Macha is a goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war, horses, sovereignty. Her name appears a lot in Irish mythology, legend and historical tradition. They are all believed to derive from the same deity. This is just one in a number of legendary stories. Around 400-500 B.C. Áed Rúad, son of Badarn, Díthorba, son of […]
Category: Ireland
Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh MP
Bit of a short post tonight ladies and gentlemen, but an interesting man nonetheless. Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh was born in County Carlow, Ireland, on March 1831, the third son of Thomas Kavanagh MP, and his second wife, Lady Margaret Le Poer Trench, daughter of the Earl of Clancarty. He was followed by his sister Harriet. […]
Celtic Christianity
Everyone knows that St. Patrick converted Ireland to Christianity in the late 5th and early 6th century. What most people do not know is the church he left in Ireland was different than the rest of the church in Europe. The differences are explainable as Ireland was very far from Rome, and travel was not […]
Brehon Law- Lost Legal System
The seventh century in Ireland is considered to be a time of enlightenment. Many people flocked to Irish centers of learning from all over Europe. At this time, the laws governing the provinces of Ireland were set down in writing. These were the Laws of Fenechus, or free land tillers. These more popularly became known […]
Banshee
Written on February 20, 2016 by Adela at 5:59 PM | 0
Adela, Ireland, Northern Europe, Scotland, Wales
Adela, Ireland, Northern Europe, Scotland, Wales
A Banshee (“woman of the barrows”) is a female spirit in Irish mythology. Traditionally when a person died a woman would wail a lament at the funeral. These women are referred to as “keeners” and legend has it that for great Gaelic families the lament would be sung by a fairy woman; having foresight, she […]