Shows
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 42 - Passing the Time (with Henry Glassie)Video recording of this episode is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OcxwmDuUeU&ab_channel=UCD-UniversityCollegeDublin
Henry Glassie is College Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, and has published widely in the fields of material culture and vernacular architecture. His contribution to the discipline of Irish Folklore and Ethnology has been exceptional. Having lived in Ballymenone, Co. Fermanagh, for almost a decade in the 1970s, Professor Glassie published a number of studies inspired by the community there, including All Silver and No Brass (1975), Passing the Time in Ballymenone (1982) and The Stars of Ballymenone (2006). These books are landmark...2025-05-271h 32
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 41 - Food in Irish Tradition (with Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire)Regarding food in Irish tradition, Kevin Danaher, writing in 1964, noted that "Sometimes we get the impression that Ireland, in ancient times, was a land of plenty, and again we get quite the opposite impression - that our forebears lived out their lives on the very edge of starvation. In reality both these impressions are wrong." As an expression of culture that permeates every aspect of life, food holds a central place in Irish folk tradition, and for episode 41 of Blúiríní Béaloidis, I am delighted to be joined by Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Senior Lecturer in the Sc...2025-04-0255 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBluiríní Béaloidis 40 - What Is A Folklore ArchiveHello a chairde, and welcome to episode 40 of Blúiríní Béaloidis, the podcast from the National Folklore Collection.
It would be remiss of me not to commence this episode of the podcast with long, grovelling apologies concerning the absence of signs of life regarding the series over the last year and a half. The good news is that the podcast still exists, the work of the NFC continues apace, and the bad news, well… there is no bad news really; just the reality of one individuals less-than-perfect attempts at keeping a variety of plates spinning while kicking cans down th...2024-12-171h 02
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 39 - Bees In Tradition (with Tiernan Gaffney)Bees have been cultivated in Ireland since early times. Of value for their wax and honey, there were also believed to be blessed creatures, as Dáithí Ó hÓgáin writes: "probably because of the use of their wax to make church candles, and one medieval legend describes a swarm of bees building a little container around a lost communion wafer to protect it. They were also thought to be possessed of special wisdom, and to take an acute interest in the affairs of their owners. If a bee entered the house it was regarded as a good omen, and the b...2023-05-0959 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 38: Stones Of Strength In Irish Tradition (with David Keohan)Lying in fields and ditches, at the edge of old and overgrown graveyards and in lonesome places all over Ireland rest forgotten echoes of our past. Large and unwieldy stones; blocks of granite and sandstone flags which, used in former times as tests of strength, still reverberate with the memory of heroic feats.
The tradition of stone lifting, while well-attested in Scotland, Iceland and other parts of Europe, is a topic about which very little is known in Ireland. For the past year, David Keohan, multiple national European and world champion in kettlebell sport, world record holder, avid strength historian...2022-12-061h 24
The Appalachian Folklore PodcastWhat is Folklore?LinksThe Folklore PodcastEpisode 15Folklore: More Than Just a Wordhttp://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/season-2/episode-15-folklore-more-than-just-a-word-with-guest-dr-paul-cowdellThe Folklore PodcastEpisode 93Bernie's Mittenshttp://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/bernies-mittens.htmlThe Folklore PodcastEpisode 107Folklore 101http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/episode-107.htmlBlúiríní BéaloidisEpisode 1What is Folklore?https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/bl%C3%BAir%C3%ADn%C3%AD-b%C3%A...2022-09-0125 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 37: Peig Sayers (with Dr. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne & Dr. Pádraig Ó Héalaí)"Long as the day is, night comes, and alas, the night is coming for me too... Someone else will have pastime out of my work when I'm gone on the way of truth. A person here and a person there will say, maybe, 'Who was that Peig Sayers?' but poor Peig will be the length of their shout from them. This green bench where she used to do the studying will be a domicile for the birds of the wilderness, and the little house where she used to eat and drink, it's unlikely there'll be a trace of it...2022-07-071h 01
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 36: The Travellers (with David Joyce & Áine Furey)Irish Travellers, known in their own language as Mincéirs or Pavees and in Irish called ‘An Lucht Siúil or, ‘The Walking People’, are a nomadic ethnic minority in Ireland with a distinct history, culture and identity. Historically, Travellers were called Tinkers, a reference to their trade as tinsmiths, and they also made a living through engaging with the settled community; by buying and selling animals, or through seasonal farm labour. They’ve also long been renowned as singers, musicians and storytellers who brought news, tales, songs and music from townland to townland, parish to parish and county to county as...2022-06-241h 44
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 35 - The Civil War (with Dr. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh)The Civil War was a schismatic moment in Irish history, and the fault lines it left split families, tore apart communities and turned former comrades in arms against one another in a bitterly divisive period of violence and conflict. According to historian Anne Dolan, ‘The memory of the Irish Civil War has been assumed, distorted, [and] misunderstood. It has been manipulated, underestimated, but most of all, ignored’.
