled_in_Magic.jpg

Ranulf Higden's Polychronicon (1387):

http://chester.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Polychronicon

The Night of the Big Wind, 1839:

https://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/weather-events/Jan1839_Storm.PDF

Oíche Nollaig Na mBan (The Night of Women's Christmas)

- Seán Ó Riordáin

Bhí fuinneamh sa stoirm a éalaigh aréir.

Aréir oíche Nollaig na mBan,

As gealt-teach iargúlta 'tá laistiar den ré

Is do scréach tríd an spéir chughainn 'na gealt

Gur ghíosc geataí comharsan mar ghogallach gé,

Gur bhúir abhainn slaghdánach mar tharbh,

Gur mhúchadh mo choinneal mar bhuille ar mo bhéal

A las 'na splanc obann an fhearg

Ba mhaith liom go dtiocfadh an stoirm sin féin

An oíche go mbeadsa go lag

Ag filleadh abhaile ó rince an tsaoil

Is solas an pheaca ag dul as,

Go líonfaí gach neomat le liúirigh ón spéir,

Go ndéanfaí den domhan scuaine scread,

Is ná cloisfinn an ciúnas ag gluaiseacht fám dhéin,

Ná inneall an ghluaisteáin ag stad.

(English Translation)

There was power in the storm that escaped last night,

last night on Women’s Christmas,

from the desolate madhouse behind the moon

and screamed through the sky at us, lunatic,

making neighbours’ gates screech like geese

and the hoarse river roar like a bull,

quenching my candle like a blow to the mouth

that sparks a quick flash of rage.

I’d like if that storm would come again,

a night I’d be feeling weak

coming home from the dance of life

and the light of sin dwindling,

that every moment be full of the screaming sky,

that the world be a storm of screams,

and I wouldn’t hear the silence coming over me,

the car’s engine come to a stop.

The Ulster Cycle consists of a corpus of tales forming one of the main branches of early Irish Literature, which have come down to us across countless generations; existing first as part of an oral tradition in Ireland until it was later chronicled by early Christian monks in the manuscripts that survive to this day. The most well known series of narratives within the Ulster Cycle - Táin Bó Cuailgne or 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley' - relates the adventures and exploits of the mythic champion and heroic demigod Cú Chulainn, as he single-handedly defends his people against the advancing armies of Queen Meadhbh and King Aillil.

From the unlikely origins of its principle characters, to similarities with ancient Greek and Indo-European tradition; and from warp-spasms and beheadings to more tender moments, join your hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon as they take up arms to explore this bloody epic, themselves engaging in bitter dispute on the nature of heroic spirit along the way!

Further reading:

(Online)

Táin Bó Cuailgne Recension 1: https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T301012/index.html

Táin Bó Cuailgne; Adaptation from Dunn & Windisch: http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/Cooley/

(Print)

Kinsella, Thomas (1969)The Táin: Translated from the Irish epic Táin Bó Cuailnge, London, Oxford University Press.

Carey, John (1999). 'Cú Chulainn as Ailing Hero' in Ronald Black, William Gillies; Roibeard Ó Maolalaigh. Celtic Connections: Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress of Celtic Studies, Vol. 1. East Linton: Tuckwell. pp. 190–8.

Nagy, Joseph Falaky (1984) 'Heroic Destinies in the Macgnímrada of Finn and Cú Chulainn'. Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie. 40: 23–39.

Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí (2006). The lore of Ireland : an Encyclopaedia of Myth, Legend and Romance. Doughcloyne, Ireland : Rochester, N.Y. ; Boydell & Brewer,Collins Press.

In fields, valleys and quiet places the country over can be found countless earthwork mounds, cairns, tumuli and other signs of early human habitation in Ireland. These sites often garnered supernatural associations in folk tradition, being commonly understood as the abodes of 'Na Daoine Maithe' (The Good People) or fairies. Quite unlike the genteel 'Tinker Bell' of contemporary culture, the fairies in folk tradition were understood as an archaic otherworld community living alongside us in the natural landscape, and were held in a mixture of trepidation and respect by our forebears, on account of the power of their influence over human affairs (for good or bad).

Join your hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon in this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, as they aim to dispel some of the common misconceptions about the fairies in popular culture while also examining their origins, abodes, and customs attached to them. From fallen angels to pre-Christian deities, and from nature spirits to the mortals who learnt songs and music from them; sit with us for an hour as we set out into the natural landscape in the hope of coming to a deeper understanding of our unruly otherworld neighbours and the wisdom and knowledge they offer us today!