Irish Witchcraft (Interview with Lora O'Brien) - Diary of a Ditch Witch
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2021
- Covering everything from fairies and the Tuatha de Danann to defection from the Church and beyond, myself and Lora O'Brien get into the nitty gritty of Irish/'Celtic' magic and spirituality both today and throughout Irish history.
Lora is an author, a pagan priest and co-founder of the Irish Pagan School.
(Please excuse my obvious fan-girling.....this interview was HUGE for me! Thanks Lora ! :-) )
*Links mentioned in the video:*
Donate to this channel's 'Buy Me a Coffee' equipment fund: www.buymeacoffee.com/DitchWitch
Info on leaving the Catholic Church/Official Defection:
soapbox.ie/?p=7076
"What is Celtic Paganism?" from Lora's UA-cam channel:
• What is Celtic Paganis...
Dúchas Heritage Folklore Digital Archive:
www.duchas.ie
The Irish Pagan School:
irishpaganschool.com/
Pagan Life Rites Ireland
paganliferites.org/
Lora's website/blog/bookshop
loraobrien.ie/
Lora's UA-cam channel:
/ loraobr
I don't know where I'd be without the IPS community and Lora’s teachings. I find it so fascinating that this ^ kind of information is like "rocking the boat".. it just feels so right to listen to people like yourselves.. no romanticized bs, no ignoring of difficult truths and just so much knowledge! I love your channel and so happy I found it!! ❤
Thank you Jessica
Newcomer to the Craft, here 👋🏻 I just recently found your channel and I would just like to say, that you two have such wonderful chemistry together! Everything feels so honest and down to Earth. I'm learning so much. Thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you so much for sharing! 💝✨️🌜
Growing up in Ireland it was always an unspoken thing. I grew up "knowing" stuff and doing things that i didn't know why i did them. It was always this underlying thing in my family and even as a kid i remember my neighbors mother saying things and describing things but almost like a dream not remembering the details. They were all very catholic people, went to mass ever Sunday etc and the shadow the church cast over the way they spoke (careful what they said) would explain why i don't remember details in concrete detail because they'd say things in a way you had to read between the lines. That being said i went to a St Bríd primary school and then onto a Brigidine convent and they were very good about teaching us about the tuatha de danann etc. The most interesting thing i found was, i moved abroad and had my daughter abroad and without teaching her anything she would start messing around with the herb cabinet and cried when our neighbor cut down a large tree between our yards. As she got older though a few negative things happened and i stepped in to tell her be careful what you say and what you wish because it can happen or back fire. We had a conversation about how you can invite evil into your world if you don't know what your doing. The main difference between all of the neo pagan wiccan whatever and what happens most naturally in Ireland is that it's not alternative. As you mentioned with the way we deal with our dead, it's every day stuff. On the subject of baptism, for me personally I've reconciled that in with my pagan beliefs somehow. Not so much with communion or confirmation, i think thats because baptism actually came from a pagan past. Over all though for myself I've put myself into the same category as Irelands early Christians mixing the two to fit what feels best for me.
I am SO late to this wonderful conversation but I love listening to both of your channels and am excited to listen fully to this (: thank you!!!
Love from TX, US x
I'm sitting here taking notes, good stuff! [Question redacted; Google was unusually forthcoming.
Primrose and gorse spring to mind, though that would likely vary from region to region 😊 Thanks for tuning in MeiaNoite!
47:18 - I just got flashbacks to my childhood😂 I’m Irish myself so I grew up hearing the stories of the tricky fairies. My uncle had moved to Australia and had got married and had kids over there. He had raised my cousins on traditional Irish stories and folklore like I was. We went to visit them when I was about 5 or 6, they lived just outside Melbourne on a ranch (my aunty is a horse breeder) and so there were loads of trees around. I shit you not, this man had went and built a bloody fairy door into one of the trees to scare us into behaving ourselves😭😂
I really enjoyed the interview. Thank you for sharing with us.
This was brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing. Such a great interview. So helpful 🙏 💓
So glad you enjoyed Emily! 😊
What a lovely and rich conversation. Thank you both so much! 💕
Thanks for watching Michelle 😊
This is such a great interview. I've listened to Lora for hours at this stage but it's so nice to hear them in conversation. Glad I found you today Tara. 😊 Look forward to binging your channel now 😄 GRMMA ❤❤
GRMA & fáilte! 😀
Great conversation ladies, many important points. Love Eddie Lenihan's book and research on Biddy Early, she was a powerhouse and very much feel her legacy here in Clare. I think there are many unique paths to honouring our land here and the spirits of place, and what Lora spoke to of being willing to unlearn and be humble in approach. I've definitely learned through walking the land over the years and had a good few hard lessons too! Thank you both for sharing!
