Discover the MythCloud

Seven Ages: The Story of the Irish Stateis a landmark documentary series produced in 2000 by Araby Productions for RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland. Directed by Seán Ó Mórdha, this influential seven-part series chronicles Ireland's evolution since its founding in 1921 through key political, social, and cultural moments in history.

The series offers a comprehensive exploration of how Ireland, as a new nation-state, evolved a collective identity over its first seven decades. The shared national narrative, initially framed by founding leaders, evolved through a dynamic interplay of internal and external socio-economic-cultural forces. It reveals the complex process through which societies construct and sustain their sense of collective self

Episode 5 analyses how Ireland's cultural opening in the 1960s represents a fascinating case study in the evolution of national mythologies. The emergence of a new narrative centred on progress and modernity reveals the dynamic nature of collective storytelling, showing how societies periodically reformulate their foundational myths to accommodate changing social conditions and aspirations.

Seán Ó Mórdha's documentary series presents this period as a pivotal moment where Ireland began consciously revising its self-conception, illustrating how national identities are not fixed but continuously negotiated. The series demonstrates that such cultural shifts are rarely complete ruptures with the past but rather reinterpretations that incorporate new elements while maintaining narrative continuity with established traditions.

Each episode examines crucial developments in Ireland's evolution, revealing how national mythologies serve both as reflections of social change and as frameworks that shape how those changes are understood and integrated. The documentary features perspectives from influential figures in Irish politics and culture, offering insights into how those at the centre of transformative periods perceive and articulate emerging narratives.

By analysing the interplay between tradition and innovation in national storytelling, the series provides a nuanced understanding of how societies manage cultural transitions. First broadcast in 2000, Seven Ages remains a valuable resource for understanding how national identities evolve through an ongoing dialectic between established narratives and emerging social realities, demonstrating that the stories nations tell about themselves are always works in progress.

Johan Pas's reflection on Anselm Kiefer's 2016 exhibition at the Pompidou Centre and his reception of an honorary degree from the University of Antwerp examines how contemporary art continues to engage with mythological thinking through sophisticated exploration of history, memory, and cultural identity. Kiefer's powerful body of work exemplifies how modern artists address the complexities of European historical experience through visual and literary channels that blend factual documentation with mythological frameworks.

The intertwining of history and myth throughout Kiefer's artistic practice demonstrates how these domains remain profoundly interconnected despite modern attempts to separate them. His simultaneous engagement with literal and symbolic representations creates multilayered visual experiences that acknowledge both the concrete specificity of historical events and their mythological resonance in collective memory. This approach exemplifies how sophisticated contemporary art often functions similarly to traditional mythology—providing frameworks for understanding complex aspects of experience that resist purely rational explanation.

Kiefer's exploration of trauma and transformation positions his work within a tradition of European art that addresses historical catastrophe through symbolic frameworks. By incorporating materials that physically embody historical processes—earth, ash, lead—his work creates tangible connections to the past while simultaneously transforming historical remnants into new aesthetic configurations. This material transformation parallels the psychological processes through which societies incorporate traumatic experiences into meaningful narratives.

The academic recognition of Kiefer's contribution through an honorary degree from the University of Antwerp reflects how contemporary institutions value artistic approaches to history that acknowledge its mythological dimensions. This recognition demonstrates understanding that purely factual approaches to historical experience cannot fully capture its emotional and psychological significance. The exhibition Die Buchstaben (The Letters) further emphasises Kiefer's engagement with how symbolic systems—particularly language and text—shape our understanding of reality, demonstrating his sophisticated exploration of how human meaning-making processes transform raw experience into structured narratives.

Bluiríní Béaloidis is a podcast from the National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin. It explores the rich landscape of Irish and European folk traditions. Each episode journeys through diverse cultural narratives, revealing how understanding our traditional heritage can illuminate our present and guide our future. By uncovering the stories, beliefs, and practices embedded in folklore, the podcast invites listeners to discover the depth and complexity of our shared cultural inheritance.

Bile Buaice
This episode of Blúiríní Béaloidis explores how trees have functioned as powerful symbolic mediators between earthly and divine realms across human cultures. By examining trees' unique qualities—simultaneously rooted in earth while reaching skyward, embodying cycles of growth, maturity, decay, and renewal—hosts Jonny Dillon and Claire Doohan illuminate how natural forms provided traditional societies with sophisticated frameworks for understanding cosmic structure and human relationship to it.

