By Lauren Walsh, Capacity Building Americorps Member
Ireland is a country rich with tales, traditions, and literature. Since today is St. Patrick’s Day, we thought we’d share some of these stories with you. Many of you may be wondering how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day during a pandemic. We typically gather for parades and festivities, and have a little fun with friends and family. This year, a good way to honor the day is to simply learn the stories behind these traditions, and some of the classic folk tales that have come from such a wonderful country. Below are a few Irish folk tales, some of which may differ from the versions you have heard. Keep in mind that Ireland and its stories are incredibly old, so variations are normal!
Leprechauns
Leprechauns are said to be fairies originating in Ireland that make shoes and cause mischief for humans. The origins of the name “leprechaun” are still not entirely known. Some say it comes from the Gaelic word “luacharma’n” meaning “pygmy”. Others say it is from “leath bhrogan” meaning “shoe maker”. Some say they are named after the Euro-Celtic God, Lugh, a member of the Tuatha De Danann.
Spotting a leprechaun is considered to be good luck, but can be very difficult since they disappear as soon as a human is near. However, they do trick humans by luring them with the sound of a shoe hammer to a pot of gold. Once the human finds the gold, the leprechaun then steals the treasure away in an act of mischief and trickery. They are said to guard the treasure that the Danes, who once conquered the land, buried in Ireland. When leprechauns aren’t tricking humans and making shoes, they enjoy jovial festivities.
Children of Lir
Lir was an ancient king and ruler of the sea who was married to his beautiful wife, Eva. Together they had 4 children: Aodh (the eldest), Fionnula (their daughter), and twin boys named Fachra and Conn. Eva died while giving birth to the twins and the heartbroken Lir married her sister, Aoife.
Aoife was very displeased by the time Lir spent with his children and grew jealous. She began planning to get rid of them, but could not kill them lest Lir would become suspicious and she would be haunted by their ghosts for forever. Instead, she used her magic to transform all four of them into swans. She bound the swan children to spend 300 years in Lake Derravaragh, 300 years on the Straits of Moyle, and 300 years on the Isle of Inish Glora. Their spell would be broken only when they heard a bell toll for a new god.
Aoife returned home and told Lir the children had drowned. When Lir visited the lake to grieve, his swan children discovered they could speak to him and told Lir what really happened. Lir banished Aoife and spent the rest of his life visiting his swan children. The swans spent their days singing and flying, eventually becoming well known across Ireland.
Finally, many years later, they heard a bell toll and knew their time as swans would be over. They landed on the shore of a lake, where a priest blessed them and they transformed back into humans, much older than their original forms. This story ends in different ways depending on who is telling it. In some versions, the four children are so old that they die immediately. In others, they live long enough to be baptized.
The Harp of Dagda
Dagda was one of the major gods of Irish mythology. He was the father and protector of the first tribe, Tuatha de Danann, to settle on the island of Ireland. Dagda was said to use a magical harp made from rare wood, gold, and jewels. This harp only answered to him and would play music that held people spellbound. He played this harp before battles to inspire courage, after battles to soothe his people, and at feasts to increase the celebration.
There was another tribe on the island, the Formorians and they were frequently at war with the Tuatha de Danann. One day, the Formians snuck into the Tuatha de Danann great hall and stole Dagda’s harp, hoping to play it and influence their enemy’s actions. They soon discovered that the harp would not play for them, but they still kept it and hung it in their own great hall.
While the Formians feasted below the stolen harp, Dagda burst in and called to it. It leapt from the wall into his arms and he struck three chords: Music of Tears made everyone inconsolable, Music of Mirth resulted in maniacal laughter, and Music of Sleep put everyone in the great hall into a deep slumber. This solved all of Dagda’s problems and from then on, the Tuatha de Dannan were free to roam the lands as they pleased.
The Blarney Stone
The legend of the Blarney Stone states that whoever kisses it will receive the powers of eloquence and persuasiveness. The stone itself is set in the wall of Blarney Castle, which was built in 1446 by the McCarthy family. There are many stories as to how the stone came to rest where it is. Some speculate that it was taken during the Crusades, while others say it is the same material used for Stonehenge. A recent study found that the stone is made from 330 million year old limestone that can be found south of Ireland.
The name of the Blarney Stone came about after an incident between the head of the McCarthy family and Queen Elizabeth I, who was ruling Ireland and England at that time. Queen Elizabeth I sent the Earl of Leicester to seize the castle, but McCarthy was able to stall him repeatedly just by talking. When the Queen discovered this, she said the reports were all blarney (meaning flattery or nonsense). Nowadays, people travel from all over the world to kiss the Blarney Stone, which must be done leaning backward and holding the 2 railings provided.
Tain Bo Cuailgne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley)
In the time of this story Ireland was divided into five provinces, each ruled by its own king. In this time, wealth was determined by your land and your animals. Medb, the willful Queen of Connacht, was married to King Ailill Mac Mala. Upon discovering that her husband was only one cow wealthier than she, Medb became disgusted and was determined to find an animal that would make her richer than Ailill. She wanted an animal that was of even greater value than Ailill’s prize bull, Finnbhennach. She settled on besting this particular bull because he was originally Medb’s, but chose to integrate into Ailill’s herd. Legend has it that Finnbhennach chose to do this because he did not want to be owned by a woman.
Medb decided she wanted the bull Donn Cualigne, but he belonged to the Ulsterman tribe. When negotiations for the bull failed, Medb sent an entire army to take him by force. At the time, the entire Ulsterman tribe had fallen ill and the only person fit to fight was the legendary hero Cu Chulainn. Cu fought each soldier in the army by himself over the course of many months. He was even forced to fight his brother and father, who were both part of Medb’s army. Though he killed his brother, Cu managed to reconcile with his father and end the fighting. Despite the failure of her army, Medb managed to capture Donn Cualigne herself. Don Cualigne fought Ailill’s bull, Finnbhennach, killing him and making Medb more wealthy and powerful than her husband.
Tir na nOg (Land of the Young)
Tir na nOg is a different realm, whose inhabitants are gifted with everlasting youth, beauty, health, and happiness. It is said to be home to Tuath De (the ancient gods) and fairies. Tir na nOg is forbidden to mortals, but they can enter the realm if they are invited by one of its inhabitants.
Oisin, son of the hero Fionn MacCumhaill and leader of the Fianna, was hunting with his men when they spotted an object moving rapidly along the surface of the ocean. As they looked closely, they discovered it was a beautiful woman riding the waves on a white horse. This was Niamh, daughter of the God of the Sea. She and Oisin fell instantly in love. Not wanting to separate, she asked Oisin to come back with her to Tir na nOg and he went.
When he entered this new realm, Oisin was immediately granted immortality, beauty, and everlasting happiness with his love, Niamh. However, after some time he began to miss his people and his family. Niamh allowed him to borrow her horse so he could go back, but not without warning him to never let his feet touch the ground. If he did this, he would instantly become mortal again.
Oisin left and when he made it back to Fianna, he discovered that no one was there anymore. Centuries had passed and everyone he knew had been gone for a very long time. He was so distraught that he fell from Niamh’s horse. Instantly, his body aged into that of an old man and he died of a broken heart. The horse made its way back to Niamh and she knew she would never see Oisin again.
