Apologies for the bad pun in the title, but one of the most impressive of all sights for pilgrims who reach Santiago de Compostela is the swinging of the botafumeiro — the great incense burner that hangs from the ceiling of the cathedral. The botafumeiro (‘smoke expeller’) is essentially a version of the thurible (hand-swungContinue reading “The botafumeiro: the oldest swinger in town”
Author Archives: deniscasey
Yellow arrows and the Shell symbol
The yellow arrows and the scallop shell vie with each other for the honour of most recognisable symbol of the Camino and I think every perigrino’s heart has lightened on seeing them on those rare occasions when we’ve gone off the beaten track. While the shell has a long association with the Camino, the yellowContinue reading “Yellow arrows and the Shell symbol”
The oldest guide to the Camino
Keeping donkeys for oral sex does not seem like the kind of thing you would normally associate with a travel guide, especially one dedicated to a pilgrimage, but sure enough there it is in the oldest guide book to the Camino, the twelfth-century Pilgrim’s Guide in the Codex Calixtinus: In some places, like Vizcaya andContinue reading “The oldest guide to the Camino“
Denis Casey
I am a writer, historian and university educator, from Co. Kerry, Ireland, with a passion for exploring links between Ireland and Spain.
Portmagee, Co. Kerry: the origins of an Atlantic smuggling village
My latest book – a history of the village of Portmagee, Co. Kerry from the Bronze Age to modern times – is now available to buy from Four Courts Press (2023).
Tigernán Ua Ruairc and a twelfth-century royal grant in the Book of Kells
A study of the meeting of one of medieval Ireland’s most powerful kings and its most famous book. (Maynooth Studies in Local History, Four Courts Press, 2020).
Denis Casey 