Exploring traditions of psychedelic use in Ireland and Canada (afternoon)

This afternoon research workshop, following on from the talks in the morning, will bring leading voices from Ireland and Canada together to explore traditions of psychedelic use: the Liberty Cap (‘magic’) mushroom grows widely and is believed by many to be an indigenous psychedelic medicine with a long history of spiritual, cultural and therapeutic use on this island, dating back to the Neolithic period. It is said that this tradition of usage was disrupted by colonisation and much of the evidence for it destroyed. In Ireland, the mushroom is now being used by some as a plant medicine for personal healing and cultural revival. In the North American context, use of indigenous psychedelic medicines for ‘post-colonial healing’ (Calabrese) is relatively well established. The Native American Church (NAC), since its establishment in the late nineteenth century as a reconstructive co-creation by elders and activist anthropologists, has provided an institutional context for the continuing indigenous stewardship of the peyote cactus, which contains the psychedelic mescaline. Two prominent elders from the NAC in Canada, indigenous custodians of the peyote sacrament, Kelly and Reanna Daniels, will speak at the research day, together with Historian of Medicine and internationally leading psychedelics expert Professor Erika Dyck (University of Saskatchewan). They will explore the ways in which indigenous traditions are broken and reconstructed and dialogue with speakers from Ireland.

Land, language and culture will also be prominent concerns of the day: the scholar of Irish culture, Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, suggested that the legendary warrior of Medieval Irish epic, Cú Chulainn, and other fighters following in his footsteps, used Fly Agaric to induce the riastradh, the twisting battle spasms allowing them to fight enemies from all sides at once. In his lyrical In celebration of the Irish language, Thirty-Two Worlds for Field (2020), Manchán Magan wonders about the wider role which psychedelic mushrooms might have played in the development of a culture which honoured the land, as of the language which resonated with it, not to mention in the prominence and proximity of the ‘Otherworld’ in Irish folklore. Manchán will attend the workshop and in the morning will deliver a 45-minute version of his celebrated talk, ‘Rewilding the Mind’, which is open to members of the wider University community and the public. Finally, as we think about the land at a moment of growing interest in psychedelic plant medicines, how can it best be protected from over-foraging?

This research day aims to establish the psychedelic humanities in Ireland, at UCC, and to bring together reflection on different traditions of indigenous psychedelic stewardship in a way which will make a distinctive contribution both to national discussions of cultural renewal and to international calls for ‘psychedelic justice’ (Cavnar & Labate): the demand for recognition of the unique role indigenous cultures play as guardians and custodians of plant medicines at a time when biomedical research is becoming increasingly enthusiastic about their therapeutic possibilities in other settings.

This research day has been generously supported by the Radical Humanities Laboratory, the French department, CASiLaC and Future Humanities Collective Social Futures.

Programme

14.00 Welcome and Introduction

1. Canada and Ireland – Indigeneity, land, traditions (Chair: Sarah Bezan)

14.10 Reanna Daniels, ‘Beyond psychedelics: Indigenous perspectives and traditions’

14.25 James Kelly, ‘Landspeak: listening to land, language and legacy; looking to the future’

14.40 Louise Allen, ‘Animals + Elements – Nature signals: finding wisdom in the wild’

14.55 Chris Read, ‘The Archaeological Record’

15.10 Discussion

2. Psychedelic plants, funghi and the Otherworld (Chair: Sophie Casey)

15.30 Courtney Tyler, ‘Echoes of the Otherworld: Fly Agaric in myth and mystery’

15.45 Ciara Sherlock, ‘The Spirit of the Liberty Cap: connecting to our land and our selves through native plant medicine’

16.00 Rosarie Kingston, ‘The Otherworld's Living Presence: Continuity from Myth to the Early 20th Century’

16.15 Discussion

16.35 Coffee

3. Psychedelic Humanities (Chair: Oliver Davis)

17.00 Danny Forde, ‘Love is everything – phenomenology of a psychedelic claim’

17.15 Erika Dyck, ‘Beyond psychedelics: historical perspectives on the psychedelic resurgence’

17.30 Concluding discussion.

18.00 Close.

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Talk outlines and speaker biographies

Reanna Daniels, ‘Beyond psychedelics: Indigenous perspectives and traditions’

The history of peyote ceremonies has its own traditions, quite separate from a history of psychedelics. The ceremonies of the Native American Church have evolved over centuries, yet maintained consistent values through practice and faith. In this presentation I share some of the ways that the traditions of the NAC and a Cree world view offer an alternative history of psychedelics.

