With St. Patrick's Day just past us, everyone has a sparked interest in all things Irish. While drinking, wearing green, and hunting for four-leaf clovers are all fun activities for the holiday, you've most likely never immersed yourself into the wonderfully odd world of Irish mythology. As a child, I was endlessly fascinated by fairies and creatures, especially of Irish folklore, so this knowledge is something I love sharing with others. While leprechauns and banshees are fairly well known, creatures like the dullahan, pooka, and kelpie are, well, not. And they are also fairly sinister. Read on for some of Ireland's creepiest creatures.
Cluricaun
Leprechauns are pretty popular, but did you know about their rowdier cousins, cluricauns? These sprites are pretty much the party animals of the Irish folklore world, tending to ride around on the backs of sheep and dogs while ragingly drunk. While these little guys are fairly harmless, they tend to be a bit churlish. Depending on how they're treated, they'll either choose to protect or trash your wine cellar, even wreaking havoc on your home. Fair warning: treat them nicely.
Dullahan
A fair bit of Irish beasties are somehow associated with death, and the dullahan is no exception. Dullahans are Irish spirits who ride black horses while carrying their head and a whip made of a human spine. Yeah, you read that right. A spine. These guys aren't to be messed with, riding to the next person who is doomed to perish and declaring their name before they are immediately killed. Luckily, you can stop these guys with gold. Weird, right?
Abhartach
What's folklore without a bloodsucking creature? Nearly every culture has their own version of a vampire, and Ireland isn't an exception. However, theres is a bit...different. However, this wasn't a creature but a person--sound familiar? Maybe kinda like Dracula? Abhartach, an Irish chieftain, was reportedly cruel and heartless to his villagers. A powerful magician, he was finally killed by another chieftain, but came back from the dead after being buried standing up. After being slain a few more times, he was finally killed for good. There are some that say that this legend may have directly inspired Bram Stoker, an Irishman.
Pooka
Cute name, right? Yeah, that's about the only cute thing about this creature. While not outwardly malicious, these horses are known to be violent tricksters. Mostly appearing as either horses or goats, they have sometimes appeared in human form. Only one person, an ancient Irish king, was reportedly known to ride a pooka--even though it's not known if they're real. They can bring either good or bad fortune, either helping or hindering Irish communities.
Caoranach
In Celtic folklore, Caoranach is a monstrous female serpent considered to be the mother of all demons and monsters. While there are multiple versions of her myth, it is generally accepted that she was either killed or banished to Loch Dearg. Some versions say that the lake, whose name translates to "dark lake," gained this name because of the darkening of the lake when Caoranach's blood was spilled in the water.
Ireland is a captivating country with a mythology that's just as intriguing. However, if you travel to this small country, watch your back. There's no telling what ghostie or creature you may run into-- but hopefully it won't be a bloodsucking chieftain or murderous horse.
