Profs and Pints Meetup-Metro DC

Profs and Pints DC presents: “Celtic Mythology,” an exploration of the beliefs of a people whose influence spread far beyond the British Isles, with Larissa “Kat” Tracy, past president of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies, former editor of its journal, Eolas, and visiting assistant teaching professor of English at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-celtic-mythology .]

The Celts inhabited lands stretching from the British Isles to parts of France and the Holy Roman Empire. Their influence can be seen in the art of the Vikings, in the rich oral and literary traditions of the Irish, Welsh and Bretons, and in the modern renaissance of Celtic culture. But who exactly were they?

Get into the minds of the Celtic people by learning about their myths and beliefs with Larissa “Kat” Tracy, a scholar of Old and Middle Irish and Middle Welsh language and literature and published translator of Old Irish texts whose dynamic and fascinating talks have earned a considerable following among Profs and Pints fans.

Dr. Tracy will delve into early medieval literary records that tell stories of the Tuatha de Danann, a godlike people who invaded Ireland and then were defeated themselves.

She’ll offer a new perspective on faeries, banshees, and leprechauns by describing how the ancient Otherworldy people once believed to inhabit the western realms of Ireland were diminished or demonized into figures of popular folklore. You’ll learn how the ancient God of the Sun become one of the “little people” guarding cauldrons of gold and bestowing luck, how immortal beings of majestic stature shrank to small winged creatures in the back of gardens, and how supernatural women associated with the “people of the mound” became screaming harbingers of death.

We’ll explore how medieval literary texts inspired later legends and became adapted into folklore. You’ll gain an understanding of how the medieval Catholic Church’s growing power led local people to reimagine their ancient gods and goddesses as Christian figures like Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick.

You’ll gain an appreciation of how the Celts gave rise to living traditions that survive in modern popular culture through the preservation of languages, storytelling and music enjoyed all over the world, and renewed interest in goddesses like Brid and celebrations like Samhain. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: From “Riders of the Sidhe,” a 1911 John Duncan painting of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Profs and Pints Northern Virginia presents: “A Practical Guide to Social Change,” a research-based look at how communities bring about reform and progress, with Marissa Robinson, founder of Real Health Impact LLC and an adjunct professor at George Washington University who teaches courses focused on public health leadership and social change.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-social-change .]

Systems built on inequality rarely transform without deliberate pressure from the people most committed to justice, because progress takes coordination, conviction and willingness to change what has always been accepted. Real change starts when people choose to move together.

Learn what research and experience say about how to make real social progress with Dr. Marissa Robinson, a public health practitioner who previously worked in federal agencies coordinating global and national public health initiatives focused on infectious diseases, HIV, and health equity.

Among the key questions she’ll tackle: How do communities overcome barriers to create real change? When should evidence guide decisions and when does context matter more?

She’ll discuss established frameworks for moving from intention to measurable progress and talk about the importance of building coalitions that actually work and of making decisions grounded in real data. You’ll learn about the importance of testing ideas on a small scale before going big, as well as how to use rapid feedback loops and continuous improvement cycles to refine approaches and scale what truly works.

Dr. Robinson will share stories of ordinary people and communities who refused to accept the status quo and pushed through real barriers to achieve breakthrough results. She’ll talk about practical strategies, usable frameworks, and evidence-based examples that people can apply immediately in their own communities and organizations to support change that lasts.

If you have dreamed about bringing about progress in your world, this talk will give you the clarity, direction, and confidence it takes to turn such dreams into reality. ( Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image by Canva.

Profs and Pints Metro Northern Virginia presents: “Celtic Mythology,” an exploration of the beliefs of a people whose influence spread far beyond the British Isles, with Larissa “Kat” Tracy, past president of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies, former editor of its journal, Eolas, and visiting assistant teaching professor of English at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-celtic-myths .

The Celts inhabited lands stretching from the British Isles to parts of France and the Holy Roman Empire. Their influence can be seen in the art of the Vikings, in the rich oral and literary traditions of the Irish, Welsh and Bretons, and in the modern renaissance of Celtic culture. But who exactly were they?

Get into the minds of the Celtic people by learning about their myths and beliefs with Larissa “Kat” Tracy, a scholar of Old and Middle Irish and Middle Welsh language and literature and published translator of Old Irish texts whose dynamic and fascinating talks have earned a considerable following among Profs and Pints fans.

Dr. Tracy will delve into early medieval literary records that tell stories of the Tuatha de Danann, a godlike people who invaded Ireland and then were defeated themselves.

She’ll offer a new perspective on faeries, banshees, and leprechauns by describing how the ancient Otherworldy people once believed to inhabit the western realms of Ireland were diminished or demonized into figures of popular folklore. You’ll learn how the ancient God of the Sun become one of the “little people” guarding cauldrons of gold and bestowing luck, how immortal beings of majestic stature shrank to small, winged creatures in the back of gardens, and how supernatural women associated with the “people of the mound” became screaming harbingers of death.

We’ll explore how medieval literary texts inspired later legends and became adapted into folklore. You’ll gain an understanding of how the medieval Catholic Church’s growing power led local people to reimagine their ancient gods and goddesses as Christian figures like Saint Bridget and Saint Patrick.

You’ll gain an appreciation of how the Celts gave rise to living traditions that survive in modern popular culture through the preservation of languages, storytelling and music enjoyed all over the world, and renewed interest in goddesses like Brid and celebrations like Samhain. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: From “Riders of the Sidhe,” a 1911 John Duncan painting of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Profs and Pints DC presents: “Terrors of Irish Fairylore,” an introduction to Ireland’s strange and unsettling folkloric “Good People,” with Brittany Warman, former instructor at Ohio State University, co-founder of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, and co-author of the new book Fairylore: A Compendium of the Fae Folk.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-irish-fairlylore .]

Today it is common to think of fairies as small, childlike, sparkly creatures with glittering wings and dresses made from flower petals. But the fae of traditional Irish folklore were no such things.

Amoral, capricious, even malicious when they chose to be, the too-frequently forgotten fairies of times long past would, more often than not, haunt nightmares.

Join Brittany Warman, a folklorist who has earned a devoted following among Profs and Pints fans, as she explores the darker side of Irish fairylore.

The figures she'll discuss include: The Leanan-Sidhe, a vampiric fairy who gives artistic inspiration in exchange for your mortal spirit. The Dullahan, a fairy with a human spine for a whip and a habit of hurtling across fields in a death coach made from human skin. The Banshee, a mournful fairy whose cry signals a death in the family to which she's attached herself.

Dr. Warman also will examine the surprising impact of fairy folklore on two classics of Irish Gothic literature, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

It’s a talk that will remind you that the relationship between the Irish and the spooky stretches well beyond Halloween. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: “The Banshee Appears,” an 1862 illustration by Robert Prowse (Wicklow Heritage / Public domain).