Category Archives: Folk traditions

A short visit to Z Ward

Posted on August 12, 2018 by

It was a cold and wintry afternoon in Adelaide today. What better time to visit an old lunatic asylum? For nearly 90 years, Z Ward was home to the ‘criminally insane’ patients of South Australia’s health system. Opened in the … Continue reading →

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St Dymphna’s, Booborowie

Posted on April 10, 2018 by

At the weekend, it was my great privilege to drive to Booborowie for the decommissioning of St Dymphna’s Catholic Church. It’s not every day one gets to go to the deconsecration of a church, and in fact, this was my first. … Continue reading →

Posted in Around the world, Folk traditions, Ireland, South Australia | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A reflective moment on the entangled world of research

Posted on February 12, 2017 by

‘Take a sharp needle,’ he said, ‘and stick it in under the collar of your coat, and not one of them will be able to have power on you.’ This is from a story that John Millington Synge recorded on … Continue reading →

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The view at Loughcrew

Posted on November 11, 2016 by

I went to Loughcrew a few days ago to see the passage tombs. It’s not too far from my home town of Trim. You can visit Loughcrew any time you like during daylight hours, walk around the outside of the cairns, … Continue reading →

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The henhouse

Posted on July 7, 2016 by

‘Very poor people, in the past, were wont to keep their little stock of hens or ducks in a small pen made from an old box in the kitchen …’ (O Danachair 1964). This was a custom in Irish rural houses in the nineteenth and … Continue reading →

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