‘Are you afraid of me?’: What Ireland’s first ‘witch’ trial tells us about women’s rights today

‘Are you afraid of me?’: What Ireland’s first ‘witch’ trial tells us about women’s rights today

I first heard about Alice Kyteler, Ireland’s first so-called ‘witch’, in school. Of course, as a nine-year-old, I pictured the stereotype: a wart on her nose, a pointy hat, an unhinged cackle for a laugh. Then I forgot about her until 2020 when I was newly married, and for some unknown reason, I started thinking about this woman who is famous in Kilkenny for murdering her four husbands – I should clarify that my husband is still breathing, and f…