The Top 5 Irish Mythology Movies

I love films based on mythology or folklore it's one of my favorite film genres if you could call that a genre films based on Irish mythology specifically certainly aren't the least represented in this genre thanks to an often misrepresented and oversimplified creature called a leprechaun however compared to saved films based on Norse mythology Ireland doesn't have the most represented mythology on film either that's why in this video I will list five films based on or including Irish mythology or folklore that you should check out I won't include fantasy films that include references to Irish mythology among a number of other cultures like for example Lord of the Rings and instead will list films that focus mainly on Irish mythology or which include a significant amount of references to it also I would be surprised if I didn't butcher some Irish pronunciation in this video so without further ado let's get started the first entry on this list is a bit of a cheat according to my own rules but because honestly there are very few good films in this very specific category I had to include it the 2008 film Hellboy 2 the Golden Army does include references to mythology from around the world not only Ireland and the Irish mythology it does covered is altered almost beyond recognition however I wanted to include it because it is a very fun watch and does include one of the few depictions of the tuadee Danone or old Irish gods on film the series American Gods depicted them last season but before that Hellboy 2 the Golden Army was oddly one of the very few films that acknowledged these very important figures in Irish mythology Hellboy 2 picks back up with Hellboy aka the apocalyptic demon and non UN Rama as he and the other members of the Bureau for paranormal research and defense fight supernatural threats this time the threat comes from Prince Nuada a powerful elf who has rejected his clan and his father's ancient truths with man and now intends to exact his revenge on the human race for their insatiable breed Nuada seeks all the pieces of the crown of bethmoora so that he may command the indestructible announced Golden Army but his own sister Nuala escapes him with the final crown piece Nuala finds her way to the bureau however her magical connection to her brother means he is not far behind Hellboy Abe Sapien and Hellboy squeeze Liz Sherman will have to face this powerful elf or face his Golden Army and the end of all humanity in Irish mythology Nuada's silver arm is the first king of the Torah Danone not an elf however the 2id Danone are thought to have retreated to the mounds for the Celtic Otherworld after their defeat by the ancestors of the Irish people that my legions eventually becoming the fairies and elves of folklore and likewise the elves of this film have exiled themselves underground unlike in this film Nuala of mythology is not new Otto sister no Ella is likely based on finola an unrelated member of the two adi Danone and Nuada's father is not Balor like in this film in mythology Balor is the king of the femoral soar Giants so while watching Hellboy - you have to take its references to Irish mythology with a grain of salt as usual with guillermo del toro films the visual design of the elves and everything else is very cool albeit not completely accurate to mythology overall this is a fun action fantasy film with a bit of Irish flavor they say the east is our future and the West's our past the islands to the west of us you that's all anishka island of the seasons the 1994 film the secret of rowan inish is perhaps the most overlooked film on this list but it is a true hidden gem of this genre the film is set in Ireland in the late 1940s and follows the young fiona who is sent to live with her grandparents near the sea Fiona's grandfather Hugh tells her tales of their generational home a small island named Rowan inish or Seal Island in English that the family was forced to leave after a wartime evacuation through the stories of her grandfather and other residents of the town fiona learns of her rebellious ancestor who was carried to the island on the back of a seal and another ancestor who married a seal or rather a selkie after he caught her in human form and stole her coat while visiting this island Yona catches a glimpse of her young brother Jamie who was stolen from the family three years earlier by the sea and the seals but she can never get close to Jamie before he flees back to the sea when Fiona tries to tell her grandparents about this they are unsurprisingly skeptical however somehow Fiona knows that the key to her brother's return and the secrets of her family's history lie somewhere on the mysterious island of seals as I'm sure you've guessed this film delves into folklore regarding the selfie or seal that shape shifts into human form usually the form of a woman but the film is not so much about selkies as it is about folklore in general and storytelling the narrative makes ample use of framed stories or stories within stories and these are usually tall tales told by characters throughout despite being written and directed by an Irish American John Sayles this film also feels very authentically Irish it captures the magic and mystery that we likely all feel when hearing folklore regarding our own family history and it is a great pick for st. Patrick's Day or anyone interested in Irish folklore the 2009 animated film The Secret of Kells is the first animated feature by writer director Tom Moore as well as co-director Nora to me as I mentioned there are very few films that really delve into Irish mythology or folklore but one of the strongest voices in this category is Tom Moore The Secret of Kells tells the story of the creation of the Book of Kells a true illuminated manuscript created in the 9th century by Irish monks set in the abbey of Kells the story follows a young monk named Brendan Brendan's uncle abbot Kellogg spends all of his energy building a wall to prevent an impending Viking invasion and forbids Brendan to venture outside the walls of the Abbey when brother Aidan arrives at Kells from Iona with his legendary manuscript Brendan is inspired by the beauty and power of the book to seek his passion Aiden eventually convinces Brendan he has what it takes to complete the manuscript but he cannot do so without inspiration defying his uncle's wishes Brendan finds this outside the walls of the Abbey where he meets his muse the shape-shifting fairy Ashley however the eminent Viking invasion may see the end of not only the manuscript but the Abbey of Kells itself and all of its residents although the story is very loosely based on history it is also steeped in legend and folklore Aisling is a fairy