43 Comments

Amazing writing as always. Full of light and joy and life! You really should write more of your life as you have seen so much and experienced so many things that are so rarely spoken of. I loved the poem especially. It woke memories in me of my adventure at Chanctonbury, where a huge shadowy force tried to overpower me and when I refused it physically knocked others who were with me to the ground. There is so much here to think about. Keep writing and share some more of your life.

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I will try... at one time speaking of these things was almost forbidden but I grew up with it all in a very natural way, and the Irish treat the processes of life and death so differently. The rituals of the vigil and dying experience and the wakes etc; xx

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John Matthews is right, there is so much to think about! 🙏

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I have been thinking about it the whole day...

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We grew up with all these mysteries that were perfectly normal in Ireland. I am going to write something about charms one of these days. So many who lived around us had 'charms' and means of healing everything from livestock to humans. So little is known about them.

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My mother and father were child hood sweethearts. Mom was 18 when I was born. She passed at 63 leaving my father totally bereft. When he passed nine years later (from Mad Cow Disease)...he was in the hospital I worked in. I woke up in the middle of the night smelling my mother's perfume. (She used to marinate in it...) It was on my hands, my pillow, in my nose. I quickly called the hospital and his nurse, who was a friend of mine...also called Robin ;) told me she had just been in his room and he was resting very quietly. I asked she look again...and call me back if there was a change. No sooner had I got my feet into bed, the phone rang. He was gone. What a gift of visitation my mother gave me. Had to pass that on...xo

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Yes I know exactly what you mean. I used to sleep with my grandmother when I was a child. After she passed, when there was any event in the family, I would have the scent of this lavender water she used. It would permeate the room. Even when I lived abroad if anything happened back home the same thing would occur in a different geographical space. I think smells and scents do matter greatly. I have visited three places in the world where the scent in the air immediately made me feel as if I were home again and had a life there before. Xxx

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I know the feeling of belonging somewhere else. I feel that in Killarney, even though our clan (Roach) is from Cork. I also feel it in Marstrand Sweden, where my long line of ancestry on mother's side is from. Something to do with the salt air, I believe. xoxo

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I felt it in India and in Istanbul and Ireland of course on every inch of it, and Japan. There are places still to visit in the world but since the pandemic things have changed. Babylonian architecture really got to me and I seemed to be drawn to different places in Turkey. Xxx

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I love Killarney too xxx

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The Gap of Dunloe is surreal

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Tears in my eyes hitting my keyboard as I read the story of Robin and Ollie. 😞 May Robin Rest In Peace. Sending you my love.

My own dogs and cats have displayed their psychic or supernatural abilities to me. There is so much happening beyond our 5 senses. Thank you for sharing these captivating stories. I was mesmerized this morning! Have a beautiful day! 🤗💞✨

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Thank you for that, Charlotte. We had Irish wolfhounds and they really loved one another. We had one called Paddy who adored Kerry who was a rescue and had physical problems in walking. As they got worse, Paddy knew Kerry liked apples. He would break off a whole branch and drag it to her to munch on the apples. The last day she passed away during an operation. Paddy waited for her and fetched an apple and put it on her bed. She never returned and he almost died of a broken heart. We tried everything to help him. He would not eat. We had to get another wolfhound right away. As soon as Missy (Mistletoe) came into the house, he rushed to eat his food. Ignored her for a few days and then they bonded. Missy always ate three quarters of her food and left a little at the end for Paddy when we fed them both. Amazing dogs. They loved fruit and ate plums in the garden, spitting out the pips. I have twelve new plum trees because of them! Xxx

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Thank you Charlotte. All the brothers had special connection with their pets. There was a horse lived near us and Robin would sing and the horse would gallop towards him. I have so many stories of animals reacting to his voice as much as humans did. I am going to include it in his autobiography that he was compiling before he died. Xxx

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I had the same experience reading it now.

In particular some of my cats have shown me what some might call ‘gone with the fairies’ but what not just my experience.

An old girl I had adopted, has been found wandering the streets in a horrible state. She must have been around 18 years old.

She came and soon after got ill. She showed not just signs of terrible neglect but also of abuse and I often sat with her, hugging her. All she wanted was to be loved. I felt that she wouldn’t be with me for much longer. In the end, the vet was unable to do more for her and as she got worse, we decided it was time to give her peace. She fell into that deep sleep in my arms.

A day or two later, I was sitting on the sofa, dozing a bit, when she appeared. She was rolling across the floor, covered in tiny sparkles (angel dust a friend calls it), looking at me, and I’d almost say she smiled. Then she was gone.

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Love the pics!

