Irish Legends

Ireland is steeped in superstition and folklore that is handed down from generation to generation Some storieshave been in written form since the 8th Century but most originated over 2000 years ago when druids passed on stories orally from one generation to the next Like the Gaelic language itself many of Irelands legends have links with those of ancient Celtic races throughout Europe Irish folklore is rich in tales of fairies leprechauns banshees and other supernatural beings

Fairies Leprechauns and Banshees

The existence of spirits and in particular the little people plays a large part in Irish folklore Centuries ago it was believed that fairies lived under mounds of earth or fairy forts and that touching one of these tiny figures brought bad luck The most famous of the little people, is the leprechaun Legend has it that these little men dressed in green tunics sat under trees mending fairies shoes and if you caught one of these little men he would lead you to a crock of gold, but take you eyes off him for an instant and he would vanish into thin air with the gold.  The Banshee was a female spirit with long flowing hair whose wailing presence outside a house was said to signal the imminent death of someone within. Many people especially in rural areas still believe in the banshee today and dread hearing its wailing

The Children of Lir

One of the best known legends concerns the four children of King Lir whose jealous stepmother had them turned into swans for 400 years The sentence is now long passed and the four died as ancient humans but to this day it is illegal to kill swans in Ireland