The 32 Ingredients Podcast

Gather Around for Bronze Cauldron Stew! - Episode 9

New Metal, New Meals!The Bronze Age brings Ireland into the 2nd Millennium BCE and a whole new style of dining hits the island! Join us as we discuss the cutting edge cooking implements, new diners from central Europe, and a very old, culinary mystery, in Ireland's new metal meal era!

Ireland's Geneva Convention - Garnish #2

In a time of violence, where the strong preyed on the innocent, one man decided enough was enough!
 
Abbot Adomnán of Iona gather the mighty and the proud of Ireland and Britain to bring peace and law to conflict in Ireland. The document he creates is Ireland's first international agreement, and the oldest document to establish rights of the innocent.

The Mysterious Origin of Ireland's Favourite Plant - Garnish #1

The shamrock is an iconic image of Ireland, the exact origin of which is completely unknown. Delve into the mysterious source of Ireland's favourite plant in this garnish episode of the 32 Ingredients Podcast!

Saint Patrick's Confessio - Episode 8

Ireland's Patron Saint, its oldest historical figure. The crozier, the shamrock, the snakes, but none of that is real.Join Ciarán as he leaps into the life and times of Patrick, as he wanted to be known.

The Invention of Ireland's Oldest Game

Is it 3,000 years old, or a Victorian propaganda dream? The sport of hurling has claimed to train warriors as children, to encapsulate the spirit of the Gael, and to be "greatest game ever played by any man"!
 
But what are the facts? Where is the history? Dive into the murky story of Hurling, where facts and fantasy create a story of magic, murder, and mayhem.

Ireland's First Artists - Episode 6

Walk the finest gallery of Neolithic Ireland and see the glorious spirals and incredible creativity of Ireland's first artists.
 
Enigmas and mysteries abound in works of art that are impossible to read but which sing to our souls none-the-less. Join Ciarán in an exploration of 6,000 year old human creations.

Food, Glorious, Stone Age Food! - Episode 5

Ciarán takes a culinary look at the earliest meals in Ireland's past, from bear and reindeer carved up on the ice, to the scallop scoffers of 9,000 years ago, up to the intestinal discomfort of lactose intolerant farmers!

The Banshee

Hear her and fear her. The Banshee transcends the borders of Ireland herald the arrival of death in Irish families.In this episode Ciarán digs in to the legends, the traits, and the origins of this spectral messenger if death.

Changelings & the Tragedy of Bridget Cleary

As Hallowe'en approaches we turn to the darker and more sinister side of the Irish heritage...
 
The fairy changeling is a creature of invasion and horror, representing the unseen forces which tear families apart. Through the history of Bridget Cleary, a young woman from Tipperary, the 32 Ingredients podcast turns a critical eye to the changeling in Irish culture.
 
From the Irish Folklore Commission collection (duchas.ie ):
Owen Cronin Wickermaker and the Fairies: The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0528, Page 361
Fairy Story: The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0978, Page 029
Fort, Sugán, Pisreóga: The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0162, Page 012

Ringforts Part 2

The Normans come in and start kicking things over, but what happens to the humble Irish ringfort? When do the fairies begin moving in? And why do so many of these things survive to see the light of modern Ireland?
 
The answers are here.
 
Sometimes.
 
Other times we speculate wildly.