Blúiríní Béaloidis 04 - The Luck Of The House

Blúiríní Béaloidis 04 - The Luck Of The House

Author: Blúiríní Béaloidis / Folklore Fragments June 29, 2017 Duration: 1:16:16
In the traditional dwelling is found a well of spiritual, cultural and material information. Through it many things are revealed, from the ways in which our forebears used materials from the natural environment to meet their own specific needs, to the symbolic and spiritual concerns at play as they choose sites upon which to build. In this month's podcast Claire and Jonny explore some of the customs and rituals attached to the luck of the house, those practices employed to bring about plenty, prosperity and safety from all harm. Step over the threshold then, and sit awhile with us then while we take you about this old house - there are a great many things to behold herein! * * * * * 'An té níos treise ná Dia a chuirfeadh faid siar as a teach' / 'Only he who is stronger than God will extend his house westward') This proverb references a traditional taboo regarding the extension of a dwelling in a westerly direction (a direction commonly associated with death in folk-tradition). The following photograph shows an instance in Co. Mayo where church renovations were ceased after locals insisted that the building could not be extended westward, leaving only an unfinished architrave on the wall - a curious example showing how closely intertwined are the material and spiritual! http://www.paradisepossible.ie/DesktopModules/Inventise.DM/DMHandlers/PictureHandler.ashx?DestinationPicture=400

Delve into the living tapestry of stories, customs, and beliefs carried through generations with Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore Podcast. Emerging from the archives of The National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin, each episode is a carefully crafted fragment, a blúirín, of cultural memory. Host Jonny Dillon guides listeners along a fascinating furrow, unearthing everything from local Irish legends and seasonal rituals to broader European traditions that echo through time. This isn't merely a history lesson; it's an engagement with the voices, practices, and worldviews that shaped communities. You'll hear specific tales collected from the countryside, examine the logic behind old superstitions, and discover how everyday life was interwoven with the supernatural and the symbolic. The podcast serves as a bridge, connecting a deep, often overlooked past with contemporary curiosity, suggesting that these fragments of folklore hold a mirror to our shared human experience. Listening feels like having a thoughtful conversation with a knowledgeable guide, one who understands that these traditions are not static relics but vibrant threads in a larger cultural fabric. For anyone drawn to the roots of identity, storytelling, and the subtle wisdom embedded in custom, this series offers a rich and rewarding exploration, proving that the old ways still have much to say.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 45

Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Blúiríní Béaloidis 24 - Folk Medicine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:07
It was said in tradition that 'there isn't an ailment or infirmity the cure of which doesn't grow in the fields or along the hedges', and indeed, our forebears employed a wide range of historical practices to drive out i…
Blúiríní Béaloidis 23 - Holy Wells In Folk Tradition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:24
Lying in overgrown fields, by churches and next to roadsides all over Ireland, are hidden holy wells and sacred springs which have for countless generations been visited as sites of pilgrimage and devotion. These wells a…
Blúiríní Béaloidis - 22 Invisible Worlds (With Eddie Lenihan) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:54
Our lives are built on the stories we tell. At both an individual and a communal level, they orient and mould us, shaping our perspectives and outlining our reality. In an age where life can seem increasingly fettered by…
Blúiríní Béaloidis 19 - Sacred Trees In Folk Tradition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:59
While rooted in the earth, trees ascend towards the firmament of the Heavens. They likewise renew themselves through the eternal rhythms that govern all living things (those cycles of growth, maturation, decay and rebirt…
Blúiríní Béaloidis 18 - Brigid In Folk Tradition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:10
St. Brigid’s Day falls on the first of February, and is traditionally understood as marking the beginning of spring in Irish custom. Dedicated to the saint nicknamed Muire na nGael or the ‘Mary of the Irish’ (a designati…
Blúiríní Béaloidis 17 - Rumours Of War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:07
From Jul 28, 1914 until Nov 11, 1918 the iron dice of war rolled across the fields of Europe with a ferocity and magnitude the likes of which the world had never seen. In the smoke filled trenches of Guillement, and on t…
Blúiríní Béaloidis 16 - Otherworld Islands In Folk Tradition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:59
Native European and Irish Tradition posits the existence of an Otherworld realm lying beyond the furthest reaches of the horizon; an island of plenty and abundance, where happiness lasts forever, and where one hundred ye…
Blúiríní Béaloidis 15 - The Salmon In Folk Tradition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:36
Irish communities have been sustained for centuries by the fruits of our seas, rivers and lakes, from which both physical and economic subsistence was drawn. In this regard, this month’s Blúiríní Béaloidis episode sees J…