Pisrógs

If you went back in time to an Irish village or settlement the first place you should go was surprisingly, the forge.

The village forge was the ancient internet, the pub, the pharmacy, and occasionally the battlefield briefing room. It's where you would get the weekly news.

The blacksmith dealt in Iron, Information and Anvils, but also Fairies, Cures and Curses.

Cathal and Luke tell tales of fairy warfare, three-legged horses, magical purses, enchanted forge water and Holy Women's curses.

The blacksmith's power wasn't just in his physical strength, but in his skill of sorcery.

They could cure illnesses, stop bleeding with secret charms, banish rats, break curses, and even bargain with the fairy world.

From ancient gods like Goibniu the divine smith to the humble village forge where neighbours gathered for stories, craic and gossip, the forge stands at the precipice between the human world and the supernatural.

Video References:

Hands: Powers of the Metal:
https://youtu.be/jUP8W3xfezY?is=-UNtfZVcmouHvhw_

Last of the Dublin Blacksmiths:
https://youtu.be/FPMe73RgO4U?is=PuPwrdHsyHLyKzmT

A Blacksmith Retires, Ballymahon Com Longford:
https://youtu.be/uhorleq7C2s?is=HkfwStz2FILHRGkp

PRIEST HUNTERS, during Ireland's Penal Laws these were bounty hunters paid to track down Catholic priests, going from village to village looking for the rewards offered for their holy heads.
Haunted houses, swarms of black beetles, priests disguised as gardeners, bloodhounds chasing clergy across the countryside, highwaymen turned heroes, and assassinations which quite literally backfire.
Whilst Mass Rocks (where people worshipped in secret) are widely discussed,  Cathal and Luke wanted to know more about the people they were hiding from.

Míol mór, whales! In irish it literally tanslates to large beast.

Luke and Cathal dive into the folklore of the whale: Adventurers swallowed by whales, Townsfolk hunting for whales, Churches made of whales and whales mixed with cows. It's all in this brand new episode of Pisrógs! Whales!

Wanna know what spermaceti is? Hit that play button sailor.

Link to Oregon Whale Explosion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34

Piracy, sea serpents, fairy women, gun-slinging priests.
A fun little episode for a fun little island!
Cathal and Luke are on their way to Sherkin Island (which allegedly boasts its own micro-climate), just off Baltimore, Cork.
Inis Arcáin means 'Isle of the Piglets' , but not for the reason you may expect.

A horse veterinarian/kinesiologist casually informed us that a mythical white horse once appeared on the Benaughlin mountains every 'Billberry Tuesday.' As you do.
This week, new-cohost Cathal Bergin joins Luke and together they descend into one of the strangest corners of Irish folklore: fairy cattle markets on the Play-Bank, ghostly aristocrats in knee breeches, warriors vanishing into mountains, funerals chasing men through the bog, and a fairy fort fuelled entirely by dairy-based emotional support cows.
There are ancient cairns that scream when disturbed, invisible armies helping clans win battles, and one very important historical mystery: what exactly were the “Irish balls” being hurled in combat… and why does nobody ever properly explain them?
Fairies, ghosts, talking horses, giant stones, mysterious music in the hills, and an absolutely unreasonable quantity of Irish balls.