About Mythology - Northern Ireland

 by Alex Dempster

Within the Irish mythological canon, there are two forms. The first branch deals with a genre of the cultural mediaeval epic, the folklore and mythology of the ancient Celts and Gaels. These narratives generally call on the culturally preserved and traditional past of the indigenous, Gaelic-speaking lineages. The second form is about the mythological aspect and depicts historical figures as images of mythological heritage. These two genres, though vastly distinct, do coincide, referencing each other the mythology of ancient legends and the mythology of heroic figures.

The Irish mythological canon incorporates four tracks: the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Cycle of the Kings. 

The Mythological Cycle handles the origins of the world, which is all about the ancient history of the gods and men. It is a large body of semi-historical narrative and verse; it revolves around the early Irish imagined successive invasions. The cycle peaks with the arrival of Lug Lámfhota - the celebrated chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann and central hero within the Mythological Cycle, as well as the Irish defeat by the Milesians. The Mythological Cycle dealt explicitly with the roots and the prominent remnants of pre-Christian faith in Irish society. The Cycle is marked by themes of magic and sorcery, unlike the subsequent cycles. 

The Ulster Cycle, also known as the Cycle of Conchobar and Cúchulainn, possesses tales correlating to those characters and the other heroes they associate with. This Cycle includes the only Irish prose epic, Táin Bó Cúailnge, and centres on the traditional heroes of the Ulaid, a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-east Ireland during the Middle Ages, or modern east Ulster. These Ulster stories mould a world older than those recounted by other European traditions therefore the Cycle frequently receives the most eminent prestige of the four cycles.

The Fenian Cycle, or the Ossianic Cycle, is chiefly concerned with Fion mac Cumhaill and his son Ossin, or Oisín, and appears to be predominantly based on historical events that occurred in the second or third century, CE. It forms a large body of verse and prose romances, as well as one of the most popular and extensive of the four cycles. The Fenian Cycle was less violent and turbulent than the previous Ulster Cycle. However, the Fenian Cycle still takes into consideration the battles and otherworldly adventures.

The Cycle of the Kings, or the Historical Cycles, comprises a particular amount of pieces that form a semi-chronological order of events regarding real and fictional poetic annals of Ireland from the third to seventh century, CE. The cycle is the less-defined fourth cycle in early Irish literature. It consists of two groupings: the tales surrounding King Cormac mac Airt and his ancestors; and the tales of other semi-legendary kings, including those surrounding Niall of the Nine Hostages, who was known to be the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Ireland from the sixth to tenth century, CE.