Irish Spirits

We're back! For one night, and one night only...and for a devilishly good time!Chatting all things satanic, we have reunited for a one-off special this Halloween to chat all things the devil in Ireland! Of course paired with a specially crafted cocktail by our phantom bartender, Alex - he concocted a more palatable version of a 'scaltheen'  A drink that would make the Hellfire Club themselves proud, they featured heavily in this episode alongside 'satanic panic' in Ireland, will o' the wisps and of course, Loftus Hall!We wanted to thank each and every listener who have supported us since 2020 and hope that our little world of ghosts, folklore and drinking have entertained you over the years xAs ever, below is a smattering of the sources used and if want/need anymore information from us, please don't hesitate to contact us at irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comFor Laura: @seekthehistoricFor Caoimhe: @caoimhecreedFor Alex: @alex_buckley88Sources included: Season 1, Episode XI of podcast, Dublin's Historic Southpunchdrink.comThe Irish Independentstoriesfromthewaterside.ieThe card players and the devil, Eilis Ni Anluain Dúchas.ieThe Devil as Depicted on High Crosses, T.H. MasonModern Tarot, Michelle TeaA Magical Course in Tarot, Michelle MorganSpooks and spooks: Black magic and bogeymen in Northern Ireland, 1973-74, Richard JenkinsSupport the show

It's our Season 2 finale!!! And we thought we'd end it with a bang taking on a juggernaut of Irish folklore - The Leprechaun!In what was paired with a fittingly novelty cocktail, this episode delved into the story behind the sprightly little miser and how he's perceived today.  From throwing babies on the floor to discovering he has a degenerate cousin, we hit nearly every corner of Ireland following the legacy of the leprechaun...or is it lúchorpán...or leathbhrógán....yea we covered it all!The tale of this prankster needed an equally childish drink...enter Lucky Charm cereal infused milk paired with póitín (of course) and whiskey (also of course) - surprisingly nice, it gave us a sugar high that brought us 'away with the fairies' - you can catch the recipe on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcastYou can also catch us on Twitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comShout-out of course to our ads:  F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast & new additions: Playlist Wars & Scottish Murders... Check the guys out, they are awesome!Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irishspirits)Thank you to everyone who has listened to our ramblings the last two seasons, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did making it - Caoimhe, Laura & AlexUnlike the leprechaun, where we got our tales from were a bit clearer: When Disney Met Delargy: Darby O’ Gill and the Folklore Commission & Irish Time, Thomas Crofton Croker Fairy Legend of Southern Ireland, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41412207,  https://www.jstor.org/stable/1259500,  The Elusive Elf: Some Thoughts on the nature and origin of the Irish Leprechaun, John J. Winberry, Diffordsguide.com, Wikipedia, Duchas.ie, https://folklorethursday.com/legends/leprechaun-harmless-hoarder-malevolent-miser/, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-49579940, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49388972-leprechaun-s-legacy, https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/top-ten-fascinating-things-you-never-knew-about-leprechauns/, https://www.irishpost.com/news/leprechaun-myth-exposed-165245, http://carlingfordandcooleypeninsula.ie/attractions-carlingford-cooley-peninsula/carlingford-leprechaun-fairy-cavern, https://www.irishcentral.com/news/notre-dame-defends-offensive-fighting-irish-leprechaun & https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/the-louvre-of-leprechauns-1.635590 Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irishspirits)Support the show

We hope you had a great spooky season! In a return to our usual haunted content, we decided to revisit the haunted castles of Ireland! In what was Haunted Castles P.2: Apple of my Evil Eye, we focused on everything from disruptive ghosts to enchanted orchards - the latter inspired our phantom bartender Alex to concoct an apple-heavy cocktail, you can catch the recipe on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast You can also catch us on Twitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comShout-out of course to our ads:  F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast & new addition: Scottish Murders... Check the guys out, they are awesome! &Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irishspirits)We deep-dived into the masonry used to construct buildings with dark histories from kissing stones to evil eyes and keeping us safe from bad juju, the sources we consulted were: https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/theres-a-ghost-in-my-house-26328545.html, https://www.irishcentral.com/travel/haunted-castles-offaly, https://coolmaterial.com/travel/irish-haunted-castle/, https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/travel/arid-40730631.html, https://www.kinnittycastlehotel.com/history.html, https://www.historyireland.com/early-modern-history-1500-1700/some-days-two-heads-and-some-days-four/, Wikipedia, https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/tag/evil-eye-stone-at-kilkea-castle/, https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/ireland/a-haunting-we-will-go-1.764580, https://www.ilovelimerick.ie/glin-castle-hauntings, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20567540, https://blackwatercastlecorkdotorg.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/haunted-castle/, http://kilkennygraveyards.blogspot.com/2016/10/grannagh-granny-or-grandison-castle.html, & https://www.glin-castle.com/history/,  Blarneycastle.ie, https://dailyscribbling.com/the-secret-life-of-irish-castles/blarney-castle-the-truth-behind-the-myth/, Legends, Charms and Superstitions of Ireland - Lady Wilde. , https://www.connollycove.com/legendary-castles-ireland/, Loomis, R. S. “The Irish Origin of the Grail Legend.” Speculum, vol. 8, no. 4, https://www.jstor.org/stable/2855884?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Aa416c71ecab84379e76d3cbd983dee98&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents, Diffordsguide.com & cockagee.ieSupport the show

