The Widow's Curse

A Magical Form of Resistance in Nineteenth Century Ireland

  Enroll in Course

An online class that explores the role of the widow's curse in nineteenth-century Ireland as a form of resistance to real-world conflict through the years of An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) and during the Land War. Your native Irish teacher will present the historical context, giving you a brief overview of the importance of traditional cursing in Ireland, dating back to ancient bards, poets, and the Brehon Laws, as well as a grounding in the social and political climate of the time period, before sharing the role of women and folk magic, focusing on the widow's curse.

Students who take this class will come away with an understanding of how cursing magic was practiced in Ireland within the past 200 years, and how they compare to the documented practices in recorded ancient tradition as well as mythological cycles. This class is the product of one year of postgraduate research and original contribution to Ireland's historiography. It is a unique exploration into one application of Irish folk magic that has, to date, not been formally explored. The material presented is from a Master's thesis which will be made available to students who enroll in the course.

After completing this class, students will have an understanding of the realities of life in the nineteenth century - a time of great change, conflict, and hardship in Ireland. In particular, the content will focus on the role of women during this time and how folk magic was utilized in Irish society, and the historical and folkloric records that record these traditions - and resources will be shared for further independent research and reading.

This class may be of particular interest to anyone wanting to know more about life in Ireland before, during, and after The Famine / An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger).

The class will be structured as follows:

  • Overview of Cursing Magic In Ireland
  • Historical Context: Nineteenth-Century Methods of Resistance and the Role of Women
  • The Widow's Curse: Folklore, Facts and Social Justice
  • Widows' Curses in the Modern Day
  • Practical Applications of the Class
  • Q & A Session (live class)

Don't worry if you cannot make the live class, you will have the option to comment below the class content here on Teachable or start a discussion in the Irish Pagan School community Facebook group! Class resources will include additional readings and research papers references during the class.


This is a completely self-paced online course.

When you are enrolled you get the recorded files for repeated or further study and reference. You decide when you start and when you finish.


When you enroll in this class, you are receiving lifetime access (with a full 30 day money back guarantee).

Enroll in the course, download the content, learn from the materials... and if you don't like what you've learned just email us and we'll give you all your money back. We're taking a risk by offering this - we can't get the content back, so you could just enroll, then ask for a refund, and rip us off! However, we work on an honour system with our Tuath, as did our ancient ancestors. We trust that you won't do that to us, just like you can trust that we will do our very best to make sure you have a good experience with the Irish Pagan School.

You have a 100% money back Guarantee, for a full 30 days, so you can go ahead and enroll with full confidence.

(see below - HOW TO GET ACCESS TO THIS COURSE)


Your Instructor


Amy O'Riordan (née Coe)
Amy O'Riordan (née Coe)

Amy is a practicing Irish Pagan and witch based in Waterford in the South-East of Ireland. She has grown up with folk practice and belief handed down orally, keeping the flame of that tradition alive in her own life and by researching information to share and promote Irish history and cultural heritage. Amy also runs a YouTube Channel, The Crafty Cailleach, where she shares her love of Irish history, folklore, food and magic, and also is currently a candidate for a Masters Degree in Irish Regional History (2023). She has delivered classes on the Irish Language, as well as Hearth Magic, and Irish Hand-Crafting, at the Irish Pagan School.


"Delighted by the wealth of historical context given here - so helped in the grounding of my own understanding of hearth magic (or kitchen witchcraft, as my dad introduced it to me when I was little). Especially enjoyed the section on how hearth magic can be practiced in our modern world & time. Well done, go raibh míle maith agat!"

Shannon McEntee - Hearth Magic

Course Curriculum


  Class Materials (Multimedia)
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Q&A Session
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Please let us know what you think?
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


How long will my enrollment last for?
After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this version of the recordings for as long as you remain a member of the Irish Pagan School - across any and all devices you own. So, you can take your time, or get it all done quickly, and revisit it all whenever you want to - it's completely up to you.
What if I enroll, then change my mind?
If you are unsatisfied with your purchase for ANY reason, contact us within the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund, no questions asked. If you do require a refund, please just contact the Irish Pagan School directly, by email. We will deal with your request and refund your money with no problems!
Do I need to have Irish ancestry to study here?
No, absolutely not. We provide authentic connection to Ireland, with native or naturalised Irish teachers, for anyone who wishes to learn from us and is willing to put in the time and effort to do this properly... rather than grab a culturally appropriated quick fix.

On Amy's Intro to the Irish Langauge Course


"Go raibh míle maith agat Amy. An-súimiúil! This has got me nicely geared up for an cúrsa. I'm especially looking forward to the Pagan specific content but even though I'm not a total noob, all of the content will be extremely useful! Slán go fóill."


Máirtín (Mac Tíre) - Student Irish Pagan School

Once you have enrolled for a LIVE online course...

You will receive some emails from [email protected].

When you enroll in a course at the Irish Pagan School, you’ll receive a system confirmation email that contains a clickable link to the course. You can use this link to open your course, or you can type the school or course page URL into the address bar of your web browser. (www.IrishPaganSchool.com)

You'll also receive:

  • Fáilte - How to Access your Course at the Irish Pagan School! This tells you how to log in, what to do if you forget your password, and how to join our Students Only facebook group (if you'd like to).


HOW TO GET ACCESS TO THIS COURSE

  • Choose the payment option below that best suits you - pay in Euros with a Credit Card, or pay in US Dollars with a Credit Card or PayPal.
  • Click your preferred option so it's highlighted in orange.
  • Click the big orange 'Enroll Now' button.
  • On the Order Summary page, click to 'Add Coupon' if you have one! (Type in the coupon code, for example, from our Patreon Here)
  • Enter your Account and Payment information.
  • Tick the box to agree to the standard Terms and Conditions.
  • Click the orange button at the bottom of that page to enroll at the price that is displayed.

Don't forget you have a full, no hassle, 30 day money back guarantee!

Get started now!