This fascinating four-part lecture series explores how magic, belief, and the sacred have shaped everyday life in Ireland from the medieval period to the modern era. Bringing together leading scholars and heritage professionals, the series examines how people understood, confronted, and negotiated unseen forces through objects, texts, traditions, and places.
From folk practices of protection against supernatural harm, to sacred objects imbued with memory and belief, to medieval medical charms and amulets, and the archaeological traces of magical practice in Dublin, these lectures reveal the enduring power of belief in Irish life and culture.
Programme highlights:
19th February – Everyday protection from evil forces and supernatural beings in Irish folk tradition
Clodagh Doyle, Keeper, Irish Folklife Division, National Museum of Ireland
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26th February – Touching the Sacred: Objects, Memory, and Belief
Fr Willie Purcell, National Diocesan Vocations Coordinator
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5th March – Textual Magic: Charms and Amulets from the Medical Manuscripts of Medieval Ireland
Prof Deborah Hayden, Department of Early Irish, Maynooth University
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12th March – The Archaeology of Magic in Dublin
Katherine McCormack, Assistant Co-Ordinator, Dublinia
Ideal for anyone with an interest in folklore, history, archaeology, religion, and the hidden beliefs that have shaped Irish society.
General Info