Reanna Daniels B.A., B.Ed., PDG, M.Ed., Ph.D candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. She is a passionate educator from the Little Pine First Nation, with two decades of teaching.

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James Kelly, ‘Landspeak: listening to land, language and legacy; looking to the future’

Initiated during a COVID-era academic collaboration, Landspeak is an open and emerging community that brings together Indigenous Peoples of Canada and people in Ireland to explore ideas, build connection, and deepen engagement. It recognizes land, earth, and nature as living forces that shape identity, language, and ways of knowing. In a world where conventional measures of progress have failed, Landspeak creates space for reflection and conversation on reconciliation, creativity and the imagination, engaging with the wisdom embedded in land and heritage. Landspeak seeks to restore relationships with land and language, offering new ways to understand our past and imagine more sustainable futures.

James Kelly is a graduate of UCD and KU Leuven (Belgium) and CEO of the Ireland Canada University Foundation (www.icuf.ie), a role which he balances with his work in arts and media. Driven and inspired by values of community and creativity, he worked for some years in theatre, dance, and the visual arts—experience which greatly informed his subsequent work as a documentary filmmaker. He is one of the three founders of Landspeak, an open and evolving community that brings together Indigenous Peoples of Canada and people in Ireland to explore the connections between land, language, and Identity through dialogue, collaboration, and reflection on creativity, reconciliation and heritage.

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Louise Allen, ‘Animals + Elements - Nature signals: finding wisdom in the wild’

Louise will present an overview of findings from her research into Irish and First Nations indigenous cultures. She will share insights gained through the series of workshops which were framed to relate to the cardinal directions, east south, west and north, the elements of air, fire water and earth, the cross quar­ter festivals of Imbolg, Bealtine, Lughnasa, Samhain and their connection to our mind, creative spirit, emotions and body.

For 25 years Louise Allen has engaged with ceremonial nature-based practices based on the Cree First Nations medicine lodge, a living tradition passed down orally through generations. The lodge, which she runs in Co. Tipperary, simply put, honours all of creation. More recently, Louise completed an MA, developing a methodology to help to rebuild people’s connection with the natural world and indigeneity. Research focused on the festivals, Imbolg, Bealtine, Lughnasa and Samhain and on First Nations and pagan wildlife symbolism. Using a participatory approach, and working with a group of volunteers, Louise led a series of nature-based workshops that acted as an invitation to reconnect through observation, appreciation and shared experience. In a parallel life, Louise is the Director of the Creative Futures Academy, a partnership between the National College of Art & Design (NCAD), Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT) and University College Dublin (UCD) that provides modular credited programmes to creative professionals looking to develop their skills.

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Chris Read, ‘The Archaeological Record’

In this presentation, I will cover some of the evidence, direct and indirect, for prehistoric medicine/psychedelic use from around the world. I will also discuss some of the evidentiary barriers that keep this topic from being part of mainstream archaeological discourse, severely limiting the research done in this area.

Chris Read is of Canadian origin, was educated at McGill and McMaster Universities, and has been working in Ireland as a professional archaeologist since 1996. Helping design and develop a new, science-based archaeology course at IT Sligo (now ATU Sligo) in 2002, he has been lecturing there since 2003. For 15 years he taught a module entitled ‘The Prehistory of Sex, Drugs and Music’. His research has focused primarily on the Early Medieval Period and deviant burials in particular. He has been working with the Max Planck Institute’s Department of Archaeogentics since 2014.

