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the stone of the big man
Clochafarmore, or Cloch an Fhir Mhóir in Irish means ‘the stone of the big man’, and is located in the townland of Rathiddy in Co. Louth.
Ali Isaac
Dec 5, 20166 min read
The #Halloween Legacy of Ireland’s Witches
It’s a popular enduring image of Halloween. How many little girls will be donning black, and a wide-brimmed pointy hat, painting their...
Ali Isaac
Oct 31, 20167 min read
Halloween or Samhain?
I recently watched a video on Youtube where the expert in the film kept pronouncing Samhain as it looks… Sam-hain. An easy mistake to...
Ali Isaac
Oct 24, 20163 min read
From Goddess to Grotesque
The word ‘sheelanagig’ first appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 1840–44 referring to a stone carving in Co. Tipperary.
Ali Isaac
Oct 17, 20163 min read
The Fairy Folk of Ireland
In Irish folklore, the Sidhe are often referred to as ‘the Fair Folk’ (hence fairy), and descend from the magical race of Tuatha de Danann.
Ali Isaac
Oct 10, 20166 min read
Were There Giants in Ancient Ireland?
The Tuatha de Danann were said to be tall, slender and powerful, although they were never described as giants.
Ali Isaac
Oct 3, 20165 min read
Mythology and Folklore | What’s the Difference?
What’s the difference between mythology and folklore, does it matter, and who cares anyway? They’re just a bunch of old stories, right?
Ali Isaac
Sep 26, 20166 min read
maynooth | plain of nuada and seat of learning
Lectures start today. That’s right, at nearly fifty, I’m going back to school. Maynooth University, to be precise.
Ali Isaac
Sep 19, 20164 min read
peculiar pregnancies in irish mythology
There is not much mention of pregnancy in Irish myth, but those which are prove most spectacular indeed.
Ali Isaac
Sep 12, 20164 min read
Irish Tree Lore | The Rowan
Once revered by the Druids, it is hardly surprising that the Rowan later became associated with witchcraft, paganism and the supernatural.
Ali Isaac
Sep 5, 20164 min read
hill of slane | faces in strange places
The Hill of Slane is famous for its role as the place from which St Patrick first defied the pagan Kings.
Ali Isaac
Aug 29, 20163 min read
The Curious Phenomenon of the Irish Fairy Tree
In Irish, the hawthorn is known as Sceach Gheal, from sceach meaning ‘thornbush/ briar’ and geal meaning ‘bright/ lumnious/ radiant’.
Ali Isaac
Aug 22, 20164 min read
manannán’s land: irish myths of the sea
Being a small island, the lives of the people of Ireland have been dominated by the sea. According to legend, Manannán mac Lir was Sea Lord.
Ali Isaac
Aug 15, 20165 min read
The Wolf King of Tara
According to legend, Cormac mac Art was the High King of Ireland at the same time as Fionn mac Cumhall was the leader of the Fianna.
Ali Isaac
Aug 1, 20163 min read
The Sacred Stones of the Hill of Tara
According to legend, these two standing stones in the Hill of Tara graveyard are known as Bloc & Bluicne, & were part of a kingship ritual.
Ali Isaac
Jul 18, 20164 min read
The Giant Irish Elk That Wasn’t
The Giant Irish Elk was neither Irish, nor an elk, but a species of Megaloceros, and was the largest deer that ever walked the planet.
Ali Isaac
Jul 4, 20163 min read
gleninagh castle, co. clare | the wild atlantic way
Gleninagh comes from the Irish Gleann Eidhneach, which means ‘valley of ivy’. The castle itself stands overlooking Galway Bay.
Ali Isaac
Jun 27, 20163 min read
corcomroe abbey | the wild atlantic way
Corcomroe Abbey was founded in 1194AD for the Cistercian order by the King of Munster, and was known then as St Mary's of the Fertile Rock.
Ali Isaac
Jun 20, 20164 min read
Newtown Castle, Co Clare | The Wild Atlantic Way
Newtown Castle was built c.1550 AD for the O’Brien clan, but just over a century later, it became the property of the powerful O’Loughlins.
Ali Isaac
Jun 13, 20163 min read
St Colman’s Holy Well, Co Clare | The Wild Atlantic Way
St Colman was brought up in a religious community, where he became a hermit. He travelled to the Burren in search of greater solitude.
Ali Isaac
Jun 6, 20164 min read
Ali Isaac is an author and blogger specialising in Irish mythology. Through word and image, she tries to draw the human story from Ireland's landscape and tumbled stones, with a particular focus on the women history has abandoned, and legend only half remembers.
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