God Map: Fairy Mounds of the Tuatha Dé Danann

In Ireland, the gods have palaces.

Granted, they’re underground. 

These structures are called sidhe (sí), a term that can refer both to Irish fairy mounds and to the Irish fairies who inhabit them.

But wait a minute: 

I thought these hallowed (and hollow) subterranean halls belonged to the gods?

Well, they do. 

Or, they did. 

Depends on your perspective. 

Watch a video adaptation of this essay right here. Text continues below.

Fairy Mound Archaeology vs. History vs. Mythology

Archaeologically, many of Ireland’s megalithic monuments were built in the New Stone Age, the Neolithic. 

Historically, Iron Age Gaelic/Goidelic Celtic-speakers reimagined those monuments as the abodes of their gods.

Mythologically, the Milesians, who are the last of six mythical races to settle in Ireland, defeat the Irish gods, the Tuatha Dé Danann.

And on condition of their surrender, Ireland’s divine tribe retreats underground, with each remaining member of the Tuatha Dé Danann receiving a sidhe, or earthen mound.

The sea-god and otherworldly ruler Manannán mac Lir is in charge of the sidhe assignments.

He’s also in charge of raising a magical veil or mist, the féth fíada, to keep these divine dens hidden from prying human eyes.

His job complete, Manannán peaces out across the sea for the Otherworld, Emain Ablach (Emhain of the Apples), which is sometimes identified as the god’s namesake island, the Isle of Man.

As for all of the other Irish gods, let’s look at the map.

Sidhe Assignments: Where Do the Tuatha Dé Dananns Go After the Milesian Invasion?

The Dagda, the Irish all-father and current king of the Tuatha Dé Danann gets the Brú na Bóinne, or palace of the Boyne.

It’s a complex in County Meath that includes the massive Sídh in Broga, more commonly known today as the Newgrange monument. 

Ope, but here comes the Dagda’s son, the love-god Aengus Óg.

Aengus’s mother is Boann, namesake goddess of the River Boyne and the wife of Elcmar, the sidhe’s former occupant (it’s a whole thing).

Anyway, Aengus is known to be a cunning linguist and sure enough, he uses a tongue twister to trick his dad out of the primo sidhe. 

Bodb Derg, one of the Dagda’s other sons and the heir to the Tuatha Dé Danann throne, gets the appropriately named Sid Boidb, which is on Lough Derg, south of Portumna, in County Galway.

However, it should be noted that Bodb Derg is also associated with Sid ar Femen, a site we know today as Slievenamon in County Tipperary.

Midir the Proud, who is central to the story The Wooing of Étaín and who is sometimes a son of the Dagda, lives at Brí Leith, now called Ardagh Mountain in County Longford. 

Granted, another source places Midir in County Tipperary at Síd Druim, which today is the site of the Carraig Phádraig, St. Patrick’s Rock, otherwise known as the Rock of Cashel.

Ogma, Irish god of eloquence, inventor of Ogham script, and the occasional brother of the Dagda, gets Sídh Airceltrai, which—

Look, nobody really knows where Sídh Airceltrai is, but Daragh Smyth’s best guess is a “since despoiled” mound near Downpatrick in County Down. So we’ll go with that.

Lugh, the Irish god of many talents and chief hero of the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, which was fought against the Fomorians, gets Rodrubân.

I’m choosing to link Rodrubân with Shee Lugh, or Seelewey, in County Sligo, given both its name and its proximity to the plain of Tuired, the famed battle site.

That being said, Lugh is also associated with the Cnoc na Teamhrach, Hill of Tara, in County Meath, and even has a promontory fort named for him there, Rath Lugh.

And if we’re talking about the Hill of Tara, we also have to talk about the Hill of Uisneach in County Westmeath.

The two hills were connected by an ancient road, the Slighe Assail. 

The Dagda is said to have a residence at the Hill of Uisneach.

