There is something about this time of year that makes us look both ways.
Back at what has passed. Ahead at what is coming.
Long before January became the beginning we mark on our calendars, Samhain stood at one of the great turning points of the traditional Irish year: summer was over, the harvest was gathered, livestock came down from the higher pastures, and winter waited at the door.
It was a threshold.
Cover storyWith its October 23 premiere, Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay brings horror, dark humour and island identity together in a six-part Gaelic-language series designed for a new generation of viewers.
There are easier ways to return home than aboard a ferry carrying your ex-girlfriend, her fiancé and her mother.
And that’s before the passengers start disappearing.
In Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay, a new Gaelic-language horror series from Scotland, an unwanted homecoming becomes a nightmare at sea. It’s a story of old grudges, unfinished business and something considerably more dangerous lurking aboard a ferry bound for North Uist.
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Culture & heritage | IrelandAs autumn surrenders to winter, Ireland's ancient seasonal turning point lives on in a remarkable collection of customs, stories, and traditions.
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Living traditions | Ireland & the Isle of ManLong before the jack-o'-lantern became Halloween's most familiar face, Irish families carved something considerably less cheerful. Across the Irish Sea, the old lantern tradition still comes with a song.
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Folklore & legend | WalesOn the Welsh night of Calan Gaeaf, the dying bonfire carried a warning. Whoever lingered too long might discover that the darkness had company.
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Travel companion · With FionaLoved the stories? Here's how you can visit the places behind them.
Explore Fiona's travel companion →A film, an album and a story for the turning year.
Follow Ben and his little sister Saoirse on a journey through Irish legend in Tomm Moore's animated film. Saoirse is the last seal-child, and the story draws on selkie folklore: seals in the water, humans on land. For this season of thin boundaries and journeys home, it is a gentle way into the otherworld, with music by Bruno Coulais and Kíla.
Explore the film →Julie Fowlis's alterum brings the uncanny close through Gaelic song. Its opening track tells of a woman imprisoned in a fairy mound, calling to her sister for help; elsewhere, the album visits the world of the water-horse. These are stories carried in song, rooted in island tradition. Put it on as the evening settles and let the voices lead you somewhere stranger.
Explore the album and song notes →For this issue's reading corner, let Brian Cox do the reading. This Audible bedtime story returns to his Scottish roots with evocative tales from the Highlands. It is made for winding down, rather than racing to the ending: a quiet fireside companion for the darker evenings. This is an audio selection, voiced by Cox, for readers who would rather close their eyes and listen.
Explore the audiobook →Keep a little of this season with you. Follow Fiona into the places behind these stories, explore the wider Celtic world, and join us again for the next edition.
The issue cover, Wolf Bay lead image and feature-card images are original illustrative artwork supplied for this edition, not documentary photographs or production stills.
The illustrated turnip is not the National Museum of Ireland's Ghost Turnip artefact. The boar is a thematic illustration, not a documentary depiction of the Welsh legendary sow.