There was one morning when the world dissolved, obliterated in a downpour that melted the distant islands, then the immediate surroundings as well. Preceded by a cluster of unusually threatening, blue-bruised clouds, the incoming deluge had given plenty of warning. As a result, the girl was comfortably settled under a solitary oak at the tip… Read more »
An Chailleach Bhéara
There’s a lot of misinformation online about this rock in Kilcatherine on the Beara peninsula. So much so, that the rock is now regularly polluted by votive ‘offerings’ left by visitors and ‘seekers’ who don’t really understand the context or the evolution of its fame. This year, I’m hoping to make a start on the… Read more »
Changes in Creative Output
It’s been three years since I released the first official ‘Irish Imbas Catalogue’ (to much hoorah!) back in May 2020. One of the problems with catalogues, however, is that they really are a snapshot in time of creative work and output and, often, they don’t reflect creative or professional changes that have occurred over a… Read more »
Woe and Woe
Each year An Post runs a programme of special and commemorative stamps on behalf of the Irish Government. Deirdre of the Sorrows was part of the mythology series produced a few years ago and illustrates the legendary love story of Naoise and Deirdre and the jealous rage this caused in Conchubar mac Nessa. The story… Read more »
Irish ‘Mythology’ in Pictures
Oisín and Niamh galloping towards Tír na nÓg. Or is it? Is this an authentic reproduction of the classic Fenian tale or something else entirely? “How we picture Irish mythology” – the next in-depth post from Vóg (subscriber edition) on 30 April. You can find the ‘free’ and ‘paid’ sign-up to the newsletter HERE
What is the Sweetest Sound?
What is the Sweetest Sound? The music of what happens next. In terms of what happens next, I’ve got my head down on a number of separate IRISH IMBAS projects, most of which won’t see the light of day until later this year (and some later still). Most of these are in varying stages of… Read more »
Liath Luachra: The Great Wild Release
I’m currently behind on where I want to be with Liath Luachra: The Great Wild. At this stage, the draft is sitting at over 30,000 words and although I had planned to keep it around that length, the final product is looking more like 40-50,000 (in other words, it’s about 3-4/5 complete). This means that the… Read more »
The Irish Mythology Seekers
We had a bunch of foreign visitors arrive at our home in Cork last night.Being hospitable, we fed them at the kitchen table.As soon as they’d consumed what we’d offered, they got up and started rummaging through the cupboards, combing through our personal correspondence, pulling our belongings out and throwing them one side as they… Read more »
Cath Fionntrá – The Battle of Fionntrá
For those of you who aren’t aware, an updated version of An Seabhach’s “Cath Fionntrá” came out last year. The story concerns the King of France’s ire (clearly, this was pre-revolutionary France) when his wife and daughter run off with his guest Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Joining up for vengeance with Dáire Donn (the King of… Read more »
Doon … and Other Works
An Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitúil agus Oidhreachta (Ireland’s Office of Public Works and National Monuments Service), get a lot of bad stick online, usually from opinionated keyboard warriors who don’t understand the realities of managing a nationwide conservation programme. It’s nice, therefore, when they release a new project that helps to increase accessibility (and understanding)… Read more »
An Táin
There’s a new version of ‘An Táin’ released this week. The cover image and fact that its title is ‘THE Táin’ suggests it’s designed for a non-Irish audience (although, to be fair, it’s primarily targeting children). I’ll be writing more about ‘An Táin’ in ‘Vóg‘ – the Irish Imbas newsletter – at the end of… Read more »
The Evolving Nature of St Paddy’s Parade
It’s nice to see people enjoying the St Paddy’s Day parades , taking place again after the Covid-19 years (this photo from the Cork parade in 2022 – from Cork County Council). It’s also interesting to see how the parades have changed so much over several decades. It’s probably worth noting that the parade was… Read more »