THE first Irish witch burning, and the first known record of a Coven in the world.

PETRONILLA de Meath was tortured, interrogated and eventually burnt at the stake on the 3rd of November 1324, in Kilkenny.

HER charge? Witchcraft.

"AND though she was indeed herself an adept in this accursed art of theirs, she said she was nothing in comparison with her mistress, from whom she had learned all these things and many more."

DE Meath was maidservant to Alice Kyteler, a woman whose Husbands all had the unfortunate habit of dying . . . soon after marrying her.

WAS Kyteler: INNOCENT? MONEY-GRABBING? A WITCH?

CULTURALLY, Irish witches are more commonly associated with Goddess figures, such as the Cailleach Beara (Learn more in our previous episode) than the iconic and horrific witch burning that plagued Europe and America from the 15th Century.

IN FACT, for a superstitious nation, witch burning barely reached double digits in Ireland compared to the hundreds in continental Europe.

WHY? The boys attempt to find out just THAT.