Hey Mara! So good to hear from you! Thanks for tuning in, I hope you're keeping well
You guys have great energy together. It was a great watch. Lots of info, and a few laughs scattered among it. I hope you create some more stuff together. Thank you.
Thanks Heather, it was so much fun to record!
The chat at the end is really terrifying. I grew up Catholic and doing CCD and the whole thing and I did not have any idea of this because I left, unofficially apparently, when I was a teenager. Terrifying. Going to have to look into this now. Thank you so much for sharing all this information. Awesome awesome conversation from the both of you. Always appreciated.
I think they are beautiful, art is exactly that "art". . Dave is a love. Love you both don't have your own house, this is a learning experience as well, sharing is great . Thank you , much Happiest of Holidays coming to you both and your families 👁️💯❤️
This channel is fantastic…supposedly I have a few drops of Irish blood in my veins…regardless Ireland is fascinating to me (Phil Lynnott may play a part in this) … been to Ireland twice, drank a few pints at the Shannon Airport bar…however was in the Army on my way to points further East at the time and never got to really see Ireland…anyways I enjoy the wide range of topics you explore and share…and the music is beautiful 😎
This is an incredible interview! I'm laughing along with you two. Tara, you really know how to lighten the room and make people feel comfortable. After 25 minutes, I wouldn't have believed that this was the first time you two had the chance to talk!
Thanks Clara! 😊
Brilliant interview! Great to see more Irish creators too
Thanks Amy!
It was a great interview!
Love this! And now I am following someone new on UA-cam!!! Yay for more Irish Voices. :D
Yay! Welcome into the ditch Misty! Thanks for tuning in :-)
Lovely video and thank you for some great new Halloween Ideas. I will certainly try the apple in the doorway thing.
This was such an interesting conversation. I've been slowly moving away from Catholicism for a long time & never really considered trying to get myself taken off my local church's books but now it's definitely something I'm going to start thinking about.
Religion is all dark magic
The Catholic church is highly satanic
Fascinating interview, thanks for sharing.
Most welcome, thanks for watching 😊
Great conversation 👌
Thank you ladies, very interesting and informative!
Thanks Anne Marie!
This was a deep and brilliant interview 👍
So glad you enjoyed Archer 12!
I really appreciate this podcast that you have put out and this interview with Laura Brian. I listen to her quite a bit and I agree with everything that you know. She gots have said everything has been so whitewashed and I am an American with 70% of Irish DNA from the Dublin area. My ancestors come over here during the about the 1600 1700 something like that. I can't remember the exact date so I'll have to pull it up, but I still feel weird calling upon not calling up on the the gods the old gods of the Irish ways. But the I would never call myself an Irish which because I am an American witch and I just happen to incorporate some of that into my American witchcraft that was taught down by my grandmother and her mother and her her. My great grandmother and her great grandmother and it's become Americanized the magic that I do and I totally own that. So I appreciate you giving me some more interesting introspect into the actual culture of Irish magic, and I feel that it even gives me a deeper respect for my magic because I know more of my ancestry
Ah thank you so much you both for this conversation, honest, fun, informative and authentic. Thank you both for sharing your gifts xx
Thank you Jude! So glad you enjoyed!
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch Still going!! You've just discussed the pains of collective ancestral trauma which is something I have been feeling in both my maternal and paternal lines of Scotland and Denmark. (Norse) You both are doing such amazing work for Ireland and to support you.
Thank you again.
Very enjoyable talk. Thank you!
I've been a spiritualist for a while and I am starting to try connect more with my practices to my Irish roots and am wondering if yous could recommend and books or story in which I could start to learn about the Tuatha De Danann,
That was awesome!
I heard this story from someone I know who’s American, his grandmother was an Irish immigrant and very Catholic, but his mother was into Irish paganism and spirituality and when the boy was born, her Irish Catholic mother wanted her to get him christened and she refused, and the grandma actually wept, full on sobbing. So he was raised more pagan than anything else and even though he’s agnostic he said “the fae are fucking real”. I just thought it was interesting.
This interview is great I watch it. I think Lora and John are really excellent at getting back to all they can. I am greatful for you Tara and Lora & John. Hope people share this with you all.
Love this!
