Published in Issue 15 of Pagan Ireland (Summer 25). Get a copy of this issue here: https://paganireland.com/buyissues Recently I watched a documentary about the Food Industry (in America) and how it has been totally compromised by commercial interests to the extent that much of what is sold to the public barely fits the definition of food. While there could be political dimensions to all this, which I have no wish to go into, it is a basic fundamental of human existence and so it is an issue that is vital to our core existence. In the pre-industrial past, most people across the world produced food in, more or less, the same way, with some various innovations arriving at different times in history. Examples of this would be the wheel and irrigation (ancient Sumer), use of horses (Eurasian Steppes), the pulled plough (ancient Egypt) the wheelbarrow (China) to name but a few technological leaps, that have made growing food faster and easier. Since the late Victorian age there have been hu

Today, Halloween has become another commercialized and Americanized holiday long removed from its pagan and Irish roots. It was not only a day to celebrate the bounty of the year’s last offerings, but also a time to honor the dead. Spirits and other beings from the underworld were free to roam the realm of the living, encouraging many to stay home safe by the fire and provide offerings of appeasement. Children took up the practice of “trick or treating” to mimic the wanderings of Samhain spirits through the community. As Christianity colonized the British Isles, old pagan traditions were either absorbed and assimilated or were recast as evil. Samhain became a sabbat to the Christian world, a secretive event in which witches convened to partake in feasting and general malfeasance. But I have always thought it fitting that World Vegan Day, November 1st, coincides with the witch’s new year, Samhain, also honored on November 1st. Samhain Oiche, or Halloween as we know it today, falls on th

Origins of the Irish Keen Lamentation over the dead is archetypal; the very nature of archetypes is that they cross over all boundaries and divisions that we humans create, because an archetype is a representation of something that is common to all humankind. In Ireland, the lament shows up as a specific type of song, which is encased within the ritual of the wake and funeral of a deceased person. Lamentation is universal but the keen is a unique form of lamentation. In other words, the keen is an Irish lament but not all Irish laments are the keen! Mass emigration due to outside forces has certainly played a part in the spreading of Irish culture, but I commonly come across people with no known Irish ancestry who are drawn to the Irish Keen. What is it about the Irish version of lamentation that has evolved over millennia that makes it persist and continue to be internationally acknowledged, while other versions have fallen by the wayside or are strictly maintained within their own cu

Being a creative person isn't easy, it's very hard to make a living as an Artist and that is especially true in Ireland, which is a small country of less than 8 million (North + Republic) and which has limited outlets and limited governmental and corporate supports for those working in 'The Arts'. Pagan Ireland has done its best to support artists through the front covers, the Featured Artists section in the magazine and occasional articles from artists. We hope to continue to support artists with the ongoing blog, and so I'd like to start with one of our regulars - Andrea Redmond, who produced the art (and much of the text) for the Pagans of the Past page, in our print and PDF magazines. Andrea is a long established artist, who has done several covers for us and other publications, as well as exhibiting in Ireland and other countries. She is a full-time artists, but like so many of us, she needs the support of the public and her community to continue in the marvelous work she does. So

Across the world, many people speak of a renewed interest in Pagan traditions. I agree that something is awakening — a return to ancestral spirituality, a quiet movement back to the roots that once shaped our inner world. Organized groups are emerging, offering structure and guidance to those who seek a deeper connection with the old ways. Yet, even before this revival became visible, the gods of these traditions were never absent. A spirituality so deeply woven into nature cannot vanish. It may rest in latency, but it does not disappear. The sacred energy that animates the natural world continues to move through us and around us, constant and enduring. The sacred has always been present in every phase of our lives. Even when it is not consciously honored, it remains. Pagan traditions remind us of the essential need to reconnect with Nature — a consciousness that is urgently needed in a world marked by environmental destruction. These traditions are not merely spiritual paths; they are

This interview is from Issue 3 (Spring 2022). You can buy a copy of it at https://paganireland.com/buyissues John-Paul Patton is a Poet (Filid), Musician and Writer. He has explored the Western Mystery Tradtion for over 30 years, with a particular focus on the Irish Magical Tradition and Thelema. John-Paul is the lead vocalist in Spiral Force and is in the process of setting up a new musical collaboration. He is the author of The Poet’s Ogam: A Living Magical Tradtion and has published two collections of poetry: Lightnening Bolts and Dew Drops and Skulls and Roses. He is also an educator and has taught English and Media Studies. He is also an Environmental Educator and an Ambassador and trainer for the Global Ecovilage Network (GEN). PI: How did you first become involved in the Pagan scene? JPP: I was lucky to be raised with science rather than religion as the basis for my world view. This carried with it a natural curiosity in relation to what is actually real and true in terms of rel