About:

Dr Marion McGarry is an Irish historian based in Sligo. Author of four books, she is also a heritage consultant and illustrator. She lectures at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). She has a Master's Degree in art history (University of Limerick) and a PhD (Ulster University). 

​BOOKS:
Marion McGarry, Irish Customs and Rituals: How Our Ancestors Celebrated Life and the Seasons (Orpen Press, 2020). 
https://orpenpress.com/books/irish-customs-and-rituals-how-our-ancestors-celebrated-life-and-the-seasons/
Also available for Kindle and other e-book formats.

Marion McGarry and Dermot O'Donovan, See the Wood From the Trees (Artisan House, 2018). https://artisanhouse.ie/product/see-the-wood-from-the-trees/

Marion McGarry, The Irish Cottage: History, Culture and Design (Orpen Press, 2017).
https://orpenpress.com/books/the-irish-cottage-history-culture-and-design/

Marion McGarry, An Illustrated Dictionary of Furniture and Interiors (Stobart Davies, 2014)
An Illustrated Dictionary of Furniture & Interiors : Marion McGarry : 9780854421428 (bookdepository.com)

CONNECT:
Email: marionmcgarry@gmail.com / Twitter: @marion_mcgarry / Instagram: drmarionmcgarry

WATCH / LISTEN:
December 2020: Talk on the history of trees in Ireland for 'Whose Woods These Are: A Festival of Trees' / The Dock Arts Centre, Co. Leitrim, Ireland. https://youtu.be/DlZiemqf9hI?t=1806

15 July 2021: On BBC's World Business Report discussing the importance of Irish heritage pubs (starts c.2:16) World Business Report - Will Ireland's traditional pubs survive? - BBC Sounds

RECENT ARTICLES:
McGarry, M. "Irish Folk Beliefs of Pregnancy and Birth" in Salvador Ryan (ed.), Birth and the Irish: a Miscellany (Dublin: Wordwell Press, forthcoming, 2021). ​

Archaeology Ireland, Autumn 2021. (with Mhaolanfaidh, M.)  'A shipwreck in Sligo: inspiration for the vampire’s landing?' Volume 35 No. 3 Issue No. 137 Archaeology Ireland Autumn 2021 (wordwellbooks.com)

RTÉ Brainstorm, 21 October, 2021. Why Halloween is celebrated with such spirit in Ireland (rte.ie)

RTÉ Brainstorm, 21 September, 2021 The stories behind Irish harvest customs (rte.ie)

RTÉ Brainstorm, 15 August 2021. The superstitions and mysteries around Ireland's 'fairy forts' (rte.ie)

RTÉ Brainstorm, 15 March, 2021. Why Ireland's older pubs are part of our cultural heritage (rte.ie)

Self Build Ireland magazine: Spring 2021. 'How disease influences design: furniture and architecture'.

RTÉ Brainstorm, 12 February, 2021. Love island: the love lives of our 19th century ancestors (rte.ie)

Irish Humanities Alliance Blog, 27 October, 2020. 'Halloween in Ireland: a merry gathering in the face of fear'.
https://www.irishhumanities.com/blog/halloween-a-merry-celebration-in-the-face-of-fear/

RTÉ Brainstorm, 28 September, 2020. 'Are the wrong office chairs and desks causing injuries to home workers?'
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0928/1167889-working-from-home-office-chair-desk-furniture-posure-injuries/

RTÉ Brainstorm, 14 August, 2020. 'Why heritage matters'.
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0812/1158801-national-heritage-week-ireland-funding-government/

RTÉ Brainstorm, 6 July 2020. 'A guide to piseogs: Ireland's sinister folk magic spells' https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0706/1151667-piseogs-ireland-folklore-evil-magic-spells/

RTÉ Brainstorm, 27 May 2020. 'Why next Sunday is the unluckiest day of the year'
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0526/1142680-whit-sunday-ireland-folklore-tradition/

Irish Humanities Alliance Blog, 21 May 2020. 'Life under lockdown: the 1832 cholera epidemic as seen by Charlotte Stoker' https://www.irishhumanities.com/blog/life-under-lockdown-the-1832-cholera-epidemic/

RTÉ Brainstorm, 6 May 2020. 'Death, sex, superstition and fear: the Hawthorn tree in Ireland' 
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0506/1136776-hawthorn-tree-ireland-folklore/

RTÉ Brainstorm, 15 April 2020. 'The evolution of the Irish funeral ritual' 
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0415/1130559-ireland-funerals-wakes-death-rituals-coronavirus/

