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Reviving the Óenach: Bealtaine – A Two Lecture Seminar
May 3 @ 10:45 am - 1:00 pm
€5
This two lecture seminar reflects on the rites and rituals of the Bealtaine festival and takes a look at the figure of the Cailleach.
10:45 – 01:00
Introduction: Reviving the Óenach: Bealtaine
11:00 – 12:00
Old Bealtaine Customs of Ireland – Dr. Marian McGarry
Celebrated on May 1st, Bealtaine welcomed in the summer months, reflecting Christian and pre-Christian beliefs. This Lecture looks at the rites and rituals our ancestors carried out to bring good luck at this time of year. Dr Marion McGarry is an art historian, author, independent researcher and lecturer at the Atlantic Technological University. Marian has authored a number of publications, among them Irish Customs and Rituals: How Our Ancestors Celebrated Life and the Seasons, The Irish Cottage: History, Culture and Design and An Illustrated Dictionary of Furniture & Interiors. (Fire Image: RTE).
12:00 – 13:00
Cailleach Feasa nó Cailleach an Uafáis? (A Wise Woman or a Hag of Horror?) – Mike McCarthy
The place of the Cailleach in the Irish imagination. This talk will explore aspects of the concept of the Cailleach in our language, literature and folklore and discuss the place she still holds in our modern day awareness. Mike McCarthy originally qualified and worked in the area of Community Pharmacy before a love of history, folklore and mythology brought him to Cruachan Aí / Rathcroghan, the Royal Site of Connacht in Co. Roscommon, where he works as a Tour Guide, Research Assistant and Deputy Manager of the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre. He has co-authored numerous publications pertaining to Rathroghan, including ‘Slí Seandálaíochta Ráth Cruachan’ – the Rathcroghan Archaeological trail and ‘Rathcroghan – The Guidebook’, published in 2018, with a second edition in 2023 (Image: Arthur Rackman).