Irish Tales From The Otherworld: Ghosts, Fairies & Evil Spirits

The Opinionated Reader

Title: Irish Tales From The Other World: Ghosts, Fairies & Evil Spirits

Writer: Bob Curran

Publishing House: Poolbeg Press

Date of Publication: October 21st 2015

Rating: 5 stars

”In Ireland, the supernatural is usually never all that far away. It lies sleeping beneath a seemingly peaceful and beautiful landscape, just beyond our vision but ready to emerge when we least expect it or when we inadvertently stir it to life.”

Ireland. Arguably, the most mystical country in beautiful Europe, its corners graced with millennia-old secrets and legends, its pagan past still present, still fascinating. In this marvelous book, Bob Curran pays homage to the darkest side of Ireland’s supernatural past (and present…), choosing not to follow the usual recipe of ”cataloguing” myths and legends but referring to actual occurrences and disturbances caused by various otherworldly perpetrators and stories that have passed from generation to generation.

If you are a hard-core…

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Vagabones at An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk

operakey

Vagabones is Raymond Deane’s fourth opera. ‘The Poet and his Double’ and ‘The Wall of Cloud’ were both shorter chamber pieces. These were followed by the full length work ‘The Alma Fetish’ which takes the tempestuous affair between painter Oskar Kokoschka and Alma Mahler as its subject. Vagabones is based on the play Trespasses by Emma Donoghue with a libretto by Renate Debrun. It reimagines events that occurred in Youghal, Co. Cork in 1661. Florence Newton, an elderly woman who has fallen on hard times is accused of bewitching Mary Longdon the maid of prominent local gentleman John Pyne. The opera is set during Newton’s imprisonment awaiting trial and we learn of the events which have lead to her incarceration.

Composer Raymond Deane and Emma Donoghue, author of ‘Trespasses’ on which Vagabones is based.

Raymond Deane, who’s work I am not familiar with aside from listening to some pieces online…

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The Journey Begins

A bit of Provence in Ireland

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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The Dark Hedges

Sam’s Bits’ ‘N’ Pieces

“Trees there were, old as trees can be, huge and grasping with hearts black as sin. Strange trees that some said walked in the night.”

Neil Gaiman, Fables & Reflections

The Dark Hedges are somethin’ else. These giant, old trees lace their branches over Bregagh Road, while sunlight drips through, dappling the walk below. The have presence, depth and an awareness that has only developed through sheer will of life and time. They are enigmatic in their beauty, their shadows hold mystery and their branches brim with serendipitous magic. They hold the secrets of the Gray Lady, who is said to walk amoung them at night – secrets they won’t tell.

However.

We arrived mid-day, and apparently The Dark Hedges are an immensely popular pilgrimage spot for Games of Thrones fans seeking to walk the Kings Road. Which, by all means is great, but that scene was not the photo…

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So Glad I Did It!

We all have dreams. We all have those days where everything seems impossible. However, (luckily) 2019 is the best year in my whole journey so far. I guess the 16-year-old me wouldn’t thought I’d be brave enough to fly to Ireland by myself, but hey I did it and I’m so proud of myself as I always wanted to come and see it for so long (fyi, since I was still in junior high school).

Sometimes leaving your comfort zone is uncomfortable because you have to deal with different situations you’re not familiar with. However, eventually, you will only feel it for a few moments. You will understand that you are capable of doing new things that will give you happiness 🙂 And traveling to Ireland sure fills me with happiness ❤

I’ve planned to visit Ireland for the last two years. Not only I had to save up, but…

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