Pisrógs

GAELS - Forest People. THIS episode will follow Irish trees through time from: The temperate rainforest which existed before humanity's arrival on the island, to the 1% of tree cover that remains in our wake. FROM the celts who venerated trees, to the Normans who cut them down liberally and the continued negligence by the Free State all the way to the current practice of forestry in Ireland to...

MERFOLK - Irish Mermaids - The Merrow (Murúch), Selkies & Siren. IN this week's episode the lads travel from our seas, rivers and lakes through GALWAY and LEITRIM to KERRY and ROSCOMMON in search of MERFOLK - half-human half-aquatic beings which litter the mythology of almost every country. THE BOYS are tracing the myth of Merfolk in Ireland from the source of our earliest mythology to the mou...

In this episode, Luke and Aran fill your mug with all the seasonal delights you can gulp down. Join the boys by the toasty fire as they warm you up for a delightfully festive season. If you have any stories you'd like to share please message us @pisrogspodcast on Instagram or email us on pisrogspodcast@gmail.com We would only love to hear any stories or tidbits you have relating to folklore, mytho...

LOCALLY sourced IRISH FOLKLORE, stories, cures and laughs based on the words YOU, the listener, chose via our instagram: @pisrogspodcast (God help us) THE boys titter their way through tales of: GEESE screaming down children's necks, WEASELS jumping down horses ears, GIANTS stealing cows, EELS eating loved ones!  ALL served with piping hot tea and the musical styling of Gareth Quinn Redmond....

THE first Irish witch burning, and the first known record of a Coven in the world. PETRONILLA de Meath was tortured, interrogated and eventually burnt at the stake on the 3rd of November 1324, in Kilkenny. HER charge? Witchcraft. "AND though she was indeed herself an adept in this accursed art of theirs, she said she was nothing in comparison with her mistress, from whom she had learned all these...

Guess what? Aran is back....... And he's broke; shoes, wallet, the whole lot. So no better man to find than that Leprechaun with his fat crock of gold. In this episode Aran and Luke pull together stories from the ages to find the origins of the Leprechaun. How did all the tropes come to be? Hop in and found out with some gorgeous ambient music accompaniment by Gareth Quinn Redmond and plenty of he...

OH THE BRAIN, the thing piloting your swiping fingers and fidgeting thumbs right now. HE'S a pretty complex boy, BUT would you believe that all the way back in the 7th century a monk by the name of Bricin was poking holes in injured warrior's skulls AND doing a damn good job on it too? LEARN about the: THOUSAND-year-old medical art of trepanation. GOD of medicine in Ireland and the surprisingly te...

LABIAS and Gonads, the foreplay has ended. It's time for our episode of bollocks on the GENITALS NA HÉIREANN. LEARN ABOUT: Queen Medbh's insatiable sexual appetite, her STALLION lover and the time she carved a new path in the river with the power BETWEEN HER LEGS. IRISH APHRODISIACS such as badger mickey and rabbit skin. EX-PRIESTS who would marry you off at their gaff for the cheap and would tear...

AN DIABHAL, The Devil, Old Nick, The Old...Boy? WE all know of the devil, he's the red fella with the horns who is likely to be the ruler of our infinite misery if indeed it is true that you should fast on Friday, he also is the mascot for hot sauces and red wine. He's a busy lad. BUT the devil in Irish Folklore is far from the fallen angel of Danté's Inferno, at his best he's like Al Pacino in De...

THE STONE HOUSE OF THE SUN THIS Donegal antiquity has been the quiet sentinel of Ireland, WITNESS to our shared history -  FROM the Tuatha Dé Danann to midnight mass, its a long-time fan of our stuff. A temple for the sun god Baal, THE original home of the O'Neill Clan, the site of Niall of the Nine Hostages conversion to Christianity by Old Man Patrick and the eventual hideaway for Catholics...

KILLESHIN, Church of the Glen of Uise,  PLACE of Oisin. TALES from Killeshin, Carlow and its surrounding areas chosen by YEE. SONS of legends, MEN catching rabbits, HIBERNO-ROMAN arches, IRISH acres v ENGLISH acres,  NED of the HILL? IT'S all in our spin around Killeshin! (AS well as a man who kills his goat in drunken anxiety). STRAP into the passenger seat and put Mr. Gareth Quinn Redm...

TALES from local areas submitted by YEE (@pisrogspodcast on Instagram). THIS episode unwinds forgotten yarns from Dromore West SLIGO, Birr Co. OFFALY and Inchicore DUBLIN.  VENGEFUL knights, evil spirits, cursed churches, stolen BUTTER.  A lean mean and captivating spin through the land of IRE.