Thanks Georgia!
it was very interesting and educating conversation, thank you very much :) As for very annoying issue with catholic church - I live in Poland, we have the same issue with them here and this is so wrong :/ Will go on a "get out of it" like oficially path anyway :)
Thanks for your comment Tavarnarnmo. It seems to me that if one Catholic can defect, then legally speaking, can't we all? At least that's how laws of a country work when they have anti-discrimination legislation in place i.e. "all equal under the law", although it's pretty easy to see we are not necessarily all equal under Canon Law.... *sigh* Hope it works out for you, keep us updated!
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch In Poland it works in way that they don't delete information about baptism from their books but send you document confirming your uh withdrawal from their corporation so it is kinda a half of win - still worth it nonetheless :) Thanks for the support, will update how it went ^.^
Love this💜
Thank you!
Amazing ☘ ❤
Thanks for your video and you almost had me until ya seem to talk about politics and the church issues.
Now that said I do want to say I will keep your video (not that matters to ya and of stupid you tube don't take it down)because there is obviously things mention that peaked my interest and I am all for history and I am a searcher but searching alone which is not great but that's the way it is.
I sorta really honor people who can put an video interview together like ya did or a video up at all especially on such subjects. I sorta wish in away I can do such but I can't for many reasons.
I am extremely interested anything Irish and such cultures and most different cultures but especially Irish for some odd reason and I am very drawn to it again very odd to me.
I wish I had the means, time and a place to live so I could actually look into more of your video of both of you and your videos but I can't. I do again thank you for your interview video. This video of yours just bubbled up and poped up so it's very new to me. And I now know I know nothing of the Irish and others as much as I thought I did. Which hurts and saddens me.
And I blame you for that (I am joking 😃.) It's ok I needed to be bobbed on the head and it just a leaning thing. No prob 😊.
Your interview with her help me learn something that the books I read and others I talk to in the past never mentioned and help me maybe consider definitely a different thing(s) to look into. I mean no harm in what I said here to you, either of ya just to let ya know. Thanks so much. Blessings, well wishes and peace to you both.
Politics and the tyrannical legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland ('the church issues', as you call them) are intrinsic to modern Irish culture. If that's something you wish to avoid, you are 100% on the wrong channel, for sure. Quite probably on the wrong culture too, to be honest.
6:49 - I actually have Celtic Magic by DJ Conway XD My Mom bought it back it the early 2000s (She's not a witch, but weirdly one of my biggest influences). Please be nice, when I say I'm in the process of reconnecting I really am coming at it fromrock bottom. XD
Awesome, thanks for that girls ❤
Most welcome Jane!
Omggggggggg I HAVE to watch this
It was a particularly fun one, I must say :-)
11 mins in.....this is cool 😎
Great conversations with very good information . But what is the name of the Irish Healer born in the 1700’s? Name of the author who writes about her.
Do you mean Biddy Early? Eddie Lenihan is the man with the stories about Biddy. He has a podcast and several books.
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch Great, Thank you! I will check them out as well as your other great tips.
You had to formally defect from the Catholic Church in Ireland? I had no idea that was a thing ....(I’m from Brooklyn, NY and was raised Roman Catholic.....but, kind of ....just left it when I got into Paganism on my 20’s.....
The idea is that formal defection lowers their numbers and their overwhelming influence on things like healthcare and education. It's a very heated time for Ireland with regards to religion right now. There was an online defection movement a decade ago which the church shut down by closing the loophole. People's feelings have only grown stronger since then, so the movement may re-emerge. I would say the atmosphere is a little different in the States, maybe not quite so 'in your face' as it is here?
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch yes the issue is not as prevalent here....(you might get a little displeasure from like older relatives, I did ...) but yes not quite so much from the institution....i
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch it's less of an issue because only 20% of the US is Catholic- I've never heard anything about the issue one way or another.
I've never heard of any of the religious Catholic holidays or practices, either.
I still don't know what Lent is except I know you gotta eat shellfish 🦐
Tbh I'm not 100% sure I understand what Lent is, and I was raised Catholic! 😆
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch touché!
Oh how I can I donate
By following this link! Thanks so much Tom!
Very interesting stuff Tara. I have been known to joke about our family being cursed. Now I'm wondering if it was real. LOL. I am curious however. What is a ditchwitch. I Google it. All I got was a company in America that made machines that dug ditches. LOL
Check out my "Answering Your Questions" video....I made a first draft attempt at answering this there, I had to psych myself up for a day or two beforehand LOL
There is also some lore about Druids and the Wicker Man
which has been transformed into a Music Festival in USA called Burning Man
THATS where it came from?!? F
I love you.
You are Awesome ✨ and beautiful 💯
How was the Ogham affected your beliefs and traditions?
