It’s become the official symbol of *his* day, but did St. Patrick really teach Irish pagans about the Trinity with the help of a shamrock?
Category Archives: History
Did St. Patrick Chase the Snakes Out of Ireland?
Driving the snakes out of Ireland is one of St. Patrick’s biggest claims to fame, but does this serpentine story hold up?
Was St. Patrick Irish? English? Welsh? Scottish? Italian? French?
Many assume that Ireland’s patron saint must have been Irish. The reality of St. Patrick’s nationality is more complicated.
Was St. Patrick a Real Person?
Did St. Patrick actually exist? Uncover the historical evidence that Patrick (re: Maewyn Succat) was a real (but often misunderstood) person
A Modern-Day Druid Is Using Ancient Celtic Wisdom to Save the World, One Sacred Tree at a Time
What can the ancient Celts can teach us about environmentalism? A druid’s guide to saving sacred trees
Imbolc Explained: The Celtic Origins of Groundhog Day
Ever wonder how Groundhog Day became a thing? It started with Imbolc, the ancient Celtic feast day of the fertility goddess Brigid
The Celtic Origins of Kissing Under the Mistletoe at Christmas
Why do people pucker up beneath a parasitic plant during Christmastime? Explore the ancient Celtic origins of this midwinter custom
6 Halloween Rituals Rooted in the Ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain
The origins of Halloween are rooted in the ancient Celtic harvest festival of Samhain. But how, specifically, did Samhain give rise to all those wacky Halloween rituals?
Abhartach Explained: Was Bram Stoker’s Vampire Dracula Inspired by an Irish Chieftain?
No, Dracula wasn’t based on Vlad the Impaler. Uncover the Irish origins of Bram Stoker’s vampire.
Did the Dullahan, the Irish Headless Horseman, Really Inspire ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’?
An in-depth history of the Dullahan and how he may (or may not) have influenced Washington Irving’s headless horseman