A sacred ritual is returning.

After centuries of suppression under colonial rule, the Irish Keen is being reclaimed. Once an essential communal ritual of grief, praise, remembrance, and devotion, this powerful vocal tradition was systematically severed from the Irish people, leaving generations disconnected from one of their deepest ancestral practices. Today, that lineage is being remembered and brought back to life.

In this extraordinary episode of the Wild Temple Podcast, Brooke Sullivan is joined by Dr. Mary McLaughlin, one of the world's foremost scholars and practitioners of the Irish Keen, to explore the history, mystery, and living revival of this profound tradition. More than a lament, the Keen was a sacred ritual that helped communities move through death, honor the dead, celebrate life, and maintain an unbroken relationship with the unseen world.

Together, they explore how colonialism interrupted this ancient lineage and why reclaiming the Keen is about far more than preserving folklore. It is about restoring a way of grieving, remembering, and belonging that modern culture has largely forgotten.

This episode is an invitation to remember what has been hidden. To reclaim a tradition that refused to disappear. To discover how the wild Irish cry still echoes through the land, the body, and the ancestral heart, waiting for us to listen once again.

Whether you come with Irish ancestry or simply a longing to reconnect with ritual, voice, and community, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that what has been severed can be restored, and that some of our oldest medicines are also the ones our world most needs today.

Connect with our guest:

MaryMcLaughlin's website: https://www.marymclaughlin.com/

Workshops with Mary: https://www.marymclaughlin.com/workshops/workshops.html

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