Irish Legends and Folklore

One morning the Fianna were deer hunting on the shores of Lough Lein in County Kerry. They saw a beautiful white horse coming towards them. Riding on the horse was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She wore a long dress as blue as the summer sky and studded with silver stars. Her [...]

The Fianna lived many hundreds of years ago. Every man of the Fianna was chosen for his strength and bravery and was specially trained in warfare and was made a champion among warriors. Usually before any man could officially become a Fianna warrior he had to undergo some tests: While standing in a hole as [...]

Niall was one of the great Irish kings. He was the only son of Eochaid Muighmedon, high king and his wife Catharann, daughter of an English king. Eochaid later married Mong-Fionn, daughter of the king of Munster, and had another four sons. These sons were Brian, Fiachra, Ailill and Fergus. It is said that Mong-Fionn [...]

Fionn MacCool, was no ordinary giant. He was the biggest and the strongest giant in all Ireland. His voice could be heard for miles around. He was so strong that he could lift a hundred men in one of his enormous hands. Fionn lived with his wife in the hills of County Antrim. Fionn’s wife [...]

Finegas was a poet. He was one of the wisest men in Ireland. He lived near the River Boyne. Finegas read books and wrote poems. Finegas was watching all the time to try and see the salmon of knowledge in the river. The salmon of knowledge was a magic fish. The first person to taste [...]

Grainne was the daughter of Cormac MacAirt, the high king of Ireland. No woman could compare to her beauty. Many princes and chieftains wanted to marry her but Grainne was proud and she spurned each one after another. Fionn MacCool wanted to marry again after his wife died. He heard about Gráinne. He went to [...]

Long ago, a king called Conor MacNessa had warriors called the Red Branch Knights. He trained them to be strong men. King Conor also had a nephew called Setanta who wanted to be a Red Branch Knight. From a very early age he showed superhuman qualities of wisdom, warfare, magic and poetry. One night he [...]

Once upon a time, thousands of years ago, there lived in Ireland a race of tall, beautiful people. They loved music, poetry and sport and they were called the de Danann [people of Dana] because they descended from the goddess Dana. Then one day a savage band of robbers came over the sea from Scotland. [...]

The Children of Lir Irish story – Long ago there lived a king called Lir. He lived with his wife and four children: Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn. They lived in a castle in the middle of a forest. When Lir’s wife died they were all very sad. After a few years Lir got married [...]

The Tain -Conor MacNessa ruled Ulster; Queen Maeve and her husband Ailill ruled in Connacht. One night Maeve and Ailill were boasting about their riches. Ailill also boasted about his great white bull. Maeve had no bull and she was jealous. The next day Maeve called her messenger MacRoth. Maeve asked him if there was [...]

Tir Na nOg is a very beautiful land. In Tir Na nOg the leaves don’t fall from the trees or die. The flowers bloom all year round, and you can smell the scent of them miles away. If you are ever lucky enough to go to Tir-Na-nOg you would see young, happy people there. If [...]

Brian Boru is remembered as a very famous Irish king. He was part of the family of the Dal gCais. The Dal gCais had its fort near Kincora in County Clare. He learnt the skills of fighting when he was young and grew to be a great and skillful fighter. Brian Boru and his older [...]

The Tara Brooch is considered one of the most important extant artifacts of early Christian-era Irish Celtic art, and is housed and displayed in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. What does a tara brooch represent? Made in about 700 AD, the Celtic symbol brooch is composed primarily of white brass and is embellished [...]

The huge Celtic Crosses rising from the Irish landscape embody the union between the old religions that St. Patrick found and the Christianity he brought to the island. Legend says the Saint traced a cross through the circle sacred to the moon goddess and created the symbol that now speaks of eternal love and the [...]