Discovering Irish Mythology: A Family Vacation in Ireland

The ancient Book of Kells has amassed legendary status on display in the permanent exhibition at Trinity College. The River Liffey brushes against the banks of Dublin winding through the city. Buskers perform on Grafton Street with charm and grace amid the preserved Georgian architecture towering over the cobbled lanes. Dublin has a mythology all of its own brimming form pubs sharing folkloric songs and spinning yarns about Oscar Wilde with a bust decorating Merrion Square. Your private transfer greets the family upon arrival at Dublin Airport before escorting you out of the bustling city to Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman fortification at Trim’s Castle.

The castle was established in 1173 and rebuilt around the early 13th century. Narrow steep stairs wind around the towering turrets reaching the tower. The heritage town retains a sense of beauty in view of the castle doorstep. The scent of delicious bread, cakes, and pies emanates from a bakery working at the heart of town. Your guide introduces the family to the story of Fionn McCumhaill, also known as Finn McCool, who burned his thumb cooking a salmon for his master. By tasting the salmon first, Fionn gained all the knowledge in the world.

In the morning, the scent of herbaceous black tea fills the dining room of the hotel accompanied by the succulent scent of a full Irish breakfast. You venture to the charming town of Ardee after breakfast for a cycling tour exploring the County Louth. You start at Monasterboice, a historic monastic site located on a shady lane surrounded by vast farmland. The scent of grass fills the breeze. Two ancient church ruins rise out of the lush landscape including one of the tallest round towers in the country reaching nearly 92 feet.

The ruins date back to the 10th-century soaring over the remains of Muiredach’s High Cross decorated with fascinating etchings. You reach an open field striated with tufts of tall grass. The field was the site where Cúchulainn battled Ferdia for the Brown Bull of Cooley. The foster-brothers fought on behalf of Queen Medbh during the day but shared meals and tended to each other’s wounds by night. A statue of Cúchulainn carrying his brother decorates the square in Ardee. The winner balances on a tilting pole 20 feet long representing his spear.

The ruins of Dunluce Castle stair out over the majestic cliffs of Northern Ireland’s shoreline standing on a dramatic basalt crag embodying the intense but captivating beauty of the scenery. The family leaves County Louth after a refreshing breakfast bound for the town of Dunseverick and the distinct northern coastline of the Emerald Isle. Your guide shares the story of Deirdre and Naoise who fled to Scotland after receiving threats from King Conor. They returned to Ireland believing it was safe but were soon assassinated. Rather than marry the king, Deirdre leaped from a moving chariot along the towering rocky coastline.

The majesty of the tales matches only the marvels of the scenery at the Giant’s Causeway, a national nature reserve created over 60 million years ago. The network of 38,000 basalt columns forms stepping stones leading to towers with the Scottish coastline in the distance. The remarkable natural geological formations resemble a stairwell for giants packed with hexagonal stones. The sea breeze carries the scent of water up from the crashing waves. The kids quickly take to the 65-foot long wire rope bridge connecting the island of Carrick-a-Rede to the mainland.

The aroma of hops and barley filter through the doors of Walled City Brewery in Ebrington Square in Derry. The historic walls of the city continue to protect the streets with more than a mile-long circumference. The defenses dating back to the 17th century reaching 26 feet tall and nearly 30 feet thick. The family reaches the fabled region home to Ireland’s last serpent. The stories derive from Banagher Old Church. The present bridge was erected in the 19th-century with six archways instead of the 17 archways supporting the bridge in the 17th century.

Georgian houses line the streets reflecting the economic growth of the city in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ruins of Banagher Church date back to the 12th century showcasing an impressive nave. Pilgrims visit the tomb of St. Muiredach O’Henry, the founder of the church, bringing the superstitious who heard sand from the tomb brings good luck. The saint trapped the last snake on the island. The legend states the unusual currents on the north coast derive from the evil serpent’s presence below the sea.

The defensive walls of Cromwell’s Castle remain from the 17th century and the Napoleonic Wars along the banks of the River Shannon defending the former Banagher Bridge. Your private transfer takes the family back to the coast in the morning to ride the ferry bound for Tory Island in County Donegal. The remote destination is nine miles away from the mainland with a landscape steeped in history and folklore. The wind carries the aroma of briny water as the waves crash against the coastal borders. An artist colony remains in town using the stunning untamed scenery as inspiration for music and paintings, as well as taking from the mythology.

