Lora O'Brien – Irish Author & Guide
Your Authentic Connection to Ireland
Spoiler Alert! No. You don’t. The Number One reason we hear for folk joining the Irish Pagan School comes down to an Irish heritage connection or Irish ancestry… which is grand, and good for you if you have that and want to explore it! I’m here today to be the killjoy that tells you though…
Today is the Summer Solstice (on Sat 20th June, at 22.43 pm, in Ireland, to be exact). You’re gonna see a load of inane ‘Solstice Blessings!’ stuff that’s all well and good like, but I happen to know some of ye are also a little confused about the whys and hows of this Pagan Holiday….
In our annual Meeting the Mórrígan programme, I got a question on the Daughters of Ernmas – basically, which ‘set’ of sisters was older? The basic info that’s going around runs like this: Ernmas is an Irish mother goddess, mentioned in Lebor Gabála Érenn and “Cath Maige Tuired” as one of the Tuatha Dé Danann….
I’m not sure how many of you, exactly, have searched for a beginner’s guide specifically… But every month, there are 1,900 searches on Google for the topic ‘Celtic Paganism’, which in broad terms also covers the main theme of this blog, Irish Paganism (which gets 390 searches itself). So, 390 of you lovely people each…
Faolín sighed and shifted her weight, earning herself kicks from her sisters, still sleeping, for her trouble. How could they sleep on this day? But this was their way, to sleep the day and emerge in darkness, through darkness, to the world beyond. On this night of nights. Full of restless energy, Faolín rose as…
Ever wonder what is the Táin Bó Cúailgne? Or how to pronounce Táin Bó Cúailnge?! Here’s your guide, covering: a summary of the main storyline; the manuscript sources and recensions or versions it was recorded in; and even an audio reading so you can follow along! I’ve written a review of the Táin before, here,…
Does the Goddess Mórrígan have any children, and who are they, exactly? This post started originally with an interesting discussion in our office, at Irish Pagan School / Eel & Otter Press HQ. My partner, An Scéalaí Beag, believes that Brighid is not only the daughter of his boss, the Dagda, but also of my…
Funny story about the Mórrígan. On Sunday 13th October, I was in Dublin presenting at Octocon – The National Irish Science Fiction Convention. (Details for 2020 are here, by the way – https://2019.octocon.com/2019/10/14/octocon-returns-in-2020/) It was a lovely day, filled with lovely people… and a small* amount of wine was consumed. By me. AFTER the event (and some more…
This post is about the monument known as Medb’s Heap, Medb’s Cairn, Medb’s Tomb, Medb’s Nipple or Medb’s Grave (and sometimes the name Medb is anglicized as Maeve). In Irish it’s called Miosgán Medb, from the old Irish word mescán – mass, lump, heap. Now, you’ll likely have heard tell of the one in County…
[This is a section that didn’t make the final edit of my new book, ‘A Practical Guide to Pagan Priesthood’, Llewellyn 2019. So, I thought I’d share it here!] Pagan Priesthood in Ancient Ireland ‘Ancient Ireland’, even if we limit it to Pre-Christian times, could be anywhere in an 11,000 year period, really. So, I…