Unreal Irish Folklore

A re-release of the second ever episode of Unreal, while I recover from illness. A new episode will come soon once my voice is back at full strength! Giants sculpted our landscape. They are strong, and fierce, and can be terrifying if you’re unprepared. But anyone can defeat a giant – if you are clever enough to trick them… READ THE PODCAST SCRIPT SOURCES AND FURTHER READING The Story of Fionn and the Giant The Giant’s Causeway, Dublin Penny Journal A Legend of Knockmany, by William Carleton (and the original article) Joe Moore’s Story of Finn Macooilly and the Buggane, Manx Fairytales by Sophia Morrison Versions from the School’s Folklore Collection at Duchas.ie: 1, 2, 3, 4 The very rude Scottish poem featuring the giant-sized descendants of Fionn Other Tales Mentioned The fall of the Viking chieftain Turgesius Maoil a Chliobain Jack and the Beanstalk Jack the Giant-killer Stingy Jack MUSIC All by Slainte from The Free Music Archive Theme Song – “The Butterfly” The Lark in the Morning / The Atholl…

The Banshee is one of Ireland’s most famous folkloric figures. A supernatural woman with a cry that foretells of death and devastation to those who hear it, stories about banshees have been terrifying listeners for hundreds of years. But has she always been this way? Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading A Folklore Survey of County Clare by Thomas Johnson Westropp The Triumphs of Turlough translated by Standish Hayes O'Grady The Hostel of Da Choca translated by Whitley Stokes Annals of Loch Cé The Memoirs of Lady Ann Fanshawe Personal Sketches of His Own Times by Sir Jonah Barrington Keening Tradition "The Irish Funeral Cry" in The Dublin Penny Journal O'Brien's Irish-English Dictionary Music The Butterfly – Sláinte Return Home - Moorland Songs The White Birch - Moorland Songs Mountain Solitude - Moorland Songs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, Ruth here, and apologies for the slightly sporadic uploads to Unreal this season – I’ve just been having quite a busy time outside of podcasting. I’m actually going to take mid-season break and come back in two weeks with a special Halloween episode, and finish out the second half of the season then, hopefully with more regular uploads for those last few episodes. I hope that sounds ok, and wishing you a folklore-filled few weeks in the meantime. Go n-éirí an bóthar leat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a king goes mad? When he leaves his home, his wife and lands, and goes wandering in the woods and the wild? Such a strange frenzy came on Sweeney, an Irish king long ago. The life he came to live was a harsh and a wild one – but, as the story shows, still one where breathtaking beauty could be found . . . Read the Podcast Script Sources And Further Reading Buile Suibhne. (The frenzy of Suibhne) by O'Keeffe, J. G The King's Mirror Myrddin Wylt Wild Man Music The Butterfly – Sláinte The Elfin Knight - Traditional I'm Missing Ennis - Philip Ayers Everything We Built - Christian Andersen It All Went Away So Quickly - Christian Andersen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There once was born a cursed girl. She was beautiful, and strong-willed, and would do anything for the man she loved. But in her name, evil came to Ireland, bringing war and fighting that left hundreds dead in its wake. Her name was Deirdre, and stories told about her live on, as one of Ireland’s most sorrowful legends. Read the Podcast Script Sonder Magazine Let's Talk About the Arts episode (my story is at about 28:30) Sources and further Reading Story Sources The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu by Vernam Hull Deirdre, or, The Exile of the Sons of Usnech Deirdre, in The Three Sorrows of Storytelling by Douglas Hyde The Trí Truaighe na Scéalaigheachta by Eugene O'Curry Background reading Kingship Made Real? Power and the Public World in Longes Mac nUislenn by Elva Johnston Satire in Medieval Ireland Leabharcham Milesians How Ronan Slew His Son Cano meic Gartnáin Diarmuid & Gráinne Music The Butterfly by Sláinte Our Green Lands by Bonn Fields Calling on the Hill by Moorland Songs Red as a Rose by Rune Dale…