In a very different direction for the show, we delved into literary history (both Laura & Caoimhe were delighted!) and just how haunted writers of the Victorian period were...Focusing predominantly on occultists, we dived into palmistry, automatic writing & clairvoyance in 19th century Ireland. 'Honey, I Contacted the Dead' couldn't be any more apt as we look at famous Irish writers and their clairvoyant wives...from predicting the demise of the Titanic to constantly trying to contact Oscar Wilde (why wouldn't you) we decided to embrace our inner Victorian dandy with a whiskey based cocktail complete with an absinthe wash...yea, we didn't have too many! One of the strongest drinks we've had, Alex tried to incite his own third eye and his recipe can be found on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcastYou can also catch us on Twitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comShout-out of course to our ads:  F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast & new addition: Scottish Murders... Check the guys out, they are awesome!  &Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irishspirits)Helping us make contact this time around we sourced our information from: https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/wb-150/magic-myth-and-secrecy-wb-yeats-and-the-occult-31207213.html, https://www.rochester.edu/pr/Review/V61N1/feature3.html, Oscar Wilde, Photography and Cultures of Spiritualism: “The most magical of mirrors” - Eleanor Dobson, https://www.culturenorthernireland.org/features/literature/arthur-conan-doyles-spiritualist-visit-belfast, https://www.bloomsandbarnacles.com/blog/2019/04/22/mahamanvantara, Cocktail Codex, https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/dark-glimpses-into-occultism-in-dublin-1.1859344, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/literature-and-the-politics-of-postvictorian-decadence/irish-decadence-occultism-and-sacrificial-myth/B095A6186A8FA3039D21158D0747C491, https://victorianweb.org/victorian/religion/birch.html, https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/priest-warns-of-childrens-obsession-with-occult-26396972.html, https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/delving-into-the-arcane-the-legacy-of-%C3%A6-s-hidden-murals-1.1853925 & https://www.totallydublin.ie/arts-culture/arts-culture-features/a-modern-panarion-glimpses-occult-dublin/Support the show

Green fingers at the ready, this episode was all about Hedgewitches & Herbalists washed down with Alex's twist on a classic Gin & TonicWe dived into the world of Ireland's herbalists of yore from featuring witches like Biddy Early and her 'blue bottle' to giving you an alternative cure for warts - this episode was rooted in the 19th century. We chatted about witch vs. priest showdowns and what exactly a modern day hedge witch is...we couldn't resist the name! A more earthly take on a subject meant we kicked it old school (so we wouldn't get as whopper a hangover again) with a cocktail crafted  by our very own Alex - his recipe can be found on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcastYou can also catch us on Twitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comShout-out of course to our ads:  F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast ... Check the guys out, they are awesome! &Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irishspirits)Digging around for sources meant we stumbled upon: https://www.echolive.ie/wow/arid-40178592.html, https://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/feakles-biddy-early-a-victim-of-moral-panic/, JSTOR, Wikipedia, https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/1017/912938-wexford-witches/, Eamonn Kelly on spiritual middens for Archaeology Ireland, https://www.learnreligions.com/hedge-witch-4768392, Irish cursing and the Art of Magic, 1750-2018 - Thomas Waters, Discworld wiki, Duchas , https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0706/1151667-piseogs-ireland-folklore-evil-magic-spells/, https://www.irishamerica.com/2016/08/wild-irish-women-biddy-early-1798-1872-2/, What is Irish Witchcraft? By Lora O’Brien on youtube, https://teaandrosemary.com/hedge-witch/, UCD National Folklore Collection, Diffordsguide.com & Cocktail codexSupport the show

