The document provides an overview of Irish mythology and legends, summarizing several important figures and stories from Irish folklore. It describes mythical beings like the Leprechaun and Banshee, heroes like Finn MacCool, and epic tales like the Táin Bó Cúailnge. The mythology originated from ancient oral traditions passed down by Druids and draws from Celtic pagan beliefs, Christian influences, and the folklore of the Tuatha Dé Danann people. Many of the stories remain an important part of Irish cultural heritage and identity.

1. IRISH
MYTHOLOGY
"Every field of Ireland contains a story, and every
mountain corresponds to a legend. For legends,
just follow the current of a river - and soon you
will understand why the narrative is the form of
artistic expression national in Ireland ... "
Nicoletta
Evangelista
&
Fiamma

2. Frank Delaney
William Butler Yeats
Last Poems
The Last Storyteller

3. CAPE CLEAR INTERNATIONAL
STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

4. The Irish mythology is the oldest to have
been written in the language of the
people. The many Irish legends are the
result of ancient folk traditions rather
than myths and superstitions.
Some stories appear in written form
starting from the VII century, but many
date back well over 2,000 years ago,
when the Druids handed down orally
from generation to generation.

5. Saint Brendan
Legend tells of a group of monks who,
after sailing for seven years doing all
sorts of meetings in order to test their
faith, they found the Promised Land.
The story is in fact a Christian revision of Celtic tales
about the afterlife.

6. Finn MacCool
The warrior Finn MacCool is the most
famous commander of the Fianna,
companies of mighty and valor men
who defended Ireland from enemy
invasions.
Finn was not only strong and
bold, but also seer, and
acquired great wisdom putting
his thumb in his mouth and
sucking it.

7. Tàin Bó Cuailnge
The story tells of the war between the branches of Ulster and Connaught. A
cause it was Queen Maeve of Connaught who left her husband, king of Ulster,
and married Eochaid, king of Connaught, and then fall in love with the young
nephew of the latter, Aillil, who killed his uncle came to the throne at the side of
the Queen .

8. Chlann Lir
One of the saddest stories of the Irish tradition
tells of King Lir.
He was so fond of her four children to do their
stepmother mad with jealousy and she transform
them into swans.
Children of Lir sculpture, Ballycastle
Today, in Ireland,
it’s still illegal to
kill a swan.

9. Daoine Maithe
This is the name by which Ireland will
indicate collectively the members of
Good People (the Little People) and
that includes mainly Goblins and
Fairies.

10. Bestiary
• Banshee
• Bo men
• Clurichaun
• Daoine Sidhe
• Dukko
• Dullahan
• Each-Uisge
• Elves
• Far Darrig
• Far Gorta
• Fairy
• Goblins
• Gancanagh
• Grogach
• Leahhaunnshee
• Leprechaun
• Lunantishee
• Lurikeen
• Pooka
• Sheoques
• Sluag
• Spriggan
• Voghee Lyno
• Formorians

11. Banshee
In Irish Bean Sidhe, or Tattooed Woman (far
shee, male).
Generally good in contrast to the usual solitary
elves.
Perhaps she’s an elves become lonely for the
pain suffered.She emits wailing
at the death of a
member of some
ancient Irish
family.
If they are cries
of triumph may
be the ghost of a
person who has

12. Bo men
Goblins who live in the
swamps of County Down.
torture with dangerous
games the reckless who
venture there.
May distance hitting in
the face with a particular
quality of seaweed.

13. Clurichaun
In Irish Clobhair-cean.
Elf plump, ruddy-faced,
with a flashy belly and
nose spotty. It’s 30 cm
high and always has the
blank stare.
Very touchy.
Has revealed the
secret of
fabrication of
whiskey for the
hospitality

14. Daoine Sidhe
Name of the Tuatha De
Danann when the Milanese
led them underground
below the fairy hill
Knockma.
Their king was Finvarra.
No mortal has yet managed to
beat Finvarra in a chess game.
Often he kidnaps human

15. Dukko
Elf 50 cm high, slender,
well-proportioned and skin
whitish.
His manner sliced hide a
restless soul.
Returns what his
archenemy, the Voghee
Lyno , steals, stealing
from him.

16. Dullahan
Goblin gruesome, often is
seen leading a black coach
named coach-a-bower
pulled by headless horses.
Comes roaring at your
door, and if you open it a
basin of blood will be
thrown on your face.
It is a harbinger of death.

17. Each-Uisge
They are creatures similar to the Kelpie, but
much more dangerous.
They dwell in lakes and seas, and devour their
victims after having broken into pieces, except
for the liver that leave.

