Lora O'Brien – Irish Author & Guide
Your Authentic Connection to Ireland
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…
When you begin to study Irish History there can be some confusion as to the terminology, particularly around the time periods and the dates of what happened when. I thought it would be useful to put together a simple guide to the phases and dates that you’ll see mentioned when you study any Irish History….
The character of Queen Maeve has come to popularity in Amazon’s TV show ‘The Boys’ as a badass superhero with some… issues, not the least of which appears to be the toxic masculinity and sexism she finds herself constantly surrounded by. For once, pop culture isn’t completely off par when dealing with Irish Mythology, because…
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,…
[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…
Learn about Ancient Ireland’s Laws and Customs through study of the Brehon Law system. A student in our Mórrígan Intensive Programme asked me for resources on the Brehon Law system the other day, and I had to be honest – I didn’t have them to hand. It’s not an area I’ve really dug into yet,…
The 1st of August (sometimes the 2nd) is Lúnasa (Lughnasadh, Lughnasa, Brón Trogain) – the harvest festival in Ireland. In her excellent book, ‘The Festival of Lughnasa’, Máire MacNeill wrote: “Garland Sunday and Domhnach Chrom Dubh are two of the many names of a festival celebrated by Irish country people at the end of July…
These are not all Irish Pagan Podcasts specifically, but they will be of interest to those who want to authentically connect to Irish Paganism, and they do raise Irish voices offering quality historical and cultural information. Story Archaeology Podcast Uncovering the layers of Irish Mythology. On this site, you will find a regular podcast and articles about…
This collection of quotes about druids and druidic practices is from an old Angelfire website that I unfortunately can’t find a credit for. Although the material itself is all public domain, I’d like to credit whoever first compiled it, so comment below if you know! Sopater [late fourth-century BC] (via Athenaeus 4.160):Among them is the…
Recommended Irish Pagan resources on topics such as Irish Mythology, Irish History, Irish Culture, Irish Spirituality, Irish Storytelling & Irish Travel.