The clurichaun is the solitary Irish fairy who drinks your best wine and moves house with you. Here is what Croker, Yeats and the Irish dictionary actually say about him, from the Haunted Cellar to The Sandman.
Galore, shamrock, whiskey, banshee and Tory all came into English from Irish or Gaelic. Here are 27 words with the Irish behind each one, how to say it and when it first turned up, plus the famous “Irish” words that probably aren’t.
From the aos sí and the banshee to the dobhar-chú and Balor of the Evil Eye: 23 Irish mythological creatures, grouped by type, with their Irish names, a plain way to say each one, and an honest look at which stories are old and which are modern inventions.
A changeling in Irish folklore was a fairy left in place of a stolen child or young wife. Here are the signs people looked for and the harsh “cures” they tried. Then comes the true story of Bridget Cleary, killed by her husband in Tipperary in 1895, and how the belief is explained today.
Ireland’s vampire, Abhartach, was first printed in full in 1869, and he never drank a drop of blood. Here’s what the old sources really say about him and the Dearg Due, and how a Dublin civil servant called Bram Stoker came up with Dracula.
An easy Irish tea brack for Halloween, with metric and US cups, every oven setting and a safe way to hide the ring. Then what the ring and tokens meant, the name bairín breac, and the yeasted original.
How to say Happy Halloween in Irish to one person or a crowd, how Samhain is really pronounced, what trick or treat is in Irish, plus 35 dictionary-checked Halloween words and card messages.
The púca, or pooka, is Ireland’s great shape-shifter: a black horse, a horned goat, a red bull, even a fleece of wool. Here are the real recorded stories, from wild night rides to the Halloween blackberry rule, plus Harvey, Carrigaphooca Castle in Cork and the Púca Festival 2026.
The Dullahan is Ireland’s headless horseman, a rider carrying his own head or a coachman driving the death coach. Here’s what the old sources from Cork to Clare say, and which bits the internet made up, like gold and the spine whip.
The Cat Sìth is the black fairy cat of Highland folklore, with Irish cousins. Here’s what the oldest source really says, where the soul-stealing and Samhain milk stories came from, and how a witch’s ninth change may have given cats nine lives.
Tadhg is TIE-g, Oisín is UH-sheen and Eoghan is OH-in. Nine Irish boy names said out loud in three short videos, with meanings, origins, famous bearers and how popular each one was in Ireland in 2025.
Aoife is EE-fa, Caoimhe is KWEE-va or KEE-va, Fiadh is FEE-a. Nine Irish names said properly on video, with the meaning, the story and how popular each one was in Ireland in 2025.
Over 50 real Irish quotes about life, love, friendship, drink, home and writing, each with the speaker and source. Plus the famous lines Yeats, Wilde and Shaw never said.
You never know when an ordinary moment in Ireland is about to go viral — and Galway just reminded the world of its magic again. A YouTube Short posted just …
Think You Know Ireland? Think Again 🇮🇪 Sure, we all know about Guinness, St. Patrick, and the whole leprechaun carry-on. But Ireland is full of odd, brilliant, and downright mad …