Symbols embody wisdom that's been passed down through the ages, part of our human condition. We can all become seers, understanding what's coming through these manifestations. I believe in this. There's a connection between teeth falling out and also a voice I hear in my dreams that tells me things that turn out to be true...these types of dreams in my life foretell things to come. This has been a recurring theme throughout my life. My 102-year-old aunt has experienced the same phenomenon throughout her life. Who can tell me if I'm superstitious or if it's not true? nobody understands this in my life...

Carl Gustav Jung helped me so much to understand this part of myself... I'd like to write about this...

I wish had met Robin so much. I only met him through vinyl record covers that my big cousin would buy, and I always gravitated towards him. I told my cousin when I was very young, pointing at Robin's pictures on the records, 'He is funny.' And my cousin said, 'He is not funny, you just like him.

And, here we are...

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His voice was very special. There was a quality to it that moved the soul. I remember his little niece in her mother's arms around three years old, listening to him sing solo with a smile on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks. It was very special.

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Paul and I just finished watching a Netflix series called " Baby Raindeer" and I started a joke was in one of the last episodes. This man was walking around, a real mess, then they played the song! So beautiful

Robin Gibb had beautiful voice - obviously no question about it. As I watch YouTube interviews and concerts of Robin The world can see what a magical and unique artist he was and probably as a person he was too. Again, love his voice and hopefully he knows he has been part of my life...who knows?

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Thank you - was both moved and fascinated in turns! The fifth gift of Tonn Aeir in Irish - the Wave of Breath drew my attention also because by chance I listened yesterday to a physicist on a BBC radio 4 programme talking about the mysterious - unquantifiable- gravitational waves that somehow holds us and the universe we know (and who knows what else we don't!) together. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001ypyf When I mentioned this to my Irish husband he was reminded of Samuel Beckett's shortest play Breathe.

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I really enjoyed this. Thanks

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Fascinating... your love of history and the paranormal brought to life in your wonderful writings.

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I don’t even think of it as paranormal. It is all just part of the life we see or feel. Xx

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Agree very much so

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Thanks for such a rich, evocative piece. Even though it's my own history, I'd forgotten some of it, while other parts are wholly new. Absolutely fascinating. Many thanks for the opportunity to read.

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Kit, we live with it and accept it but life trundles along and then we are reminded of what a huge store of myth and magic there is on these islands. It is a birthright and a gift. Most people are ‘fae’ from an early age and it is so normal that we don’t feel it is different in any way. X

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Yes, and we’re often away over the seas for a fare old time. I wish now that I’d asked long-gone relatives so much more about their memories and experiences, many of which were mystical.

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I wish I had asked my grandmother and mother many things now before I travelled ***

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Thank you for sharing this with us, sad, but also encouraging. The spirits mean us well.

Someone is watching over us, I am certain.

<3

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Definitely protected in so many ways. Intuition plays a big part but sometimes we are suddenly moved to go somewhere or avoid somewhere for no reason and then find out afterwards why… as if we actually lived this life before and ‘know’ what is ahead. Xxx

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well expressed. thank you.

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Amazing as always. You put soul to your characters. Love the traditions and legends as I am Irish but don't know anything about this. Thank you for all you do in keeping us informed and entertained. Can you buy the Irish series in the US? I have looked but unable to find it.

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Not sure which Irish series. I am sure there are plenty of them, Teresa. I enjoy the legends and the mythology, even more so, the mystery and reality. It all tumbl;es together in Ireland, thank goodness. I just learned recently that very few witches were burnt at the stake in Ireland compared to anywhere else in the world because of the belief in Faeries (fairies). I suppose it was easier to blame the faeries than a human if anything went wrong or was misplaced!

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Wonderful informative writing and especially good to hear your wealth of experience and knowledge. It is very inspiring when you hear the ancient lore in context to daily life, thank you xx

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It is quite an interesting situation to be in, growing up and knowing about the Banshee all of my life in a natural way, accepted by the family, but I found it quite a bold step to take writing about it because of inherent fears in others. But perhaps it will encourage others to speak of these occurrences. Almost everyone has omens or inklings before big events, and possibly reflect on them afterwards but are hesitant to talk about them. xx

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I have now finished the second Cormac book and can feel your experience coming through the characters- brilliant by the way xx

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Thank you! I promise to have the third one finished this year... it is quite startling! xx Hard to leave the characters.

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I will look forward to that !

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Finished The Vedic Tarot now and back to Cormac The Sage… one of these days it will get there! You have so much knowledge yourself…. Would love to see a book on it all? Xx

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That is great news, I would love to read more... Thank you for your kind words maybe one day I will write a book xx

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You have most of it written already on Substack… just gather it all up and hey presto there is your book!

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Oh my, maybe I should :)

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You're truly blessed and very interesting and inspiring 🙏 ✨️ 🙌 creating great memories with your family and friends and Animals friends with Love and adventures and Flair.

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