Lugh is said to have drowned in a small lake on the hill, which is now known as Lough Lugh, and was then buried nearby.

But for my money, the Hill of Uisneach really belongs to the Tuatha Dé Danann sovereignty goddess Ériu. 

When the Milesians meet and negotiate with Ériu, they come to Uisneach.

And as a result of that meeting, Ireland gets its name: Éire.

Ériu is said to be buried beneath Uisneach’s Ail na Míreann (“stone of the divisions”), which marks the exact center of Ireland.

Or so the story goes.

And speaking of stories about stones, it’s theorized that the Hill of Uisneach may be synonymous with Mount Killaraus, which, in Arthurian legend, is the original site of Stonehenge—before Merlin steals it.

But I digress. 

Manannan’s alleged father Lir, of The Children of Lir fame, dwells in Sídh Fionnachaidh/Finnachadh, or Hill of the Fair Field. Alternate etymology: hill overgrown with grass or shrub.

Most scholars place the sídh somewhere in County Armagh’s Fews Mountains, potentially Deadman’s Hill, or its neighbor Carrigatuke, a.k.a. Armaghbrague Mountain.

The ancient name for the area is Sliab Fuait, or Fuat’s Mountain (named in honor of a Milesian chieftain). Although there seems to be some confusion over whether that term applies to the whole range or just to its tallest peak.

What I can tell you for sure about Sídh Fionnachaid is that the Dagda’s son Fionnbharr or Finnbheara (Finvarra), whose name means “fair hilltop,” does not live there.

He’s given the “bare-topped” Sídh Meda.

This spot, located a few miles west of Tuam in County Galway, is better known today as Cnoc Meadha (Medb’s hill) or Knockma.

Whatever you do, please don’t get Fionnbharr’s Sídh Meda and Lir’s Sídh Fionnachaidh confused with Fagartach’s Sídh Finnabrach—why would you do such a thing?

It took me a while to crack this one, but I can say somewhat confidently that Sídh Finnabrach is likely the same site as Achadh Fionnabhrach, or the field of Fionnabhrach, which was renamed Craobh Ghrealláin (“the branch of Grellan”) in honor of St. Grellan, who is said to have baptized the King of Connacht’s stillborn baby back to life.

As a reward, the King gave St. Grellan land to build a church in what are now counties Galway and Roscommon. And St. Patrick gave him a stick.

Manannan’s son Ilbreach is allotted Sídh Eas Aedha Ruaidh, which is named for a king who drowns in a waterfall near what is now Bollyshannon, County Donegal.

Eas is the word for “waterfall” in Irish, which means calling it Assaroe Falls, the English name, is silly and redundant.

Like me.

Sadly the waterfall no longer exists.

(Dam.)

And neither does the sidhe, which was thought by some to correspond to the Mound of Mullaghnashee, now the site of Saint Ann’s Church of Ireland.

A quick aside: 

After the waterfall’s namesake king Áed Rúad mac Badairn drowns, his daughter Macha Mong Ruad becomes the first and only queen to serve as High King of Ireland, and a royal residence is built for her in County Armagh. 

Now known as Navan fort, Emain Macha serves as the homebase for some of Irish mythology’s greatest heroes and kings, including the Red Branch warrior Cú Chulainn and the Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa.

No, it’s not technically a sidhe or a divine residence—although I guess Cú Chulainn is a demi-god?

Good enough for me. Put it on the map!

And if we’re going to include Emain Echa, I think it’s only fair we give County Kildare’s Cnoc Alúine, or Hill of Allen, its due. 

Formed by an ancient volcano and formerly known as the Cnoc Almaine, or Hill of Almu, the hill is the fortified headquarters of Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn McCool), famed hunter and warrior of the Fianna. 

And I’d be remiss not to mention that Fionn could be a descendant of the Tuatha Dé Danann by way of his maternal grandfather Tadg (more on him later), so that’s how I am going to further justify the inclusion of Cnoc Almaine.