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Courtney Tyler, ‘Echoes of the Otherworld: Fly Agaric in Myth and Mystery’

Courtney Tyler invites you to explore the elusive place of the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) in Irish cultural memory and its quiet revival today. This talk weaves together mycelial threads of myth and nature, exploring the symbolic role of the Fly Agaric in Irish mythology and its deep connections to transformation, shapeshifting, altered states of consciousness, and journeys to the Otherworld. Delving further, it considers how these fungi may have influenced spiritual and storytelling traditions while reflecting on their modern use for nervous system support and personal healing. The discussion nods to another indigenous fungus, the Liberty Cap, highlighting how both mushrooms, in their mystery and abundance, inspire a deeper connection to the land and its stories. Join Courtney as she weaves myth, ecology, and imagination to explore the evocative presence of these fungi in Ireland’s ecological and cultural heritage.

Courtney Tyler presents her work at www.hipsandhaws.com. You can follow her on Instagram @hipsandhawswildcrafts or email her at [email protected].

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Ciara Sherlock, ‘The Spirit of the Liberty Cap: connecting to our land and our selves through native plant medicine’

In this presentation, Ciara will discuss how foraging native Irish plant medicine, namely the ‘Liberty Cap’ psilocybin mushroom, can bring us into deeper connection with the land around us, the people who came before us, and ourselves.

Ciara Sherlock has been working with psilocybin mushrooms in her therapeutic practice for a decade. She weaves her education and experience in psychedelic therapy with her knowledge of ancient Celtic Shamanic practices and her passion for foraging medicine in the wild. Her book, The Spirit of the Liberty Cap: A Guide to Foraging & Journeying with Liberty Cap Mushrooms brings together these elements and takes you on a journey of learning about yourself and the land around you. She offers psychedelic preparation and integration support, shamanic counselling and bodywork in her day to day practice in Dublin/Wicklow.

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Rosarie Kingston, ‘The Otherworld's Living Presence: Continuity from Myth to the Early 20th Century’

The Otherworld's living presence in early 20th-century Ireland demonstrates remarkable continuity with Irish sagas, where supernatural realms actively intertwined with daily life rather than existing as remote mythological concepts. This talk examines how the Otherworld revealed itself through shape-shifting entities, temporal and spatial distortions, fairy abductions, and the transmission of supernatural knowledge. These elements remained dynamic forces rather than passive folklore, actively influencing community behaviours, beliefs, and practices. The permeable boundaries between worlds created a landscape where supernatural encounters were not merely possible but expected, maintaining a complex relationship between human and Otherworld inhabitants that shaped Irish cultural consciousness well into the modern era.

Rosarie Kingston (Department of Folklore and Ethnology, UCC) is a practising medical herbalist with a particular interest in Irish traditional medicine, ethnobotany, and indigenous healing practices. The intersection of different worldviews and healing traditions and their impact on patient care informs my research. See: https://www.drrosarikingston.com/

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Danny Forde, ‘Love is everything – phenomenology of a psychedelic claim’

The statement ‘love is everything’ is a common claim made after a positive psychedelic experience. A Schelerian approach can give this apparent platitude a metaphysical and existential grounding. The main implication of this understanding, especially important for research and practice in the nascent field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, is that the experience that 'love is everything' is shown to be a metaphysical reality and not just some pleasant psychologistic tchotchke.

Danny Forde is a philosopher based in UCC. His monograph, Phenomenology of Psychedelic Experiences, is forthcoming with Palgrave MacMillan.

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Erika Dyck, ‘Beyond psychedelics: historical perspectives on the psychedelic resurgence’

We are enjoying a resurgence of interest in psychedelics in the 21st century, but these ideas have long and quite diverse roots in history. In this presentation I consider some of the global expressions of interest in non-ordinary states of consciousness, ideas that culminated in the concept of psychedelics in the mid-20th century. In this presentation, I consider how psychedelic humanities approaches can enrich contemporary discussions about psychedelic science by paying close attention to the cultural contexts and historical precedents that have valued non-ordinary states of consciousness around the globe.

Erika Dyck is a professor and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the author or co-author of several books, including Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); Managing Madness (2017); The Acid Room (2022); and Psychedelics: A Visual Odyssey (2024). She is the co-editor of Women & Psychedelics (2024) and Expanding Mindscapes (2023). Erika is the co-editor of two McGill-Queen’s University Press book series on the history of medicine and Intoxicating Histories. She is currently the President of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society.

Event Venue

Brookfield Health Sciences Complex room G.04, College Road, Cork, Ireland