AWOO, ehem.  IN this episode a priest and our old friend 'Gerald of Wales' come across a pair of werewolves, they have a chat with them and give them a bit of communion for their trouble. LYNCANTHROPY, the transformation of humans into wolves.  IT'S a phenom that transcends borders, there are werewolves in Germany, Greece, The Balkins . . . and the counties Kilkenny and Laois. OSSORY was...

THE BOY(S) discuss the weird, wonderful world of FOLLIES and their impractical existence, as well as their unlikely connection to the FAMINE. EVER wanted an old man living in your back garden?  EVER want a slice of Egypt in your ends? EVER build something to break? ARISTOCRATS did.

NEW GROUND for the podcast, WITH Aran preparing to venture into the bowels of the Amazon, Luke holds down the fort, but not alone, as the Pisrogs Podcast takes on its its first roguish interview with the rambunctious Ronan O'Raghallaigh! RONAN is an artist from county Kildare who took the matter of disassembling his colonization into his own hands, by taking part in a Bealtaine Baptism over quaran...

JOIN the boys as they discuss everything under the big sonic sun - From the mythological invention of music, to the instruments of the past, to the magic behind the instruments and their players . . . A meal for the ears! “NO enemy speaks slightingly of Irish Music, and no friend need fear to boast of it. It is without a rival, Its antique war-tunes, such as those of O'Byrne, O'Donnell, MacAlistru...

“Bataireacht is a category of stick-fighting martial arts of Ireland. The concept of people swinging sticks at each other, in anger, dates far into pre-history.” The 18th and 19th century Irish phenomenon known as the Faction Fight was essentially a mass brawl that involved hundreds and sometimes thousands of antagonists organised into groups and meeting at designated venues and dates such as fair...

AN Irish mercenary in the Spanish army trained in the art of war by Franciscan monks. EOGHAN Ruadh Ó Néill is one of the most famous members of the O'Neill Dynasty of Ulster, an Irish family which claim the lineage of Niall of the Nine Hostages, a legendary High King. HAVING only left Ireland as boy in the Flight of the Earls, O'Neill became known as an incredible defensive tactician, oftentimes f...

You heard it, an episode of beans, beads and begora, tis mighty. We've kept it colloquial with the help of listener suggested stories. From stories of a man who danced himself dead to a ship of beans. Scary fairies to golden stalks to beat the ass, we've got it all. Music by Gareth Quinn Redmond Logo by Aisling Larkin Design (@aislinglarkindesign)

CUID A DÓ. In part one the lads discussed the mythological origins of Glas Gabhnenn, an early Irish tale that involved giant cyclopes, glass towers, trapped princesses, sword-wielding champions and a magical cow! IN PART TWO, The fairy cow takes centre stage! ARAN and Luke read from an everlasting bucket of archival folk stories, learn about: The first white and black cow in Ireland, EVER. Tales o...

CUID A HAON of our double bill dedicated to An Glas Gaibhnenn, The Gloss, or simply put The Fairy Cow. THE Fairy Cow is a mythical beast who was said to have an abundant supply of milk. COUNTLESS stories on The Fairy Cow exist all over Ireland, think of the oldest story you know and then think of that story's older brother. That's give or take how ancient this beauty is. IN PART ONE, Luke and Aran...

Kick back and relax with this grab bag episode of Irish stories, riddles and love charms. From Fionn Mac Cumhaill's mother's shin bone to the fairy wind. Guaranteed laughs and Irish love. Music by Gareth Quinn Redmond Logo by Aisling Larkin Design (@aislinglarkindesign)

OLDER than the Olympics, a yearly 'sporting' event that was about so much more than feats of strength. THE TAILTEANN GAMES drew crowds from all over Ancient Ireland to take part in competitions of swordplay, long jumps, crafting, storytelling . . . . There were even hills where mass marriages and the occasional divorce took place. THE boys delve into the real history of the Tailteann Games, an eve...

The light half of the year has finally arrived. The days are getting longer, the sun is shining brighter, nature is getting greener. It is time to send the animals off to higher pastures, cut turf and prepare for the summer of working the land ahead. Bonfires must be lit to cleanse and protect homes, people and animals. The morning dew must be collected to ensure luck and prosperity. The boys disc...

CHILD sacrifice, intense worship and a battle between an ancient idol and St. Patrick. THIS all took place in the small clearing 'Magh Slecht' in the hills of Cavan where a golden idol to the god CROM CRUACH stood. The boys journey to Magh Slecht, to explore Crom Cruach as a dark yet likely misinterpreted figure. Discover if there really was child sacrifice at Magh Slecht and why exactly it happen...