Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺

NEW BOOK ALERT Presenting my latest 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' Link to buy: payhip.com/HauntYourHis...

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

If there’s one thing people were going to do at Samhain, it was feast. And drink ale. Lots of it. My favourite example comes from the Mesca Ulad or the Intoxication of the Ulaid (The Ulstermen). This tale was part of the Ulster Cycle, a series of stories...

The image above is from John Derricke's 1581 'The Image of Irelande, with a Discoverie of Woodkarne', much later than our Samhain period, and from an incredibly biased source. Called Mac Sweyne's feast, its one of the very few illustrations we have of Irish feasting, period. So I included it.

We know very little about Samhain. Most of it has been lost to time. But what we can most likely say: it had a lot of feasting & ale. More on Samhain myths tomorrow To learn more: In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween

Naturally, it’s Samhain so nothing goes to plan. Thus the Ulstermen find themselves hopelessly lost, in a blizzard, roaring drunk.

They ended up lost deep in the land of their enemies: Munster. What followed next was a series of capers involving more ale and narrowly avoiding immolation

preserved in writing during the medieval period, though the stories are likely much older. In this particular account, two champions, Fintan and the famous Cú Chulainn vie for who would host King Conor for his first Samhain feast as King of all Ulster.

A very big deal by their standards and one that nearly came to blows. Not wanting to escalate the conflict further, it was decided that Fintan and Cú Chulainn would both host, with guests leaving Fintan’s home in Co. Derry for Cú Chulainn’s fort in what is now Dundalk, at the stroke of midnight.

braciatrixnewsletter.substack.comIn the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folkore, and Rituals of Samhain & HalloweenIntroducing my latest book

The paperback of my latest book: 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' is now available on amazon. Link is in my latest substack below! braciatrixnewsletter.substack.com/p/in-the-nam...

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

@peterpaulrubens.bsky.social

Let's talk about the artist Harry Clarke, whose horrifyingly macabre drawings for a collection of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, make up some of my absolutely favourite spooky - and public domain - art. This first one is of Madeline Usher of The Fall of The House of Usher, with her streaming...

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

Dr. Peter Paul Rubens

Festive witches' sabbath as imagined by a follower of Jan Mandijn. Because who could resist those dancing cats?

And this one from the Mystery of Marie Roger. The trees lining the dark pathway, the indifference in the way he treats his victim.

And finally the one that graces the cover of my latest work, In the Name of the Devil, the drawing for The Premature Burial. Here a man lies trapped in his coffin, buried six feet underground and very much still alive. We can see the terror on his face as he awaits his fate

Merchant Adventurers’ Hall

Burial shroud and outstretched limbs, she is both horror and what remains of those who have been horrified. Next we have this one from the Masque of Red Death, a figure stands in front of a grandfather clock, holding up a mask, dagger lying forgotten below

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

@merchantshallyork.org

As Halloween is round the corner we thought we’d share some medieval bats. A thread… 🧵 🦇

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

IrishBeerHistory

@beerfoodtravel.bsky.social

With Savour food festival in Kilkenny on this coming weekend, and no doubt some brewing history being talked about there, here's a bit of history on Kilkenny breweries. Updated to include a bit about Sullivan's demise ...

beerfoodtravel.blogspot.comBrewing History: Some Notes on Pre-Twentieth Century Kilkenny Breweries[Revised & Expanded - May 2025] The early brewing history of Ireland is a murky place to visit, especially when it comes to trying to pinpoint the exa

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

merryn

@merryn02.bsky.social

Reposting this cos suddenly it's suddenly very busy on my page. Which is nice!

merryn@merryn02.bsky.social

About a year since I submitted this article to The Prehistoric Society. This link takes you to everything we've written on malt, malting and prehistoric ale, a better word than beer for unhopped fermented drinks made from malted grains like barley, wheat and rye. www.researchgate.net/publication/...

researchgate.net(PDF) Importance of being malted: making malt sugars in the PalaeolithicPDF | In 1953 archaeologist Robert Braidwood initiated a debate. What began the domestication of cereals in the Ancient Near East? Was it bread or beer?... | Find, read and cite all the research you n...

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

When I think of vintage Halloween, I think bobbing for apples. This 1911 Halloween postcard in collection at the Missouri History Museum really embodies that nostalgic Halloween feel. But the tradition is much older 📚👻🎃

Sometimes it wasn't only apples though. Some people reported adding a sixpence or other coins in the mix to liven things up a bit further.

More in my latest: In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween

duchas.iedúchas.ieTionscadal digitithe Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, ceann de na cnuasaigh bhéaloidis is mó ar domhan

The 1930s, the Irish Folklore Commission started the Schools' Collection, when children would interview members of their communities about Folklore, customs, traditions, and more. What we have now on duchas.ie includes an amazing treasure trove of Halloween traditions. Featuring bobbing for apples!

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

Lars Marius Garshol

@larsga.bsky.social

Today I'm doing a beer history AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit based around the new book. You might find the questions and answers interesting. If you have an account you can also ask your own. old.reddit.com/r/history/co...

old.reddit.comAMA: I'm Lars Marius Garshol, beer historian 🍻. I just published "The Power of Beer". Ask me anything!I mainly work on traditional farmhouse brewing in Europe, but I recently published "[The Power of...

