Irish folklore art

Blarney Woollen Mills tells the tale of the classic Irish legend - the Children of Lir. The story is rich in Irish folklore, myths and magic.

The púca (Irish for spirit/ghost), pooka, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca or púka, is primarily a creature of Irish folklore. Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune, they could either help or hinder rural and marine communities. The creatures were said to be shape changers which could take the appearance of black horses, goats and rabbits. The púca has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. For instance, in Welsh mythology it is named the pwca and in…

Jane Keay combines watercolour and pen & ink to produce her wonderful interpretations of nature. 'Scythe Moon' is a particular favourite of ours.

WH Auden referenced the stonechat in a poem as “a bird stone-haunting, an unquiet bird”. In folklore, because of their unusual chattering call, they were thought to be in constant conversation with the devil. They were even thought to carry a drop of the …

"The earth grew dark, and its figures passed by me ... and among them all I beheld only Morella." Art by Harry Clarke for Edgar Allan Poe's story, "Morella" (1936) Re-discovering history's rebellious and obscure artists is one of our favourite pastimes on the internet. When their brushtrokes indu

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) English, Golden Age Illustrator. Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens (1920) Illustrated by Arthur Rackham archive.org/stream/irishfairytales01step#page/n11/mode/2up

The severed head is routinely found throughout the literature and archaeology in Celtic and Norse territories. Is it possible that the severed head served as more than simply a war trophy?