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  • Marion McGarry

    RTÉ Brainstorm

    Follow@marion_mcgarry

    Dr Marion McGarry is an art historian, author, independent researcher and lecturer at the Atlantic Technological University

    Workers harvesting the flax to make linen in Co Down in 1948. Photo: Merlyn Severn/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    The stories behind Gleaning Sunday and Irish harvest customs

    There were many unique rituals and traditions associated with the harvesting of crops in Ireland at this time of year

    Folklore • 17 Aug
    Pilgrims take to Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday

    Why the last Sunday in July was celebrated in Ireland of old

    Known as Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday or Reek Sunday, it was a day to mark the end of Hungry July and anticipate the harvest to come

    Ireland • 27 Jul
    sample caption

    How W.B. Yeats found peace and poetry in a Co Galway tower house

    Purchased from Lady Gregory and restored by architect William A. Scott, Thoor Ballylee was a happy place for the poet and his family

    wb yeats • 27 Jun
    A 2009 St John's Eve bonfire in Boradruma, Co Mayo with smoke from Castlebar bonfires in the background. Photo: National Museum of Ireland Facebook

    Why bonfires blaze across Ireland on June 23rd

    The sight of St John's Eve bonfires on hilltops still provides quite a spectacle and reminds us of a pivotal time in the calendar

    St John's Eve • 23 Jun
    "It has been speculated that the fire in Bealtaine celebrations symbolises the return of the sun after winter"

    Fire, water, light and luck: Bealtaine traditions in Ireland

    Our ancestors engaged in a wide range of rites and rituals on May 1st which were believed to bring good luck

    Brainstorm • 01 May
    Nathaniel Grogan's Whipping the Herring out of Town – A Scene of Cork (circa 1800). Image: Crawford Art Gallery Collection

    'Whipping the herring': how Easter was once celebrated in Ireland

    There were many traditions associated with Easter in Ireland, from a 'black fast' on Good Friday to 'cake dances' on Easter Sunday

    Easter • 17 Apr
    A ringfort in Co Tipperary: "looking down from a plane, you'll see these circles dotted across Ireland".

    The superstitions and mysteries around Ireland's 'fairy forts'

    In the recent past in rural Ireland, many ringforts were associated with fairy activity and supernatural happenings

    Folklore • 16 Apr
    "Dust thou art and into dust that shall return". Photo: Mario Tama for Getty Images

    When Lent in Ireland meant no sex, music, alcohol or merrymaking

    For our ancestors, Ash Wednesday marked the start of 40 days of fasting, penitence and denial

    Lent • 05 Mar
    On the march: St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin in 1955. Photo: Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    A day off from Lent: St Patrick's Day traditions from the past

    March 17th was always a day for special rites and rituals throughout the country.

    st patricks day • 05 Mar
    Shrove Tuesday in Ireland back in the day: good for pancakes, bad for unmarried people. Photo: Getty Images

    The weird historic traditions around Pancake Tuesday in Ireland

    The day before Lent began may have involved feasting and food, but it certainly wasn't a good day for single people

    Folklore • 04 Mar
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