I love a pumpkin. Big, round, perfect for carving; and the foundation for many a delicious sweet treat - what's not to like? But I think in all our Halloween pumpkin obsession we forget the traditional star of the season: the apple

So petition to honour the apple at a rightful spooky fruit of the Halloween season.

You can learn more about apples in my latest: In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween. Link in bio

It's divination rituals like this one, written down in the 1930s Schools' Collection for the Folklore Commission, that form the backbone of my latest: In the Name of the Devil

Apples are ubiquitous in the Halloween celebrations of 18th- 20th-century Ireland. Not just for rituals, but games and foods. One other name for Halloween was actually Snap Apple night, after that game. More on that later

Picture this it's Halloween night and you slowly approach a mirror, holding tight to the apple in your hand. You watch your reflection take a bite as you ask the devil to show you the apparition of your future spouse

NEW BOOK ALERT Presenting my latest 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' Link to buy: payhip.com/HauntYourHis...

Cover drawing is Harry Clarke's 1919 illustration for Edgar Allan Poe's The Premature Burial, which features.... and man buried alive.

Ps I know ive fallen off the face of the earth, but whilst I have had amazing couple years professionally, I have been in hell health wise. Think I have finally cracked it though!

NEW BOOK ALERT Presenting my latest 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' Link to buy: payhip.com/HauntYourHis...

This was only meant to be a short independent thing, but I got carried away and now its like 35,000 words...

In any event its on payhip now but will be expanding for a wider publication reach soon

NEW BOOK ALERT Presenting my latest 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' Link to buy: payhip.com/HauntYourHis...

We'll meet ghosts and devils and find out why you should never eat blackberries after November's Night. There will be recipes, games, divinations, and dares all designed to fully immerse you in the stories.

Drawing primarily on medieval Irish myths and the 1930s Schools Collection, we will dig up the traditions buried under decades of money and marketing.

NEW BOOK ALERT Presenting my latest 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' Link to buy: payhip.com/HauntYourHis...

Alan McLeod / A Good Beer Blog

For all those who know Halloween is not just a holiday, its a lifestyle. 'In the Name of the Devil: An Immersive Guide to the History, Folklore, and Rituals of Samhain & Halloween' is a crash course through centuries of spooky.

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

@agoodbeerblog.bsky.social

abetterbeerblog427.comThe Charming Disarming And Slightly Alarming Beery News Notes For A Thursday In June – A Good Beer Blog

This week’s beery news notes were brought to you by many including @morrighani.bsky.social @beervana.bsky.social @braciatrix.bsky.social @willcleveland13.bsky.social @thebeerfather.bsky.social @anthonygladman.com and many more including an announcement from @boakandbailey.bsky.social on #TheSession

Alan McLeod / A Good Beer Blog@agoodbeerblog.bsky.social

What’s the best Uzbek lager? The best Senegalese stout? Over the next few weeks the beer expert educator consulting class no doubt will tell us. Perhaps ten changes to FIFA’s governance model to go with taproom chit chat might be the better theme. Ten ways to avoid visa restrictions.

Dr Christina Wade 👻🍺 reposted

So one of my new favourite things to do is seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Baconing all types of Irish buildings or art or literally anything to beer history. Ie, making connections between what you can see, what there once was, and beer.

Right so Howth Castle. Did you know what many of the defensive structures in Ireland- in particular those built by the medieval English, were paid for in part by taxes on ale, malt and brewing equipment? From Walls to towers to upkeep of bridges, ale in part, paved the way.

I'll be posting more of this kind of content, so let me know if you have anything in particular you'd like me to link. Oh and as always, much more of this kinda thing in Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland Cheers!

So today we have Howth Castle. I always forget how much I love Howth but had a wander up there the other day because I am currently obsessed with Widow's Bay and realised we have our only lovely seaside town steeped in history... and mystery just a short train ride away. Off I went.

braciatrix.comYou Are The GatekeeperImage from r/memes, username deleted. There is no historian, only Zuul. And like the 1984 Ghostbuster’s demonic entity, they too control who gets through the door. And with that reference I have ab…

8 June

Everything you consume, from the books you read to the podcasts you listen to, has been selected by someone. Creators of all kinds act as Gatekeepers. Read on to see why that matters, link in bio. braciatrix.com/2026/06/08/y...

eventbrite.ieFilthy Queens: Women in Dublin’s Brewing TradeSeries 2 of ‘Dublin’s Hidden Histories’, a collaboration between the Trinity Long Room Hub, Near FM and Unit18 (Trinity in the Community).

12 May

Come see me this Wednesday, May 13th from 12:15-1pm as part of Trinity Talks with @nearfm.ie and TCD Long Room Hub. We will be chatting all things my book Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland. Its free but do RSVP! All welcome. Hope to see you there! RSVP: www.eventbrite.ie/e/filthy-que...

30 Apr

Gutted to be missing the Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards 2026 tonight, but incredibly honoured that Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland made the shortlist amongst so many great books. Best of luck to everyone!