Show Notes
Episode 6 Ghosts, Sweets & Hellfire - for information, sources, further reading and a legible transcript check out the episode guide here. https://cogarnagaoithe.wordpress.com/2024/11/30/episode-6-ghosts-sweets-hellfire/
Happy Haloween! To wrap up our Samhain Series on this auspicious night, Amanda talks about the origins of some Haloween Traditions, some traditional Irish Piseogs, food, games, and fortune telling, and of course, it wouldn’t be spooky season without a trip up Montpellier Hill to the Hellfire Club.
November’s night is absolutely rife with lore and tradition. It is impossible to attempt to fit it all into one episode. But we did try!
This podcast episode, hosted by Amanda Cunningham, discusses Irish folklore and traditions associated with the winter season. We begin by explaining the Celtic calendar and its importance in Irish culture. The calendar divides the year into light and dark halves, with winter marking the beginning of a new cycle. Emphasising the significance of cycles in Irish mythology and agriculture, noting that Ireland's seasons still align with the Celtic calendar. The episode then delves into traditional winter activities in rural Ireland, including storytelling, card games, and wool spinning. This episode’s story is a folktale about a family's encounter with a mysterious stranger on a stormy night, highlighting the superstitious nature of some Irish folklore. It’s funny, we promise. The podcast concludes with a discussion of children's games played during winter evenings and a request for listeners to help identify some unfamiliar game names.
More from Whisper of the Winds, Irish Mythology and Folklore
Nuada rights the wrongs of Bres, Lugh escapes his grandfather’s assassination attempt and both find themselves on opposing sides of their half Tuatha half Fomorians lineages. Tensions mount and preparations are made for the next battle for Ireland, but who were Bres and Lugh and what brought them to war? Well, let me tell you a story…
Welcome back after an unfortunate sos beag, our host, Amanda, is mostly able to talk and breathe at the same time, just in time for the official start of Summer, Bealtaine festivals and traditions are our topic for today, so grab your bag o’cans and join us by the (Bon) fire for a quick chat.
In this episode we feature Balor of the Evil Eye, king of the Fomorians and the birth of the god Lugh, half Fomorian, raised by the Tuatha de Danann and prophesied to greatness.
Brigid, woman, wife, witch, goddess, abbess, saint… not to mention a smith, a farmer, and a poet. This one stop shop is a stalwart of feminism, protection and care, but how much do we really know about Brigid?
After the first battle of MoyTura, having beaten the FirBolg and colonised the island of Ireland, the Tuatha Dé Danann faced a bit of a conundrum. Who could be their king, when Nuadha was no longer fit to rule by their own laws? Some difficult, and terrible choices were made, and the poor Tuatha ended up with Bres, a very handsome, very poor leader. This episode covers the suffering, even of the gods, under his disasterous rule. And there’s jokes.