Its a scam
Beliefs are not real
Do you cast spells
You're grand on the pronouns, I do accept she either ;-)
Thanks Lora, that's not so bad then, buíochas le Dia. It was a cringey but invaluable lesson for me anyway in how practicing writing a thing does not equal practice in saying a thing.
Quite interesting.
Been mad to have a chat with Lora for a while now, this was a great excuse 😆
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch I was at a few moots in Dublin back a while ago. The poor guy had to remain polite when answering some of the most insipid questions. Aghh - had to stop going.
Aye, I tend to stick to me own ditch as far as moots go. Never been to one. But I've certainly been at certain events and suddenly realised I was surrounded by wall to wall witches lol That's always fun!
Witch!!! 🤩
Really enjoyed this. A break from the hippy shite. Fia Rua
Same, myself and Lora are both the more no-nonsense types lol
You both had me in stitches
We Americans are lost, we lost our selves. I get what is being said from you being part of a culture. For instantent I maried a woman named Ireland, Im a mix of Scott, Irish and German, i have got the eye roll from Europeans that its not the same. But we revear our hearitage, we seek that connection, i was raised on German and what I thought was Irish food but Im still and American. Conversly any one from any where can come to America and be an American. No questions asked. We get confused it works that way in all countrys
Can I honor my Irish and Dutch European Irish Dutch Welch and a whole lot of English Celtic ancestors and linage. But I was born and raised in the United States. Can I honor my and ancestors and the Irish deities. I'm kind of confused to which path under the Celtic old ways to fallow? I know my highest percentage of my DNA is English so which pagan path would that be correctly???? I need advice and a bit of guidance please.💜
Blood determines nothing in Irish culture - it is engagement with the culture itself that dictates ones path. The Irish Pagan School is the only source I would recommend for connecting with authentic Irish pagan culture. Their work is highly researched from genuine sources, the teachers are Irish and no floofy New Age stuff is allowed.
DNA is great and all but it’s really not important at all in terms of which path to take. You follow your heart on what you’re being called to. You don’t let 23andme decide that for you lol.
The Dutch are Germans
and Engish is also a Germanic language
The Irish spoke Gaelic , which was an Aryan language
spoken by the Gael's
Ire , in Ireland means anger, violence or wrath
While Eng in England refers to the Angles, who mixed with the Saxons to become the English. They were Germanic or Teutonic
England means Land of Angles
Celtic culture used to be Pagan and everything was converted to Christianity by the Romans and their Jews
USA is Roman
Possiblly one of th best of the World? I'd say it is the best of the World.
Haha thanks you Sergio! :-D Welcome!
My point of saying my wife was named Ireland we venerate our ancestery and cultures.
In swedish we talk about wise woman or herbal man or woman rather than witch as witch meant risk of getting burnt.
Seems to be common to a lot of us in different countries, Anna. Maybe even worldwide??
Norse witchcraft is called Sedr
Sedr is a feminine form of magic
I need to know how to protect myself from witchcraft.
it takes one, to know one
thats the only way
If there's pagan weddings surely we can have pagan baptisms or for whatever branch people follow
I've been to a non-Christian naming ceremony and it was lovely....but the essential purpose of a baptism/Christening is to renounce Satan and bind a child's soul to the Christian Church. I don't see people from other denominations seeking to do that tbh.
@Diary of a Ditch Witch someone should tell them if they want to how to do inbaptise themselves lol. For me I just started going to a wiccan/witchcraft path at 18 and possibly out of nowhere lol like the saying "it choose you "
Speaking as a former Protestant clergy person in the US, I am still on at least one Roman Catholic church role. There are absolutely problems there.
Religion is all dark magic
A gospel is a God Spell
The bible is a book of spells
many gospels were also omitted from the bible
Its never been confirmed who wrote them
The Protestants are there to Protest
but its all still Chrisitanity. Which is a monotheistic, Abrahamic Cult
with Judaism and Islam
all the same
All with Pagan roots
There is really no such thing as Pagan-ism
pagan only means Non-Christian
so technically, any cult or sect that is Pre-Christian would be pagan by default
Pagan would normally imply polytheism but, not always
“She’s a WITCH!!!!” “Uhhh nooooo it’s jesus magic :D” “ohhhhh in that case it’s ok”
cleaning and listening to them comparing themselves to celebrities.... ugh they're so special
I work with herbs and when I add work with God prayer for sick people whom I help to Jesus and the mother of God Mary prayer increases the power of my work. God bless you
ya because religion is dark magic
The Bible is a book of spells and a weapon aimed right at the heart
of the weak and the desperate
...you guys NEED to read my book!!! Right now,, before you go any further in your studies,, U need to learn how to spot th MISINFORMATION rampant in our society!! It took 20 years for me to gather these 70 pages together!! ENJOY.... (??? not sure if that's th right word,, lol) DELUSIONS of IMPORTANCE-Confessions of an Irish King.
