According to Edna O’Brien countries are mothers or fathers and “engender the emotional bristle secretly reserved for either sire”. Ireland has always been a woman, a beautiful maiden, a womb, a cow, a Rosaleen, a bride, a harlot and the gaunt Hag of Beara. For James Joyce, in ‘A Portrait […]
Fact & Folklore
Noted in Irish folklore for its swiftness, alertness and agility, the hare was also regarded as a fairy animal associated with deception and witchcraft. In myth, the hare was linked to Celtic goddesses of fertility, both of spring and of the harvest. One widespread belief among Irish country people was […]
Of all the Christian festivals, Christmas was considered by the Irish people as the most important. The mid-winter solstice (December 21) is a turning point in the year, with the sun weakening day after day and then miraculously recovering. It was a good time for a feast and mid-winter festivals […]