Lora O'Brien – Irish Author & Guide
Your Authentic Connection to Ireland
A while back, I was interviewed by a student named Hannah for their college research, and I thought others might be interested in the Irish Paganism Q&A that resulted from the interview. What would you say is the overall conception of the world and the place of humans in Irish Paganism? Overall, I believe native…
Bealtaine (or May Day) is coming up at the end of this month, so we’d love to see you fully prepared for this very important Fire Festival in the Irish Tradition. Note: In Ireland, Bealtaine is the name for the month of May in our Irish language and living cultural traditions, while Beltane is the…
A lot of folk have asked me about a practice I engage with every December, my Winter Solstice vigil each year here in County Waterford, Ireland. So, I decided to outline what it is, why I do it, and if it’s something you should be doing as part of an Irish Pagan practice. What is…
One of our most frequently asked questions in the Irish Pagan School Tuath (community) is about books and reading – what’s reliable, trustworthy, and worth your time? We have a few basic Recommended Reading blog posts for Irish History and Irish Gods and Goddesses through those links, but thought it might be useful to give…
Ogham (also spelled ogam) is a uniquely Irish alphabet, which uses a system of notches and horizontal or diagonal lines to represent the sounds of an early form of the Irish language. Our students at The Irish Pagan School always want to know though, how to read Ogham? We have two primary sources for the…
I’m delighted to host a guest post by my friend Pat Booker, a wonderful Irish Pagan person who has in fact, grown up in Northern Ireland, and therefore knows more about it than I do. Northern Ireland 101 Northern Irish people are often asked to explain the latest news from our disputed territory. The question…
As you may be aware, the Irish language (Gaeilge) is a bit of a sore spot for most Irish folk, due to a variety of reasons both historical and personal. At the Irish Pagan School, we believe that the native language is fundamental to the expression of and engagement with our native spiritual and magical…
We’ve had a few questions lately about boundaries when using Lora’s Guided Journeys in the Irish Otherworld method (more info on the basics of that here) – with some people or other entities popping up for folk unexpectedly, and I’ve a few thoughts to share on this. Firstly, within this methodology, WHERE you are within…
A personal piece today, about how the Mórrígan shows up in my life. When my Mam showed me pics of her new camper van, I was delighted. Both delighted for her, as it is a lifelong dream realised and a new chapter opening up for her… but also delighted by the van. It’s not super…
This is a simple Irish prayer to say to the Mórrígan (the Irish Goddess Morrigan) at sunset each night, wherever you are in the world. Our prayer to the Morrigan is adapted from a traditional Irish prayer found on Duchas.ie in the School’s Collection. The original entry is as follows: The following prayer was generally…