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The Keeper of the Bees

@beefolklore.bsky.social
1.6K followers 903 following 423 posts

www.beefolklore.ie IG: eimear_beefolklore Sharing folklore & pictures of things I like. Lover of nature, bees, animals & the wonderful world of myths & legends across all folk traditions. Eimear Chaomhánach, author of 'The Keeper of the Bees' #booksky💙📚

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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
As chilled as a cat in #Greece #Paxos #cats #catsofbluesky #nature #sea #seascape #photography
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Beauty on Lughnasa, 1st August, the ancient festival of the first harvest ☆ Taken today, #Dublin ♡ #gratitude #lughnasa #butterflies #flowers #nature #ireland
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Just a bee having a feed on a perfect flower ♡☆♡ Today, National Botanic Gardens #Dublin #flowersonfriday #beefriday #bloomscrolling #nature #summer
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Just a Northern Marsh Orchid doing its fine thing by Dollymount Strand #Dublin ♡ #nature #flowers #spéirghorm #ireland #bloomscrolling #purple
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Reposted by The Keeper of the Bees
Tiffany Leigh Rose 🖤🥀 @tlrose.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Bees that primarily feast on rhododendron flowers (poisonous to people) are said to produce "mad honey" which can produce hallucinations along with loss of vision, balance, or consciousness in humans who consume it. #FolkloreSunday 🎨collections.mfa.org/objects/261977
A botanical illustration of the above mentioned plant
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Reposted by The Keeper of the Bees
VenetiaJane’s Garden @venetiajane.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria, was once used to flavour mead, the ancient honey wine. Mead infused with herbs was called “metheglin”, from Welsh words meaning “healing drink”; a fitting name for a beverage flavoured with a plant long valued as a healing herb. #FolkloreSunday
A collage celebrating meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). Top left: a Walter Crane illustration from A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden (1899) shows the crowned “Queen of the Meads” in a flowing gown of meadowsweet leaves and blossoms, seated in tall grass with a flowering staff. Top right: a close-up photo of creamy white meadowsweet blooms. Centre right: a 19th-century botanical plate showing the plant’s leaves, flowers, and roots. Bottom: reddish meadowsweet stems with curled buds rise above finely divided foliage.
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Let's take a moment to appreciate this speckled Martagon Lily 🧡 Folk tradition says that if you treat this lily with respect it will bring good fortune & protection from mountain storms ✨ #YellowSunday #SundayYellow #Stunday #Folklore #Nature #Bloomscrolling #Flowers
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
The enterprising bumble for #Stunday ♡
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Another gorgeous bumble for #WorldBeeDay ♡ #Dublin #Ireland #Nature #Biodiversity #Pollinators
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The beautiful & hard working bumblebee #HappyWorldBeeDay ♡
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I like the phrase 'try the glow'!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
As children, we used to hold a buttercup under eachothers' chins If it glowed yellow it meant you loved butter! Buttercups = fearbán in Irish ♡ Photographed yesterday by Dollymount Strand #Dublin #folklore #irish #wildflowers #bloomscrolling #memories #ireland #speirghorm
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Bellflowers or Campanula generally signify hope in folklore, perhaps because they flourish at this time of year While their bell shape is said to be a portal to the fairies ☆♡☆ Found this honeybee investigating earlier today! #folklore #plants #flowers #nature #photography #bees #pollinators
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
#Soft #BlueskyArtShow Taken in Dingle (An Daingean) last weekend during #feilenabealtaine What a peaceful, happy little lamb! ☆♡☆ #Kerry #Ireland
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Hawthorn epitomises this time in May for me Known as the 'lone bush' in Irish folklore, it is said to be connected to the Sí (or fairies) & serve as a gateway to the Otherworld ♡☆♡ #folklore #fairies #myths #legends #flowers #plants #nature #photography #Ireland
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Pretty in pink ar Lá Bealtaine! Happy May Day ♡ #bealtaine #mayday #flowers #nature #photography #kerry #speirghorm #bloomscrolling #may1st #pink
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
*pic not pick!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I took a pick of these yesterday...so pretty & delicate, nearly humble!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
*blossom
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Apis apis mellifera love it anyways...creates a blosdom honey, quite sweet
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Bees ♡ Rapeseed! #yellowsunday #stunday #wildflowers #nature #pollinators #speirghorm
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
And out she popped overnight... The elegance of a Dutch Iris #flowersonfriday ♡ #gardening #bloomscrolling #nature #photography #speirghorm
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I had Glendalough to myself this morning. All the history & beauty in one location still blows me away after all the years visiting this site ♡ #speirghorm #ireland #history #archaeology #wicklow
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
I watched this beautiful bumble for quite a while today... ◇ Howth coast, Dublin #stunday #bees #nature #macro #photography
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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
In Cumbrian dialects, thimble-flower is foxglove, tod is fox, bummel is bee in lore, faeries gave a fox, foxglove petals to put on it's toes - the fox's gloves - to raid the hen house without being heard more in my: 'Folklore of the Lake District' #folkloresunday 📷 Alan McFadyen
In Cumbrian dialects, thimble-flower is foxglove, tod is fox, bummel is bee

in lore, faeries gave a fox, foxglove petals to put on it's toes - the fox's gloves - to raid the hen house without being heard 

more in my: 'Folklore of the Lake District'

