Mná Feasa ~ Wise Women

Do you salute the magpie? Have you ever decorated a May Altar? Did you ever go rambling? There are so many old traditions and superstitions, commonplace in years gone by, that have become a rarity in modern Kilkenny. To understand who the women of Kilkenny are today, it’s important to reflect on who we were and where we’ve come from. In episode nine, older women of Kilkenny share some of the many traditions, superstitions and bel...

The religious landscape of Ireland has undoubtedly seen dramatic change in recent years, and Kilkenny is no exception. In episode eight, older women of Kilkenny reflect on their own personal faith, life in a predominantly Catholic society and how the Catholic church’s stronghold on the community impacted not only how we saw others, but how we saw ourselves. This collaboration is kindly funded by commemorative initiatives under t...

In episode seven, older women of Kilkenny share their experience of the workplace, what professional ambitions they held for themselves, how young they truly were when setting out on their career paths, and what was expected of them as wives and mothers. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://hele...

In episode six, I talk to local Kilkenny women about dancehalls, dates and drinks. The vibrant social scene that played out in venues such as the Mayfair in Kilkenny, the absence of alcohol and the many romances that sprung from the dancefloor.

This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com...

Today, Kilkenny residents wake up each morning to the luxury of electricity. We can switch on the telly, do our laundry in the washing machine, we even have bathrooms with running water and a flushing toilet! Basic amenities that nowadays, we see more as a necessity than a luxury. But we don’t need to venture very far back in history to conceive of a world where these creature comforts were very rare indeed. In episode five, olde...

There’s nothing like a bit of retail therapy. Now, while that therapy might take the form of online shopping these days, in the past that therapy was found by visiting your local shop, not just for their produce, but for the chit chat, catching up on the local happenings and news. In episode four, older women of Kilkenny share memories of their local shops, and their insight into how the way we shop, and what we shop for, has co...

In episode two, we hear from local older women across the county of Kilkenny about their schooldays. How different was the education system then to how children of Kilkenny might experience it now? What are their feelings towards Peig Sayers? And did they really have to walk miles to get to school?

This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and ...

Welcome to Mná Feasa, a podcast series featuring the stories of dozens of older women from County Kilkenny, produced by Helena Byrne, in collaboration with Kilkenny County Council Library Services and Kilkenny Heritage. On November 3rd 1324 in Kilkenny City, Petronilla of Meath became the first woman to be burned at the stake for witchcraft in the British Isles. As maid to Dame Alice Kyteler, she was found guilty of heretical sorc...