Now, 100 years on, in marking the centenary of this period, The Civil War Memory project is currently underway (a collaboration between The National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin and award winning documentary filmmakers Scra...2022-05-241h 00
Folkways: The Folklore of Britain and Ireland(BONUS) February 2022 Almanac (Imbolc, St Brigid's Day, Aecerbot, Valentines)Welcome February 2022! This month we're thinking about Imbolc and St Brigid's Day, Anglo Saxon Aecerbots and much more, plus your usual sun and moon times.🤝 Become a Friend of Folkways 💎 https://bit.ly/34awiDB☕️ Buy me a coffee https://bit.ly/3dxssVw💌 Get in contact folkwayschannel@gmail.com📺 Subscribe on Youtube https://bit.ly/3hIwlcZ👋 Connect with Folkways on Instagram or Twitter @folkwayschannel| LINKS + SOURCES |Brigid in Folk Tradition from Bluiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments podcast at University College Dublin https://spoti.fi/3hOMQnHR...2022-02-0120 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 34 - The War Of Independence (with Ailbe Van Der Heide)The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on the 6th of December 1921, bringing an end to the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence. To mark 100 years since the signing of the treaty, I joined my colleague at the National Folklore Collection, Ailbe van der Heide, to discuss her work in researching, editing and transcribing Urban Folklore Project recordings dealing with this tumultuous period of Irish history.
The 1979-1980 Urban Folklore Project originated as a Government employment scheme to provide work for university graduates at a time of severe economic recession in 1979-1980. The project was undertaken by the Department of Irish Folklore, University...2021-12-041h 06
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 33 - Death (with David McGowan)In life, there is much which seems uncertain to us. Concerning death however, there can be no doubt. It was an honour to speak with funeral director, death-care practitioner and proud Sligo native David McGowan on the topic of death for episode 33 of Blúiríní Béaloidis. Sit with us as we explore attitudes and customs regarding death and dying, from the practicalities and preparations of the corpse, to the wake house and beliefs regarding the departure of the soul. The episode features a good deal of archival audio from NFC collections, details of which can be found below. I'd...2021-11-191h 17
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 32 - Mushrooms In TraditionWith the coming of the cool wet weather of autumn, life begins to turn inward again . The fields lie fallow and bare, flowers wither, leaves decay, and all life seems to return to the earth. It's in this period of fading light, that strange and beautiful forms begin to arise from the undergrowth in the temperate regions all over Europe. In woodlands, fields, gardens and along roadsides, colourful fungi and mushrooms of all shapes and sizes quietly spring forth and flourish as if from nowhere, while all else appears in a state of decline.