Our mid-season break is over!! After a little R&R we came back with one of our creepiest episodes yet, all about Our Lady's Hospital/St Kevin's/ Cork Lunatic Asylum in Shanakiel, Cork. Why so creepy? We had for the first time, in person anecdotes - special guest: Matt from the Cork Supernatural Society. Matt very kindly joined us to regale us with past investigations at the site and the interview can be heard in the Anecdotes section of the show! Follow their journeys in Cork and indeed across the country via their Facebook page & Instagram @corksupernaturalsocietyWe chatted everything from Foucault's 'Madness & Civilisation' to the infamous 'swing' prescribed to cure mental illness courtesy of a one William Saunders Hallaran - the inspiration behind this episode's title & cocktail crafted by our very own Alex (his recipe can be found on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast)You can also catch us on Twitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comShout-out of course to our ads:  F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast ... Check the guys out, they are awesome! & Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irishspirits)This Irish version of a Singapore Sling (Laura's absolute favourite) was strong...but we needed it, as we delved into the horror from this era of confinement - some which continued right up until the 21st century... To shed light on our own research the sources we used were: Lunatic Asylum Records - Kindred Lines - Fiona FitzsimonsThe Ghosts of Institutionalization at Pennhurst’s Haunted Asylum - Emily Smith BeitiksWhy Are Asylums Scary? - Troy Rondinone P.H.D. (Psychology Today), Scary asylums are a Halloween classic, but it’s time to retire the trope - Troy Rondinone (The Washington Post)https://oldmooresalmanac.com/haunted-cork/, Cork Supernatural Society, https://stfinanshospital.com/historical-timeline-of-st-finans-hospital/treating-the-insane/, https://stfinanshospital.com/uncategorized/killarney-district-lunatic-asylum/, https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-asylum/202103/dark-places-our-history-asylum-tourism, punch.com, Wikipedia, https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/travel/arid-40071761.html, https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/st-kevins-asylum-apartments-cork, https://www.facebook.com/irelandandpegscottage/posts/haunted-mental-asylum-in-corkeglinton-asylum-stands-in-the-shanakiel-area-of-cor/2382333088498226/, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.24722081?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dhallaran%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26group%3Dnone%26refreqid%3Dsearch%253Ae26b337b17ea720d90a4a1d2a8d8efe5&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A398c436c49ac16871b5b7aeb5f0092c4&seq=1 , https://www.thejournal.ie/st-kevins-building-mental-hospital-history-3479819-Jul2017/, https://darkemeraldtales.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/five-haunted-places-to-visit-in-cork-city/, http://www.hauntedhovel.com/eglintonasylum.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbcVVLpMkn8, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hZLd-5KOrI, https://oldmooresalmanac.com/haunted-cork/, https://extra.ie/2017/07/06/news/irish-news/video-arsonists-suspected-of-burning-down-corks-haunted-buildings, https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/no-defence-of-the-dirt-at-st-kevin-s-1.273255, http://www.abandonedireland.com/skv.html  & https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1068/p3403ed (Caoimhghin S Bhreatnach) Support the show

This week's cocktail may be a tongue twister but it went down so easy...too easy you might say!Which was good because we were finally reunited in person!! If that means our audio is a little off it is because we were back in Caoimhe's kitchen! This week we headed back to the water and dove into the world of sea & lake monsters in Ireland.  From the Irish version of the kelpie to giant demonic eels, what lurks beneath the dark waters made us think twice about for going for a dip...the joys of living on an island - you're surrounded by themBut what we also discovered is that the Irish come across sea serpents no matter where they go! And as we are well and truly haunted when it comes to such marine exploration we washed it all down with a whiskey heavy cocktail crafted by our very own Alex, his recipe can be found on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast You can also catch us on Twitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comAlso shout-out to F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast - our first ever ads!! Check the guys out they are awesome!Note to selves, stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to...and good, reliable sources like: Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, George M. Eberhart, Historicuk.com https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Kelpie/, Emerald Isle.ie https://emeraldisle.ie/index.php?p=the-water-horse, Duchas.ie, https://www.shamrockgift.com/blog/irish-folklore-water-monsters/, The Water Horse, Legends in Ireland - Annaba Kilfeather, Library Ireland https://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHistoryAncientIreland/III-XXIV-3.php, https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/the-mermaids-putting-valentia-island-on-the-map-for-vermouth-1.4555882, https://www.diffordsguide.com/beer-wine-spirits/category/52/vermouth, http://currachwhiskey.com/about/, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33849570 , https://www.irishpost.com/news/loch-ness-monster-giant-eel-scientists-claim-170945, https://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/2770-weird-and-wonderful/682212-hunting-for-monsters-in-connemara/ , https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna51765199 , https://www.thesun.ie/news/5318531/loch-ness-official-sighting-irishman/ , https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/loch-ness-monster , https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/irelands-loch-ness-monster-spotted-in-county-clare/, https://zeenews.india.com/news/science/loch-ness-like-monster-spotted-in-northern-ireland-river_846007.html, https://www.thejournal.ie/evening-longread-54-5299898-Dec2020/, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/loch-ness-monster-ireland-students-1868575, Wikipedia,  https://www.shamrockgift.com/blog/irish-folklore-water-monsters/ &  https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/blog/collection/2005/12/st-brendan-and-the-sea-monsters-by-robert-gibbingsSupport the show

