Before saunas were a lifestyle brand, Ireland had sweat houses.
Luke traces the forgotten history of the teach allais. Stone sweat huts used in Ireland from at least the early 1600s, centuries before cold plunges and wellness retreats became fashionable. Built into riverbanks and hillsides, sealed shut and fired with turf, these places pushed the body to its absolute limit in the name of cure.

But these Sweat Houses were gnarlier than our boujie sauna exports. Sweating was considered a medicine, and certain instances people were bled, wrapped, sealed inside stone chambers for hours, then plunged into rivers, handed a bottle of whiskey or sent straight to bed.

But the exact extent of the use of Sweat Houses remains a mystery. 1/3 of Sweathouse remains are found in Leitrim and Cavan, and some leitrim locals reference altered states, mushroom-like hallucinations and poitín distilling.

Is sauna culture in 2026 a newfangled export, or a return to natural way of being?

Carmen joins Luke in his hovel today. A keen internet historian, Quigley had been updating her instagram followers on the recent invasion of Asian hornets to Ireland (yes this episode was recorded a long time ago) and thus the pair dive into an episode on the weird and wonderful world of Ireland's native stinging buzzball- THE BEE.

There are a whole host of strangely intricate and intricately strange laws dedicated to the Bee in ancient Brehon Law. As well this Duchás.ie is absolutely buzzing with weird superstitions, funny fairytales and Bee-obsessed facts and folklore.

A graduate of fine arts, archaeology and classics it doesn't take long to see how these three areas intersect in Carmen's work. Quigley’s illustrations draw from ancient history, as well as Irish and Greek mythology. But her elastic imagination, embodies the spirit of Irish mythology better than any attempt at clinical documentation. The pair discuss how Dublin's hidden holy wells and Irish oddities have inspired her work.

Hidden Treasure, Supernatural Bulls and Circus Tigers on this first episode of a brand new season of Pisrógs! Oh and frogs too.

Conor Campbell is an artist and architect from Cappamore Co. Limerick. If you don't know him, chances are you know his artwork.

Ye Vagabonds, Junior Brother, The Chieftains, Alannah Thornburg, Gareth Quinn Redmond, Lemon Cello and more.

Campbell's distinctive style - a unique blend of medieval manuscript, pixel art, nature and psychedelia have become a staple of Irish album artwork.

Luke and Conor dive into a whole host of stories from his area of Cappamore, County Limerick, discovering that some of these stories are even closer than either of them would could have THUNK! THINKED! or THOUGHT!

PISRÓGS is back with a little makeover and more guests.

In this seven episode season Luke will chat to artists, musicians, elders and more about the folklore close to their area, close to their interests and close to their hearts. Or whatever is funniest.

Lets jump in!

After the Plantation of Ulster in 1606, three McDonnell brothers, dispossessed, made their way south.

One of them settled on swampy uncontested land in Dublin, claiming themselves as its monarch.  

Welcome to MUD ISLAND.

A refuge at the fringes of Dublin Society, Aran and Luke seek to learn of its colourful history of Smugglers, Highwaymen and MORE.

From secret passages to the bloody pirate escapades of Art Granger, its hard to believe what is now Ballybough and Fairview was a muddy slobland soundtracked by savage fights between the Mud Islanders and the Revenue Men, and stories of banshees and Collier the Robber.

Unbeknownst to Luke when we started recording this episode, it was going to be dominated by Rat stories. There are Bananas too. Some may say we had too much fun recording this one, I say there's never such a thing. Join us in the fun backed by the beautiful ambient music of Gareth Quinn Redmond