Cutting through several hundred years of misinformation and misunderstandings with respect to ‘Irish Mythology’ is a difficult task at the best of times. These days, ‘Irish mythology’ tends to be a mixed hodge-podge of elements spawned by decades of commercial fantasy entertainment. This (and a number of other influences) has essentially meant its now a… Read more »
We’re back in the office this last day or two and, in between writing FIONN 6, I’ve done a small piece on ‘Beacáin Scammalach’ – Cloud Mushroom – you’ll know what that is if you’ve read any of the ‘Liath Luachra’ books. This article looks at why Liath Luachra uses it, why I’ve included it… Read more »
Well, its that time of the year when we can finally finish up and walk away from the desk, hopefully not to return until the new year. On a personal level, I’ll be glad to see the back of 2024 but, as usual, I remain hopeful for next year. This Christmas, to celebrate another year… Read more »
In the ‘Fionn mac Cumhaill Series’ of books, there’s little love lost between the woman warrior Liath Luachra and Muirne Muncháem, mother of Fionn mac Cumhaill. This little scene from FIONN: The Adversary demonstrates how they have to work to get along to survive the hazards of the Great Wild. On the southern bank of… Read more »
A section from ‘chapter two’ of FIONN: Defence of Ráth Bládhma. In this scene, the woman warrior Liath Luachra is out hunting with her enthusiastic young pupil, Bearach. She’s instructing him in the practicalities of the hunt. Further detail on the book is available through the link. ————————— They’d been stalking deer sign for the… Read more »
A representation from illustrator Arthur Rackam of Liath Luachra teaching Demne (the young Fionn) at a very early age. It’s actually a visual representation of a scene from Macgnímartha Finn where Liath Luachra and the young Fionn chase other around a tree with a switch. You have to love the matching outfits.
Draugr in Dublin City, a graphic novel/comic released by Irish artist Gerry Hunt in 2012, tells the story of a reincarnated Viking (Draugr is an old Viking term for a resurrected warrior) who reawakens when his grave is looted by some Dublin locals. The avenging Viking then goes on the rampage to recover his possessions… Read more »
One thread that occasionally raises its head throughout Irish mythology is the motif associated with the burial process of some rí (a word often mistranslated as ‘king’ but more accurately translated as ‘chieftain’) or mythological celebrities, where the corpse is bound upright or interred in the standing position, usually in defiance of an enemy or rival population… Read more »
This is a brief update on books that are planned /anticipated for release over the next 3-12 months. There’s further detail available in the September newsletter (Vóg) but I’m sure there’s something in the list below for everyone. Confirmed Releases: FIONN: The Betrayal (book six in the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series) Although it’s still unclear… Read more »
Fiacail mac Codhna is a swaggering and irrepressible warrior from the Fionn mac Cumhaill Series, based on the original Fenian narratives. Handsome, charming, and shrewdly strategic in battle, Fiacail’s potential for tribal greatness is undermined only by an over-sexed libido and a strong weakness for women, particularly where it relates to Bodhmhall ua Baoiscne, sometimes… Read more »
A recent commission of ‘Liath Luachra’ for another project I’m working on (more on that in the next newsletter). I suspect I won’t be using this particular image. It feels more like a ‘Celtic Fantasy’ version of the character which, from my perspective, doesn’t work. We’ll see.
Military leader of Clann Morna (not the chieftain), Goll mac Morna takes on a much larger role in Fionn mac Cumhaill’s life as the core Fenian narrative progresses. Interestingly, you rarely see much about Goll from the English web content publishers (generally, because they don’t really understand how Gaelic culture works in the Fenian narratives)… Read more »
