Shenandoah Gaeltacht

Scholarly article just published by the founder of the Shenandoah Gaeltacht: My newest scholarly article is now available online:

Holy Wells of Ireland: Sacred Realms and Popular Domains Celeste Ray has done it again: another tour de force on Ireland's storied and memorable holy wells. In this multidisciplinary approach, Ray, Chair of Anthropology and Director of the Environmental Arts and Humanities Program at Sewanee, and McCormick, retired senior lecturer from the School of Natur...

Who says Irish is a dead language?

‘My weird Frankenstein Irish’: The rise of Gaeilge in New York From Brooklyn classrooms to library meet‑ups, there’s a growing Gaeltacht community in the Big Apple

Bhí an lá ceart a bheidh amach ón mo féin shráidbhaile inné:

King Charles and Queen Camilla draw a crowd of thousands to Front Royal, Virginia King Charles and Queen Camilla wrapped up their four-day trip to the United States with a visit to Virginia.

If you want to a deep dive into authentic Irish culture, you can do the M. A. in Gaelic Literature at University College Cork without leaving home: https://www.ucc.ie/en/ckd13/

In honor of Saint Patrick: A little ninth-century Irish from the Martyrology of Saint Aengus:

Lassar gréne áne,
apstal Herenn hóge,
Pátraic co méit míle,
rop dítiu ar tróge.

The flame of a splendid sun,
the apostle of virginal Ireland,
may Patrick, with many thousands
be the shelter of our wretchedness.

Is anybody interested in learning Koine Greek via Irish?

Séamas Ó Neachtain of The Philo-Celtic Society in New York is thinking of starting a class. He is thinking of a noon or ealy afternoon class so availabe to both US and Ireland (etc.).

If you're interested, contact philo-celtic.com

Not too soon to plan to go to Milwaukee next August: Altan band members will be teaching music at the Sumer School!

The spirit and sound of Altan comes from the deep and rich musical tradition of their native Co. Donegal. We're honored to have these five musicians teaching at the 2026 Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School!
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Intermediate Irish Fiddle and Advanced Irish Fiddle
Clare Friel: Intermediate Irish Fiddle and Advanced Irish Fiddle
Martin Tourish: Tune Composition
Cathal Ó Curráin: Bouzouki and Sean-nós Song
Mark Kelly: Irish Guitar Accompaniment

Registration will launch in early 2026, and keep your eyes on our website for 2026 hotel information for those traveling out of town.

Visit Irishfest.com for more information and to sign up for the email updates.

Another great story from Mike Collins at Mike@letterfromIreland. Check him out!

The Irish Mother Behind a Literary Legend

Charlotte Blake Thornley was born in Sligo town in 1818, into two of the most illustrious families of Ireland - the Blakes of Galway (one of the famous Tribes of Galway), and the O'Donnells of Tirconnell. But her childhood was marked by horror that would rival any gothic novel.

While Charlotte was still a young girl, a cholera epidemic hit Sligo with devastating force in 1832 - this after two successive years of potato crop failure. The bodies mounted up all around her, and local carpenters couldn't source enough wood to keep up with the required coffins for burials.

Imagine being a young girl in such a place - corpses lining the streets of your home town, wondering which of your family and friends might be next. Even more horrifying, some of these supposed "corpses" were still living, too weak to pull themselves back from the edge. These traumatic scenes would stay with Charlotte forever, and she would later pass them on to her children through vivid storytelling.

Stories That Shaped a Legend

Charlotte had a reputation as a storyteller, remembering countless folk tales that had been passed down through her Irish families. After marrying and moving to Dublin, she had several children. Her third child remained sick for an extended period, and he later recalled how she would keep him entertained during those long bedridden days with her stories.

It's thought that Charlotte filled this boy's imagination with old Irish legends and her first-hand accounts of the horrors she'd witnessed during the Sligo cholera epidemic. Among the myths she shared were tales like the Abhartach - the blood-drinking dwarf of Ulster, also known as the "Leacht Abhartach" (evil dwarf). According to legend, this creature was killed and buried, but kept rising from the grave. Only a sword made of Yew wood through the heart could finally destroy him for good.

She may also have told him of the "fear an drach fhola," meaning "man of bad blood." It's fascinating that those last two words, "drach fhola", are pronounced "Drawk-ola."

This sickly child was Abraham, shortened to "Bram", Stoker. He would go on to write one of the most widely-read books in the world.

From County Sligo to Transylvania

Have you ever read the original Dracula novel? I remember staying up late as a youngster to watch an old Dracula film - eventually ending up watching from behind the sofa, one hand over my eyes. It took less to scare us back in those days!

Though Bram Stoker left Ireland for London in 1878, it's clear he brought a large part of his mother's stories and imagination with him. When he published Dracula in 1897, the nightmarish characters and adventures he detailed eventually took up residence in the imaginations of millions across the world.

Through the years there has been a lot of speculation on the origins and meanings behind the supernatural characters in the book, but there is no doubt that it is deeply informed by the stories and first-hand accounts of famine and epidemic from his west of Ireland mother. The undead rising from their graves, the terror of plague and death, the ancient Irish legends of blood-drinking creatures were all woven together into a tale that continues to captivate readers over a century later.

Winter Evenings and Storytelling

These long December evenings are perfect for storytelling, aren't they? Just as Charlotte entertained her sick son Bram with tales by the fireside, many of us will gather with family over the coming weeks to share stories of our own. It's a tradition that connects us across the generations - from Charlotte's Sligo childhood in the 1820s, through Bram's Dublin sickbed, and down to our own firesides today.

How about you? Do you have stories and tales from your own Irish ancestors that have stayed with you?

As you prepare for Christmas and the turning of the year, perhaps you'll find yourself sharing family stories with your own children or grandchildren. Who knows what literary careers those tales might inspire?

That's it for this week,

Slán for now,

Mike.

More Irish culture in the Shenandoah Valley! A young local author is writing a series of children's books about Swords Castle:

Local Author Brings Irish Castles to Life in New Children’s Book Series A centuries-old Irish castle, a stoplight, and a little boy named Michael — those are the key ingredients in The Shepherd Boy and His Flute, the first instal...

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-post-597/20251202/281517937429051

Once-banned Irish lan­guage sees a resur­gence in Bel­fast — Uni­on­ist areas included | The Washington Post bel­fast — In a col­or­ful mod­u­lar build­ing mon­itored by CCTV cam­eras, Ciara Moore sat in front of seven squirmy 4-year-olds and did something that some people here in the cap­ital of North­ern Ire­land — maybe the ones who occa­sion­ally throw...