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 long golden hair hung to her waist. “What’s your name and what land have you come from?” asked Fionn, leader of the Fianna. “I am Niamh of the Golden Hair. My father is king of Tir-Na-nOg,” she replied. “I have heard of a warrior named … Read more

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 deep as his waist he had to be able to defend himself against nine warriors using only a shield and a hazel rod. He had to escape from nine warriors by running through the forest without breaking a twig under his feet or tearing his … Read more

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 was jealous of her stepson Niall; she wanted Brian to succeed to Eochaid. She did not rest until she had Niall as an outcast and his mother reduced down to servant. As Niall was entering manhood, he was returned to the court and welcomed by … Read more

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 was called Oonagh. One day a messenger came to Fionn’s castle. He had come all the way from Scotland with news for Fionn. The messenger told Fionn that a Scottish giant called Angus wanted to fight him. Angus wanted to show that he was stronger … Read more

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 the salmon would be the wisest person in Ireland. Its skin was the colour of gold. Its eyes were magic. A lot of people tried to catch it but they failed. There was no school but young warriors were taught by wise men like Finegas. … Read more

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 Gráinne and asked her to marry him. She said yes. That night a great party was given in honour of them. But Grainne fell in love with Diarmuid, one of Fionn’s warriors. Grainne put a sleeping draught to everyone except Diarmuid and tried to persuade … Read more

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 said to his mother, “I want to be a Red Branch Knight.” But she said he was too young. Setanta was a happy child who played the game of hurling [the national sport of Ireland – like lacrosse or field hockey] with his friends. His … Read more

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. Their king was an ugly giant called Balor, with only one eye, but that eye had the power of magic. One look from it was enough to kill a man or even a whole army. This gave the robbers a mean advantage over the de … Read more

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 again. He married a jealous wife called Aoife. Aoife thought that Lir loved his children more than he loved her. Aoife hated the children. Soon she thought of a plan to get rid of the children. One summer’s day Aoife took the children to swim … Read more

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 any bull in Ireland equal to Ailill’s bull. MacRoth said, “Not one as good but twice as good.” Maeve was delighted when she heard this. MacRoth said, “The bull’s name is the Brown Bull of Cooley. He belongs to the Daire of Cooley in the … Read more

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 you spent five days in Tir-Na-nOg, it would be about three or more years in Ireland. Tir-Na-nOg has a stream going through it and green hills all over. The people there have beautiful clothes, and you would eat off of gold plates and drink out … Read more

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 brother Mahon Boru fought against the Vikings of Leinster. In 967 A.D. they had a great victory over their enemies and Mahon made himself King of Munster. Mahon was king for nine years. Then he was killed by other princes. Brian made other kings accept … Read more

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 with intricate abstract decoration (termed “Celtic knotwork”) both front and back. The design, the techniques of workmanship (including filigree and inlaying) and the gold, silver, copper, amber and glass are all of high quality, and exemplify the advanced state of goldsmithing in Ireland in the … Read more

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 unity of faith and tradition in Ireland and the Irish. Around the Web: 23 popular Irish names and what they mean. Discover 15 Lucky Irish Baby Names For Your Little One! The Irish Post – features Baby Names of Ireland! 100 Celtic Baby Names: Meanings … Read more