Irish fairies,leprechauns, changelings, Mythology, tales, and history.

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Ireland's long history is riddled with ancient mythology and folklore. Although the pre Christian mythology did not survive the conversion to Christianity, it was preserved in the medieval Irish literature, the most extensive and bet preserved of all Celtic mythology and folklore. A large number of manuscripts were lost, a lot of information never committed to manuscripts, but the material available identify distinctly overlapping Cycles, the Mythological Cycle, Ulster Cycle, Fenian Cycle and Historical Cycle. In all of the folklore personages are featured in one or all the cycles.
The Druids and Celtics believe in the Power of Magic..the stories of brave warriors with all the knowledge in the world, with magical powers, and fairies playing pranks, leprechauns hiding gold.
let us look at just a few.
The Banshee.

Banshee comes with the omen of Death, sometimes an old woman dressed in rages, other times a beautiful young woman, and then a wash woman, ringing out bloody garments. She has a terrible screeching cry,bringing death to any family who hear it.(King James of Scotland believed he heard and saw a Banshee. he died at the Earl of Atholl in a few days after he heard her).
The Pooka is a fairy that creates havoc in the World. It appears at night in rural areas, tearing down fences scaring the animals. The Pooka sometimes stand outside the farmhouse and call the family by name, abducting the humans. The Pooka is also the cause of many shipwrecks.

The Changelings are children of fairies who are born deformed, the fairies require perfection and will then swop the changeling for a human child. Although the changeling looks like a human child it is without emotional characteristics, and only brings grief and misfortune. (Shakespeare in Midsummer's Dream, talk s about a changeling, and in Scarlett O,Hars Gone with the wind, Rhett Buttlers illegitimate child was a changeling)
Often a child with different personality will be called a changeling in society.

Then there is the story of Dagdas Harp

Dagda was a High Priest who owned a beautiful Magical Harp. A rival tribe stole the Harp and carried it away to an abandoned castle. Dagda followed them and called to the Harp who came to him. Dagda struck the cords, the Harp started playing the Song of tears. All of the warriors started crying, next Dagda struck the cords again, and the Harp played the song of mirth, all laughed helplessly, then a third time the cord were struck, and the Song of Sleep was played, everyone fell asleep except Dagda, thus allowing him and his harp to escape.

Lir was the Lord of the sea with a wife and four children when his wife died he married her sister, Aoife, a jealous witch, who because of her jealousy turned the children into swans, only to be released with the tolling of a Christian bell. The roamed from lake to lake stream to stream for 900 Years...until St Patrick visited Ireland, and the bells were rung. They then returned to humans.

Many stories were told of St, Patrick by the Monks years after his death. He was not Irish at all, but British born, from a wealthy family. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He converted to Christianity and upon his release went to Ireland to teach Christianity, only to be sainted decades after his death. One of the stories that the Monks told was that he magically rid Ireland of Snakes...but there has never been snakes in Ireland!

There are so many mystical magic beings in Irish folktales. But leprechauns and fairies are the most popular.

Leprechauns have been in existence since medieval times. They are tall fairies and can appear as old men, there main aim is to collect gold, hide it in a pot, at the end of a rainbow. If a human catches a leprechaun, he is granted three wishes by the leprechaun, who then is set free.

Fairies even today are very much alive, taking on any form but usually human, They are very beautiful, but beware they bring misfortune and bad lack to mortals! Fairies in modern times have been portrayed as fairies flower fairies who tends flowers, snow fairies who brings snow. water nymphs or fairies who live in lakes, forest fairies who tend the forests and many others being romanticized, painted and believed in. It makes for an escape from reality, basis of children's stories, all with the good and evil in them.