Irish History, Culture, Heritage, Language, Mythology
Near Mullingar lies the legendary Hill of Uisneach. In ancient Ireland, it was considered by druids to be the geographical and spiritual centre of the Emerald Isle. A rock known as Cat Stone, the Irish name “Ail na Mireann” means “stone of division”, marks the point where all five Irish provinces met. Éiru, in modern […]
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Viking influence in the Celtic lands goes back to the very beginning of the Viking Age, when men from Scandinavia decided to make the perilous journey across the seas to take what treasures they could. One of these Viking raiders was Magnus Olaffson (Magnús Óláfsson), better known as Magnus Barelegs or Barefoot, the king of […]
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In Irish mythology, Donn is a god of the dead. Donn is the modern Irish word for the colour brown and appears as an element in many Irish surnames like Donegan, Donovan, Donnelly and on its own as Dunn/Dunne. However in the case of Donn the word derives from the Celtic word ‘dhuosnos’ meaning dark […]
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Draped over her shoulders, with its full hood pulled around her face and sweeping to the ground behind her, was a cloak made entirely of ravens’ feathers. The crow is a personification of the three Mórrígna in Celtic mythology and especially of Badb Mórrigu, the harbinger of doom. In this form, she seems to be […]
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The view from the summit of the fort is most impressive and solemn: the desolate-looking fields…fall away to the golden crescent of Kilmurvey strand, and rise up the opposite hill…to the old lighthouse near Dun Oghil. Eastwards runs the long range of steep, dark headlands, and deep bays, rarely unsheeted by high-leaping spray…The limits of […]
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A bronze representation of the mythical figures Midir and Etain taking flight swan-like by Eamonn O’Doherty at Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre. Midir was a king of the Tuatha de Dannan; proud, handsome and regal. His wife was called Fuamnach, and was his equal in every way. She too was tall and proud, and she was herself […]
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Ferdiad, was a warrior of Connacht in Irish Mythology. In the Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Brown Bull of Cooley) Ferdia finds himself on opposite sides to his best friend and foster-brother Cúchulainn, with whom he had trained in arms under the renowned warrior woman Scathach. He and Cúchulainn are equal in all martial feats, with […]
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The story proper begins with Ailill and Medb king and queen of Connacht, who compare their respective wealths and find that the only thing that distinguishes them is Ailill’s possession of the phenomenally fertile white bull called Finnbhennach. He had been born into Medb’s herd of cattle but scorned being owned by a woman and […]
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A rare and hard to obtain map of Ireland in the Heroic Times, found in Standish O’Grady’s History of Ireland. Here is an effort to map the lands most associated with Ireland’s mythologies and heroes and even charts the course of the Children of Lir from the House of Donn to the Isle of Rachlin. […]
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As we move into the darkest months of the year, it seems fitting to visit a spectre as ancient as life itself – the Banshee. A banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology who heralds the death of a family member, usually by shrieking or keening. Her name is connected to the mythologically-important tumuli […]
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