Bealtaine blessings to all our readers, followers and subscribers! Bealtaine is the correct name for this 'fire festival', it is also the name of the month of May (as Gaeilge). There are some variants, used by non Irish speakers, but in truth they are generally a corruption of the Irish word. Bealtaine, in modern tradition is fixed as 1st May, but the old traditional date is variable. There is the sidereal date, half-way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, usually falling around 5-6 May, but it varies from year to year. Some celebrate with the first flowers opening of the Maybush (hawthorn). Some begin to mark this time on May Eve (30th April) instead of or in addition to 1st May - so that offers us usually 3-4 date choices. Traditionally there were 2 fires, between which the livestock were driven, and which people often also passed between, sometimes with their work tools with them, for ritual purification and blessing of all taking part. Today it is more common to hav

Since the magazine started, at the Autumn Equinox 2021, it has featured a 3 page interview. So far we have interviewed: Author and practitioner Harmonia Saille, Author and practitioner Amantha Murphy, Author, poet, practitioner John Paul Patton, Teacher and practitioner Louise Hanley, Teacher, tour-guide and and practitioner Lorraine O'Dwyer, Shop owner and practitioner Craig Osric, Authors and practitioners Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone, Academic and Author Dr. Jenny Butler, Author and tour-guide Anthony Murphy, Academic, tour-guide and practitioner Rachel Scoazec, Elder and practitioner Bev Richardson, Academic, teacher and Author Dr. Karen Ward, Teacher and practitioner Martin Duffy, Author and survivor Maureen Sullivan. The current issue (Spring 2025) features an exclusive interview with Shamanic drummer and Musician Al Cowan, former editor of Brigid's Fire magazine. Coming soon we have an interview with renowned Author Morgan Daimler, and in future issues practitioner Tom Swinburne, p

It's taken a while but we've finally set up a blog, to give you updates on whay we are doing at PAGAN IRELAND. Right now Ireland is experiencing the most amazing Spring in decades, with unusually warm and sunny weather! New digi-pack Today we have made available a new digi-pack of 3 issues - issues 13-15, that you can buy at a better price than individual copies. You can also buy 2 versions of a mega-pack of 6 issues (1-6 and 7-12). Submissions call for issue 16 (summer 2025) We have begun work on the summer issue which should be available in mid June. We are still open for submissions until the end of May. See our submissions page for more information. Sample articles page We hope to add a selection of articles from previous issues, to give people a preview of what the magazine is about and what kind of content we feature. This is not ready yet but will hopefully be available soon. CHECK BACK HERE FOR MORE