Geraldine Moorkens Byrne: Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction

Preorder Draíocht Ceoil, The Sound of Magic in Irish Traditions

2026-04-02T15:44:00.004+00:00

Draíocht Ceoil The Sound of Magic in Irish Traditions is out 28th April (uk) May 5th USA) from Moon Books. With many people looking to suport indie retailers, small bookshops, and online sites other than the obvious ones, I wanted to provide a list of places to preprder or order when published. Do note thanks to the Irish title the í in Draíocht is rendered as a ? in some

Halloween Part Two: The Ghosts of Halloween Past

2025-10-14T12:59:00.003+00:00

When I was a kid, Halloween in Ireland was Halloweve, or indeed, Hallows 'Eve, if you listened to my third class teacher. Halloween was an "Americanism" and before the deluge of seasonally themed horror movies and spooky family films, it was rarely used. Hallow'eve was the norm. Costumes consisted of black bin liners, with shop bought or homemade masks. In school, if you were lucky to

Ep 29 ~ The Magic in Geraldine Moorkens Byrne (Draoí, poet and author)

2025-10-13T19:20:00.001+00:00

Thoroughly enjoyed chatting to Frances Billinghurst, author and Antipodean witch, for her series "The Magic in You" on her YouTube channel. Go follow for this and lots more great content and interviews.

Halloween Part one: Divination, Magic and Ghost Stories at Halloween / Samhain in Ireland

2025-10-10T11:21:00.000+00:00

On of the main activities at Halloween / Oiche Shamhna in Ireland has always been Divination, especially trying to figure out your chances of love or prosperity for the coming year. While we might tend to overlook these practices, or indeed sneer at love spells or divination, like all folk magic these traditions sprang from need, from necessity. A peasant population, denied access to

Be Someone's Sparkly Blue Comfort Jumper: Suantraí, the magic of soothing music

2025-09-12T15:46:00.002+00:00

@draiochtceoil Suantrí is soothing music. We need it right now. #soundmagic #Irishwitch #witchesoftiktok ♬ original sound - Draiocht Ceoil Suantraí is one of the 3 strains of Music in Irish traditions: it refers to soothing, calming music (and lullabies) and it's the music we need in the world right now ;) not to avoid the work that needs to be done, but to carve out

Urban Pagan: Liminal Days in the City

2025-09-04T14:31:00.008+00:00

The Threshold of WinterIn my class on Urban Paganism, for the Irish Pagan School*, I talk about how the city - all cities, all villages and communities - have their own liminal days. Just as we see the passing of the seasons in the countryside, mark the advent of Spring by the unfurling of buds or the onset of winter by the cascading leaves, we can see the "seasons" of the city as we travel

Draíocht Ceoil, Wards and Conflict #draíochtceoil #irishwitchcraft

2025-04-14T16:36:00.001+00:00

This Blog post is an expansion of the TikTok Video on Draíocht Ceoil. Like and follow for more content. Confrontation is hard. Especially if you're sensitive to tone, inflexion and nuance. Like being in a too noisy room, it can prompt a flight/fight reflex. If you have Misophonia it can be painful, physically and emotionally and not necessarily just shouting. Insulting tones, sneering, a

Birdsong - One of Nature's Healing Sounds

2025-03-27T13:06:00.002+00:00

BIRDSONG...Someone asked me recently why I record birdsong. It's not like I do so excessively or anything, I don't keep a database of various species and their warbling, but every now and then if I am privileged enough to see and hear a particularly beautiful moment, I'll video and share. I was surprised that this person found it strange - to me birdsong is simply one of the most glorious and

Joy and Folkmagic - the missing ingredient

2025-03-14T15:43:00.000+00:00

Further to some great discussions recently about folk magic traditions and their role in community building (both historically and in this fractured present) I wanted to share a few thoughts on joy and humour in folk magic. And in spirituality, in our relationship with our inner sacred landscapes and our deities.For many people, trying to reconnect to their indigenous folk traditions, or

Sound Energy in a Time of Fascism

2025-03-08T21:17:00.003+00:00

We have a duty to ourselves and the world to speak up. It's not easy but we can make a difference.There are ways to raise our voices - or amplify voices who should be heard.We can be proactive - mundane or magical, both count.Sound Energy in a Time of Fascism Write letters / make calls. Compose Rosc and call the wrath of all passing gods on them. Choose honied words and persuade the

Inspiration strikes ! #crimefiction #mysterywriter #amwriting

2023-02-02T14:14:00.003+00:00

Today I was reading a headline in the British papers that seemed to come straight from a crime novel; the case itself is tragic, and current, and involves the loss of a real person, but the alibi presented by the accused is as twisty as an Agatha Christie plot.I take a lot of inspiration from newspapers. Not just alibis or details of crimes but often a seemingly innocuous story will

#bookreview The Reaper of Justice, Anne Frehill - #irishfiction #ireland #irishwarofindependence #revolutionaryIreland

2022-10-18T16:20:00.007+00:00

"Reapers of Justice" Anne FrehillSet during one of my favourite periods of Irish history, the revolutionary years between the Rising and Independence, Reapers of Justice is the story of a young schoolteacher, Sarah Murphy, in love with a freedom fighter, Sean . Through the story of their tumultuous love, we see the friction, upheaval and danger of those years juxtaposed against the strict

LIFFEY SOUND FM BOOKLINE INTERVIEW

2022-10-18T15:10:00.001+00:00

Join me on Liffey Sound FM on Sunday 30th at 11 am as I talk writing, books and Caroline Jordan with Teresa Quinn on the excellent Bookline programme. Listen Livehttp://liffeysoundfm.ie/sneak peak on Saturday 29thhttps://www.facebook.com/liffeysoundfmBOOKLINETeresa Quinn interviews local, national and international authors each week about their new releases.

New Blog Series! Meet the Main Character - interviews with #characters from great adult and kids #books

2022-10-18T14:53:00.002+00:00

COMING SOON! A new blog series, where the main characters of great modern books, for adults and kids, answer all the questions we want answered! From grilling detectives to chatting with adorable monsters - these fictional characters will walk off the page and be interviewed.Follow the blog below or follow me on Facebook or Twitter @gerceltAUTHORS - If you'd like your main

Caroline Jordan's Ideal Trip to Dublin #TheBodyPolitic #CarolineJordanMysteries #Dublin #Ireland #IrishBlog #MysteryBooks

2022-05-08T18:09:00.003+00:00

A reader emailed me to ask, as they're visiting Dublin soon, what would be Caroline Jordan's Ideal Visit recommendations!Well in honour of such a fabulous question here's a blog post to answer, and I hope you enjoy it Amy.Now, we all know the last 2 years have brought a really hard time for the city centre, with a lot of really cool places have closed down. But there are still absolute gems

Writing Book Three - a glimpse behind the scenes!

2022-04-07T09:57:00.005+00:00

The third book in the Caroline Jordan Mystery Series is The Body Beautiful. Taking up the Jordan PR story several months after the The Body Count, we find Paula Hughes preparing for her wedding. But what should be - according to all the romance novelists - a magical time is fraught with worries about her appearance. Paula has always been a little self deprecating about her looks, despite

Plague and Procrastination...#covid #writing #amwriting #WritingCommunity #Readers #Reading #ReadingCommunity

2022-01-27T13:07:00.003+00:00

Blank Pages Mocking MeWell it happened, Dear Reader. The plague has struck our house in the form of two wee boys. The youngest turned 8 on Friday and had a positive test on Monday. What a way to celebrate! The 11 yr old promptly joined in the fun. Symptoms ranged from sick tummies to hacking coughs with a few brief periods between where they felt ok. Thankfully both have had one vaccination

So what's New for 22? My plans for the coming year, including new #books and #podcast

2022-01-08T12:42:00.007+00:00

The Year Ahead...Well I hope we all survived the festivities, or lack of them. Ours was a mixed bag - sadness because one family member wasn't with us for xmas, and although he's safe and in the best care, it was upsetting versus the joy of being home with the boys for pretty much two solid weeks, broken only by a trip to visit family or visits from family. Conscious of the rising Covid

New Year, Five Simple Words #newyear #resolutions #parenting #creativity

2022-01-03T15:30:00.005+00:00

Five Simple WordsEach word has power, each sound carries magic for the New Year.The whole new year's resolution thing isnt for me at least not in recent years. I've done that, suffered the self recrimination and guilt, given up on the whole debacle. Instead, for the last 10 years I've chosen a word or phrase that I feel I'll live up to for the year. One year was "movement" and

As we edge towards year's end....#xmas #books #writing #writinglife

2021-12-24T00:06:00.002+00:00

It's been one long strange year.Feeling the urge to take stock as this year grinds closer to the nadir of the wheel's turn. Indeed as of yesterday it passed that point and we're on way back to the light.It's not easy to sum 2021 up. Certainly the glib answer would be covid/stress that would kill a horse/fresh hell. But despite a terrible year in some ways, good things happened.

Buying The Body Count on AMAZON #amazon #error #brokenlinks #buyeditionsonline

2021-12-17T15:37:00.002+00:00

BUY THE BODY COUNT on AMAZONAmazon have created an error and until it's fixed please noteto buy a KINDLE edition HERE USAto buy a KINDLE edition HERE UKto buy a PAPERBACK edition HERE USAto buy a PAPERBACK edition HERE UKFor all links including signed copies bio.link/germoorkensbyrne

The Body Count Publication Day! #book #booklaunch #newbook #crimefiction #murdermystery #mysterybook #irishwriter #ireland

2021-12-15T10:50:00.003+00:00

It's Publication Day !!The Body Count, A Caroline Jordan Mystery Book 2 is here New Friends. New Clients. New Enemies.Old Secrets... It's 2012 and the banking scandals have hit Ireland hard; the Bank of Leinster finds its image in need of emergency help. Which means Jordan PR

The Body Count pre-orders on #Kindle open now!

2021-11-18T17:09:00.001+00:00

MAD EXCITEMENT here! Preorders have opened on KINDLE for The BodyCount, Caroline Jordan Mystery Book 2.It's 2012 and the banking scandals have hit Ireland hard. The beleaguered Bank of Leinster desperately need an image makeover - and this means Jordan PR are about to pitch for their biggest contract yet. With her best friends and colleagues about to get married, Caroline is

The Body Politic: Caroline Jordans's #Dublin in 2012

2021-09-02T12:09:00.001+00:00

It's 2012 and Caroline Jordan is about to be embroiled in her latest mystery, The Body Count. So in previous posts we've explored Christ Church the area she works in and the area around Leinster House, the home of Irish Politics. but there's so much more to Dublin than buildings, or even pubs and restaurants.Dublin is a city justly famed for its characters, wit and unique outlook.

Mael Bridge "A Brigit of Ireland Devotional" BOOK LAUNCH - I'll be reading #poetry at it #booklaunch #pagan #bridget #spirituality

2021-08-27T10:19:00.006+00:00

“A Bridget of Ireland Devotional”Join me at a FREE online Book Launch; a community celebration of Poetry and Devotional worksI will be reading poetry tomorrow night Saturday 28th 9pm Irish Time (1pm Pacific Time)To celebrate the launch of Mael Bridge’s long awaited book, A Bridget of Ireland Devotional,”You are welcome to join us on 28 August from 1:00-2:30 PM Pacific Time (starts 9:00 PM