Newgrange, The Celts & The People of the Sídhe
It's a whole new season and we're doing something a little different – diving into the rich tapestry of Irish mythology. But before we jump…
The era
Irish Mythology
The stories Ireland told about itself before it wrote anything down
Long before the revolution — before the Normans, before the Vikings, before Patrick — Ireland was already old. Newgrange was five thousand years in the ground, and the island was thick with stories: gods under the hills, princesses turned into flies, invasions remembered as myth. Season 3 goes back to that beginning and asks where the stories came from, who wrote them down, and why they still have a grip on us.
The season follows the Tuatha Dé Danann from their arrival in the mythology to their long afterlife — how the old gods became the fairies — and takes stories like the Children of Lír apart to see how they were made, remade, and pressed into service by everyone from medieval monks to 19th-century nationalists.
Season 3 — The Mythology
Newgrange, the Tuatha Dé, and the stories underneath it all · 20 episodes
The Filí
In this episode we look at the people behind the Irish mythological stories and explore how the stories we have today are a fascinating…
The Coming of the Tuatha Dé
In this episode we dive into the First Battle of Moytura, telling the story of how the Tuatha Dé came to Ireland. If you'd like to dive…
How Bres the Beautiful came to be
In this episode we look at life in Ireland under the rulership of Bres the Beautiful and learn who is father was, as well as explore what a…
How Lugh shows what the Irish cared about
In this episode we greet the arrival of Lugh as the Tuatha Dé prepare for battle. We also dive into what the characters of Lugh and Bres…
Why is Ireland's Father Deity So Different?
In this episode we follow one of the strangest (and maybe raunchiest) moments in ancient Irish stories as the Dagda prepares for battle.
Were the Fomorians a Metaphor for Vikings?
In this episode we finally get to the big clash between the Fomorians and the Tuatha Dé. It's a brutal and beautiful piece of literature.…
A Lost Story of how the God's Fought Over Newgrange
In this episode we look at the history behind how The Wooing of Étain was uncovered and then dive into the story itself — as the Dagda…
How Druids Learned To Read The Moon Through Story
Did Étain represent the moon? And did The Wooing of Étain teach druids how to read the moon's movement over decades? In this episode we…
How Patrick Became Our Patron Saint
In this episode we look at how a Welsh bishop with fringe apocalyptic ideas became the patron saint of Ireland – defeating a whole load of…
The Unique Oddness of Irish Mythology
In this episode we get back into The Wooing of Étain, exploring her life as a fly and witness how she is reborn 1000 years later...
The Kings of Early Medieval Ireland Meet Étain
In this episode we look at how early medieval Ireland was ruled through a series of different kings and over kings, as well as continue our…
Honour Price & Fidchell
In this episode we explore the concept of honour price and how it was one of the most important legal concept in early medieval Ireland. We…
Ireland's First Psychopath?
In the latest episode we dive into the Fate of the Children of Tuireann, a story from the 15th century that builds on The Second Battle of…
The Fines That Made Brehon Law Tick
In this episode Lug issues a fine to the Children of Tuireann and we look at how fines were the bedrock of medieval Ireland's decentralised…
The Scholars on the Edge of the World
The Fate of the Children of Tuireann Pt. 3
The Lie Behind The Children of Lír
In this episode we look at The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how Ireland's most famous myth is not a myth at all. In fact, it's a…
Why The Children of Lír Was The Perfect Story For 19th Century Nationalists
In this episode we look at how the Children of Lír slowly gained popularity over the 19th century and see what happens when you turn…
The Children of Lír in the Classroom
In today's episode we finish off the last section of The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how really it was the Christian Brothers…
How the Tuatha Dé Evolved into Fairies
The old gods of Ireland never really died — they went under the hills, and people learned not to say their name. We follow the Tuatha Dé…
Bonus & specials from this era
Pagans, Christians & Wrens
Did someone say special Christmas episode? In a fortuitous coincidence it's the 26th episode on the 26th of December, which happens to be…