The discussion of sacred trees under which Irish kings were inaugurated demonstrates how natural features acquired political and religious significance through ritual practice. These trees functioned not merely as convenient meeting places but as living embodiments of cosmic order that sanctified political authority by connecting it to broader patterns of cosmic structure. This integration of natural forms into political ritual exemplifies how traditional societies embedded governance within comprehensive mythological frameworks rather than treating it as separate secular domain.

The exploration of hallowed groves that provided refuge for both saints and madmen reveals how certain natural spaces were understood as liminal zones where normal social boundaries temporarily dissolved. These sacred spaces facilitated encounters with divine or supernatural presences that might be dangerous but also potentially transformative. The tradition of leaving votive offerings on trees near holy wells further demonstrates how natural features functioned as interfaces between human and divine domains, facilitating communication across cosmic boundaries.

The hosts' invitation to shelter "beneath the metaphorical canopy of tradition" exemplifies how contemporary engagement with folkloric materials can provide meaningful frameworks for understanding cultural heritage. By exploring historical beliefs about sacred trees, the podcast demonstrates how traditional ecological knowledge was embedded within mythological frameworks that simultaneously explained natural phenomena and provided guidelines for human interaction with the environment. These traditions thus represent not primitive misunderstandings but sophisticated cultural adaptations that helped human communities navigate their relationship with the natural world.

Mythes Op. 30, composed by Karol Szymanowski in 1915, stands as one of his most significant works and a landmark of musical impressionism. Created during a pivotal period in European history amid World War I, this three-part suite for violin and piano represents a distinctive approach to musical storytelling that draws on mythological themes.

The composition blends evocative melodies with atmospheric textures, capturing the mystical and otherworldly essence of mythology through sound. Mythes reflects Szymanowski's engagement with the symbolic and poetic qualities of music, drawing inspiration from both European classical traditions and Eastern influences, which increasingly fascinated him during this period of artistic development.

The work's connection to mythology extends beyond its title to its sonic character, with each piece evoking a different mythological or fantastical scene. The composer's innovative exploration of texture and tone creates an evocative soundscape where violin and piano intertwine to convey emotion and narrative without relying on conventional musical storytelling.

This approach to composition demonstrates how mythology can transcend textual expression to manifest in purely musical terms. Szymanowski's work exemplifies how abstract art forms can capture the essence of mythological thinking—the evocation of wonder, the blurring of boundaries between the natural and supernatural, and the expression of profound emotional states.

Mythes serves as a profound example of how music, like mythology itself, can transcend language barriers, offering a powerful exploration of human experience through its expressive, abstract forms.

This traditional Lithuanian folk song, recorded by the influential 19th-century scholar Jonas Basanavičius (1851-1927), represents a significant element of Lithuania's intangible cultural heritage. Sung by villagers from Dziegcioriai, the song exemplifies how oral traditions preserve cultural knowledge, values, and emotional experiences across generations.

The title, which translates as "The Mother Sent, the Heart Sent, to the Waters of the Danube," immediately establishes key themes found throughout Baltic folk traditions: the connection between family relationships, emotional experience, and natural elements. The reference to the Danube River is particularly interesting, as it demonstrates how geographical features can take on symbolic significance even in regions where they are not physically present, likely entering Lithuanian folklore through broader European cultural exchanges.

The song's structure and content would typically reflect traditional Lithuanian folk music characteristics, including pentatonic scales, parallel harmonies, and themes related to family relationships, agricultural cycles, or emotional experiences. Such songs often feature repeated melodic phrases with subtle variations, creating both familiarity and continuous development throughout the piece.

Basanavičius's work in documenting such folk expressions was crucial to the Lithuanian National Revival movement, which sought to preserve and celebrate Lithuanian cultural identity during a period when it was threatened by Russification policies under Tsarist rule. The preservation of these cultural expressions by the Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos instituto Lietuvių tautosakos archyvas (Lithuanian Folklore Archives of the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore) ensures this heritage remains accessible for future study and appreciation.

In Polish culture, syrena refers to the mythical mermaid figure that has become the defining emblem of Warsaw, appearing on the city's coat of arms and in numerous sculptures and visual representations throughout the capital. Far more than a decorative symbol, the Warsaw Mermaid (Syrenka Warszawska) represents a powerful embodiment of the city's identity, resilience, and historical experience.