Speaking of famous cnocs…

Manannan’s foster son Eógabal has two daughters, Áine and Grian, both of whom are associated with the sun—grian is the Irish word for sun—and both of whom are connected to famous Irish cnocs, or hills.

The former goddess has her headquarters at Cnoc Áine, the Hill of Áine, now known as Knockainey in County Limerick.

The latter has her headquarters in the same county just seven miles away at Cnoc Greine, the Hill of Grian or Hill of the Sun, now known as Knockgrean.

And while we’re on this Limerick cnoc kick, there’s also Cnoc Fírínne (Knockfeerina), an underground “castle,” or so it’s been called, which belongs to the Tuatha Dé Danann chieftain Donn Fírinne.

The “amiable” Sithmall, meanwhile, lives at Sith Neannta, now known as Tornant moat.

It’s a ringfort/barrow complex in County Wicklow that gets its name from the Middle Irish words for rocky peak or tower, tor, and nettle, neannta. 

Tadg, son of Nuada of the Silver Hand (or some other Nuada) gets the Sith of Druim Dea, which means something like “Ridge of the Gods” or “Ridge of Good,” and in either case is probably a reference to the Hill of Tara in County Meath.

This is bolstered by a Nuada of the Silver Hand parentage, as Nuada is a former high king of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Tara is his royal seat. 

So Tadg is like the prince who never moved out of the castle. 

Abhartach, no, not that Abhartach, the son of Illathar, is given Sidh Buidhe, which is dubbed “of the fair sum­mit.”  

Buidhe means yellow, so it’s likely this “fair summit” corresponds to County Wexford’s Sliabh Buí, or Yellow Mountain (spelt Slieveboy in English).

Derg Diansgothach holds down the fort at Sith Cleitidh, which could be connected to County Down’s Cill Cléithe (Kilclief), meaning “church of wattle.”

And just so we’re clear, that’s wattle, as in the building material.

Kilclief is now home to a modern(ish) castle, so it’s not unreasonable to think the site was also used anciently.

Other contenders for the present day location of Sith Cleitidh include County Monaghan’s Cill na Cléithe, or Kilnaclay (another “church of wattle”), and County Cork’s Cúil na Cléithe (Coolnaclehy), which means something like the “wattle nook” or “wattle corner.”

Now, a lot of the members of the Tuatha Dé Danann I just mentioned, especially the lesser known ones, come from the story Altram Tighe Dá Mheader: The Fosterage of the Houses of the Two Drinking Vessels.

But notably absent from that story is Anu.

Anu, the mother of the Irish gods, according to Cormac’s Glossary, doesn’t have a sidhe but she does have a celebrated set of mountains in County Kerry called Dá Chích Anann, or the Paps of Anu.

Granted, if you consider Anu to be a component aspect of a triple deity—the Great Queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann, The Morrígan, perhaps—there’s more to the story.

(Whether or not you should believe that is a topic for another video.)

The Morrígan, Irish goddess of fate and battle, is sometimes depicted as a resident of County Roscommon’s Ráth Cruachan (Rathcroghan), or fort of Cruachan. 

Specifically, The Morrígan is known to emerge from (and retreat to) the cave of Cruachan, a.k.a. Oweynagat Cave or the Cave of Cats.

Chronologically, The Morrígan’s cave crawling occurs in Irish mythology’s Ulster Cycle, which comes after the Mythological Cycle—the one where the Tuatha Dé Danann are often the stars of the show.

And in an even later cycle of Irish mythology, the Fenian cycle, there are more allusions to the Tuatha Dé Danann emerging from hills and mounds.

The Fenian Cycle’s Tuatha Dé Danann Address Book

In The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne, we get a list of the ”noblest and proudest of the Tuatha Dé Danann.”

Most of whom I’d never heard of.