A 12th-century Tau Cross represents a religious site on the island reflecting on possible early trade with Coptic Christians visible from the ferry. The visitor center shares the story of Balor of the Evil Eye, a gigantic magician with one eye in the center of his forehead while his second eye was hidden on the back of his head. He ruled the landscape and imprisoned his daughter out of fear she would bring down his reign of power. Music emanates from the pub filling the air with a proud and refreshing song. Locals dance with affection celebrating the stories the music tells welcoming the entire family into the island charms hidden by the harsh terrain.

The scenery changes as you travel south along the Wild Atlantic Way toward Sligo County. The towering figure of Knocknarea has a magical quality connected to the legendary Queen Maeve. Archeologists date the tomb back to 3,000 BCE reflecting back on the myth of the Battle of the Brown Bull. The white-horned bull of Connaught refused the queen’s land resulting in the saga of the Cattle Raid of Cooley and the queen’s desire to show her power against her husband.

The kids are eager to follow the trail to the top. The summit provides a fascinating panorama of the surrounding landscape reaching Rosses Point and cobalt waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Poet WB Yeats took inspiration from the magical ambiance of the landscape in the area, placing the story into his verse. Picking a small stone or pebble from the top of the peak of Knocknarea is good luck but don’t attempt to reach the top of the tomb for both mythical and tangible safety reasons.

The prestige of Ireland’s deep well of folklore and mythology. You continue along the Wild Atlantic Way into County Mayo. The 13th-century Ballintubber Abbey was erected over foundations established by St. Patrick. The Stone Age monument in Céide Fields rises out of the barren landscape with remarkable houses, a megalithic tomb, and a field paved with stone dating back 5,000 years. A glass pyramid at the visitor center offers a fabulous view of the protected stones for a glimpse of life inside the world’s oldest known field systems. The village offers credence to the legendary race ancient Irish warriors known as the Fir Bolg.

The supernatural Tuatha Dé Danann defeated the unbeatable warrior clan claiming the rule of the Island at Cong. The traditional Irish village overlooks the evergreen scenery of wooded trails and the spires of Ashford Castle. Limestone caves honeycomb the countryside including Pigeonhole Cave where steep stone steps lead to the subterranean creak. The myth of a woman who turns into a fish haunts cavernous gallery adding to the luster of the stories surrounding the legendary Tuatha Dé Danann army. The family can step away from the encompassing stories of Ireland at Ashford Castle. The 13th-century stronghold houses the likes of the Guinness family who turned the estate into a hunting lodge.

The legend of eternal youth brings the family to County Kerry in the morning following in the footsteps Fionn McCumhaill and his love Niamh. The lovers escaped to the Land of the Young but could never return to Ireland again after setting off from Glenbeigh on the Ring of Kerry. The treasures road spans 111 miles along the Iveragh Peninsula to Killorglin. You reach the majestic ambiance of Glenbeigh, often referred to as the jewel in the Ring of Kerry. Hills rise around the landscape in a horseshoe pattern providing views to the Seefin Mountains. The colorful houses in the village reach Castlemaine Harbour.

The ruins of Glenbeigh tower continues to rise above the tufts of emerald grass near the headlands since the 18th century. The family takes the ferry across the water to Skellig Michael, an island 11 miles west of the peninsula and used as the secluded home of Luke Skywalker in the 2017 film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The craggy cliffs reach nearly 712 feet tall with pockets of greenery emerging from the windswept grass. Early Christian monks established a community in the 6th century and remained on the island until the 13th century. The monastic beehive buildings remain perched on the plateau connected to the small inlet by 618 steps carved into the steep rock.

At breakfast, the kids share their favorite stories from your time around Ireland both from the discoveries you’ve made and the stories you’ve heard. They talk about the favorite songs they heard from the historic pub you visited the previous day where musicians sang the folkloric tales for which the country is known. The landscape, history, and culture of Ireland brim from every direction immersing you in wonders akin to fantasy making it difficult to leave. Your private transfer greets you at the hotel ready to escort the family to Shannon Airport for your flight home. You could always extend your family vacation with more time in Ireland or travel to Western Europe to discover the mythology of Spain, France, or Italy.