The Coming of the Gael
How and why one saga became three with All roads leading to Kerry. A great read by Tighe O’Donoghue/Ross, first published in The Kerry Magazine 2015 THE COMING OF THE GAEL HOW AND WHY ONE SAGA OF INVASION BECAME THREE All Roads Lead to Kerry Tighe O’Donoghue/Ross First published in The Kerry Magazine […]
Diarmaid and Gráinne
This tale is redolent of the sad story of Deirdre and Naoise and is probably the most travelled of the Irish romances. It became well-known in Europe and is thought to have been the source of the story of Tristan and Isolt. An older man’s love for a younger woman, elopement, love versus honour, a […]
An Fear Dearg – the red man
A little man, his impish mischief can be read on his face. His complexion is ruddy and dry. His eyes are twinkling and bright. As the red man he is dressed in vermilion, crimson, scarlet and carmine. They like traditional Irish cooking and are greedy eaters and great drinkers. They are sometimes benevolent, always mischievous, […]
Cluricaunes and Leprechauns
Cluricaune or Leprehaune is the name given to the Irish Puck. The character of this goblin is a compound of that of the Scotch Brownie and the English Robin Goodfellow. He is depicted (for engraved portraits of the Irish Leprehaune are in existence) as a small and withered old man, completed equipped in the costume […]
The Tragic Fate of the Children of Lir
The Tragic Fate of the Children of Lir This is a late 15th century creation and is the second of the ‘Three Sorrows of Storytelling’. It contains the themes of fosterage, a wicked stepmother, humans magicked into birds and centuries-long life ending in dust on return to human form.