Turf cutters have unearthed more than home heating fuel from Ireland's bogs.  Bog bodies - naturally preserved human remains - are a fascinating study.  The chemical composition of the bog has antibiotic properties which kill the bacteria that would normally break down the flesh.  The…

There are some great bog walks all around the Irish midlands. For those of you who are unfamiliar with bog let me give you a few words of introduction.

Bog is derived from the Irish word ‘bogach’ which means soft ground.  First of all, there are two types of bog in Ireland: The “raised bog” that we see in the midland…

Rab is a Galway-based storyteller who originally comes from Scotland. He specialises in reimagining Irish and Scottish myths, folklore and urban legends. His "Celtic Tales" summer sessions in Galway have a strong and growing…

I hope that my examination of the stories in this series show that Irish myths and legends are not museum pieces to be taken out once in a while, dusted down, admired and then put back in a glass case. These stories are the living companions to our daily lives. They…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, the steward of Aengus the greatest magician in Ireland fathered a child by the wife of Donn a member of the Fianna. Donn was away on the battle field…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, Fiacc, the great raven, watched as the King of Ulster, Conor Mac Nessa arrived at the home of Phelim, a storyteller.  Fiacc knew…

Lir is known to many as the father of the boys and girls turned into swans by their wicked step mother Aoife in "The Children of Lir." This is the story I only tell on very rare…

Whether ancient legends or modern family tales, the stories of Ireland and Scotland have all played an important role in my life. They give me great pleasure and they help provide the…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, there was a king of Wales called Bran, the Raven.  It was a time of war, and Bran the King sought the strength of an alliance with Ireland.  So a marriage…

Given the history of Scotland and Ireland - two sibling nations with fierce and loyal ties to each other but also marred (and often scarred) by bloody disagreement, rivalry and the power politics of these islands - it…

In days long gone, at a time that is long past, a great salmon named Bradan rested calmly in the Pool of Wisdom on the River Boyne.  The salmon fed on the nuts from the nine hazel trees growing around the pool and all the wisdom of the world became…

If one is travelling through Connemara, one of the more compelling tourist destinations is Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery since 1920, which sits majestically surrounded by wooded acres behind a tranquil lake. The…

Read part one here.

January 4, 1865 the Provost Marshal General James B.…

We are new to TheWildGeese.Irish and pleased to sponsor this week of Myths and Legends.  It was these Celtic stories, told by our ancestors around their firesides which inspired us to create a…

I am a very lucky man. I live on a hill in Galway surrounded by a landscape and seascape filled with myths and legends, and make a living doing what I love - telling stories and writing books, mostly about (or influenced by) the older tales of Ireland and Scotland. Yet, I would be…

Last night Susan McManamon​ and I joined the night rescue team of The Hope Foundation​, supported by Irish Aid. We spent 3 hours driving through areas of Calcutta where people live on the street or in slums or work in the red light district. This is very real…

Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734 – June 24, 1817) was the son of William McKean from County Antrim who came to Pennsylvania via the city of…

Book review

"The Longing," by Kimberly Mae

Friesen Press, 2015

Reading this warm-hearted book was a precise reminder to me of the full range of…