RTÉ Brainstorm podcast: 1 April 2020. 'Covid 19: when panic, conspiracy theories, quack cures and folklore collide'
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0401/1127754-conspiracy-theories-quack-cures-fake-news-pandemics-folklore/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 26 February 2020. ‘When Lent in Ireland meant no sex, music, alcohol or merrymaking’ https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0225/1117546-lent-in-ireland/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 25 February 2020. ‘The weird traditions around Pancake Tuesday’. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0224/1117313-pancake-shrove-tuesday-ireland-folklore-history/

Irish Independent: 1 February 2020. 'Biddy boys, holy wells and dreams of love: how to mark St Brigid's Day' https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/biddy-boys-holy-wells-and-dreams-of-love-how-to-mark-st-brigids-day-38911569.html

RTÉ Brainstorm: 6 January 2020. 'The roots and traditions of Nollaig na mBan' https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0102/1103975-the-roots-and-traditions-of-nollaig-na-mban/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 19 December 2019. 'How our ancestors enjoyed a sustainable Christmas'
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/1218/1101925-how-our-ancestors-enjoyed-a-sustainable-christmas/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 11 November 2019. 'Blood sacrifice rites in Irish tradition' 
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/1108/1089533-martinmas-blood-sacrifice-rites-ireland-november-11th/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 30 October 2019. 'Beyond the brack: Irish Halloween folk magic and spells'
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/1016/1083781-a-guide-to-irish-halloween-magic-spells/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 27 September 2019. 'Geese, daisies and debts: Michaelmas customs in Ireland' 
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0926/1078446-geese-and-paying-the-rent-michaelmas-customs-in-ireland/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 25 July 2019. 'Why the last Sunday in July was celebrated in Ireland of old'
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0723/1064857-why-the-last-sunday-in-july-was-celebrated-in-ireland-of-old/

SelfBuild Ireland magazine: Autumn 2019. 'The B-Word' The influence of Bungalow Bliss on modern Irish vernacular architecture; pp 122-6 https://issuu.com/selfbuildireland/docs/autumn_2019

RTÉ Brainstorm: 2 July 2019. 'A potted history of change in the Phoenix Park' https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0701/1059540-a-potted-history-of-change-in-the-phoenix-park/

SelfBuild Ireland magazine: Summer 2019. ‘Choosing the right materials for your kitchen'. https://selfbuild.ie/advice/the-right-materials-for-your-kitchen/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 30 April 2019. 'Fire, water, light and luck: Bealtaine traditions in Ireland' https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0429/1046282-fire-water-light-and-luck-bealtaine-traditions-in-ireland/

SelfBuild Ireland magazine: Spring 2019. ‘Kitchen styles’ on contemporary furniture design https://selfbuild.ie/basics/kitchen-styles/
 
RTÉ Brainstorm: 15 Mar 2019. ‘A day off Lent: St Patrick's Day traditions from the past’ https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0314/1036394-a-day-off-from-lent-st-patricks-day-traditions-from-the-past/
 
RTÉ Brainstorm: 8 Jan 2019. ‘Room to improve: the homes of Ireland’s nineteenth century rural poor’ https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0107/1021775-room-to-improve-the-homes-of-irelands-19th-century-rural-poor/
 
SelfBuild Ireland magazine: Winter 2018. ‘Tailored kitchen design’ on contemporary furniture design https://selfbuild.ie/advice/tailored-kitchen-design/
 
RTÉ Brainstorm: 17 Dec 2018. ‘What was Christmas like in rural Ireland back in the day?’ https://www.rte.ie/eile/brainstorm/2018/1217/1017597-what-was-christmas-like-in-rural-ireland-back-in-the-day/
 
Irish Independent: 10 November 2018. ‘Cholera, Sligo and the shaping of Dracula: Stories of victims being buried alive haunted Bram Stoker's mother’ https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/cholera-sligo-and-the-shaping-of-dracula-stories-of-victims-being-buried-alive-haunted-bram-stokers-mother-37508980.html
 
RTÉ Brainstorm: 30th October 2018. 'Was Dracula Irish?' https://www.rte.ie/eile/brainstorm/2018/1024/1006320-was-dracula-irish/

RTÉ Brainstorm: 23rd October 2018. 'Seven things you probably didn't know about Áras an Uachtaráin' https://www.rte.ie/eile/brainstorm/2018/1023/1006054-7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-aras-an-uachtarain/

The Irish Times, September 14, 2018 'Why the Áras furnished Letterfrack with storm-felled trees' article co-authored with Dermot O'Donovan.

