The Top 5 Irish Mythology Movies

St Patrick's day is almost upon us, so this might be a good time to watch some films that delve into the mythology and folklore of Ireland. In this video, I count down my top 5 picks for Irish mythology movies and briefly cover the mythology in those movies.

Please let me know which Irish or Celtic mythology films you enjoy in the comments below.

#stpatricksday #StPatricksDay2022 #mythology #Ireland #folklore

[rayday]

Song of the Sea is sooo good. Every frame of that movie could be a wallpaper

[justcallmeA]

If you're in any way into Irish mythology and folklore I strongly recommend the podcast Candlelit Tales, who do brilliant retellings of Irish myths and legends set to music. They usually discuss the myth in depth after the retelling and are incredibly interesting. They also post to their YouTube channel of the same name.

[cathleenmoyle]

Aisling from "Secret of Kells" is actually a Thua de Dannen herself. Her parents are Eriu and Lugh, and her people were taken by Crom, who is also a Formorian. It think why Aisling can transform is because of her and her people being descendants of the goddess, Danu, who was a goddess of farming and mother of the gods and Aisling's people. Aisling can also bend mist, turn people into ghosts, talk to animals and command them, and can also grow snowdrops by her just breathing on the ground. Even Aisling's name has lore behind it. Her name means "dream", "vision", and comes from these poems about a man or monk being visited by a ghostly woman, sometimes even the spirit of Ireland itself.
And don't forget about Pangur Ban, the white cat that accompanies Brendan and Aisling's journey. Her name and appearance comes from a poem with the same name, about a monk and his white cat. The possibility why Pangur was turned into a ghost to bail out Brendan is because 1. fairies like Aisling can't enter Christian ground, and 2. cats are said to go between different realms and worlds. Pangur Ban's mismatched eye colors are also a sign that she has supernatural powers.

[ElementalDAR]

One of the things I love about the Secret of Kells and the Song of the Sea is the ambiguity of it. They both portray children in magical settings dealing with real world problems. At a point you have to question whether what they see is and portray in the film is real (by the movies standards) or just how the child perceives it.
For example in the Song of the Sea, Macha has a striking resemblance to their grandmother. Also like their gran, whenever she seems like she is getting emotional she will open a bottle and seem to still and become sedated. It is beautiful how the writers wove myth into how the children see the world.
I never get to use my masters degree in mythology so videos like this are the best and always get me thinking.

[pennypaints]

Thank you for talking about Secret of Roan Inish!!!! It’s SOOOO good but no one talks about it! My Irish mother actually took me to see it in theaters when it came out way back when. It’s my favorite movie and everyone should see it.

[permiebird]

I love "Secret of Roan Inish" it's one of my favorite movies. In my city, a local Art House movie theater played Roan Innish, as a weekend matinee for 14 years. Literally played it every weekend, for 14 years. It's an amazing movie.

[artofalethea]

Into the West (1992) is a good movie in Irish mythology roots. While the movie doesn't outwardly show a lot of mythology, which wouldn't fit on this list, it shows the hardships of an Irish family and makes a lot of mention to Tir Na Nog and other aspects to the folklore. And when the traveling scenes appear in the movie, it shows lots of gorgeous Irish landscapes.

[diogenesegarden]

RIP Sean Connery who crossed the veil today on Halloween 2020.

[PhantomBones]

There are so many mythologies that are under utilized. But Irish Mythology is probably the most mishandled.

[emelfia]

I loved Darby growing up!!! That Banshee scared the sh*t out of me. I'll always remember watching it with my dad, he loved it also.

[ElementalDAR]

Tomm Moore has a new film coming out! This is the best news I've had in a while. I fell in love with the secret of kells and loved song of the sea, especially after the passing of my own mother. His films always feel like moving art.

[amybeal]

Growing up Darby O'Gill was one of my favourite movies and I always watched it when it was on Disney Channel ❤️ The Secret of Roan Inish is another favourite.

[galadrieltree]

Roan Inish was such a beautiful film. Thanks for covering it!

[autumnmccarson]

I saw The Secret of Roan Inish earlier this year, and it is definitely one of my favorite movies now. I love mythology and this movie is so wholesome and good!

[tenebrasm]

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns at the end was a nice touch:)

[craigt]

I would love to see a TRUE Irish Mythology movie with DANU(Gaia) and the rest of the Tuatha Dé Danann. although they are a loose pantheon they are very similar to their graeco-roman and other pantheon counterparts and it would be amazing

[MagusMarquillin]

I always get a strong Irish vibe from the movie Willow - although it probably doesn't adapt much mythology directly, many of the Nouns used have Gaelic hints; Tuatha-Tuatha, Elora Dannan, Fin Razel, Tir-Asleen, Bavmorda, and the Willow tree being sacred magik wood of course. But the mythology itself applies in a broadly European way (Brownies, Fairies, Trolls, Dragons) - some of which mesh with Ireland somewhat - but then other words like Nelwyn sound Welsh, and there's Asian looking armor, so really it's something of a Mutt of influences.
I'm curious about what bits of Irish Myth show up in Tolkien though.

[tomkerriskdunne]

Fair play man.. You did grand on the pronunciations ! Greetings from The Emerald Isle.

[borimirtheboring]

Thank you for bringing attention to The Secret of Roan Inish. I loved that movie.

[Aliandrin]

7:20 That "beautiful, minimalistic style" of animation is very Samurai Jack. It has an amazing, unmatched, unreal beauty.