For every death, a price must be paid. Life is precious, and blood is costly, and when you take the life of a man, you do not know how high the penalty will be. This is a story about three brothers, and a life they took, the price they paid, and the devastation that followed them to their deaths. Read the podcast script Sources and Further Reading Story Sources The Fate of the Children of Tuireann from The Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language "The Quest of the Sons of Turenn" by T. W. Rolleston "The Fate of the Children of Tuireann" from The Three Sorrows of Storytelling by Douglas Hyde Background reading "The Grail and the English Sir Perceval" (V) by Arthur C. L. Brown "Fines under Brehon Law" by Laurence Ginnell Éraic / eric Music The Butterfly - Sláinte Lúnassa - Aislinn The Road to Lisdoonvarna & Scollay's - Pinnipied The Burning of the Piper's Hut - Pinnipied Shady Grove - Shake That Little Foot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As strange as it is imagine, there are infinite worlds out there in the universe, far beyond our sight. But, if the stories are to be believed, a group of early Irish people came closer than most to contact with the world above our world, and the strange people who inhabited it. Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading “Aerial Ships and Underwater Monasteries: The Evolution of a Monastic Marvel” - John Carey “Voyagers in the Vault of Heaven: The Phenomenon of Ships in the Sky in Medieval Ireland and Beyond” - Michael McCaughan “Lightnings VIII” – Seamus Heaney Curiosities of Indo-European tradition and folk-lore – Walter Keating Kelly On Hail and Thunder - Agobard of Lyons “From flying boats to secret Soviet weapons to alien visitors – a brief cultural history of UFOs” – theconversation.com “Sometimes a flying boat is just a flying boat: Not everything has to be a UFO” – esoterx.com Tailtenn Games “On the Identification of the Ancient Cemetery at Loughcrew, Co. Meath” - Eugene Alfred Conwell The…

There is something magical about snow, but it’s also deceptive, and deadly – the perfect ingredient for dark tales on a cold winter’s night . . . Read the Podcast ScriptSources Weather Lore Customs, Beliefs and Superstitions of the Different Festivals – Dúchas.ie Weather-Lore – Dúchas.ie Plucking Geese in Heaven – Dúchas.ie Signs of Snow – Dúchas.ie Derbforgaill The Deaths of Lugaid and Derbforgaill – Carl Marstrander Cuchulainn’s Ríastrad: The Cuchullin Saga in Irish Literature – Eleanor Hull Saints St Molasius (Silva Gaedelica, S. H. O’Grady) St Comghan (Mac Dá Cherda and Cummaine Foda - J. G. O'Keeffe) St Patrick (The Tripartite Life of St Patrick – Whitley Stokes) Deirdre The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu – Vernam Hull Sín and Muirchertach The Death of Muirchertach Mac Erca – Whitley Stokes International Stories of the Snow Snow Drop – The Brothers Grimm The Snow Queen – Hans Christian Andersen Snegurochka Music Dreams of the Brave – Trabant 33 Sea of Clouds – Kai Engel Arctica – Kai Engel Kesh Jig,…

Granuaile, Ireland’s Pirate Queen , was ahead of her time but remains with us in legend. Escaping the constraints of femininity, Gráinne risked everything she had to live life she wanted, and rule the seas. Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Granuaile: Ireland's Pirate Queen by Anne Chambers "Eighteen articles of interrogatory to be answered by Grany ne Malley" (Granuaile in her own words!) Anthologica Hibernica: 1, 2 Folktales from Dúchas.ie Granuaile folk songs from Dúchas.ie Music The Butterfly - Sláinte Shady Grove - Shake That Little Foot The Banshee, Gravel Walks, The Old Copperplate - Sláinte Celtic Blessing - Bonnie Grace Pretty Little Dog - Shake That Little Foot Jig of Slurs, Dublin, Reel, The Merry Blacksmith, The Mountain Road - Sláinte Stay up to date: My guest episode on the Candlelit Tales podcast https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod https://www.facebook.com/UnrealPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of Oisín’s journey to Tír na nÓg with Niamh of the Golden Hair has become one of Ireland’s best-loved legends. But the history of how it came to be told may still surprise you . . . Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Lay of Oisín on the Land of Youth by Michael Comyn Sgéalta ó Ṫír Ċonaill by Énrí Ó Muirgheasa (translation at end) Sgéal ar Oisín agus na Fiantaibh (translation at end) The Colloquy with the Ancients translated by Standish H O'Grady Leabhar na Feinne, by J. F. Campbell Celtic Mythology by J. A. MacCulloch Urashima Tarō King Herla Music The Butterfly by Sláinte Back to the Shires - Christian Andersen Lovely Maria - Aislinn For a Lifetime - Yi Nantiro The Road Map - Jo Wandrini The Burning of the Piper's Hut - Pinniped Stay up to date: https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod https://www.facebook.com/UnrealPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Witch trials came to an end after 1711. But in the decades that followed, hushed into small, catholic communities in the Irish countryside, fear of the supernatural was growing. And 1895 brought the most infamous execution of a suspected fairy ever to take place – the burning of Bridget Cleary in County Tipperary . . . READ THE PODCAST SCRIPTSOURCES AND FURTHER READING Main Sources The “Witch-Burning” at Clonmel – Folklore, Vol. 6, No. 4 Dec., 1895 Belief in Fairies and Witches, in Five Years in Ireland, Michael J. F. McCarthy Newspaper Accounts New York Times (1, 2, 3) The Pall Mall Gazette Bismark Daily Tribune Other cases mentioned Witchcraft in Tipperary (1, 2), The Times, Sep 18, 1850 Revelation from a Hamlet near Athlone, New York Times, March 22, 1896 The Times, Tuesday March 10, 1896 MUSIC The Butterfly – Sláinte Capclear – Aislinn Evening Bells – Arnaud Coutancier Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (Irish Lullaby) – Chauncey Olcott Lunassa – Aislinn Dark Alleys – Kai Engel Interception – Kai Engel Fragile Ice –…