SelfBuild Ireland magazine: Spring 2018. ‘The First Irish Self-Builds’ https://selfbuild.ie/advice/the-first-irish-self-builds

INTERVIEWS: Broadcast & print

15 July 2021: On BBC's World Business Report discussing the importance of Irish heritage pubs (2:16) World Business Report - Will Ireland's traditional pubs survive? - BBC Sounds

30 June 2021: Sligo Walking Series – Knocknarea Video with Marion McGarry – Sligo Walks

16 February 2021: Discussing Irish Pancake Tuesday traditions on RTÉ Morning Ireland Morning Ireland (rte.ie)

6 January 2021: Guest on RTÉ Radio One Morning Ireland discussing Nollaig na mBan
https://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/share/radio1/21890478

July 2020:  Guest on The Irish History Show, podcast here:
​http://irishhistoryshow.ie/62-bram-stoker-and-the-sligo-cholera-epidemic-of-1832/

June 2020: Interview on pandemics and literature in this article by Ronan Connell in Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/irish-epidemic-inspired-dracula

April 2020: Interview on pandemics and literature for this article by Colin Murphy for the Sunday Business Post: https://www.businesspost.ie/coronavirus/facing-down-a-virus-d2e32d37

February 2020: Guest on RTE News at One with Áine Lawlor discussing old Irish Shrove traditions
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/21720049

December 2018: RTÉ Liveline Christmas special, studio guest with Joe Duffy, discussing traditional Irish Christmas customs (begins 29 mins approx.): https://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/programmes/2018/1220/1018391-liveline-thursday-20-december-2018/

November 2018: ‘Cholera = Dracula’ paper presented at the Bodies of Data conference hosted by the Irish Humanities Alliance in collaboration with UCD and DIT.  https://soundcloud.com/ucd-digital-culture/marion-mcgarry-dracula-cholera?in=ucd-digital-culture/sets/bodies-of-data-intersecting-medical-and-digital-humanities

WATCH:
December 2020: Talk on the history of trees in Ireland for 'Whose Woods These Are: A Festival of Trees' / The Dock Arts Centre, Co. Leitrim, Ireland. https://youtu.be/DlZiemqf9hI?t=1806


October 2020: Interview on old Irish customs and beliefs of Samhain on RTÉ Brainstorm:
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/1021/1173088-how-the-irish-really-invented-halloween/
​

ACADEMIC / PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS:

McGarry, M. "Irish Folk Beliefs of Pregnancy and Birth" in Salvador Ryan (ed.), Birth and the Irish: a Miscellany (Dublin: Wordwell Press, forthcoming, 2021). 

McGarry, M. (2021) ”Cholera=Dracula: the influences of Sligo’s cholera epidemic of 1832 on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula (1897)" in Journal of Medical Humanities special edition entitled 'Epidemics and Disease in Ireland; Literature, Culture, Histories', forthcoming.

McGarry, M. (2020) Book Review: "Bram Stoker and the Late Victorian World ed. by Matthew Gibson and Sabine Lenore Muller" in Irish Studies Review, Vol 28, Issue 2, 2020. 
​https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/VBHIAAFY67EVZKVA7ZCX/full?target=10.1080/09670882.2020.1748085

McGarry, M. (2019) 'Bram Stoker in Ballymote' in The Corran Herald (the Journal of the Ballymote Heritage Group), Issue 52, 2019-2020, PP. 82-85.

McGarry, M. (2018) Book Review: "Making Majesty: The Throne Room in Dublin Castle, a Cultural History ed. by Myles Campbell and William Derham" in Irish Studies Review, Vol 26, Issue 3, 2018. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09670882.2018.1483706

McGarry, M. (2017) Book Review: "Ireland’s Harp: the Shaping of Irish Identity (1770-1880) by Marie Louise O’Donnell” in Irish Studies Review, Vol 25, Issue 3, 2017. 
http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ZMfWpYXHHDUQPkzDTmWe/full

McGarry, M. “Creating a Noble Past: The Design of Glenstal Abbey” History Ireland magazine: Issue 2 (March – April 2010), Volume 18. http://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/creating-a-noble-past-the-design-of-glenstal-castle-1836-61/

McGarry, M. and Elkadi, H. (2009) “'Norman’ Architecture: Perception of Origin and Power in Irish Cultural Heritage” in Interrogating Tradition Series; Traditional Settlements Review, Berkeley.

McGarry, M. (2007) “The Design of Glenstal Castle” in The Journal for the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. 136, PP. 39-49.

McGarry, M. (2006) “The Architecture of Glenstal Castle (1836-1861)” in The Old Limerick Journal, Vol. 42, Winter 2006.

RTÉ Brainstorm doc below, at 3.30m: