Part One Highlights:

Jenny begins by explaining the meanings of the terms 'neo-pagan' and 'pagan,' and why she has stopped using the first term and opts instead for 'contemporary pagan.' We then delve into the topic of death and how death and the dead are viewed in Irish traditions, as well as in some contemporary pagan views. The conversation extends to the roles of women, and traditions such as keening, that are associated with Irish wakes; as well as female otherworldy characters such as the banshee, that are associated with the dead, the Otherworld, and the divine feminine. 

PROGRAM NOTES:

Bio Dr. Jenny Butler (website and UCC page): About - Dr Jenny Butler

UCC Research Profiles: Jenny Butler, Study of Religions

Academia.edu page: Jenny Butler | University College Cork - Academia.edu

Selected works:

(PDF) Symbolic and Social Roles of Women in Death Ritual in Traditional Irish Society | Jenny Butler - Academia.edu

(PDF) Neo-Pagan Celebrations of Samhain | Jenny Butler - Academia.edu

(PDF) The Neo-Pagan Ritual Year and Historical Reinterpretations | Jenny Butler - Academia.edu

(PDF) The Neo-Pagan Ritual Year | Jenny Butler - Academia.edu

(PDF) Irish Neo-Paganism: Worldview and Identity | Jenny Butler - Academia.edu

(PDF) Remembrance of the Ancestors in Contemporary Paganism - Lineage, Identity, and Cultural Belonging in the Irish Context | Jenny Butler - Academia.edu

Other Reference Works: 

The Banshee: The Irish Death Messenger  by Patricia Lysaght: The Banshee: The Irish Death Messenger by Patricia Lysaght (goodreads.com)

The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles by Ronald Hutton: The pagan religions of the ancient British Isles : their nature and legacy : Hutton, Ronald : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The Book of the Cailleach: Stories of the Wise Woman Healer by Gearoid O'Crualaoich: The Book of the Cailleach: Stories of the Wise Woman Healer: Amazon.co.uk: Gearóid Ó Crualaoich: 9781859184127: Books

Theme music: Daniel P. Shea

Other music: Stephanie Shea