The story of the last and largest witch trial ever to take place in Ireland. Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Possessed by the Devil: The Real History of the Islandmagee Witch Trial, by Andrew Sneddon Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland, by Andrew Sneddon Account of the Trial of Eight Reputed Witches by William Tisdall Satan’s Invisible World Discovered, by George Sinclair Irish Witchcraft and Demonology, by St. John D. Seymour Music The Butterfly – Sláinte By the Winds - Sergey Cheremisinov Paranoia – Kai Engel Dance with Me – Sergey Cheremisinov All of This – Ayla Nereo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1661, rumours swept the town of Youghal about the deadly kiss of a woman named Florence Newton, a kiss that could bring terrible pain, claim lives, and that marked her out for what she truly was – a witch. Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Irish Witchcraft and Demonology, by St. John D. Seymour ‘Florence Newton’s trial for witchcraft, Cork, 1661: Sir William Aston’s transcript’, Edited by Dr Andrew Sneddon ‘Witchcraft belief and trials in early modern Ireland,’ Dr Andrew Sneddon Witchfinders, by Malcolm Gaskill Music The Butterflyby Sláinte Curtains are Always Drawn – Kai Engel Fog – Sergey Cheremisinov Run – Kai Engel Sea & Night - Sergey Cheremisinov Mindship - Sergey Cheremisinov Ivory Tongue - Ayla Nereo Stay up to date: https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod https://www.facebook.com/UnrealPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Re-released episode from Season 1) In 1324, Dame Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny became the first woman tried for witchcraft in Ireland. But things did not go according to plan… SOURCES AND FURTHER READING The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler: A Contemporary Account, translated and edited by L. S. Davidson and John O. Ward The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory by Rev. William Carrigan Irish Witchcraft and Demonology by St. John D. Seymour Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction by Malcolm Gaskill The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyteler by Bernadette Williams MUSIC "Beacon" by Ayla Nereo “The Butterfly” by Sláinte Churchbells, St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral in Omsk, recorded by Zabuhailo “Global Warming” by Kai Engel “daemones” by Kai Engel “periculum” by Kai Engel "Wheel of Time" by Ayla Nereo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to season 3 of Unreal a podcast about Irish history, stories and tradition. I’m doing something a little different this time around. For the month of October, I will be bringing you weekly true stories of Irish witches: their lives, their trials, their fates. Alice Kyteler. Florence Newton. The women of Islandmagee. Bridget Cleary. These women were part of our history. Their lives and what they went through are all unique, and their stories are a mark of who we were and how far we have come. But all of them deserve to be remembered. So join me next Sunday, to begin a new Chapter of Unreal: The Season of the Witch. Song: Beacon by Ayla Nereo **** A note for my regular listeners - the first episode will be a repeat of Alice Kyteler's story which I previously hosted in Season 1, so you may want to give that one a miss and tune in from the week after. Or feel free to listen again! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tale of the Salmon of Knowledge is one of the most famous and well-loved stories of Irish in mythology. It’s a story about becoming – of a hero before he was a hero. Everyone in Ireland knows the story. But you might be surprised by its roots! Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading The Salmon of Knowledge Variants Salmon of Knowledge The Boyish Exploits of Finn – translated by John O’Donovan “Had I but eaten of the salmon of knowledge...” Cath Mhuighe Léana translated by Eugene O’Curry (p97) The High Deeds of Finn and other Bardic Romances – T. W. Rolleston My previous episode featuring Fintan mac Bóchra Fionn / Enchanted Water Stories Fionn and Cúldub – translated by Kuno Meyer The Fountain of the Moon – edited by Nicholas Kearney Sigurd and Taliesen Sigurd Hanes Taliesen, Taliesen, Ceridwen Intervention and Disruption in the Myths of Finn and Sigurd – Joseph Falaky Nagy Abstract Narrative in Ireland – R. Mark Scowcroft Reviewed Work: The Thumb of Knowledge in Legends of Finn, Sigurd, and…