but in some characteristics she resembles a shape-shifting puka these creatures of Celtic folklore are known to take human form or the form of a dog among other animals and thought to have either black or white hair the dark creature of the forest that Brendan must eventually confront is Crom croc supposedly a pre-christian deity of Ireland who is satiated through human sacrifice that is until Saint Patrick himself put it into the creature in folklore aside from its mythological elements Secret of Kells is a joy to watch for its characters and it's beautiful minimalist visual style something I believe Tom Moore improved upon for his follow-up film and the next film on this list this is an ancient shell that my mother gave me a long time ago hold it to your ear and listen carefully you'll hear the song of the scene the 2014 animated film song of the sea' is Tom Moore's second film and like The Secret of Kells weaves high rashmi ecology and folklore into its story a young boy named Ben lives in a lighthouse with his father Connor the lighthouse keeper and little sister Saoirse Ben blames his sister for the loss of his mother who vanished mysteriously on the night his sister was born and to add more strain on their relationship the now six year old Saoirse has not spoken since her birth one night Saoirse is drawn to wear a mysterious white coat that her father has locked away and submerge herself in the ocean where she swims among the seals and in fact becomes one of them Saoirse is of course a sulky like her mother before her when searchers grandmother discovers her washed ashore she forces both Saoirse and Ben to leave the lighthouse and live with her in a nearby city then answer she make an escape from their granny's home determined to return to the lighthouse however Ben soon discovers that Saoirse is in mortal danger if Saoirse is not reunited with her sealcoat soon she may die what's more if Saoirse is unable to find her coat and sing her silky song the fairies and the joy McAleer will remain stone forever unable to reverse the spell of the evil witch called maka that's all I do I take away the pain again this film delves into selkie lore which seems to be one of the more popular subjects of Irish mythological films despite selkies originating in Scotland however it also includes a Celtic giant McAleer whose name is taken from Manon and McAleer a God and warrior king of the two odd a Denon associated with the sea then there are the fairies or Deena she good name this is one of the rare examples of their Irish name being said on film the owl like witch maka takes her name from an Irish goddess of sovereignty also believed to be one of the three sisters that make up the Morgan the Morgan controlled the fate of battles and are thought to appear as a crow on the battlefield like this films maka although rather she appears as an owl which is actually more like the winter hag of Celtic mythology the Kiley AK like The Secret of Kells song of the sea' again uses visually stunning minimalist animation to illustrate a character-driven story with a lot of heart and a beautiful message Tom Moore if you're watching you have a lot of fans waiting for your next film the 1959 film Darby O'Gill and the little people is an often overlooked gem of the Disney Catalog this film loosely adapts the Darby O'Gill books by Hermione Templeton Cavanaugh which in turn adapt Irish mythology and folklore set in the small Irish town of rathcullen around the turn of the 20th century the story follows an aging caretaker and storyteller named Darby O'Gill for years Darby has served Lord Fitzpatrick and looked after his lands however as this story begins he seems more interested in telling leprechaun tales down at the local pub than doing his work when Lord Fitzpatrick decides to replace Darby with a younger man who happens to be James Bond aka Michael McBride Darby convinces Michael to keep his beautiful daughter Katie in the dark about his forced retirement and their impending move out date in an attempt to help Darby the king of the lab Conn's brian of knocknasheega decides to bait and trap Darby in the fairy mountain in order to shield him from his troubles in the outside world but Darby proves to be too knowledgeable and adversary for King Brian Darby cunningly escapes the fairy mountain and even manages to trap Brian the following night by getting him smashed on poutine eventually extorting three wishes from the Leprechaun king the question is how to spend those wishes all Darby truly cares about is his daughter Katie and all Katie needs now is a fine strong lad with temperate ways you might think that Disney and especially Disney in the late 50s would butcher Irish folklore but this film is actually quite respectful of it most of the leprechauns are fairly accurate to their traditional depictions in folklore not to mention this film also depicts the ghostly harbinger of death in Irish folklore the Banshee and even includes the detail that she combs her hair over 60 years later Darby O'Gill and the little people is still one of the best depictions of Irish folklore on film however the film's real selling point is the performances of its actors Albert sharp as Darby Janet Monroe as Katie Jimmy Odie as King Brian and obviously Sean Connery are all great and so much fun to watch in this film this film has a ton of heart and I would definitely recommend it as a must watch for st. Patrick's Day as it actually is for my family if you've been looking for some films that delve into Irish mythology this March I hope you are inspired to watch at least one of the films on this list I would love to know what films you enjoy in this category that weren't included in this video please let me know this and what you thought of the films on this list in the comments below also let me know if I should do a more in-depth mythology breakdown of any of the films on this list if you enjoyed this video please give it a like and subscribe for more videos that delve into mythology or folklore check out these other videos and thanks for watching happy st. Patrick's Day

Channel: StoryDive

Views: 96,748

Rating: 4.9487052 out of 5

Keywords: St patrick's day movies, celtic mythology, irish mythology, game of thrones, hellboy, irish mythology movies, song of the sea, song of the sea (2014), the secret of kells, the book of kells, st patrick, st patrick documentary, hellboy 2, darby o'gill and the little people, Leprechaun, leprechauns, st patricks day, celtic, celtic folklore, the secret of roan inish, celtic giants, anime, tom moore, sean connery

Id: _bTEjbDMqeA

Length: 12min 51sec (771 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 16 2020

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