How to Discover Irish Mythology

To many, Irish mythology is the story of St. Patrick chasing out all the snakes or the leprechaun with his pot of gold. But just as the history of the people of Ireland, the Celts, goes back much further, so also is its mythology much more rich and complex. Here's how to discover Irish mythology for yourself.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Understanding Irish Mythology

1. Get a working understanding of the history of the Celtic peoples. Thought to come from central Europe, the Celts separated into three peoples – the barbaric Firbolg, the highly gifted Tuatha De Danann ("People of Danu") and the warrior Milesians (Gaels)--who reunited and fought over the Emerald Isle, with the Milesians conquering and reabsorbing the other two branches.
2. Divide the existing medieval Irish literature into four overlapping eras: the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Historical Cycle.
3. Classify tales about the conquest of the land by the Tuatha De Danann, their defeat of the Fomorians and their defeat by the Milesians as belonging to the Mythological Cycle. The People of Danu have been regarded variously as kings and heroes, shape-shifting magicians akin to Merlin, as well as gods. Lugh Longarm is one of the chief heroes in stories of this cycle.
4. Define tales set in Ireland's early Christian era in the provinces of Ulster and Connacht as belonging to the Ulster Cycle. Stories of the warrior Cuchulain, son of Lugh, and other tales of single combat in a time when cattle were the chief unit of currency are part of the Ulster Cycle, as are the Tragedy of Deidre and plays by Synge, Yeats and Woods set in this era. Some characters from the Mythological Cycle appear in Ulster Cycle tales, but overall, the tales have a more realistic edge than those of the previous cycle.
5. Include tales from third century Leinster and Munster provinces and the Irish colonies in Scotland in the Fenian Cycle. These tales are usually told in verse and are less epic in scale and more romantic in tone than the earlier cycles. Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn MacCool) and his band of warrior-bards are the chief heroes, while Goll MacMorna is the chief villain.
6. Assign tales of the lineages of the kings of Ireland, as recorded by their court bards, to the Historical Cycle (or more properly, cycles). These tales blend history and myth to various degrees, ranging from the probably entirely mythical king Labraid Loingsech to the historical king Brian Boru, with its midpoint at the 12th century story of Buile Shuibhne, a real king who in folklore was cursed by St. Ronan to become a half-man, half-bird creature.
7. Place tales that don't neatly fall into these cycles into separate categories: adventure tales of journeys to the "other world," whether sailing westward, traveling underground or visiting the spirit world; voyages ("immrama") across the sea and tales of the sea's wonders; and folktales collecting various stories passed by word-of-mouth into written form. The movie "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" came from tales published by Herminie T. Kavanagh.

Discovering It For Yourself

8. Read the works of authors who dedicated themselves to preserving Irish mythology and folklore, such as Lady Augusta Gregory, Juliet Mariller, Gregory Frost and Morgan Llywelyn.
9. Find books on Irish mythology and history at your local library or bookstore.
10. Visit websites devoted to preserving Irish history and culture (see Resources).
11. Travel to Ireland to visit the historical places mentioned in the myths.

Tips & Warnings

• Many of the medieval texts were written by Christian monks hostile to the old pagan religions of the people they had converted. Often, Celtic gods were reduced to mortals and the genealogies of kings were rewritten to fashion them after Biblical genealogies.