Native European and Irish Tradition posits the existence of an Otherworld realm lying beyond the furthest reaches of the horizon; an  island of plenty and abundance, where happiness lasts forever, and where one hundred years pass as one day. The Greek Elysium, King Arthur's Avalon, the Odainsakr of the Norse and the Irish Land of the Living all point to a long-held corpus of beliefs regarding a paradise across the ocean.

For the 16th instalment of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan set forth upon the waves to Teach Duinn (The House of Donn), to which the souls of Ireland's heathen dead were said to travel with the setting of the sun. Continuing their voyage, Claire and Jonny venture onwards over the seas 'flowery plains' visiting 'thrice fifty islands' with the great Connle, Mael Dúin, Bran and St. Brendan as their companions.

Our ships are coursing over the sea; strange panoramas and otherworld islands await:

'There is a distant isle,
Around which sea-horses glisten:
A fair course against the white-swelling surge,
-Four feet uphold it.

A beauty of a wondrous land,
Whose aspects are lovely,
Whose view is a fair country,
Incomparable is its haze.

Wealth, treasures of every hue,
Are in Ciuin, a beauty of freshness,
Listening to sweet music,
Drinking the best of wine.’

Blúiríní Béaloidis 16 - Otherworld Islands In Folk Tradition

Bluiríní Béaloidis is the podcast from The National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin, and is a platform to explore Irish and wider European folk tradition across an array of subject areas and topics. Host Jonny Dillon hopes this tour through the folklore furrow will appeal to those who wish to learn about the richness and depth of their traditional cultural inheritance; that a knowledge and understanding of our past might inform our present and guide our future.

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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

Blúiríní Béaloidis 39 - Bees In Tradition (with Tiernan Gaffney)

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/

Blúiríní Béaloidis 38: Stones Of Strength In Irish Tradition (with David Keohan)

"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'?

Blúiríní Béaloidis 37: Peig Sayers (with Dr. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne & Dr. Pádraig Ó Héalaí)

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.

Blúiríní Béaloidis 36: The Travellers (with David Joyce & Áine Furey)

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 bealoideas@ucd.ie

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!

Blúiríní Béaloidis 16 - Otherworld Islands In Folk Tradition

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