We are finally back!! Minus ghostly intrusions, thank all of the ghouls...and we are back with a very indulgent cocktail...The Hotel In-SpectreWhether hotels remind you of summer holidays, your own indulgence or just a place to rest your head, we made a point in this episode that sleeping is beside point as we trundled through some of the most haunted hotels in Ireland! Get your notebooks ready if you're planning a trip to the Emerald Isle or indeed a staycation within it - if a spooky stay is what you are after... we needed a boozy tipple for this one and our very own resident bartender Alex delivered! Vodka and ice-cream, yes please - check out the recipe over on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcastTwitter: @irishspiritspod & reach out to: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comAlso shout-out to F**k My Work Life Podcast & NeatCast - our first ever ads!! Check the guys out they are awesome!From freaky faucets to WB Yeats' badass wife, we delved into anecdotes of guests wanting to check out as fast as they could and encountering every kind of spectre imaginable...to help us on out our room service options were: https://www.originalirishhotels.com/news/ghostly-tales-of-irish-castles, Haunted.ie , https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/travel/2019/1030/1087441-6-of-the-worlds-most-haunted-places/, https://www.castleleslie.com/accomodation/the-red-room/ , https://www.ballyseedecastle.com/, https://www.spookyisles.com/haunted-places-killarney/,  https://spiritedisle.ie/explore-listing/the-commodore-hotel/, https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/the-most-haunted-places-in-ireland/ , https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/haunted-hotels/ireland , https://evoke.ie/2020/10/01/life-style/travelnews/seven-haunted-hotels-ireland,  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-05/how-haunted-hotels-turn-terror-into-cash, https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/haunted-hotels-around-the-world, travelmyth.ie, theirishmirror.ie, renvyle.com, https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irishman-s-diary-1.132828 , https://daily.jstor.org/wb-yeats-live-in-spirit-medium/, https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/product/renvyle-house-hotel-galway-ireland, https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/2624/death-by-chocolate, https://punchdrink.com/articles/appeal-of-cream-liqueurs-baileys-rumchata/, https://punchdrink.com/articles/about-those-classic-ice-cream-drinks-pink-squirrel-cocktail-recipe/ & https://www.bevindustry.com/articles/91685-cream-liqueur-brands-have-opportunity-for-growthSupport the show

What … no cocktail?!?!  Sadly we tried and tried to record this week’s episode but the connection was well and truly haunted !! So instead, please enjoy our mini-episode ‘The Interference Interlude’,  recorded across the country and narrated by our very own Laura! All three of us added to this episode chatting all things ghostly interference - I know we're hilarious... While we pondered how humanity is too reliant on computers, we washed down this brief interlude with - a pilsner from a Curious Society , a blackberry bramble seltzer from Killowen Distillery & the ‘Bucket & Spade’ IPA from Kinnegar BreweryAll great choices if you ask us! And just as delicious to drink along with us - albeit with just a little less banter! Normal business resumes (we promise!) on the very fitting Friday the 13th of August! Stay tuned…To help with the static of it all, our sources were: www.fortified-places.com, Billy Colfer's 'The Hook Peninsula: County Wexford', Annaleigh  Margey's 'The 1641 Depositions and the Irish Rebellion', 'Wexford Echo — Conservation plan for Duncannon Fort,' 'Duncannon invaded for military re-enactment' - www.independent.ie, Wikipedia, https://www.independent.ie/regionals/goreyguardian/news/ghosthunters-claim-entity-haunts-fort-27349182.html, http://www.findglocal.com/IE/Cork/119554361458754/Echo-Ghost-Hunters, https://www.spookyisles.com/duncannon-fort-hauntings/, https://ghostcatcherie.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/the-fort-duncannon-wexford-6th-june-2009/, www.thecrollydistellery.com & donegalnews.comhttps://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/louise-bruton-on-a-fear-of-fairies-1.2737433%3fmode=amp, https://www.google.ie/amp/s/fairylandpostoffice.wordpress.com/2019/04/14/fairies-superstition-candlelight/amp/ & https://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/eu/13-papers-today/biodiversity/9274-Support the show

