Happy Lughnasadh! In case you don’t know what that means, it’s Irish Gaelic meaning ‘commemoration of Lugh’, a Celtic celebration held on the 1st of August to mark the start of the harvest season and named after the Irish god, Lugh. If you live in the UK, you might be more familiar with Lammas, a word derived from Old English/ Anglo-Saxon, meaning ‘loaf-mass’. Lammas is also celebrated on the 1st of August to mark the harvest season. Lughnasadh and Lammas; don’t you love linguistics? I sure do. Writers are always interested in language; fun alliteration with all those Ls too. Lol.
Feile na Habaan: festival of the river
On the afternoon of Saturday 1st August, my hubby and our son went to the Feile na Habaan, the Irish festival of the river (phonetic pronunciation: fay-lah-nah-han). The festival was beside the River Lagan in Belfast and included activities for kids such as a portable touch tank from Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry, showcasing local sea creatures from the Irish Sea. There was also traditional Irish music along the river walk, as well as food and craft stalls. The River Lagan features in my Christmas ghost novel, The Fairy Lights, as well as Irish mythology including the legendary Ollipheist dragon-like sea monster.
The Wickerman festival at Navan Centre and Fort
Later on Saturday 1st August, I went to The Wickerman festival 2026 at Navan Centre and Fort in Armagh with some fellow author friends, and we all dressed up in Celtic/pagan attire for the occasion. Like my oak and hornbeam headdress? I made it myself by gluing acorns and hornbeam flowers onto a hairband.
This festival celebrates the start of the harvest season, known as Lughnasadh or Lughnasa, honouring the ancient Irish god Lugh. There were recreations of an ancient Irish procession and battle reenactment, along with traditional music and fire dancing before the 30ft tall Wickerman statue was burned. Ancient history and folklore inspires my books; as a former archaeologist-turned-novelist, how could I not be fascinated by ancient customs and tradition?
Leilanie Stewart 
Happy Lughnasadh! And I hope you did much dancing at the festival. It all looks like a good time, even the burning of the wicker man – as long as there was nobody inside! (That film still gives me nightmares, and I’ve never even been able to watch the entire thing). Glad you honoured the ancient ways. 🙂
Oh, I love that film! The original with Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, of course, not the remake with Nicholas Cage. 😅 The Wickerman statue was really impressive, very beautiful, though we weren’t allowed to get too close, even before it was lit.
I didn’t even know there’d been a remake, so presumably it sank without trace. Even though this film’s not for me, you can’t beat Christopher Lee. Glad you didn’t get too close to the wicker man – you never know … 🙂