In rural Ireland, certain families have held the hereditary power to heal specific ailments for generations. They never charge for it. And people still come to them today.

Photo: Shutterstock — Dramatic coastline of County Donegal, Ireland, with rocky cliffs and Atlantic Ocean Donegal is Ireland’s wild frontier — a county of towering …

Wander Wild Festival returns to Killarney National Park (17-19 April 2026) with 120+ events — hiking Carrauntoohil, kayaking, yoga, fireside storytelling, and wild Kerry culture. Plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

Discover why thousands of ancient Irish families chose to live on man-made islands in their lakes — and what archaeologists are still finding beneath the water today.

The Irish currach has barely changed in 3,000 years. Discover the ancient skin-on-frame boat that still launches on the Atlantic coast of Ireland today.

The story of Irish crossroads dancing — the beloved outdoor tradition that authorities tried to ban but rural communities refused to abandon, forever.

Ireland’s poitin was banned for three centuries but never disappeared. Discover who made it, where it was hidden, and why the west of Ireland still celebrates it today.

The story of Deirdre of the Sorrows — the ancient Irish myth of beauty, prophecy, and doomed love that has moved storytellers for over a thousand years.

Discover the ancient legend of Tír na nÓg — the Irish warrior who found eternal paradise and lost everything the moment he came home. A timeless story of longing.

In old Ireland, meeting a red-haired person before a journey was the worst possible omen. Discover the strange superstition that Irish fishermen feared most.