These include:

• the three Mases of Sliabh Luachra; Sliabh Luachra meaning “a mountain of rushes.” Although it’s actually a collection of mountains situated along the borderS of counties Cork, Kerry, and Limerick.

• the three Garbs of Sliabh Mis (the Slieve Mish Mountains) in County Kerry. Not to be confused with the St. Patrick’s legendary stomping grounds, Slemish, the hill in County Antrim, which in Irish is also called Sliabh Mis.

• the three Sgals of Brug. That’s Brú na Bóinne in County Meath.

• the three Ronans of Ath na Rig. That’s “the ford of the kings,” now Athenry, in County Galway.

• the three Conalls of Collaman. My best guess here is that Collaman is synonymous with Cullomane, a site east of Bantry in County Cork that includes a stone circle, a stone row, burial grounds, and many other ancient features.

• the three Eogans from Es Ruad mac Badairn—that’s the same waterfall as Eas Aedha Ruaidh in County Donegal. 

• the three Eochaids of Aine. I’m assuming that’s County Limerick’s Cnoc Áine. 

Although, to be fair, there’s another Cnoc Áine near Teelin in County Donegal. 

There’s also Dun Áine or the fortress of Áine (now known as Dunany) in County Louth; 

Lios Áine or the ringfort of Áine (now known as Lissan) in County Derry; 

and Tobar Áine or the well of Áine (now known as Toberanna) in County Tyrone. 

But I digress.

• the three Finns of Finnmur, and Figmuin of Finnmur. My detective skills tell me Finnmur could be linked to the townland Finnor More (Irish: Fionnúir Mhór) in County Clare. It’s the site of a burial ground and a holy well. But that’s just a hunch.

• the five sons of Fionn from Sith Chairn Chaoin (Cairn Cain), the hill of the gentle cairn or smooth cairn. And curiously there is a place called Carnmeen, near Newry in County Down. 

Patrick Weston Joyce asserted that the name came from the Irish Carn-min: smooth carn.

Granted, I’ve also seen Carnmeen’s Irish name listed as An Chorr Mhín, which translates to something like the smooth or round erratic—erratic like a glacial erratic.

This sort of makes sense given that Carnmeen boasts a collection of ancient standing stones. 

But the site also features several raths, including one some 40 meters (or 131 feet) across that sits on a prominent, exposed hilltop.

Not a bad spot for a god.

But ultimately, it’s inconclusive. 

• As for the Gins of Mag Breagh (Breá), their home turf is indisputably one “fine plain” (that’s what Mag Breagh means). It stretches across Counties Meath, Louth, and Dublin.

• There’s Cohla Crincosach from Bernan Eil, or the Devil’s Bit, which lies on the south side of County Tipperary’s Sliabh Eibhlinne or Slievefelim Mountains. 

• And we can’t forget Suirgeach Suairc from Lionan (Leenaun), a.k.a. Líonán Cinn Mhara, the “valley at the head of the sea,” which is on the southern shore of County Galway’s Killary Harbour. 

Now, for the Donns:

• We’ve got a Donn from the “fairy-mound in Breg,” which could be Teamhair (Tara), but given the use of the term “fairy-mound” is more likely Sídh in Broga (Newgrange). Both sites were once part of the Kingdom of Brega, and today both are in County Meath.

• We’ve got a “Donn from the Island,” which definitely sounds like a reference to the Irish death god Donn. Or as I like to call him, Donn of the Dead.

He runs Tech Duinn (House of Donn), the island-based checkpoint for Ireland’s recently deceased. 

These days, it is possible for living people to visit Tech Duinn, which is now known as Bull Rock. It’s off the coast of the Beara Peninsula in County Cork.

• There’s also Donn of Cnoc na nOs (Knocknanuss): “the hill of the fawns.” It was easy enough to find this one a map, so easy, in fact, that I found two. In the same county, no less! Cork.