Tales of mythical islands and enchanted cities have captivated our storytellers for generations. We are always searching, searching on the far horizon and in the depths of our lakes and rivers, for the worlds we have lost, and the promised lands we still have left to find. Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Introductions Ireland’s Mysterious Lands and Sunken Cities by Jon Douglas Singer Immram Celtic Otherworld Kilstuiffeen Ordnance Survey Letters by John O’Donovan and Eugene O’Curry Ireland: its scenery, its character etc. by S. C. Hall Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts by Patrick Kennedy A Folklore Survey of County Clare by Thomas John Westropp The Monks of Kilcrea by A. G. Geoghegan Caher Linn @RostrevorRARE’s post Dúchas Stories Carlingford Carlingford Volcano Louth Folk Tales by Doreen McBride Carlingford Leaflet Fintan Mac Bochra Lebor Gabála Érenn translated by R. S. Macalister The Hawk of Achill or the Legends of the Oldest Animals by Eleanor Hull Liban Annals of the Kingdom of…

Early Irish forests were thick with wolves. Fierce, fast and predatory, it’s no wonder these animals inspired so many myths and stories before their extinction. The legend of the werewolf - men and women who could walk through the world in the shape of wolves - has captured imaginations for centuries. Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Werewolf Wolves in Folklore, Religion and Mythology Bretha Crólige (Brehon Laws) translated by D. A. Binchy Ossory Werewolves Leabhar Breathnach Annso Sis, translated by James Henthorn Todd Topographia Hibernia, by Gerald of Wales The Wonders of Ireland by Patrick Weston Joyce Werewolves of Ossory St Ronan “Chronique IX” by By H. D’Arbois de Jubainville, in Revue Celtique (translation here) Ronan of Locronan stronans.co.uk The Wolf Women of Cruachan Cave “The Story of the Three She-Wolves” in Irische Texte by Whitley Stokes “The Cave of Cruachan” in Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Augusta Gregory Lady Jane Wilde’s Wolf Stories – in Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms…

Down in the hollows, hiding just out of sight, the wee folk are watching our every move. And despite their size, these little beings can bring about an incredible amount of destruction. But were the wee folk always thought of as so sinister? And do they think of humans as being just as magical as we think of them? Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Leprechauns Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland, by Thomas Crofton Croker Irish Wonders, by D. R. McAnally Revue Celtique, by Whitley Stokes “Another Illusion Shattered: "leprechaun" not native Irish” in Language Log King Fergus and the Wee Folk The High Deeds of Finn and other Bardic Romances of Ancient Ireland, by T. W. Rolleston Silva Gadelica, by Standish Hayes O’Grady The Saga of Fergus Mac Létí, translated by D. A. Binchy Music The Butterfly by Sláinte The King of the Fairies – The Dubliners The King of the Fairies – Alan Stivell Lunassa by Aislinn The Banshee. Gravel Walks. The Old Copperplate – Sláinte Gander in the Pratie…

