Today's Ireland has never lost the link with its pagan past, never forgotten the old ways. This book reveals the hidden world of pagan Ireland, showing it still exists among the people and in the landscape where it belongs.

Introduction -- So many came: a historical overview -- Part 1: The keepers of power: Druids, deities and superheroes: Druids: guardians of wisdom -- In search of powerful women -- Danu, the earth mother -- Warmth, wisdom & warfare -- Maeve, the warrior queen -- The banshee -- Beyond the mist: gods of old -- Crom Cruaich, the earth father -- Heroic warriors -- Cúchulainn -- Fionn Mac Cumhaill -- Part 2: Nature and the otherworld: Sacred places, magical creatures and the turning year: The lore of the sea -- Spirits of the running water -- Thin places & thorn trees -- Magical birds & beasts -- Creatures of the shadows -- The little shoemaker -- Seasonal merry-making -- Untamed moon: lunar feasts -- The winter & summer solstices -- Part 3: Traditions in story: the three sorrows of storytelling: Once upon a time ... -- Three sorrowful tales.