#folkloresunday
📷 Alan McFadyen
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Happy #FlowersonFriday! Look at these beauties! ♡ ◇ Botanic Gardens, Dublin #nature #bloomscrolling #springtime
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Spotted yesterday in the Botanic Gardens in Dublin First bee I've seen this year with pollen sacs on hind legs! And the season begins! ♡ #InsectThursday #nature #photography #macro #bees #springtime #bloomscrolling
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
For #StandingStoneSunday Taken last week at Loughcrew, Co.Meath #Ireland #archaeology #history #photography
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Folklore describes #StDavid granting Irish monk Modomnoc permission to bring bees from his monastery in #Wales to #Ireland in the 6th century David prayed that bees would flourish in Ireland from that day forth Thank you St David! ♡ #StDavidsDay #folklore #tradition #stainedglasssunday #bees
St David is seen blessing a straw skep of bees being brought by a monk in a wheel barrow by ship from Wales into Ireland
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
My reflection in Walter De Maria’s Seen/Unseen Known/Unknown ◇Naoshima, Japan #Round #Blueskyartshow
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
A 5000-year-old doorway! ◇ Seefin Passage Tomb, Wicklow Mountains #archaeology #history #heritage #culture #Ireland #nature
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The garden is giving again Pure joy! ☆ #nature #spring #outdoors #bloomscrolling #purplefriday #plants #gardening #pollination #bees
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Fáilte!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
The rain stopped for just long enough to fully take in this special example of Neolithic art ♡ It's found inside Cairn T in Loughcrew, an area known as 'Sliabh na Cailleach' or 'Mountain of the Witch' & is 5000 years old ☆♡☆ #history #archaeology #folklore #heritage #Meath #Ireland
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Love these!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
#Wood #BlueskyArtshow ♡☆♡ #Wicklow #Ireland #photography #nature
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
How beautiful! I must pay a visit!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
As well as #StValentine's connection with romantic love, he is also said to be patron saint of beekeepers, charged with protecting beehives and ensuring the sweetness of honey... #Honey being a synonym for a beloved... Happy Valentine's Day ♡ #folklore #legend #love #bees
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
#LegendaryWednesday
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Today is #StGobnaits feastday 💛 A beloved woman whose story is mostly known via #folklore she has inspired as a fierce warrior, tenacious female & patroness of the #bees But Ireland's landscape remembers her. Holy sites & townlands bear her namesake across #Ireland to this day #LegendaryWednesay
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Looking forward to speaking at the launch of #FéileGhobnatan in Ballyvourney #Cork on Friday ✨ A weekend dedicated to the patron saint of the #bees 🐝 What's not to love! 💛 #festivals #ireland #speirghorm #gaeltacht #irishfestivals #folklore #béaloideas #countycork @udarasnag.bsky.social
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
#Brigid, the Celtic goddess, is said to have brought bees to Ireland from her apple orchards in the Otherworld, providing a nurturing foodstuff, sweetness & a healing agent through her honey ✨💫 #FolkloreSunday #Imbolc #StBrigid #CelticGoddess #Folklore #Ireland #honey #myth #legend #fire #bees
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Agus tú féin...agus tá an ghrian amach inniú chomh maith (well, ag an am seo ar aon nós!!)💫🔆
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Today 1Feb is #Imbolc, the start of Spring & celebration of #Brigid - celtic goddess & Irish saint It's a magical coming together of folk traditions from making crosses, Biddy Boys & the placing of a brat bhríde This is her #holywell in #Kildare, said to be her hometown Happy #StBrigidsDay x
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
It would be wonderful if other people shared photos of Sheela-na-Gigs found locally! #sheelanagigs #photography #archaeology #history #heritage #stonecarvings #femalefigure #medieval #ireland #britain
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Reposted by The Keeper of the Bees
NearlyKnowledgeable @g0blinegg.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Bees were once described as 'Coorus craiturs’ and have played their role in the history and folklore of Shropshire. You can read more about this lore by following the link below. 🐝 🐝 🐝 nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-... #Folklore #History #Bees #Beelore #Folkbeliefs
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
So awful that it was destroyed...but so good you have a record of it. Thanks for sharing. She's a fine Sheela (Síle)!
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
'Sheela-na-Gigs' have evoked much mystery in terms of their use, meaning & symbolism They are carvings of naked females found on buildings between 11th-16th c. One belief (which I favour) is that they symbolise fertility, others say they ward off evil spirits 💫 #LegendaryWednesday #WyrdWednesday
A 'Sheela-na-Gig' carving found at St Gobnait's Church, Ballyvourney, Co. Cork
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The Keeper of the Bees @beefolklore.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
An Irish tradition on #NewYearsEve that says you should open the back door to let the old year out & when midnight strikes, open the front door to let the new year in! Happy New Year ♡ #legendarywednesday #wyrdwednesday #irishfolklore #Ireland #traditions #customs #beliefs Photo: Co. Cork
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