A short entry in volume 1670 of...2021-10-3049 min
Celtic Students PodcastBéaloideas na hÉireann (Irish Folklore)[Gaeilge] San eipeasód seo, labhraíonn Stiofán Ó Briain le hAilbe van der Heide, scoláire béaloidis atá ag obair i gCnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, faoin mbéaloideas agus faoi bhéaloideas na hÉireann. Pléann siad a bhfuil i gceist leis an mbéaloideas, stair an Chnuasaigh, traidisiún an luchta sí, leigheasanna dúchais in Éirinn, béaloideas na rónta agus úsáid an ábhair bhéil mar ionsparáid chruthaitheach.
[English] In this episode, Stiofán Ó Briain talks to Ailbe van der Heide, a folklore scholar who also works in the National Folklore Colle...2021-09-0847 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 31 - The Púca (with Aidan Harte)For this episode of Blúiríní I am joined by sculptor Aidan Harte, whose recent work 'The Púca of Ennistymon' was commissioned by Clare county Council for the town of Ennistymon in the west of Ireland. The piece caused widespread controversy and made headlines nationally and internationally over the summer, being denounced as a pagan idol and sinister statue irreflective of the character and heritage of the town. In the course of our discussion Aidan and I examine the controversy and differing opinions regarding the statue, before taking a closer look at the figure of the Púca himse...2021-08-181h 14
Airmid’s AlmanacPlantcestors & Tree Medicine / The Silver Branch of Cormac mac AirtIn this episode we recount the Irish tale of King Cormac mac Airt's magical silver branch and discuss the resonance of the holy day of Bealtaine (Beltane) with sacred tree medicines. Kenzie, Rue, and Mica discuss ancient kingship and sovereignty rituals, honesty in governance and restorative justice, the medicinal uses of hawthorn and linden for grief and balancing the nervous system, plant intelligence, and honoring plants as the leaders and teachers of humanity. We tell several stories of our most memorable tree encounters (and make-out sessions). And as always, we get witchy; we get queer.
Further Resources:2021-05-041h 28
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 30 - The Stray SodThere are numerous accounts in tradition of wayfarers who suffer fits of confusion and disorientation while traversing the natural landscape. Such bouts were at times attributed to the influence of the fairies (who would set wanders astray for their own amusement) or the power of the stray sod (an enchanted sod of earth which set those who trod upon it astray). While the accounts vary, these occurrences involve situations in which individuals are forced to navigate a landscape characterised by its sudden shift into unfamiliarity and strangeness. Tilled fields that are worked by day become unnavigable and impassable by night...2021-04-0953 min
Folkways: The Folklore of Britain and Ireland(Ep. 8) Season 2 Update and Call for Submissions!Hello! The show returns on the heels of the Spring equinox to give you an update about Season 2 and to inform you of an exciting project. Finally we close with some recent podcasts recommendations on folklore and its peripheries.
FOR ALL FOLKLORE SUBMISSIONS: folkwayschannel@gmail.com and attach your audio to email (feel free to use file transfer sites too for larger recordings) or alternatively type as text.
Connect with Folkways on Instagram or Twitter @folkwayschannel
If you enjoyed, feel free to buy me a coffee https://bit.ly/3dxssVw
| ...2021-03-2421 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 29 - A Folk History Of Ireland's Protestants (with Dr. Deirdre Nuttall)The Irish Folklore Commission (established in 1935) tasked itself with the documentation of the unwritten customs, beliefs and narratives of the Irish people; those ‘disiecta membra’ (as James Hamilton Delargy described them) of a rich heritage which it was feared was in danger of dying out and disappearing forever unless swift action was taken to gather up the fragments that remain, lest they perish. Delargy, and those with whom he worked, endeavoured to secure for future generations the sources of inspiration and pride which he saw as having languished in the ‘lumber room’ of history; those tales, traditions and songs of Ireland...2021-02-091h 14
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiriní Bealoidis 28 - Land & Language (with Manchán Magan)My guest for this edition of Bluiríní Béaloidis is writer and documentary maker Manchán Magan, whose recent book 'Thirty-Two Words For Field' is a meditation on old Irish words and the nuances of a way of life that is vanishing with them. The book considers the 'richness of a language closely tied to the natural landscape' which 'offered our ancestors a more magical way of seeing the world'. It considers the 'sublime beauty and profound oddness of the ancient tongue that has been spoken on this island for over 2,000 years'. In this discussion, we consider how language and...2020-12-091h 10
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 27 - The Banshee (with Professor Patricia Lysaght)The Banshee is a well known supernatural figure in Irish folk tradition. In origin a patron goddess caring for the fortunes of her people, the banshee of folk belief is usually considered to be a harbinger of death, being said to follow certain families from generation to generation. Traditions about her are spread widely throughout the country, and for this episode of the podcast Jonny has the privilege of speaking with Professor Patricia Lysaght, who is the world authority on the topic of the Banshee.
Their discussion takes in the rich array of customs and beliefs concerning her, starting with...2020-10-311h 17
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Bealoidis 26 - Seals In Folk Tradition (with Ailbe van der Heide)Seals have been an integral part of coastal life in Ireland for generations, and as such there exists a large body of tradition, belief and narrative regarding them. They were described in tradition as being enchanted people, wise women, fallen angels and drowned (or indeed reincarnated) fishermen, and encounters with them often relate how they would speak to, plead with or warn those fishermen who were about to attack or kill them out at sea or on the shore. Certain families in Ireland (Coneelys, O'Kanes, Dowds, O'Sheas and Gallaghers among them)were considered to have been the result of a...2020-10-091h 15
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 25 - MidsummerMidsummer has long been observed as a period of jubilant celebration, with communal gatherings at bonfires and prayers, recitations, music, songs, dance and merriment being the order of the night.
Join Jonny for episode 25 of Blúiríní Béaloidis as he explores the origins of midsummer festivities in Europe; recounting the raucous antics of the Brotherhood of the Green Wolf in France, considering the eve of the feast of St. John the Baptist as a symbolic counterbalance to Christmas and focusing on the protective and magical properties of the night. The fires burn on every hill and height, join us a...2020-06-2247 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 24 - Folk MedicineIt was said in tradition that 'there isn't an ailment or infirmity the cure of which doesn't grow in the fields or along the hedges', and indeed, our forebears employed a wide range of historical practices to drive out infirmity and illness. While a great deal of folk cures were entirely practical in their application, many others turned to the use of magic, sacrifice and the use of charms, rituals or prayer – modes of thought quite at odds with altogether more modern, secular perspectives.
Far from being casually forged in the half-light of ignorance, our folk cures reveal those measures wh...2020-04-0655 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 23 - Holy Wells In Folk TraditionLying in overgrown fields, by churches and next to roadsides all over Ireland, are hidden holy wells and sacred springs which have for countless generations been visited as sites of pilgrimage and devotion. These wells are generally small bodies of water dedicated to a local patron saint, and were often renowned for the healing properties.
For this edition of Blúiríní, we shall trudge across the fields on pilgrimage to these sacred wells, commencing with an exploration of the early Irish literature, which describes the creation of Ireland's rivers when an otherworld woman breaks a taboo in visiting a sec...2020-02-1455 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis - 22 Invisible Worlds (With Eddie Lenihan)Our lives are built on the stories we tell. At both an individual and a communal level, they orient and mould us, shaping our perspectives and outlining our reality. In an age where life can seem increasingly fettered by rules and regulations, where communication is drowned by endless jargon and noise demanding our attention, where the past is heaved overboard in order that we might more quickly race blindly towards the future, where places become zones, where endless change is automatically equated with progress, and where the sacred is replaced by the material, the stories we tell ourselves modernity seem...2019-12-051h 06
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 21 - Samhain / Halloween (With Dr. Billy Mag Fhloinn)The festival of Samhain has since ancient times been considered as a major turning point in the ritual year. In marking the threshold of darkness and the end of the season of light, the eve of Samhain (observed all over Ireland at sundown on the 31st of October) is characterised by heightened supernatural activity, a return of the ancestral dead, divination magic, mischief, ritual disguise and the suspension of normal modes and rules of behaviour.
For this edition of Blúiríní, Jonny is joined by a special guest, Dr. Billy Mag Fhloinn. Billy is a folklorist, archaeologist, author and lec...2019-10-291h 12
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 20 - A Parting Glass (Claire's Final Episode!)This twentieth edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis comes as something of a bittersweet occasion, with Claire raising a parting glass to 'gently rise and softly call - goodnight and joy be with you all', leaving the National Folklore Collection to embark on a new adventure!
In their final episode together, Claire and Jonny highlight some of their favourite archival excerpts from previous editions of Blúiríní, reminiscing on the treasures of the Collection as they go. From song and story, to text and context, they give thought to those who have gone before us - to their nobilit...2019-08-211h 10
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 19 - Sacred Trees In Folk TraditionWhile rooted in the earth, trees ascend towards the firmament of the Heavens. They likewise renew themselves through the eternal rhythms that govern all living things (those cycles of growth, maturation, decay and rebirth) as they blossom, flower, give fruit and eventually shed their leaves before being reborn anew each spring. Certain of these proud intermediaries between heaven and earth were treated with great veneration by our forebears, and echoes of the worship of sacred trees survives in folk tradition to this day.
For this 19th edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan consider thei...2019-03-111h 02
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 18 - Brigid In Folk TraditionSt. Brigid’s Day falls on the first of February, and is traditionally understood as marking the beginning of spring in Irish custom.
Dedicated to the saint nicknamed Muire na nGael or the ‘Mary of the Irish’ (a designation given to her on account of the adoration and high regard in which she has long been held by the people of this island), St. Brigid's Day is a period full with emblems of regeneration, renewal and propagation.
For the first in the 2019 series of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon explore the feast of St. Brigid by...2019-01-281h 23
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 17 - Rumours Of WarFrom Jul 28, 1914 until Nov 11, 1918 the iron dice of war rolled across the fields of Europe with a ferocity and magnitude the likes of which the world had never seen. In the smoke filled trenches of Guillement, and on the shell-illuminated wastes of Ypres a hellish vision of mechanised death manifested itself.
In this, the 17th episode of Blúiríní Béaloidis, Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Armistice of November 11, 1918, the date which marks the cessation of hostilities between the Allies and Germany. In a break from their usual format, Claire and Jonny explore the...2018-11-091h 48
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 16 - Otherworld Islands In Folk TraditionNative European and Irish Tradition posits the existence of an Otherworld realm lying beyond the furthest reaches of the horizon; an island of plenty and abundance, where happiness lasts forever, and where one hundred years pass as one day. The Greek Elysium, King Arthur's Avalon, the Odainsakr of the Norse and the Irish Land of the Living all point to a long-held corpus of beliefs regarding a paradise across the ocean.
For the 16th instalment of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan set forth upon the waves to Teach Duinn (The House of Donn), to whic...2018-09-171h 12
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 15 - The Salmon In Folk TraditionIrish communities have been sustained for centuries by the fruits of our seas, rivers and lakes, from which both physical and economic subsistence was drawn.
In this regard, this month’s Blúiríní Béaloidis episode sees Jonny and Claire focus their attention on the noble salmon. From the practical and economic to the abstract and symbolic, the 'silvery fellow', 'the king', the 'plum of the sea' has attracted a rich body of lore, tradition, custom and belief. Known to live between two worlds, freshwater rivers and saltwater seas, the salmon sits apart from its aquatic counterparts.
