The island of Ireland has a long and rich history combined with a very rich mythology. Sometimes history and mythology are so intertwined that it is difficult to separate one from the other.  Did Queen Maeve really exist or is her mythological character based on a real person? We will probably never know the answers to these questions given the passing of more than a millennia since these stories were told. One of the problems we have is that the stories were passed down in an oral tradition and weren't written down until monks transcribed them starting in the sixth century. There are different versions of stories and characters from different parts of the country. For instance, in Ulster Fionn is a giant who is responsible for the creation of Lough Neagh, the Isle of Man and the aptly named Giant's Causeway. The rest of Ireland views him as the demi-god leader of the Fianna who has a myriad of gifts and special powers. The monks brought their Christian biases to the stories so we don't even know the more accurate oral forms of them. For instance, it is doubtful that in the early telling of Oisin and Tir na nog that he returned to Ireland and met St. Patrick before his death. 
History on the other hand is well known and even very early events are well recorded in many extant manuscripts. Once again we have the early monks to thank for their hard work in recording events. 
On this page we're attempting to bring some of the history and folklore to you. This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive study, but the short articles which serve mostly as introductions to various subjects,  in combination with references and links to other websites, will we hope pique your interest.
​More articles of interest will be added going forward - so check back often.

Fairy Tree

Holy Wells

Ireland's Forgotten Famine

The Irish Harp

Brendan Behan

Irish Christmas Traditions