The Voyage of St Brendan
This is the St Brendan of counties Clare, Galway and Kerry of the sixth century. The story of his voyage is dated to the ninth or early tenth century. To have included two voyages may seem excessive, but it shows the evolution of traditional/pagan stories into christianised ones. I have chosen to cover all the […]
The bad stepmother
This tale is from Patrick Kennedy’s (1866) collection of Wexford stories and was told to him by a young man who was the gardener, ploughman and house-boy to the local reverend. This theme is ubiquitous; Cinderella and Hansel & Gretel are examples from other countries. While there must be stories of good stepmothers, they are […]
Bill Doody and the rentman
This story would have probably been created in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. A very typical local hero story In one of those entertaining legends so plentiful in the South and South West of Ireland, we have an amusing illustration of the firm belief of the people in O’Donoghue’s powers. It is a treasure legend, […]
The vision of Mac Conglinne
From the twelfth century, this is a rather quirky tale and I have included it because it seems different. It includes inter-tribal ambition, magic, a poor scholar, a despotic abbot, a vision and a demon driven out by a religious man. Fearghal mac Maolduin, high-king of the Uí Neill and Cathal mac Fionghuine, king of […]
The Palace in the rath
This is a Wexford story from Patrick Kennedy’s (1866) collection. It is also found in Brittany. It shows both the helpful and impatient side to the fairies. A rath was an ancient ring fort which, today, is a small circular meadow surrounded by a mound overgrown with bushes. As my intent is just to get […]
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.
The Legend of O’Donoghue
The Legend of O’Donoghue Background There are a great many tales about Dónall Ó Donnchú or Daniel O’Donoghue, who, some say, was a twelfth century chieftain and the grandson of the Donogh from whom the O’Donoghue name was taken.
Old Clonbroney
Ghost story of Donohoe’s, a milling family outside of Ballinalee in Longford, as told to me by my mother.