Join Jonny and Cl...2018-08-0652 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 14 - The Changeling In Folk TraditionThe birth of a child is among the most important moments in the life of the individual, and of the community of which they are a broader part. Small wonder then, that there should exist so large a body of folk belief and custom regarding the protection of infants and the unborn. A darker body of tradition concerns those children who fail to thrive, who are sickly, and who appear wizened or otherwise deformed. In such instances, it was often believed by our forebears that the fairies - the supernatural race who exist unseen alongside us - had taken the...2018-05-141h 00
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 13 - The Soul In Folk TraditionThe idea of the existence of a soul or life-force which exists independently of the body is of considerable antiquity. In folk tradition, the soul was understood to depart the body, not just at the moment of death (where it was said to leave through the crown of the head), but during sleep (where it departed the body via the mouth in the appearance of a small creature or insect). For this 13th edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis (marking one year on the air!) hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan explore popular conceptions of the soul in folk trad...2018-04-161h 16
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 12 - St. Patrick In Folk TraditionThe 17th of March sees countries the world over celebrate Saint Patrick's Day - a day which is commonly marked with large parades and revelry held in honour of the Ireland's patron saint. But what do we know of the historical figure of Patrick, and how is he viewed in folk tradition? What relation does he bear to the Pagan order that preceded him, and how is he represented in the early literature? Join hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon for this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis as they consider the figure of St. Patrick, the pilgrimages stil...2018-03-121h 07
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 11 - Love & Magic In Folk TraditionBetrothal and marriage are among the most central and important rites of passage in any community, and in Irish tradition one was not seen as an adult (regardless of one's age) until they were married. In this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon turn their attention to ideas around love, magic and marriage as represented in Irish tradition: from Shrovetide harassment of singletons to Lenten prohibitions on matrimony, and from divinatory pancake tossing to hard-bargained dowries, join us as we consider those matters of the heart that are never far from the mind2018-02-121h 00
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 10 - The Cow In Folk TraditionCattle have been central to Irish farming since the Neolithic period, and in early Ireland were even used as a unit of currency. In this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan explore material relating to the cow in tradition; from native breeds which were hailed by Sir William Wilde as resembling 'in the most remarkable manner, the ox-heads carved upon the friezes of Grecian temples', to the mythical cattle of the Glas Gaibhneach, and the goddess Bóinn - figures representative of fertility, abundance and plenty, who place the Irish material regarding cattl...2018-01-151h 11
Fair Folk PodcastInterview with Jonny Dillon of the Irish National Folklore CollectionThis episode I chat with Jonny Dillon, an archivist at the Irish National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin. We discuss the history of the Folklore Collection, his podcast, Blúiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments, and the deep need for folk tradition in modern life.
The Irish National Folklore Collection is one of the largest folklore collections in Europe, and has just this month been ascribed to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Blúiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments Podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/folklore_podcast
The National Folklore Collection:
https://www.ucd.ie/irishfolklore/en/
Music:
Intro: "Forest M...2017-12-1647 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastSéamus Ó Duilearga: 'A Burning Urge To Save'Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Delargy), founder of the Irish Folklore Commission, speaking of his 'burning urge to save' the traditions and customs of the Irish people in the face of a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.
It was this urge that led him to found the Irish Folklore Commission, and to surround himself with the brilliant men and women whom he tasked with gathering the rich trove of folkloric material to be found across the island of Ireland; those songs, stories, customs and beliefs passed on from generation to generation by our forebears, and which come down to us to th...2017-12-0600 min
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 09 - Christmas Customs & TraditionsFor this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon set out to take a critical look at traditional practices relating to that most beloved of calendar custom celebrations; the midwinter festival of Christmas. Combining practices from the Nordic festival of Yule, the Roman Saturnalia and Christian tradition, Christmas is a time of feasting, goodwill and excess; a period marked by the suspension of normal social codes, and where all is mirth and merriment.
Now, as the winter solstice approaches, and with the sun coursing low across the December sky, we fill the house with...2017-12-041h 11
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 08 - Wind & Storms In Folk TraditionOwing to their impact on human affairs, weather occurrences of all sorts were a source of preoccupation for our forebears, who would look to the natural world around in the hope of interpreting and predicting these climactic manifestations. Explanations given to account for sudden gusts of wind and storms in many instances made reference to supernatural forces; to the powers of the fairies, of witches, wizards, the clergy and even freemasons.