Far below the ocean waves live the strange and mysterious people of the sea. From ancient times to the modern day we have been fascinated by stories of the sea folk – the way they look, the songs they sing, and the great hold they have on us. But the merfolk are very different to humans, and when human and sea person meet, things rarely go according to plan… Read the Podcast Script Sources and Further Reading Introductions Mermaids Merrows Selkies Stories Lebor Gabála Éirenn, translated by Robert Stewart MacAlister Roth Mac Cithaing & Port Láirge, in the Rennes Dindsenchas translated by Whitley Stokes The Wonderful Tune / The Lady of Gollerus by Thomas Crofton Croker Orkney Folk-lore: Selkie Folk by William Traill Dennison The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde Essays The Testimony of Tradition by David MacRitchie The Motif of the Mermaid in English, Irish, and Scottish Fairy- and Folk Tales by Stephanie Kickingereder Supernatural Beings in the Far North:…

When disease swept through a community, people would try anything that might help to save the ones they loved. In times before modern medicine, illnesses rarely seen today, like measles, pox and whooping cough, were killers, and traditions were passed down by families desperate for anything to give them the luck they needed to survive through the crisis. But putting your trust in superstitious actions and legends of past cures could also lead to some very strange results... With thanks to Con Ryan, my grandfather, for his unique and fascinating insight on these traditions. Read The Podcast Script Sources And Further Reading Thinking Critically About Coronavirus How to Spot Coronavirus Fake News Coronavirus: How Bad Information Goes Viral Coronavirus: The Fake Health Advice You Should Ignore Do Onions Fight Off The Flu Virus? Old Cures Nosanna Agus Piseoga na nGael by Sean Ó Súilleabháin Ancient legends, Mystic Charms & Superstitions of Ireland by Lady Wilde Old Cures on Dúchas.ie Minor Monuments by Ian…

St Patrick banished snakes from Ireland forever, and none have since dared to touch the land he charmed. But is the story really as simple as that? Or could the legends of snakes, saints and Ireland’s beginnings stretch much further, with many more twists and turns? https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod https://www.facebook.com/UnrealPod/ READ THE PODCAST SCRIPTSOURCES AND FURTHER READING General Introductions to Serpent Symbolism and Folklore Ireland’s Animals: Myths, Legends and Folklore by Niall Mac Coitir Serpent Symbolism St Brigid and Snakes: Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1, by Alexander Carmicheal Gaedil Glas: Lebor Gabála Érenn, translated by R. A. B. MacAlister Fionn and Snakes: The Ballad of Sliabh Truim from Duanaire Finn, translated by John Mac Neill Cónán and the Caorannach The great folly, superstition, and idolatry, of pilgrimages in Ireland by John Richardson ‘Underwater Worlds of the Donegal Bay Area’ by Helen Meehan Hesione and Heracles St Patrick The Life and Acts of St…

“The wren, the wren, the king of the birds, On St Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze..." Traditions surround this tiny bird in winter - but does the Wren Hunt have much more ancient roots? https://unrealpodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the warriors of Ireland, speed was an important trait in a wife, tested in gruelling contests. But when you marry a fast, strong woman against her will, you can bet that the running she will do will be far and long away from you… https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crumbled and overgrown, Cullohill Castle is no longer the seat of great deeds , But local legends tell of a tyrant queen who killed lovers nightly, and terrorized the area. The legend may now be almost forgotten – but people nearby still recall. For who could forget the rule of Sheela na Guira? https://unrealpodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1324, Dame Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny became the first woman tried for witchcraft in Ireland. But things did not go according to plan... https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1937, the kidnapping of a young German acrobat by an Irish circus hand led to a midnight car chase, and a court case that captivated the country. https://unrealpodcast.com https://twitter.com/unrealpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giants sculpted our landscape. They are strong, and fierce, and can be terrifying if you're unprepared. But anyone can defeat a giant - if you are clever enough to trick them... https://unrealpodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/unrealpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The mythical world, beautiful storytelling and devastating conclusion of The Fate of the Children of Lir has left its mark on all who have heard through the years. But even one of Ireland's best known legends has a few surprises left in store... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello there, and welcome to Unreal, a podcast about Irish history, stories and tradition. I’ll be releasing fortnightly episodes, starting Sunday 15/09/2019. Written and created by Ruth Atkins UnrealPodcast.com Theme music: "The Butterfly" by Sláinte Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.