Irish mythology

Samhain ( , ; ; ) or '''' () is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season in autumn and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa. Historically it originated in Ireland and it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle o

Imbolc or Imbolg (), also called '''Saint Brigid's Day''' (; ; ), is a Gaelic traditional festival on 1 February. It marks the beginning of spring and is the feast day of Saint Brigid, Ireland's patroness saint. Historically, its many folk traditions were widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Imbolc falls about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Bealtaine, Lughnasadh and Samhain.

Beltane ( ) or Bealtaine () is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland

Land of Eternal Youth in Irish mythology

Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. In recent centuries, some celebrations have shifted to Sundays near this date. Lughnasadh is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Beltane. It corresponds to the Welsh and the English Lammas.

historical title

mythical island

supernatural race in Irish and Scottish mythology

stone in County Meath, Ireland

body of prose and verse on the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill

Erin is a personal name taken from the Hiberno-English word for Ireland, originating from the Irish word "Éirinn". "Éirinn" is the dative case of the Irish word for Ireland, "Éire", genitive "Éireann", the dative being used in prepositional phrases such as "go hÉirinn" "to Ireland", "in Éirinn" "in Ireland", "ó Éirinn" "from Ireland".

medieval Irish narrative

A ''''' or '' (pl. ') is an idiosyncratic taboo, whether of obligation or prohibition, similar to being under a vow or curse, yet the observance of which can also bring power and blessings. The word "geas" is also used to mean specifically a spell prohibiting some action. '''' occur commonly in Irish and Scottish folklore and mythology, as well as in modern English-language fantasy-fiction.

conventional division within Irish mythology

mythical realm in Irish mythology

thumb|"Grania questions the druid", illustration by Henry Justice Ford in The Book of Romance (1903) Gráinne (), sometimes anglicised Grania, is the daughter of king Cormac mac Airt in the Fianna Cycle of Irish mythology. She is one of the central figures in the Middle Irish text Finn and Gráinne, as well as the 17th-century tale The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne, which tells of her betrothal to Fionn mac Cumhaill, leader of the Fianna, and her subsequent elopement with Fionn's warrior Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.

Dindsenchas or Dindshenchas (modern spellings: Dinnseanchas or Dinnsheanchas or Dınnṡeanċas), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word dinnseanchas means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature, recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associated with the places in question. Since many of the legends being related also concern the acts of mythic and legendary figures, the dindsenchas has been an important source for the study of Irish mythology.

thumb|right|310px|Brendan discovering the Faroes and IcelandStamp sheet FR 252–253 of Postverk FøroyaIssued: 18 April 1994Artist: Colin Harrison

body of Old and Middle Irish literature

geographical object

' () or ' (in Welsh, pronounced ) was a board game popular among the ancient Celts. Fidchell was played between two people who moved an equal number of pieces across a board; the board shared its name with the game played upon it. Based on the descriptions in Irish and Welsh literature as well as archaeological finds of game pieces, it is likely to have been a variant of ludus latrunculorum played in Ireland and Britain.

protagonist of the Voyage of Máel Dúin

thumb | right An echtra or echtrae (pl. echtrai) is a type of pre-Christian Old Irish literature about a hero's adventures in the Otherworld or with otherworldly beings.

mythical island in Irish mythology

Irish legend

mythological beings in medieval Ireland

funeral games

leader of the Fomorians