In this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan explore traditional beliefs regarding wind and storms in folk tradition; from the varying methods util...2017-11-061h 02
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 07 - Cú Chulainn & The TáinThe Ulster Cycle consists of a corpus of tales forming one of the main branches of early Irish Literature, which have come down to us across countless generations; existing first as part of an oral tradition in Ireland until it was later chronicled by early Christian monks in the manuscripts that survive to this day. The most well known series of narratives within the Ulster Cycle - Táin Bó Cuailgne or 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley' - relates the adventures and exploits of the mythic champion and heroic demigod Cú Chulainn, as he single-handedly defends his people against the adv...2017-10-021h 07
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 06 - Fairy Forts In Folk TraditionIn fields, valleys and quiet places the country over can be found countless earthwork mounds, cairns, tumuli and other signs of early human habitation in Ireland. These sites often garnered supernatural associations in folk tradition, being commonly understood as the abodes of 'Na Daoine Maithe' (The Good People) or fairies. Quite unlike the genteel 'Tinker Bell' of contemporary culture, the fairies in folk tradition were understood as an archaic otherworld community living alongside us in the natural landscape, and were held in a mixture of trepidation and respect by our forebears, on account of the power of their influence over...2017-09-041h 03
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 05: The Threshold Of Plenty - Harvest Customs In Irish TraditionThe arrival of the harvest was for our forebears a time of great celebration, for it marked the point at which the lean months of June and 'Hungry July' (when the year's stores were traditionally at their lowest), gave way to a period of profusion and plenty. In this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments, your hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan take to the fields to consider the harvest in tradition, discussing hilltop celebrations, naked horse-swimming races and the spirit of the crops itself, which appears all over Europe, in the form of a female natu...2017-07-281h 15
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 04 - The Luck Of The HouseIn the traditional dwelling is found a well of spiritual, cultural and material information. Through it many things are revealed, from the ways in which our forebears used materials from the natural environment to meet their own specific needs, to the symbolic and spiritual concerns at play as they choose sites upon which to build.
In this month's podcast Claire and Jonny explore some of the customs and rituals attached to the luck of the house, those practices employed to bring about plenty, prosperity and safety from all harm. Step over the threshold then, and sit awhile with us then...2017-06-291h 16
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 03 - The Moon In Folk TraditionSince the earliest times, Man has sought to come to terms with the unknown powers and forces that act upon life and wellbeing. It is natural therefore, that our forebears looked to the natural world, and to the heavens, for interpretable signs and symbols by which they could increase well being and banish misfortune.
The Moon has long been our old companion, and has gazed down silently upon all that has passed here on earth since time immemorial. Similarly, in our looking beyond ourselves to the heavens, we have long looked to the Moon for guidance and blessing. It will...2017-05-241h 01
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 02 - May Day FolkloreThe first of May is marked in Ireland (and across Europe more broadly), as a day on which the summer is welcomed in; where garlands of flowers decorate the houses, in which young women of the locality bring cattle up to higher summer pastures to graze, in which the community re-asserts its boundaries, and the family unit aims to garner for itself prosperity and good luck for the coming summer. In this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon discuss some of the traditions and customs popularly observed at this time; from hiri...2017-04-271h 16
Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore PodcastBlúiríní Béaloidis 01 - What is Folklore?Welcome to Blúiríní Béaloidis, the new podcast from the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin.
In this introductory episode, hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan delve into definitions of folklore to dispel some common misconceptions surrounding this area of interest, as well as tracing the cultural and political context of the interest in folk-tradition, which saw it arise as an expression of romantic nationalist thought across Ireland and Europe of the 19th century.
The podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the '...' icon shown above.2017-04-181h 07