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The following references may be useful when improving this article in the future: Williams, Mark Andrew (2016). Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691157316. OCLC 966607852. Carey, John (2018). Murray, Kevin (ed.). The Mythological Cycle of Medieval Irish Literature. Cork Studies in Celtic Literatures. ISBN 0995546924. OCLC 1054115919. Murray, Kevin (2017). The Early Finn Cycle. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1846826306. OCLC 1004318451. McCone, Kim R. (1990). Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish Literature. An Sagart. ISBN 1870684109. OCLC 1067754283. Bhreathnach, Edel (2014). Ireland in the Medieval World, AD400-1000: Landscape, Kingship and Religion. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1846823412. OCLC 875517988. Kelly, Fergus (2016). A Guide to Early Irish Law. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 1855002140. OCLC 1023541067. Raftery, Barry (1998). Pagan Celtic Ireland: The Enigma of the Irish Iron Age. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500279837. OCLC 750621647. McCone, Kim R. (1986). "Werewolves, cyclopes, díberga, and Fíanna: juvenile delinquency in early Ireland". Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies. 12: 1–22. McCone, Kim R. (1996). "The Cyclops in Celtic, Germanic and Indo-European myth". Studia Celtica. 30: 89–111. Murray, Kevin (2019). "Sources of Irish mythology. The significance of the dinnṡenchas". North American Journal of Celtic Studies. 3 (2): 155–170. doi:10.26818/nortamerceltstud.3.2.0155. McManus, Damian (2009). "Good-looking and irresistible: the hero from early Irish saga to classical poetry". Ériu. 59: 57–109.

Topics in Irish mythology

Festivals and Seasons

• Samhain
• Beltane
• Lughnassa
• Imbolc

Gods and Goddesses

• Tuatha de Danaan
• The Dagda
• Morrigan
• Cian
• Brighid
• Boann
• Banbha
• Cliodna
• Creidhne
• Cyhiraeth
• Danu
• Dian Cecht
• Donn
• Eriu
• Fodla
• Goibhniu
• Luchta
• Lugh, (also spelt Lug)
• Macha
• Nechtan
• Neit
• Nemhain
• Nuada
• Oengus
• Ogma

Heroes and Heroines

• Fionn mac Cumhail
• Cu Chulainn
• Brian Boru, a historical character rather than a mythological being.

Legendary creatures

• Sidhe
• Banshee
• Leprechaun
• Goblin
• Púca

Places

• Giant's Causeway

Miscellaneous

• Celts and human sacrifice

Accounts and Writings

• The Book of Invasions
• Táin Bó Cúailnge

Other sources

• Lady Augusta Gregory: Gods and Fighting Men (available as an etext at )

Also see

• Celtic mythology

External links

• Timeless Myths

Children of Lir

I've changed the Tragedy of the Children of Lir from one of the "greatest" Irish stories to one of the best known, partly because it's a value judgement and therefore not NPOV, but also because, as an Irish mythology buff, I think it's one of the worst. Personal taste and all that. --Nicknack009 08:39, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Feedback on adding this content into the page

Irish Mythology

Gods

They all decent from a common father known as Daghadha.

Dagda/ Daghadha/ Devos The gods all decent from a common father, this gods name was Devos. Devos was known as dago-Deiwios in early Celtic times which translates to mean "good sky" which later he became know as Daghdha. Daghdha is the great father figure in Irish mythology, he goes by many names. Daghadha was the leader of the Tutha Dé Danann and provided for them. He is know for his physical strength and abilities, as well as magical powers, and wisdom. Daghadha was known for his many famous alter egos and many thought the sun was one of his eyes, meaning he could see everything. There are many different stories and ideas about the Daghdha from various groups like the Tutha Dé Danann. Another common meaning for the Daghadha is "good god", this is not in the term of good versus evil but in the context of "technical precision". Daghadha rule lasted 80-years until he died in battle against the Formorians, from a javelin to the heart.

