Mná Feasa ~ Wise Women

Helena Byrne

Welcome to Mná Feasa, a podcast series featuring the stories of dozens of older women from County Kilkenny, produced by Helena Byrne, in collaboration with Kilkenny County Council Library Services and Kilkenny Heritage. My name is Helena Byrne and I’m a storyteller from the village of Ballyhale in south Kilkenny. I want to explore the experiences of older women across the county.

Episodes

  1. 05/08/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 10 ~ A New Generation

    Welcome to Mná Feasa, a podcast series featuring the stories of dozens of older women from County Kilkenny, produced by Helena Byrne, in collaboration with Kilkenny County Council Library Services and Kilkenny Heritage.In this episode, you’re in for a treat. The Mna Feasa project has encompassed much more than my interviews with older women from county Kilkenny. A group of wonderful Transition year students from Loreto secondary school in Kilkenny have also helped to bring this project to life. These students worked with me over several months, honing their storytelling skills and their performance styles, and then interviewing the older women in their lives that have stories to tell.What has come from the students’ work, the fruits of their labour, is a beautiful assortment of stories, covering a variety of themes, life lessons and experiences from a diverse group of women connected with county Kilkenny. Some of these stories are set within the county of Kilkenny, while some have come from as far-reaching places as Spain and Tanzania. What connects these stories to Kilkenny is the new generation of young Kilkenny women, these transition year students, who have brilliantly crafted and curated them, creating the next chapter in the Kilkenny woman’s folklore.***On November 3rd 1324 in Kilkenny City, Petronilla of Meath became the first woman to be burned at the stake for witchcraft in the British Isles. As maid to Dame Alice Kyteler, she was found guilty of heretical sorcery, having been tortured to illicit a confession. We can be thankful that the murmurs of witchcraft accusations have long faded from the streets of Kilkenny. The experiences of Kilkenny women in recent decades are far removed from the challenges faced by women of the 14th century. It’s time to give the women of Kilkenny the voice that Petronilla of Meath was not afforded.

    47 min

  2. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 9 ~ Beliefs & Traditions

    Do you salute the magpie? Have you ever decorated a May Altar? Did you ever go rambling? There are so many old traditions and superstitions, commonplace in years gone by, that have become a rarity in modern Kilkenny. To understand who the women of Kilkenny are today, it’s important to reflect on who we were and where we’ve come from. In episode nine, older women of Kilkenny share some of the many traditions, superstitions and beliefs that moulded their experience of life in Kilkenny in years gone by. This collaboration is kindly funded by commemorative initiatives under the department of tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    15 min

  3. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 8 ~ Faith & the Church

    The religious landscape of Ireland has undoubtedly seen dramatic change in recent years, and Kilkenny is no exception. In episode eight, older women of Kilkenny reflect on their own personal faith, life in a predominantly Catholic society and how the Catholic church’s stronghold on the community impacted not only how we saw others, but how we saw ourselves. This collaboration is kindly funded by commemorative initiatives under the department of tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    16 min

  4. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 7 ~ Worklife

    In episode seven, older women of Kilkenny share their experience of the workplace, what professional ambitions they held for themselves, how young they truly were when setting out on their career paths, and what was expected of them as wives and mothers. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    24 min

  5. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 6 ~ Dancing, Dating & Drinks

    In episode six, I talk to local Kilkenny women about dancehalls, dates and drinks. The vibrant social scene that played out in venues such as the Mayfair in Kilkenny, the absence of alcohol and the many romances that sprung from the dancefloor. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    15 min

  6. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 5 ~ Rural Electrification & the Simple Luxury of Bathrooms

    Today, Kilkenny residents wake up each morning to the luxury of electricity. We can switch on the telly, do our laundry in the washing machine, we even have bathrooms with running water and a flushing toilet! Basic amenities that nowadays, we see more as a necessity than a luxury. But we don’t need to venture very far back in history to conceive of a world where these creature comforts were very rare indeed. In episode five, older women of Kilkenny reflect on their memories of rural electrification and how it transformed the household, and of course, the simple pleasure of having a toilet and running water. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    17 min

  7. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 4 ~ Shops, Pubs & More

    There’s nothing like a bit of retail therapy. Now, while that therapy might take the form of online shopping these days, in the past that therapy was found by visiting your local shop, not just for their produce, but for the chit chat, catching up on the local happenings and news. In episode four, older women of Kilkenny share memories of their local shops, and their insight into how the way we shop, and what we shop for, has come to evolve. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    17 min

  8. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 3 ~ Farmlife

    County Kilkenny has a rich agricultural history. In episode three, older women of Kilkenny share what life was like growing up on the farm. From making butter with the butter churn to avoiding those volatile cows, or ‘kickers’ in the herd. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    15 min

  9. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 2 ~ Schooldays

    In episode two, we hear from local older women across the county of Kilkenny about their schooldays. How different was the education system then to how children of Kilkenny might experience it now? What are their feelings towards Peig Sayers? And did they really have to walk miles to get to school? This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    22 min

  10. 01/07/2025

    Mná Feasa Episode 1 ~ Our Childhood & Our Playgrounds

    Welcome to Mná Feasa, a podcast series featuring the stories of dozens of older women from County Kilkenny, produced by Helena Byrne, in collaboration with Kilkenny County Council Library Services and Kilkenny Heritage. On November 3rd 1324 in Kilkenny City, Petronilla of Meath became the first woman to be burned at the stake for witchcraft in the British Isles. As maid to Dame Alice Kyteler, she was found guilty of heretical sorcery, having been tortured to illicit a confession. We can be thankful that the murmurs of witchcraft accusations have long faded from the streets of Kilkenny. The experiences of Kilkenny women in recent decades are far removed from the challenges faced by women of the 14th century. It’s time to give the women of Kilkenny the voice that Petronilla of Meath was not afforded. In episode one, we delve into the childhood experiences of women across the county. While nowadays, parents are likely to bring their children to the local playground or park, in times gone by, children created their own playgrounds, finding adventure in their surroundings, be it swimming in the river Nore in Thomastown, playing jackstones with friends in Graiguenamanagh or even getting up to mischief at Ballyhale train station. This collaboration is kindly funded by Commemorative Initiatives under the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To find out more, visit https://helenabyrne.com/

    20 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

Welcome to Mná Feasa, a podcast series featuring the stories of dozens of older women from County Kilkenny, produced by Helena Byrne, in collaboration with Kilkenny County Council Library Services and Kilkenny Heritage. My name is Helena Byrne and I’m a storyteller from the village of Ballyhale in south Kilkenny. I want to explore the experiences of older women across the county.

Information

  • Creator
    Helena Byrne
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Helena Byrne
  • Show Website
    Mná Feasa ~ Wise Women