Have you ever noticed any seals while exploring the Irish coastline? Has one ever spoken to you? According to several legends collected by the Irish Folklore Commission (IFC), this strange occurrence was experienced by fishermen and seal hunters in times gone by. Legends featuring speaking seals were collected by the IFC, as well as legends … Continue reading People Under Enchantment
One of the modules in the MA in UCD’s Irish Folklore and Ethnology program is a brief internship in archival methods. This module typically takes place in the National Folklore Collection (NFC), but the 2020 module was moved online due to COVID-19. For the 2020 module, students were given a number of topics to choose … Continue reading Infectious Diseases in the National Folklore Collection
This time last year our guest blogger Dr Elva Johnston looked at St Brigid's family history, her life in Ireland and her highly respected standing amongst the early Irish Church. This year the National Folklore Collection rummage in their archives and.....well read on to find out more! In Irish folk tradition, the calendar is principally … Continue reading Ireland’s Second Saint
‘I think I’ll remember all these experiences for the rest of my earthly days. I feel I’ve been immersed in a great wave that has impregnated my whole mind and being...’ So reads one of the final diary entries written by the artist Simon Coleman RHA as his field work with the Irish Folklore Commission … Continue reading Portrait of an Artist as a Folklore Collector