History & Folklore

“No man has the right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation,” – Charles Stuart Parnell There was a time when that question would have been a resounding yes. For generations Irish people have grown up on a diet of history decrying the colonisation and division of […]

Skimming low over our fields and lakes in pursuit of insects, the swallow is a familiar and welcome sight. Its confiding nature and its habit of building a nest so close to our homes endears it to everybody. We eagerly await the return of the swallow each spring and its […]

Clíona is a supernatural lady in literary and oral tradition.  Her name probably meant ‘the territorial one’ and represented a function of the patron goddess. She is associated mostly with Glandore Harbour, but also Rosscarbery Bay and with Mallow. According to legend, she was the daughter of Mannanán Mac Lir, […]

‘The great appear great, because we are on our knees: Let us rise.’ – Jim Larkin, Union leader, and Founder of the Irish Labour Party.  When any union goes on strike, be they nurses, rail workers, teachers, retail employees, the media usually likes to take to the streets to get a […]