An Irish twist on an Espresso Martini that had us up all night...just like the subject of our show this week: werewolves! Brew Moon, get it? Yea, we can't stop singing the song either !We turned our attention to one of this island's longest standing lupine cryptids, focusing on everything from saints' curses to what exactly is a viral werewolf we found that the folklore is older than we ever thought...even within popular culture!A staple of any horror podcast we knew we were in for the long 'howl' (so, so, sorry but I'm too caffeinated to make better puns) and that Ireland was going to offer some serious stories of wolfish shenanigans - despite the fact we haven't had wolves (were or otherwise) for over 200 years. We tackled gender, puberty & good old fashioned folklore in all it's 'lycanthropic' glory thanks to Alex's 'Brew Moon' - swapping vodka for poitín and trying the Jameson Cold Brew, the full recipe can be found on our Instagram at: @irishspiritspodcastOur apologies if we were speaking too fast!The sources that kept us wired to the moon were: dúchas.ie, Tarquin Blake's Haunted Ireland,  'How a tale of cursed werewolves in Ireland finds its way to 13th century Norway' by Minjie Su  on medievalists.net, John Carey's ‘Werewolves in Medieval Ireland’, Brereton’s Phantasmagoria, Werewolves: A Hunter’s Guide by Graeme Davis, Matthew Beresford’s The White Devil: The Werewolf in European Culture,  David Wyatt’s Slaves and Warriors in Medieval Britain and Ireland, Leslie Sconduto’s ‘Metamorphoses of the Werewolf: A Literary Study from Antiquity through the Renaissance, Catherine Karkov’s. "Tales of the Ancients: Colonial Werewolves and the Mapping of Post-Colonial Ireland,  The Cursed and the Committed: A Study in Literary Representations of ‘Involuntary’ Shapeshifting in Early Medieval Irish and Old Norse Narrative Tradition by Camilla Pedersen With, https://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/blog/Poitin,%20Ireland,%20history, https://punchdrink.com/recipes/stefano-dorsognas-espresso-martini/, https://punchdrink.com/articles/ultimate-best-espresso-martini-cocktail-recipe/, https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=honorscollege_theses, https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/vatican-slams-twilight-series/story-iklbHYQ6i1pjmQsYCU6cgI.html & https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/witches-vampires-and-werewolves-10-ghoulish-archaeological-discoveries-004402 As ever you can find the recipes for any of our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast You can follow us on Twitter @irishspiritspod or email us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

We know...ominous...but Season 2 continues and it's our first location based episode! We headed to the Garden County to delve into one of the most  haunted buildings in Ireland - Wicklow Gaol. First built in 1702, we tracked how the gaol functioned, expanded and dealt with criminals of all types who were locked up. You guessed it - it was bleak!From the unorthodox ways they disposed of bodies to the forms of torture carried out within it's walls - it is no wonder Alex crafted a particular potent cocktail to get us through it all...nicknamed the Gates of Hell after the fact that it was likely if you went in you wouldn't come back out, we opted to name our gin and madeira based drink the very same! (It was way too easy to drink, more locked than locked up...get it? I'll see my way out - unlike the prisoners)Helping us navigate through this spooky clink, the sources we used were: Mícheál Ó Dóibhilín's  Anne Devlin - bravest of the brave from Kilmainham Tales, https://www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com,  https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/27234, Wikipedia, https://heritage.wicklowheritage.org/places/wicklow_town/wicklow_gaol,  https://www.ouririshheritage.org/content/archive/place/miscellaneous-place/wicklow-gaol-prisoners-and-transportation, https://darkemeraldtales.wordpress.com/2020/10/13/through-the-gates-of-hell-dare-you-enter-haunted-wicklow-gaol/, https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/1020/1172649-irelands-gate-to-hell-oweynagat-roscommon-otherworld-halloween-folklore/, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/st-patrick-s-purgatory,  From Cruachan Aí Rathcroghan, Elaine Conroy talks about Oweynagat, the Cave of the Cats, https://archaicwonder.tumblr.com/post/65390637184/at-the-end-of-a-country-lane-in-ireland, The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/11/the-broken-technology-of-ghost-hunting/506627/, https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20317307.html, https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/what-is-madeira-wine/, https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/madeira-toast-4th-july-like-founding-fathers/ & https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/43/bws/madeira-fortified-winefMP9xrYe4KwogRC4JXllAs ever you can find our recipes for our first cocktail of Season 2 on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast You can follow us on Twitter @irishspiritspod or email us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comSupport the show

