History & Folklore - West Cork People

Casualties of Crossbarry

WCP Staff March, 2021

As the main base for the famed West Cork Flying Column, the area around Crossbarry was a hotbed of Republican activity in 1921. To deal with this, the British decided to converge on this small village near Innishannon and wipe out the Column. They hadn’t bargained on meeting with the […]

Remembering the victims of the Upton Ambush 100 years on

WCP Staff February, 2021

Shortly after 9am on February 15, 1921, a train heading westwards from Cork City, pulled in to Upton railway station, midway between Crossbarry and Innishannon. One of its carriages was carrying members of the dreaded Essex Regiment and IRA Brigade Commander Charlie Hurley was lying in wait with an ambush […]

Wild food in ancient Ireland

Eugene Daly February, 2021

A good deal of the countryside of ancient Ireland was once covered with trees and scrub with hazel one of the most important providers of food. The nutritious nut (cnó) of this tree can be kept for up to a year and must therefore have been a valuable winter food. It […]

Animal legislation often feels the ‘Whip’ of our political parties

Kieran Doyle February, 2021

If the pandemic has highlighted one thing, it is that Ireland is a dog-loving nation. Ireland is world-renowned for its famous breeds like the Irish Red and White Setter, or the Kerry Blue and of course, the Irish Wolfhound. Mahatma Gandhi, a giant of humanity, non-violence, and a lawyer of […]

Celebrating St. Brigid (Naomh Bríd)

Eugene Daly January, 2021

In Irish folk tradition, St. Brigid’s Day, February 1, is the first day of spring, and thus of the farming year. It is the festival of Ireland’s much-loved Brigid, who is often called ‘Mary of the Gael’. She built her convent in Kildare (Cill Dara, the Church of the Oak). […]

What does history say about vaccination?

Kieran Doyle January, 2021

The Greeks are often cited as the fathers of modern philosophy. One strand of philosophy they debated centred around the nature of truth. How can we trust any information? The answer – to disbelieve everything you know and relearn it through personal experience and empirical knowledge. They also concluded this […]

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