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So I made this video…
I’m tempted to call it a documentary but that sounds far too pretentious.
So it’s just a long video about Irish mythology in popular culture.
So long, in fact, that my previous computer couldn’t handle me editing the gigantic file so I had to buy a new computer just to finish it.
Anyway, it’s here. Right here. And if you enjoy it, please consider leaving a like. And if you don’t like it, I highly suggest you get in touch with me immediately via YouTube’s Super Thanks feature. Chuck in a buck and you’ll get a guaranteed response from yours truly.
FYI: I’ve also put together a summary of all of the Irish mythology pop culture examples featured in the video. They’re listed in order, so feel free to click along as you watch.
Irish Folklore: Irish Mythology’s First Foray into Pop Culture
—W. B. Yeats: Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888)
—Finn McCool & The Giant’s Causeway
—The Wanderings of Oisin (1889)
—Lady Gregory: Gods and Fighting Men (1902) / Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902)
—T. W. Rolleston: Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race (1911)
—Alfred Perceval Graves: The Irish Fairy Book (1909)
—Lady Wilde: Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland (1887)
—James Macpherson: Fingal (1762)
—Iolo Morganwg: Barddas (1862)
Irish Myths in the Modern Era
—Robert E. Howard: Conan of Cimmeria (1932)
—Savage Tales featuring Conan the Barbarian (1971)
—Conan the Barbarian (1982)
—Conan the Destroyer (1984)
—Red Sonja (1985)
—Kull the Conqueror (1997)
—Conan the Barbarian (2011)
—Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Irish Myths in Movies
—Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959)
—The Luck of the Irish (1948)
—Finian’s Rainbow (1968)
—Leprechaun (1993)
—The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
—The Seventh Stream (2001)
—Ondine (2009)
—A Shine of Rainbows (2009)
—Song of the Sea (2014)
—The Hole In The Ground (2019)
—You Are Not My Mother (2021)
—The Watchers (2024)
—The Secret of Kells (2009)
—Wolkwalkers (2020)
—Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021)
—Luck (2022)
—Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (2010)
—Faeries (1981)
—Boys From County Hell (2020)
—The Green Knight (2021)
Irish Myths on TV/streaming
—Roar (1997)
—American Gods (2017)
—Bodkin (2024)
— “Howl” (2002) from The Mummy: The Animated Series
—The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog (1998)
Irish Myths in Books & Plays
—George William Russell (AE): Deirdre (1902)
—W. B. Yeats: Deirdre (1907)
—J. M. Synge: Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910)
—Adriaan Roland Holst: Deirdre en de zonen van Usnach (1916)
—George R. R. Martin: A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones (1996)
—J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings
—The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
—The Two Towers (1954)
—The Return of the King (1955)
—Herminie Templeton Kavanagh: Darby O’Gill and the Good People (1903)
—Guy Pearce Jones and Constance Bridges Jones: There Was a Little Man (1948)
—Rosalie K. Fry: Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry (1957)
—Lillian Beckwith: A Shine of Rainbows (1984)
—A. M. Shine: The Watchers (2021)
—Brian Froud and Alan Lee: Faeries (1978)
—Neil Gaiman: American Gods (2001)
—Kevin Hearne: The Iron Druid Chronicles
—Melanie Karsak: The Celtic Blood Series
—Tricia O’Malley: The Mystic Cove Series
—Nora Roberts: The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy and The Dragon Heart Legacy
—Karen Marie Moning: Fever Series
—Emma Hamm: The Otherworld Series
—Leigh Ann Edwards: The Irish Witch Series
—John Coyne: Hobgoblin (1981)
—David Duchovny: Miss Subways (2018)
—Deirdre Sullivan: Savage Her Reply (2020)
—Joseph Jacobs: More Celtic Fairy Tales (1895)
—William Shakespeare: King Lear (1606)
—Irish Imbas Press: Celtic Mythology Collection
—Tor: Emerald Magic
—Me (I. E. Kneverday): Neon Druid
Irish Myths in Comic Books
—Mike Mignola: Hellboy
—Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson: The Boys
—The Brave & the Bold: Batman & Wonder Woman
Irish Myths in Video games
Irish Myths in Music
—The Pogues: “The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn” (1985)
—Thin Lizzy: “Black Rose” (1979)
—Sinéad O’Connor: “A Perfect Indian” (1994)
—Hozier: “Swan Upon Leda” (2023)
—John Coulter: Deirdre of the Sorrows (1944)
—Robert Lamb: The Children of Lir (1970)
—John Williams: The Five Sacred Trees (1995)
Irish Myths in My Life
—Peter Berresford Ellis: A Dictionary of Irish Mythology (1987)
—Thomas Kinsella: The Táin (1969)
Want to learn about the darker side of Irish and Celtic mythology? Check out…
Samhain in Your Pocket
Perhaps the most important holiday on the ancient Celtic calendar, Samhain marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new pastoral year. It is a liminal time—a time when the forces of light and darkness, warmth and cold, growth and blight, are in conflict. A time when the barrier between the land of the living and the land of the dead is at its thinnest. A time when all manner of spirits and demons are wont to cross over from the Celtic Otherworld. Learn more…
Irish Monsters in Your Pocket
In the Ireland of myth and legend, “spooky season” is every season. Spirits roam the countryside, hovering above the bogs. Werewolves lope through forests under full moons. Dragons lurk beneath the waves. Granted, there’s no denying that Samhain (Halloween’s Celtic predecessor) tends to bring out some of the island’s biggest, baddest monsters. Prepare yourself for (educational) encounters with Irish cryptids, demons, ghouls, goblins, and other supernatural beings. Learn more…
Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy
“A thrilling romp through pubs, mythology, and alleyways. NEON DRUID is such a fun, pulpy anthology of stories that embody Celtic fantasy and myth,” (Pyles of Books). Cross over into a world where the mischievous gods, goddesses, monsters, and heroes of Celtic mythology live among us, intermingling with unsuspecting mortals and stirring up mayhem in cities and towns on both sides of the Atlantic, from Limerick and Edinburgh to Montreal and Boston. Learn more…
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