WE'RE BACK!!!!!Thank you for being so patient with us! You will hear all about what we got up to at the beginning of Episode I - Season 2! This episode was called The Old Switcheroo and was all about Changelings in honour our Alex having just had a baby! (he's the cutest thing we have ever seen...but is he really a human? Caoimhe tested him with her very own quiz at the end of the show!)Between the start and the finish though we delved head first into fairy lore and a cultural folktale that has transcended both borders and time - the changeling. From babies being hit in the back of the head with a sheaf of wheat to why eggshells are so mystical, we picked apart the societal fears and worries for new life - and we kept ending up in Tipperary! We also kicked off the season with an ovoid cocktail based off the classic 'flips' courtesy of our resident phantom bartender - Alex! Cheers to being reunited!Helping us 'crack-on' with our return were the following sources:  Archaeology Ireland, The Irish History Podcast, punchdrink.com, VinePair.com, Difford's Guide, Thomas Crofton Croker's Fairies in Southern Ireland, dúchas.ie, https://creggan1.tripod.com/Creggan2h.htm , Eggshells and Changelings (weebly.com), hauntedattractiononline.com, 'Changeling' - J.H. Moncrieff (jhmoncrieff.com & the Writing in the Margins blog. As ever you can find our recipes for our first cocktail of Season 2 on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast You can follow us on Twitter @irishspiritspod or email us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comIt's good to be back!Support the show

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Lá Fheile Pádraig sona dhaoibh!) from our resident historian, Laura Fitzachary - though this mini-sode is more mythological than historical. Regaling you all with an origin story of St. Patrick's banished snakes and an epic battle he had with their mother,  she washed this bit of bonus content down with an experimental ale.  As part of their Spree Series, The White Hag released the very seasonal (Paddy's Day) Shamrock Shake Ice Cream Ale...perfect for this episode because it is literally green! Please remember to drink responsibly while stocks last! The sources used were: gotireland.com & Dáibhí Ó Crónín's Early Medieval IrelandHave a look at what Laura's drinking over on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcastHappy Paddy's Day from Caoimhe, Laura & Alex (Irish Spirits) Support the show

This episode was called Petronilla's Garden and it was our Season 1 finale!!! Focusing on the witch trials in Ireland (or lack there of) the cocktail that wrapped the season was inspired by the fate of Irish women accused of witchcraft! Brewed by ourselves, it was a 'herb-ful' concoction in which our resident mixologist Alex included; Aqua Vitae.  The original recipe belonging to the bad guy in our jam-packed finale still exists today, which we used! Take that Richard Ledrede! - we name our drink after one of your victims of 'justice'. Of the very few Irish witch trials recorded, Caoimhe & Laura focused on the first and last ones in Ireland; Alice Kyteler and the Islandmagee witches - what they were accused of and their punishments. What surprised us most though? - how coveted dairy products were in Ireland....one could argue they still are #bewarethebutterwitchYou can find all of our recipes for all of Season 1's cocktails on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast You can follow us on Twitter @irishspiritspod or email us at: irishspiritspodcast@gmail.comIn preparing for our own depositions, the sourced we consulted were: Andrew Sneddon’s Possessed by the Devil, Malt-Review.com, Punchdrink.com, https://www.spookyisles.com/ireland-witch-trials/, https://sites.google.com/site/supernaturaleire/irish-witch-trials , https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/witchipedia-ireland-s-most-famous-witches-1.3262008 , https://www.jstor.org/stable/24338815 Witchcraft belief and trials in early modern Ireland - Dr Andrew Sneddon, https://www.historyireland.com/medieval-history-pre-1500/the-sorcery-trial-of-alice-kyteler-by-bernadette-williams/, https://www.historyireland.com/volume-22/possessed-devil-real-history-islandmagee-witches-irelands-mass-witchcraft-trial/, Larissa Tracy ‘Torture & Brutality in Medieval Literature’ & https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158276553/ann-glover Thank you so much for listening to Irish Spirits Season 1 , let's pray to Lucifer and all of his ghouls that we will be reunited to drink together for Season 2! Much love - Caoimhe, Laura & AlexSupport the show