Sounds interesting MsGhost7. Can you tell us a bit more of what it's about?
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch ,,lol,, I can tell U loads more about it!!! But basically,, it's about my journey, How it came to b that Ireland married me,, and th knowledge imparted/gleaned since that time 20 years ago! In it I explain words like Fir Bolg, and Tuatha De Danann,, and what and where th Holy Grail is,, and a bunch of other STUFF,, lol. But be warned,, it's NOT all pretty!!!!!
@@MrGHOST678 you thinkwe, as native Irish people, need to read your book so you can explain to us our own culture and traditions? I get that you're excited about your own project but Ehhh... can you see that is a wee bit problematic there Ms Ghost?!
I thought this was odd, but then FB kicked off. We seem to have put a few noses put of joint lol
@@Ogham ...lol,, indeed I see lots of problems Lora!! I'll give U 1 example: Th Holy Grail is in Ireland, It's always been in IRELAND! We might b 'natives' but we are a displaced people!!! Most of us don't even know th romans came here, or that they killed our Royalty and our Druids!! Then they stole our religion and claimed it for themselves (after changing th meaning of a few important words) So, in a nuts shell,,(Hazel nut lol),, YES!!!,, you need to read my book so you can understand th very fucking words you're using!!!!,,, lol. But, much more than that!!! It's much bigger than you can imagine!!! My little book is but a doorway!!!
My Irish Irish grandma told me to marry a Christian. But I don't trust Christians. I was disrespected by someone who talked for Jesus. I ate amla. And something magic happened. My plugged toilet flushed without a plunger. Remember those those commercials when the green
milkshake was present? There was
good luck. Like, the bowling ball didn't
go down the gutter. I heard amla is magic. I ate one for first time cause I heard, there's medicine benefits in it. I don't think my health improved that much just eating one. But, I seemed to have good luck bout my toilet flushing. So if I eat the bush, how powerful I'll be.
So, you're grandma was wrong
You did the right thing
understand this?
Magic works ON the believers
Not FOR them
Maybe i am kinda selfish, but i'm into not sharing the knowledge at all (at least the few i know and the little i have, if i have some). In my thing i prefer (it's just a preference) let free a little ambiguity, that way not everybody it's able to understand but only those who are really into it.
Call me old fashioned, but I think (and i agree with Lora) it's a confuse noun, and I prefer to continue like that, that way it's guarantied only few people who is really interested and knows how the confused kelt noun is, i think those people are the only one who deserves the knowledge.
As i was saying, maybe it is old fashioned or selfish, I'd prefer to call it protective.
I feel you on that. I suppose I think back on how hard it was for me to find this information when I started out and I want to give younger me a leg up. Of course if they want to really know the magic, they must go study and live it
u made feel sad :´ ( , (just joking) and it's true wt u say, so it is selfishness of mine rather than ancient traditionalism. I was hopping to justifiy my secretivness, u just busted me, or not? we'll nerver know Hhhh
Wish we had them here, all of those bugs it eats , they would be alive 4ever in my backyard
Anyone can fly on a scuab dála an scéil? 😛
I take it,you don't really believe in witchcraft.
Why would you think that? 😅
10 minutes of bla bla bla!
😂🤣 Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@DiaryofaDitchWitch Smart move. But, polite and kind, and making it my duty, now, to watch more! I am conscious that many have found solace thanks to you, and for this I am grateful, but I am more interested in "witchcraft" as a "science", not as it is practiced by many.
BAFS😂🤣
Oh my … pronouns… I’m out of here… ffs
It's not an airport though 😅
Airport? @@DiaryofaDitchWitch
@@buffplumsyup, no need to announce your departure ✈🖐
I disagree, I’m just making my point after hearing that statement, pronouns… bloody modern world …. Bloody pronouns…. Ffs lol @@DiaryofaDitchWitch
@@buffplums you disagree that nobody cares whether you stay on this channel or not? I mean, I could just block you and then I wouldn't have to continue being bothered with whatever inane drivel you're spouting.
I have to dis agree with the honored guest . Ireland took on the Celts culture , linguistic qualities, and believes and abandoned druid practices . This is significant. Just as Germanic influence, or modern day Chinese influence . It may not be a ancient interpretation, but to deny the influence on culture is foolhardy.