Heros

Lugh/ Lug/ Lugus Lug is a god as well as a hero and warrior figure in Irish mythology. Often you will see "sobriquet Lámhfhada" meaning long armed. This does not refer to his physical appearance but rather to the long rage weapons he uses. One of the common weapons of choice for him was a javelin. Lug was known as Samhildánach, which means one who possesses all the arts. It is said Julius Cezar gave him this name when he declared Lug must be worshiped for his invention of all arts. Lug goes by many other names, some are believed to have come form the Latin word lux while other think it comes form the Celtic word lugio of which translates to the work oath. There are still celebrations for Lug, they have a festival in August called "Celebration of Lughnasa" in his honor.

Goddesses

Goddesses are often referred to as other worldly ladies in Irish mythology. Goddesses are often correlated with the land, especially rivers. Many of these goddesses are connected to sacred rivers that flow throughout Ireland. Tales of many kings is influenced by his relationship with the goddess of the land, they all are very connected with one another. There is a common theme of intimacy between a king and his land, often referred to as kingdom in Irish mythology. Often a result of the kingdom being viewed as a 'divine woman'.

Mother goddesses

Brighid was originally a Celtic goddess and then the mythical lady of the Tutha Dé Danann. Her name was originally Brigit meaning the exalted one.

Danu was known as the river goddess

Mór-Ríoghain/ Morrígu

Mór-Ríoghain was early on known as the mother goddess and her name meant the 'great queen' though her original name was Morrígu meaning 'phantom queen'. She is often portrayed as a war goddess

Legendary Creatures

I noticed there is only one legendary creature mentioned in the article under the section by the same name. Is that simply due to a lack of sources regarding Irish legendary creatures?~~~~ Cease2be (talk) 21:38, 18 March 2024 (UTC)

Evaluate the article

The opening of the Misplaced Pages article, Irish Mythology, is quite strong. The article, for lack of a better word, defines Irish Mythology and explains its origins quite well. Irish myth is broken up into cycles and the article mentions this. The different cycles each have their own section after a brief overview in the introduction or opening of the article. It does not appear to contain information that is not elsewhere in the article, and is concise and informative.

The content of the article is primarily focused on the cycles and the myths and stories within each cycle. There are sections on both the heroes of the myths and the creatures of the myths that could be expanded. One could gather from the talk page and the article's references that the reason these two sections were not previously expanded upon is because of a lack of resources. All of the content appears to be relevant and as up-to-date as information about age old myths could be.

The tone appears to be neutral and there is no noticeable imbalance of focus on a particular section.

Sources: There are a good number of sources but their could be more. I realize a lot of the lack of sources likely has to do with barriers such as time, language, and overall accessibility. A lot of myths deteriorate or at the very least change over time (like a game of telephone) and I realize that finding reliable sources about old myths is difficult. This is only made more difficult by the fact that most of the oldest sources are not written in English.

The following is a secondary source that references a number of sea creatures in Irish myth with direct excerpts to the texts in which these myths are taken from as well as a translation immediately following the excerpt. The Book of Leinster which is referenced in the following source is also mentioned and referenced in the Misplaced Pages article, though to my knowledge the article shows no quotes or translations from the book. The Movement of Water as Symbolized in Early Irish Texts The reference remarks on a great number of Irish sea creatures as well as their significance and what the creatures might symbolize. The latter is not relevant as the Misplaced Pages article does not mention interpretations of the Irish Myths beyond the fact that Christian monks wrote many of the manuscripts used as reference and thus the stories within the manuscripts may have been altered, or rather the monks may have interpreted and transcribed the myths as they pleased.

Another source: The following source, while short and very opinionated, has a lot of similar information to the Misplaced Pages article as to the cycles. It is not the most ideal source, but it still contains information. Townshend, George. “Irish Mythology.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 23, no. 4, 1915, pp. 458–67. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27532846. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

This source is significantly less opinionated and references significantly more individual myths in more detail. This source comes across as much more scientific and provides reasoning for translations. The source is rich in information. Maclean, Hector. “Gaelic Mythology.” The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 9, 1880, pp. 167–81. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2841973. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

The organization of the article is easy to follow. Some sections could be added to. The writing is clear enough and professional. The images improve the article and are well-captioned. The talk page seems pretty barren but there are a good number of sources to be considered. A few edits have been explained. The feedback section has useful information as well. The article seems to be rated start-class. I think that the article is strong and has a lot of good information but much more could be added to it.   Cease2be (talk) 21:44, 18 March 2024 (UTC)

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