“Black magic operates most effectively in preconscious, marginal areas. Casual curses are the most effective” – William S. Burroughs

I knew this Earl thing would go badly… You probably woke up this morning thinking, “It would be great to be a 16^th Century Irish Earl.” No? Just me, I guess. Turns out it might not have been such a good gig after all. Sure, it beat being a peasant what with the starvation, poverty, and general lack of hygiene, but it had its share of headaches. Well, beheadings actually, but I figure that’s on the far end of the range of possible headaches. Starting in the 9^th Century, you had those pesky Viking raids on the coast of Ireland. From about the 11-14^th Century, Norman invasions from England were fairly regular, but declined due to the arrival of the Black Death. Not exactly a good bargain, but…