According to various legends dating back to medieval times, the mermaid was either a creature who decided to remain in Warsaw after swimming up the Vistula River, or the sister of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid who swam to Warsaw through connecting waters. Most versions of the tale describe how she was initially captured by a merchant but freed by local fishermen, after which she promised to defend the city and its people—explaining her traditional depiction armed with a sword and shield.

The mermaid's image has evolved with Warsaw's history; during the city's post-WWII reconstruction following near-total destruction by Nazi forces, the Syrenka became a potent symbol of Warsaw's indomitable spirit and ability to rise from ruins. Today, the most famous physical representation stands in Warsaw's Old Town Square, created by sculptor Konstanty Hegel in 1855.

In contemporary artistic interpretations, such as Aleksandra Waliszewska's mural based on Pablo Picasso's 1948 drawing, the mermaid continues to evolve while maintaining her essential symbolic function. Picasso created his version during the 1948 World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace in Wrocław, Poland, connecting Warsaw's local mythology to international artistic dialogue.

The enduring presence of the Syrenka in Warsaw's urban landscape demonstrates how mythological figures can become central to civic identity, evolving while maintaining continuity with historical tradition.

Bluiríní Béaloidis is a podcast from the National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin. It explores the rich landscape of Irish and European folk traditions. Each episode journeys through diverse cultural narratives, revealing how understanding our traditional heritage can illuminate our present and guide our future. By uncovering the stories, beliefs, and practices embedded in folklore, the podcast invites listeners to discover the depth and complexity of our shared cultural inheritance.

Samhain (Halloween)
The festival of Samhain has long been regarded as a pivotal moment in the Irish ritual calendar, marking the transition from light to darkness and the threshold of winter. This ancient Celtic observance, occurring on the eve of 31st October, represents one of the most significant seasonal boundaries in the traditional Irish worldview.

Samhain is characterised by traditions of heightened supernatural activity, the return of ancestral spirits, and practices of divination and disguise. It embodies a liminal period when normal rules and behaviours are temporarily suspended, allowing mischief, mystery, and ritual to take centre stage in community life. This suspension of ordinary constraints reflects a broader pattern found in festival traditions worldwide, where established social orders are temporarily inverted or relaxed.

In this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, produced by Ireland's National Folklore Collection, Jonny Dillon is joined by special guest Dr. Billy Mag Fhloinn, a folklorist, archaeologist, author, and lecturer known for his expertise on Irish ritual and tradition. Dr. Mag Fhloinn has contributed to international productions by the BBC, PBS, and National Geographic Channel, and his 2016 book, Blood Rite: The Feast of St. Martin in Ireland, explores another key festival in Irish folklore.

Together, they delve into the rich lore surrounding Samhain, discussing its enduring significance in Irish cultural memory and the ways it continues to resonate in both historical and contemporary contexts. The programme examines how this ancient festival, with its emphasis on the thinning of boundaries between worlds, provides insight into traditional Irish conceptions of time, space, and the relationship between the living and the dead.

Dublin-based folk group Lankum exemplifies how traditional narratives evolve in contemporary contexts. Emerging in the 2010s, the quartet—Ian Lynch, Daragh Lynch, Radie Peat, and Cormac MacDiarmada—transforms traditional Irish music by blending folk melodies with experimental contemporary influences, creating immersive soundscapes that reimagine cultural heritage.

Their work draws from traditional ballads, work songs, and laments, yet ventures into experimental territories with drones and layered harmonies that push folk genre boundaries. This approach creates a dialogue between past and present, demonstrating how shared narratives adapt to new contexts while maintaining their cultural significance.

Socially, Lankum occupies a distinctive position in Ireland's cultural landscape, capturing nostalgia while addressing present concerns of migration, hardship, and resilience. Their commitment to authenticity—reviving lesser-known songs and reinterpreting classics with raw emotional intensity—shows how traditional narratives can be revitalised rather than preserved as static artefacts.

Culturally significant for bridging generations, their work resonates with traditionalists and younger audiences drawn to their experimental approach. In doing so, Lankum challenges stereotypes of folk music as static or overly sentimental, demonstrating the enduring relevance of shared narratives in a rapidly changing world.