Smart money says this hill corresponds to the more inland and well-known Knocknanuss in the Barony of Duhallow, site of the infamous 1647 Battle of Knocknanuss, which was fought as part of the Irish Confederate Wars that had kicked off a few years earlier with the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

The Knocknanuss closer to the coast in Barony of East Carbery just looks a lot flatter to me. Like where’s the actual cnoc, or hill?

Unless… yup, ok, there it is. 

Look, I’m just gonna keep both Knocknanusses on my map.

• For the grand Donn finale, there’s Donn of Leincnoc, or Lein Hill. This is likely a reference to County Kildare’s Cnoc Ailinne, or Knockaulin, site of an ancient Gaelic dún or fort. 

Indeed, Dún Ailinne is believed to be the inauguration location of Leinster’s kings.

And with that we’ve officially hit Irish royal sites bingo. 

The Royal Sites of Ireland

So we’ve got Dún Ailinne, royal seat of power for the kingdom (now province) of Leinster. 

Emain Macha, or Navan Fort, is the Ulster equivalent. 

Ráth Cruachan (Rathcroghan) was the seat of the kings of Connacht. 

And the Rock of Cashel was the royal seat in Munster.

Here we have the four provinces of Ireland and (arguably) their four most important ancient sites. 

“What about Meath!” I can hear you shouting. 

Yes, traditionally Meath is Ireland’s fifth province. And its ceremonial hilltop spot, Tara, wasn’t just the royal seat of the Kings of Meath, but the royal seat of the High Kings of Ireland. 

And that’s why it’s such a big deal when, in the Fenian Cycle, the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill shows up in Tara with an enchanted spear and defeats a fire-breathing monster that would emerge from a cave every Samhain and burn everything down.

So the monster…

Nickname: the Burner. 

Real name: Aillén Mac Midgna.

Homebase: Sídh Fionnachaidh. 

Yes, Aillén is Lir’s flatmate. (Sidhe mate? Wait…)

And Aillén is the the brother of Áine. Although that might be a different Aillén.

Regardless, this monstrous, destructive creature, this scourge of Samhain, is a member of the Túatha Dé Danann.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

From Gods to Fairies: The Fall of the Túatha Dé Danann

From the Mythological Cycle through the Ulster Cycle to the Fenian Cycle, the Túatha Dé Danann are reduced from Ireland’s divine saviors to Ireland’s resentful, hill-dwelling, nasty little creatures.

People stop calling them by their divine names and start calling them by the holes they crawl out of: sidhe.

This is how the Irish gods and goddesses evolved (devolved?) into the aos sí or daoine sí: the people of the hills, a.k.a., the other crowd, a.k.a. the fairy-folk, a.k.a. the fairies. 

This is how we get the queen of prophetic screams, the bean sí (banshee), whose name means “woman of the hills.”

This is how we get the the leannán sídhe, the “fairy familiar” or “fairy lover.”

This is how The Dagda’s son Fionnbharr, of Sid Meda (now Knockma) transforms from a prince of the Túatha Dé Danann to the fairy king of Connacht, who, in one Irish folk tale, makes a guy dance all night with dead spirits on Samhain until he passes out.

This is how we get the leprechaun, or Lugh-chromain: “little stooping Lugh.” As in, the god Lugh. Or at least that’s one (contested) etymology.

And yes, this is how Lir’s roommate Aillen Mac Midgna goes from friend to fire-breathing foe.

To quote W. B. Yeats:

“[T]he pagan gods of Ireland–the Tuath-De-Danān–robbed of worship and offerings, grew smaller and smaller in the popular imagination, until they turned into the fairies.”

As for the hills and subterranean dwellings associated with these fairies, they’re reimagined as portals to the Fairy Otherworld. 

While Manannán’s island Otherworld is only reachable by boat (and enchanted horses and chariots that can ride over water), the Fairy Otherworld is unique in that it has physical entrances (and exits) on the island of Ireland.

So here it is.

Your Irish god map. 

Which doubles as a map of entrances to the Fairy Otherworld.

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