Lora O'Brien – Irish Author & Guide
Your Authentic Connection to Ireland
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…
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…
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…
As a Priestess of the Mórrígan, I get regular questions about working for/with this Irish Goddess. Here is one of my answers… Bec Dunn asked: “I want to set up an altar whilst I do this work to connect with Her, are there things to include or definitely not put on?” Altars are so personal….
A cure of warts is to squeeze the milk out of a weed called the penny leaf. This milk is called the fairies’ milk. Goat’s milk is a cure for sore eyes or bad feet or many other things. An ointment can be made from goats’ milk to draw boils. To cure a blast,…
It’s been suggested a couple of times that I should get on ‘the other side of the interview’, and talk about my own Irish Spirituality, and Pagan or magical practices. So recently I queried my Community for their questions on Irish Paganism and Spirituality (or my history/practice in particular). Then I went on FB Live and…
… This ‘Irish Accent’ shit though. And leprechaun hats and lucky charms and a ‘Brigid Oracle’ machine and ‘Irish Yoga’ memes – well, begosh and begorra sure aren’t all the Oirish quaint and charming funny drunks?! Ok, so that’s the frustrated rant part over. Well, the rant part at least. Ok, so I MAY rant…
Sacred Trees in Early Ireland Early Irish law was based on decisions made by the Gaelic Brehons, learned men and women of old Irish society who took on the responsibilities of the Judge. It was an oral tradition, but the rulings were recorded by later Christian monks and priests, and so we have surviving Brehon…