Lora O'Brien – Irish Author & Guide
Your Authentic Connection to Ireland
The Morrigan resources provided here are compiled by Lora O’Brien: native Irish author and educator, co-founder of the Irish Pagan School, and dedicated Priestess of the Morrigan since 2004. These are the best readings and resources available (at time of publication) for students wishing to work with, worship, and study the authentic lore of the…
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…
The Mórrígan (also Morrigan, Morrígu, Mór-Ríoghain) is a striking figure from Irish mythology: known variously as an Irish Goddess, native Pagan deity in Ireland, or supernatural figure if we’re looking academically at Medieval Irish literature. The Mórrígan is most commonly associated with war and destruction; but she is actually a guardian Goddess of prophecy, magic,…
Well first off, your answer may be – none. You don’t have to work with any god or goddess to be a practicing Pagan, or to follow native Irish spiritual traditions. In fact, you’re probably closer to any Irish ancestral connections that are there by just having a general ‘something bigger than me exists but…
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….
‘The Battle of Moytura at Cong’, also known as The First Battle of Magh Turedh, Maige Tuired, etc. This text can be difficult to find online, so I thought I’d add a copy here, and maybe do a reading of it at some point over on my YouTube Channel, for accessibility purposes. The source manuscript…
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…