18. Elves
Entities of human appearance intermediate between
gods and men.
The elves are both creatures beautiful and good but
also bad and grotesque.
The sidhe (the people magic and blond of Celtic
tradition) are what remains of the Tuatha De
Danaan, the ancient gods of Ireland.
According to the myth
they were taller and more
beautiful than human.
Normally they are

19. Far Darrig
The Far Darrig is an
evil goblin with red
leather who loves
chairing the
nightmares of men
during the hours of
sleep.

20. Far Gorta
Slender elf begging in the
countryside, and he brings
good luck to those who
are generous with him.

21. Fairy
Supernatural creatures with magical power, can
change and do change appearance to others. Attend
all natural places
They are always ready to rush to the aid of the
innocent persecuted. They can also be malignant
and vindictive.
As Gnomes and Elves, they also guard incredible
riches.
The iconography of the
fairytale wants winged
and graceful, but there

22. Goblins
Generally have black blood and
red eyes gleaming at night. They
are playful and often ruthless
and mischievous.
They don’t have magical powers
but know the arcane arts.
They are friends of animal

23. Formorians
They are marine
creatures. In the remote
past they live on the
earth, but the Tuatha de
Danaan exiled them into
the sea.
Their attack ships

24. Gancanagh
Goblin similar to
Leprechaun, but, unlike
the latter, is a slacker.
Always has a pipe in his
mouth.
He spends most of his
time in company of

25. Grogach
He has the size of a small
child. Usually walks naked.
Wide shoulders, hairy and
flexible body (he don’t
It 'very
obliging
with
humans
in
housewo
rk and
care of
the
fields.

26. Leahhaunnshee
Beautiful female spirit
who wanders in search
of the love of men.
Who yields to her
effusions become her
slave, but rejecting
her is herself to
become a slave of love.
Let go to her courtship is
very dangerous, her
lovers wither because she
feeds their lifeblood, and

27. Leprechaun
It’s the most popular goblin of Ireland and also the
character symbol, also known as Leith Bhrogan. For
him many leaves a glass of milk on the window sill.
His portrait is in all the shops and stores, and it’s his
mask to open in the St. Patrick's Day parades.
It’s a shoemaker and when he don’t working is
dedicated only to make jokes.Keeps many pots
full of gold, which
moves
continuously. To
find them you
have to find the
beginning of the
rainbow.

28. Lunantishee
The Lunantishee are a tribe of Little
People that protects plum.
Their job is to not allow even one
branch of these trees to be cut on
the day of May 11 or 11 November.
Anyone who cuts a branch of a bush
in one of these days will attract bad
luck.

29. Lurikeen
Tiny creature that many
consider a Cluricauno
wandering in search of his
paradise lost.
For others it is a
descendant of the ancient
bards that once

30. Pooka
He is halfway between a
creature and a spectral
character from a story.
Crazy and cheerful, but
often invents jokes
terrible, ripping the heads
to play with a ball, running
across markets and
kicking young women,

31. Sheoques
The real Sheoques are
the spirits that haunt the
sacred bushes of
Sometimes some person is
hurt by them, but in these
cases the victims were
almost always deserved.
It is said that many
men are left prime
and who ended up in
their dark world.
Many more are those
who have listened to
their fairy music
until every interest
and joy has left their
hearts becoming
great seers or
healers or musicians
or poets; or died
after a year and a

32. Sluag
A horde of evil spirits
flying in flocks like birds.
According to the Irish
legends are the souls of
sinners who seek to take
away with them other
souls. Come flying from the
west, and therefore, when
someone is about to die,
you have to close the
windows of the western
side of the house; in this

33. Spriggan
Dreary, ugly and
grotesque, they are small
but can swell very much.
They are the guardians of
the treasures of the hills.
They are evil: rob and
kidnap the children of
humans, replacing them

34. Voghee Lyno
30 cm high, is cute in
appearance and almost
completely bald. Body dry
with a little paunch. Stroll
along the streets drunk
always in company and its
appearance is always very
nice.
It is the archenemy of D
He affects the rocks and he
knows how to write. Spends his
days to borrow pots of gold to
other goblins, and then he don’t
return them, and flee from the

35. Tir Na Nog
Land of eternal youth, an enchanted
island in the far west of the world.

36. Fear Gortac
Féar den chaillteanas
The Fear Gortac is
a magic herb that
causes an
unbearable
hunger in those
who tramples.
It can be fatal.
Who tramples it begins
to roam the countryside
and woods completely
losing orientation.

37. Tuatha De Danaan
They are the fifth of the
six prehistoric peoples
who invaded and colonized
Ireland before the Gaels.
It’s believed that they
are the gods worshiped by
the Gaels.

38. Ulster
Connaught
Cape Clear

39. Glossary
Druids:
priests among the Celts of Gaul and the British Isles
Tain:
word that connotes an epic poem
Bestiary:
In the Middle Ages it was a particular category of books, which
collected brief descriptions of creatures (real and imaginary),
accompanied by explanations moralizing