event
'Beyond the Veil' Revenant Songs Mayo Dark Skies Workshop
DATE: 29 Oct, 2025TIME: 07:30 PM - 08:30 PM
all times are in Irish time unless noted otherwise
Wilderland is joining the ALAN 2025 Artificial Light at Night conference for an evening of Mayo Dark Skies events.
Join Wilderland singer Elizabeth Healy for a special Samhain workshop on Revenant songs.
At this period of transition from Autumn to the long, dark nights of winter, we celebrate the Irish pagan and later Celtic tradition of Samhain. In this workshop for Mayo Dark Skies, Westport singer Elizabeth Healy, will share her fascination for an important, though largely unexplored aspect of our Irish cultural heritage: the genre of traditional songs known as Revenant Songs. Deeply rooted in Irish and international folklore, these songs narrate tales of the dead returning, mostly in full human form, to resolve unfinished earthly matters.
Elizabeth will sing a number of these songs to illustrate their features for the group and we’ll hear about their cultural significance and their original role in death and mourning, as well as their potential current and future value in addressing universal themes of grief and resilience, such as climate grief.
As we strive to retain our wilderness areas, our dark skies, our biodiversity and a healthy planet, can we use this centuries-old tradition of Revenant Songs to support us?
FREE event.
Please note: this workshop is open only to ALAN delegates and not the general public.
Find out more about ALAN 2025 and register now on the conference website.
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event location:
Ballycroy Visitor Centre, Wild Nephin National Park, Ballycroy, Co. Mayo
