FÍOS
Wisdom
Darragh McKeon, Jane Carkill & Conor Burke
THE SUBJECT
Biddy Early is one of Ireland’s most famous folk figures — a healer, wise woman and "herbalist" from County Clare, whose story combines folklore, rural superstition, and female resistance to authority.
Known for her knowledge of plants, folklore, and cures — and for living independently of both Church and social expectation — she remains a symbol of resilience, wisdom and challenging authority.
THE STORY
The story weaves Biddy Early’s life as a healer, living outside societal norms as rural poverty, the Great Famine and emigration power over the country.
From her childhood gathering herbs with her mother, through love affairs, marriages, loss and the gradual rise of her reputation as a bean feasa (wise woman). The book always returns to Biddy’s home, her healing work and the Black Bottle, a mystical object said to guide her work.
The book closes in Biddy’s final years — her isolation, the church’s condemnation, and her enduring connection to the land and people of Clare.