The episode was called 'The Ragged Boy' and was inspired by  the stories within what could be our scariest episode yet! Happy...Lent?! From a boy who repeats the last moments before his death over and over to the ghost of a girl you can feel skip by you on a staircase, this episode on Ghost & Demon children was...creepy. Think of hearing giggles in the house at 3am...but you have no kids. We examined (and subsequently agreed) that the most petrifying of all that is ghoulish are those that appear in kid form.  Who ya gonna call? Not us!Especially if you live in Cork, which is where most of the ingredients were sourced for Alex's cocktail which you can recreate and drink along with us, the recipe is on our Instagram @irishspiritspodcast - it was divine and honestly we needed whiskey to stop us freaking out, the sources that nearly cracked us though were: Met.police.uk, Possessed by the Devil by Andrew Sneddon, killahoraorchards.ie, irishdistillers.ie, https://www.spookyisles.com/irelands-6-scariest-ghost-children/ (Ann Massey), https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/house-of-spirits-1.1112290, https://www.ireland.com/articles/nine-most-haunted/ https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/terrifying-pictures-ghost-children-caught-7684746 , https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0508/873383-galway-poltergeist/ a clip of the father talking about the ghost (Fahey family), wikipedia.com , https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irishman-s-diary-1.132828 , https://offalyhistoryblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/the-ghost-of-charleville-castle-tullamore-eleanor-ridley-specially-contributed/ , https://web.archive.org/web/20150406160101/http://www.chooseireland.com/offaly/harriet-ghost-charleville-castle/ , https://www.renvyle.com/en/history/ , https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/10/28/why-do-so-many-kids-see-ghosts-we-asked-some-psychologists/  & https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/crying-boy-painting-fires Support the show

This episode was called 'The Salt Bae' which we thought was an apt name for Irish lads who fall in love with women that were formerly seals. Yes, that's right this episode is all about the selkies, merrows and mermaids. We knew there was something fishy going on when Alex told us to get the mead and sherry in but as per usual the cocktail was delicious - check out our Instagram for the recipe where you can (responsibly) drink along! The briny taste transported us to the shores of our little island, which though small, is full of human-fish hybrid lore. Though our more docile creatures won't drag you down to the depths of the Atlantic kicking and screaming - we always knew there were secrets behind those black eyes...our sources this episode were: https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-myths-legends-part-4-selkies/, Wikipedia, https://www.celtic-weddingrings.com/celtic-mythology/the-seal-people, https://talesfromthewood.ie/selkies-and-merrow-the-sea-folk-of-ireland/ , https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/legends-selkies-hidden-germs-sea-mythology-006409, http://www.elisabethgifford.com/blog/2014/5/3/the-secret-history-hidden-in-the-selkie-story, https://www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2016/12/selkies-sex-and-the-supernatural/, https://www.icysedgwick.com/selkies-folklore/ , https://etc.ancient.eu/education/summer-solstice-celtic-traditions/, https://punchdrink.com/recipes/jabberwocky/, https://www.liquor.com/slideshows/salt-cocktails/, https://www.sliabhliagdistillers.com/an-dulaman/, duchas.ie, Field Guide to Irish FairiesFurther reading for listeners:Briggs, Katharine. 1976. An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books: New York.Matthews, John and Caitlin. 2005. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures. Barnes & Noble Publishing.Monaghan, Patricia. 2009. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Arrow Books: UK.Spence, Lewis. 1948. The Minor Traditions of British Mythology. Rider and Company: Towrie, Sigurd. "The Selkie Folk." Orkneyjar: the heritage of the Orkney Islands. Accessed 1, August 2016. http://www.orkneyjar.com/folklore/selkiefolk/Williamson, Duncan. 1992. Tales of the seal people: Scottish folk tales. Interlink Books: NY.Jøn, Allan Asbjørn (1998), ‘Dugongs and Mermaids, Selkies and Seals’, in Australian Folklore: A Yearly Journal of Folklore Studies 13, pp. 94-98.Silver, Carole G. (2005), “Animal Brides and Grooms: Marriage of Person to Animal Motif B600, and Animal Paramour, Motif B610”, in Jane Garry and Hasan El-Shamy (eds), Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature, New York: M.E. Sharpe.Support the show

