(Image credits: The National Archive)

Later on, I will be speaking to Anne Williamson of the Fionn MacCumhaill Players about the tragic case of Bridget Cleary in 1895, Tipperary.

Anne co-wrote the short film "Bridget" with Brian Clancy and recently won an award at the IndieX Film Fest Annual Awards in Los Angeles.

On March 15th, 1895 Bridget Cleary's husband, Micheal Cleary, burned her to death following several nights of torture. He was not alone. Family members within the household aided in the interrogations and did not stop him as an innocent woman was murdered.

Why? Because Michael Cleary believed Bridget was taken away by the fairies. That in her place was a changeling.

This dark part of Ireland's history occurred in the town of Ballyvadlea. Anne Williamson is from Mullinahone, a few miles down the road and she grew up hearing the stories of Bridget passed down to her by her grandfather.

"Bridget", the short film, was created to vindicate the woman formerly known as Bridget Boland. You will hear all about the tragic case in an upcoming episode of The Other Ireland podcast.

#irishfolklore #bridgetcleary

Tonight, Ireland will witness a remarkable solar eclipse.

For us, there’s a simple scientific explanation. The Moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, briefly blocking out much of the sunlight.

But imagine witnessing something like this hundreds of years ago.

The Sun, something that rises every morning and gives us light, suddenly begins to disappear. Before modern astronomy, eclipses could be seen as omens, warnings or supernatural events.

Across cultures, people told stories of creatures swallowing the Sun, battles in the heavens and dark forces consuming the light.

And perhaps that’s one of the most fascinating things about folklore.

The things we understand today were once the things people feared and created stories about.

So when the sky begins to darken tonight, take a moment to imagine what our ancestors might have thought they were witnessing.

#irishfolklore #irishmythology #solareclipse

Episode 2 of The Other Ireland podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts.

We hear from two childhood friends from Dublin about their eerily similar experience back in 2010.

They were on a summer trip in Arklow, County Wicklow. You will have to listen to find out the rest.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033OMrX2kbDfq56ut25vmN?si=Cb8Ho9AsTA2UuPX0NEFt-w&utm\_source=copy-link&sci=spotify%3Acard-config%3A5MAmYin4OjZRpJWXyAwLj5

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-other-ireland/id6790715865

If you have a story from Ireland about Irish folklore, local legends, the supernatural or anything you can't explain contact theotherirelandpod@gmail.com

A few books I'm reading on Irish folklore at the moment.

Meeting The Other Crowd by Eddie Lenihan covers a wide range of stories he collected from rural Irish folk.

The Banshee by Patricia Lysaght is an intensive study. Lysaght’s research shows that banshee traditions varied considerably across Ireland, with different names, appearances and beliefs attached to her depending on the region.

#theotherireland #irishfolklore #thebanshee #fairyfolk

Over the weekend, I had a fascinating time exploring where my grandparent's on my paternal side came from. My grandmother, being a Lenihan, and my grandfather, being a Fitzgerald, grew up 4 miles apart from one another and were introduced to each other by their fathers who were best friends.

I got to see both of their family homes in Mountcollins (west-Limerick) and Meanahaila (County Kerry) respectively. The Lenihan house, where my great grandparent's and grandmother lived, has been entirely converted into a modern home and a family member still lives there to this day.

There are still plenty of Lenihans in this west-Limerick town (not all related). My grandmother Nora was from the harness makers clan.

*A harness maker was someone who handcrafted and repaired the leather gear used for horses, allowing them to pull vehicles and agricultural equipment safely.

My Dad showed me the river where Nora tried to fish in when she was a child. She was told if she rubbed salt over the tails of the fish in the water she would be able to catch them. A fib of course. But an innocent Nora believed it.

I then followed my cousin, with my parents and fiancée in the car, to the 3 Counties Bridge. An incredible landmark where Counties Cork, Limerick and Kerry meet.

Katherine (my cousin), also led us up to where my grandfather was raised. In those times the house was known as The Lighthouse, due to being so high up in the country fields. The Fitzgeralds were old country farmers. You can see by the photograph this family home is no longer in use. The building is over 100 years old.

According to my family the house is still owned by a cousin who lives down the road. Jim Fitzgerald, my grandfather, eventually inherited the Fitzgerald house in Ballybunion, County Kerry, where he settled with Nora and went on to have four children, Kathleen, Billy, Michael and Richard.

In those days there were no cars of course. Jim walked for 2 days with one cow to Ballybunion from Meanahaila. The rest is history.

The Fitzgerald house stayed within the family until around COVID times when my grandmother lived to over 100 years old. It has since been sold, however, the name is protected, and therefore remains known as the Fitzgerald house. Nora Lenihan/Fitzgerald was the last of her generation. Her stories live on through her surviving family members.

Any change in a person could lead the old folk to believe the fairies had taken them to the Otherworld and replaced them with a fairy changeling.

The 9 daughter's hole in Ballybunion, Co Kerry. My Dad told me when he was 7 and his older brother was 9, his brother nearly fell in and was clutching on to the grass. The 9 daughter's hole has since been fenced off. According to local legend, in 800 AD when the Vikings raided Ballybunion, a local chieftain called O'Connor had 9 daughters. He feared the Viking raiders would kidnap his daughters so one by one, he lured each daughter to the 9 daughter's hole and pushed them in. It is said if you listen carefully you can still hear the sisters wailing.

I'm so excited to say the first episode of The Other Ireland is out now, wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank you to my family who contributed to the pilot episode. This project is only just beginning. Until the next episode.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Npt6joq0lzQLxKbLr93m4?si=xUH-LbNASIyetoVXBm93\_w&utm\_source=copy-link&sci=spotify%3Acard-config%3A0YpRMEmABLKnbLvhWhI8Tj