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…
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…
When trying to connect meaningfully and find native sources for Irish Paganism within the reality of our living Irish traditions, things aren’t what they used to be. These days, we are blessed with a burgeoning plethora of native Irish voices raising to speak truth about our own culture and heritage. Which is damn useful if…
Pagan Holidays (Holy Days) worldwide are coming back to a more general use and understanding, with folk often asking questions about whether Christmas is a Pagan Holiday (it is, sort of), and observing the 8-fold Wheel of the Year. The current Neo Pagan calendar (and its primarily Wiccan holidays) is ostensibly based off the ‘Celtic…
Some of the most common questions on Irish Pagan Beliefs I see, revolve around the Pagan Altar. What is it? How do you make one? What direction should a Pagan Altar face?! I figure it might be useful to show you what I do, as a starting point. (Spoiler alert, there’s no pentagrams! The post…
As part of our annual 6 month Intensive Programme, I answer questions from students who want to know more about the Irish Goddess Mórrígan, with whom I have had a solid working relationship for about 15 years now… and the last 13 of them as Her priest. 8 of those years were spent in daily service (and…
A version of this article on the Rag Tree in the Irish Tradition first appeared as a guest post on the Call of the Morrigan community blog in 2016. So, I’ve worked for the last 14 years as a professional tour guide to the sacred sites of Ireland, and let me tell ya, I’ve seen some…
Fadó, fadó, sure there were only the 2 seasons in Ireland. Summer and Winter. Even after things moved on, for people, and for the land, these main boundaries in time loomed large every year for the Irish people. And the turning between the two was a time of magic, and mayhem… you’d never even know…