This episode was called 'The Long, Dark & Full of Terrors' - but full of alcohol it was not! Our first ever non-alcoholic cocktail means everyone can drink along! We chose a different route  this week because of our theme: Haunted Roads & Fairy Paths (or any supernatural thoroughfare). From steering our way through anecdotes of apparitions appearing to motorists to exploring the unstoppable force of fairies and their sense of direction, we needed caffeine to get through this one. Alex's concoction paid homage to those long drives on dark roads...enjoy!In a roundabout way, we drove home the point that ghosts can truly appear anywhere so this time around we are advising you to drive responsibly as you never know what you'll see...The coffee shakes started way back when we were researching for this episode and our sources were: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160509-andrew-mccarthys-irish-quests-the-haunted-bog-road, https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/hawthorn-horror-of-old-bog-road-29889182.html , https://www.oughterardheritage.org/content/topics/transport/oughterard-and-connemara-travel-and-transport-to-the-19th-century, https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428216/4386701/4456820, https://www.easirent.com/uk-haunted-roads/, https://www.dangerousroads.org/around-the-world/our-lists/4590-top-15-haunted-roads.html, https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/05/31/the-dark-hedges-the-long-creepy-ominous-tunnel-of-northern-ireland/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_highway, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_hitchhiker, https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/ireland/antrim.php?pageNum_paradata=1&totalRows_paradata=59  , Lovin.ie , https://bookmygarage.com/blog/haunted-roads-around-the-world/ , https://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/lifestyle/could-be-only-known-photograph-grey-lad2260718, https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/grey-lady-ghost-dark-hedges-northern-ireland https://www.historyeye.ie/hendrick-street-dublin, https://medium.com/@womenontheroad/12-eerie-haunted-spots-in-dublin-eff0d8f22e66, Magic Roads of Ireland, https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30623485.htmlhttp://atriptoireland.com/2013/03/21/the-magic-roads-of-ireland/ , Duchas, http://look-what-i-made.com/2020/08/21/refreshing-coffee-mocktail-recipe/ & https://talesofthecocktail.org/behind-bar/booze-less-cocktails-buzz-how-use-coffee-non-alcoholic-drinks/Support the show

Happy New Year! As we get  ready for our post-Christmas episodes please enjoy our third 'minisode' courtesy of resident bartender, Alex Buckley. He delves into why we call our local pubs, our local haunts... at one of Dublin’s most Haunted Pubs, John Kavanagh ’The Gravediggers’ in Glasnevin. The main sources used were Valentina Valentini writing for BBC Travel and Atlas Obscura http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20161019-where-gravediggers-drank-their-pints and https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/gravediggers-pub-dublin, and Frank McNally writing for the Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/old-haunts-an-irishman-s-diary-about-dublin-ghosts-1.2347566. Have a look at what Alex is drinking on Instagram @irishspiritspodcast and make sure to drink responsibly!Support the show

Our Christmas special for you, this episode is called 'The Irish Coffee.' To round off what has been a year we will never forget Laura & Caoimhe (shout out to Alex who we will hopefully be reunited with soon) talked about about the more unusual side to Christmas traditions through the power of governmentally-advised socially-distanced workplace bubbles...truth. We washed this minisode down with our own version of an Irish coffee (sorry Alex!) all whilst including a festive ghost story to boot.  Less sugar plum fairy and more watery tart, enjoy! We, at Irish Spirits, wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, thank you so much for listening and as ever our sources were: weaverscoffee.com, duchas.ie, museum.ie, wildernessireland.com, Wikipedia & darkemeraldtales.com. Let's hope 2021 is not nearly as haunted. Support the show

This episode was called the Dark N' Stormy - so exactly like what the cocktail is actually called, but it just fit so perfectly with our theme: shipwrecks and their ghosts. One night after watching the movie The Fog  it got us a wondering, surely an island will have more maritime based spirits to shake a stick at. We weren't wrong! Mainly caused by shipwrecks, Alex (our bartender) chose the 'foreshadowing-ly' named, Dark 'N Stormy. Our stories circumnavigated nearly the entire coastline of Ireland and uncovered tales of the ghosts from the wrecks, the ghosts of those who escaped the sea and even the ghosts of the shipwrecks themselves...drink (responsibly) every time we make a terrible nautical pun but this rum-based drink made us the drunken sailors. To 'sea' where we got our sources from (sorry) check out : Legends, Charms and Superstitions of Ireland - Lady Wilde, marine.ie, Lady Gregory’s complete Irish Mythology, https://www.diffordsguide.com, Tarquin Blake's Haunted Ireland, Wikipedia, https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/spooky-sites-ireland/,  https://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/5-terrifying-ghost-stories-ireland/ , https://oldmooresalmanac.com/the-ghosts-of-the-lighthouse/ , https://darkemeraldtales.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/ghosts-of-rms-lusitania-and-the-port-of-cobh/ , https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/05/ireland-faces-bill-for-millions-to-remove-ghost-ship-mv-alta-from-rocks, https://dodublin.ie/city-sightseeing-tours/ghostbus/dublin-ghost-stories/the-tayleur, https://dodublin.ie/city-sightseeing-tours/ghostbus/dublin-ghost-stories/fingal-pirates-smuggleres, http://www.waterfordmuseum.ie/exhibit/web/Display/article/331/10/The_Ardmore_Journal_Phantoms_Of_The_Sea_.html, http://diarmuidlynch.weebly.com/shipwrecks.html Support the show