Lasta—Lit: A Samhain Celebration Remembering Manchán Magan

About the Event

Lasta—Lit is meaningful on three levels:

• It nods to Samhain, when bonfires blaze across Ireland, for the ancestors and anois—now.

• The word lasta is Irish slang for something excellent or exciting – both things Manchán Magan embodied.

• Manchán lit a spark of Gaeilge and creativity in so many of us in the Irish diaspora.

This intimate evening unfolds in three parts, reflecting the sacred Celtic triad:

• Scéalta — Stories

• Sídhe — Spirit

• Samhlaíocht — Imagination

Participants will experience Irish myths, storytelling, and music, as well as a guided meditation by Máire É / Mary Ellen to connect spiritually with Manchán and other loved ones.

What is Samhain – (pronounced SOW-en)?

Did you know Ireland is the birthplace of Halloween? It dates back over 2,000 years to the ancient festival of Samhain. The word comes from the Proto-Celtic samoni, meaning ‘reunion’ or ‘assembly’ evoking the gathering of the living and the dead le chéile —together. We celebrate this time as draíochta – magical and spiritual since there is no boundary between this world and the Otherworld.

Samhain is rooted in cycles of death and rebirth, all around us the trees are dying and the old year is ending. Yet it also marks the Celtic New Year, as the Celts believed that we begin all things in the dark, just as a seed begins to grow within the dark earth and baby within it’s mother’s womb.

In Irish Mythology Samhain is most associated with a womb like cave in Rathcroghan, Roscommon where the Goddess Morrigan resides. Once a year she realises her Under World monsters into This World causing havoc.

It also has links to of Tlachtga in Meath. As embers were taken from this hill top to light the great fire at Tara and only then could all the fires of Ireland be relit.

Today there are Samhain events all over Ireland welcoming in the Celtic new year with sacred bonfires on hilltops, feasting, festivals and storytelling.

Remembering Manchán Magan

All of us at The Irish Cultural Centre are deeply saddened by the untimely death of Manchán Magan — broadcaster, writer, and tireless promoter of the Irish language and culture, who we lost recently, aged just 55.

In recent years, Manchán graced our stage with two extraordinary evenings:

• October 2024: Arán & Im (Bread & Butter) — the UK premiere, where he baked sourdough bread and churned butter live on stage, inviting audiences into the sublime beauty and profound oddness of the Irish language.

• June 2025: Rewilding the Mind: Reconnecting to the Goddess of the Earth — an evening of myth, lore, and deep ecological wisdom, where he reimagined our connection with the land and ourselves.

Through his books, broadcasts, and performances, Manchán reminded us of the sacred connections between language, place, and spirit. His loss is immeasurable to Ireland, the Irish language, and all those touched by his work.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Event Host

Máire É Ní Mhaolalaidh (Mary Ellen / Máire É)

Máire É is a Westmeath writer, mythologyist, psychologist and cultural facilitator, blending mythic storytelling, Gaeilge, and trad music to create immersive, inclusive events and courses. She will host the evening, perform her retelling of the Samhain Morrígan tale and lead an Irish mantra meditation.

At the ICC she hosts the monthly What The Focal night, quarterly Celtic Wheel Tales events ( Samhain, Bealtaine, Imbolc & Winter /Summer Solstices) and runs the 6-week Mnátra Meditation course.

 

 

 

Featuring

David Kelly

David Kelly is a musician specialising in guitar and bodhrán, bringing the heartbeat of Irish tradition to contemporary performance. David will accompany Máire É throughout the evening, adding rhythm and texture to the stories and songs.

Kim Curran

Kim Curran was born in Dublin and grew up in London. She holds a degree in Philosophy and Literature from Sussex University and is a freelance Creative Director and Royal Literary Fund Fellow. Her first adult novel THE MORRIGAN is a feminist retelling of Irish mythology. It will be followed by BRIGID coming January 2026.

Miss Elainy (Elaine McGuiness)

Hailing from North Leitrim, now residing in Walthamstow, Elaine or known by her shamanic name Skyfire Song is a shamanic healing practitioner with roots traced back to Tuatha De Danann.

Known by her poetry name, Miss_Elainy_us, she is a member of the Flo poet collective in London under the mentorship of The Floacist and a member of the Bards, Ovates and Druids. She has captivated stages all over London, Ireland, Scotland and Australia.
Her poetry has been described as thought provoking inner monologues with a raw depth and triggering punch allowing the truth for healing to take place.
Currently in the middle of writing her first play, her words weave a magical spell, leaving the listener empowered, inspired and reflective.

 

Tara Viscardi

Tara Viscardi hails from the Beara Peninsula, Co. Kerry and performs on Irish traditional, classical and baroque harps. Passionate about education and outreach, Tara is Artistic Administrator for Irish Heritage and our harp tutor at the Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith. Tara is an active performer and has been featured playing her own arrangements and compositions on BBC Radio 3, RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ Lyric FM, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Radio Kerry and Bloomsbury Radio.

 

Christopher Tuite 

Christopher Tuite is a London-Irish poet who blends myth, memory and landscape into his layered and rhythmic writing style.

His work draws deep inspiration from family roots in rural Westmeath and the coastline of Mayo and combines it with life in London. His poetry explores unspoken bonds between people, place, purpose and legacy. Instagram @chewvtuite.

 

Anirban Saha

Anirban Saha is a yoga and mantra meditation teacher, born in Manchester to Indian immigrant parents. He teaches group classes at Hotpod Yoga Belgravia and offers 1-to-1 yoga and learn to meditate classes from his home practice in Ealing. Blending traditional wisdom with modern practice he brings a grounded yet spiritual approach his teaching.

Instagram @yoga_meditate_anirban

 

 

 

 

Johannah Barrett

Johannah Barrett curates and leads events, tours and talks celebrating under-represented women, their achievements and their literature. Trained in Bibliotherapy, she also teaches Writing for well-being. With a First in Screenwriting, she is a National Poetry Day finalist and has been long-listed for the London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme. She is proud of both her Irish and London heritage and recently hosted a fundraiser for a statue of Maud Gonne at the ICC.

Instagram @thepoetryguide

 

 

 

Seán Fitzgerald

Seán Fitzgerald, Irish artist and author, Irish Folk Magic.
Fostering well-being through cultural connection at Dúchas na nDaoine.

Instagram @seanfitzgeraldart

 

 

 

 

Róisin Mallon

Róisín Mallon is a folklore-inspired artist who blends Irish folklore and the Irish language through her artwork, encouraging people to see the magic still present in the world around us. She was born in County Mayo and is now living in County Down. Having returned to learning Gaeilge as an adult, she’s passionate about celebrating the richness of Irish heritage and the quiet connections between myth, culture and everyday life.

Visit her website here

 

What to Expect

• Celebrate Samhain traditions and Irish cultural heritage.

• Engage with Irish myths and storytelling inspired by Manchán’s work.

• Participate in a guided Irish meditation, connecting spiritually with Manchán and ancestors.

• Enjoy live music and performance, weaving language, myth, and imagination.

• Gather le chéile — together — in grief, love, and community, honouring his life and legacy.

 

Join Us

Manchán followed the path of truth (imithe ar shlí na fírinne), but he would not want us to grieve alone.

So, bígí linn—join us when the veil is thin and (re)kindle your feminine spirit like na lasracha tine—the flames of Samhain.

As we remember Manchán’s words, they become the anam cara—the soul friend to guide us through the dark winter days ahead.