Into The Mythic - Ancient Irish Stories for Modern Times

Leeanne O' Donnell
  • 4.8 (39)
  • HISTORY

Join us as we journey back and find new meanings in some very ancient stories. Leeanne O Donnell and Pol O Colmain revisit Ireland's ancient legends with fresh ears - peeling back the layers to uncover what resonance these stories might have for us now in the 21st Century. Some stories endure for thousands of years and these ones have - so what are they trying to tell us ?  This series is made possible by the kind sponsorship of our friends at Wild Goose Studio. https://wildgoosestudio.com.  Recorded at the Working Artist's Studio in Ballydehob. Presented and produced by Leeanne O Donnell.  Music composed and performed by Pol and Dubhaltach O Colmain @workingartiststudios  Leeanne's first novel Sparks of Bright Matter is out now - in all good bookshops, on kindle and as an audiobook on Audible and Spotify. 

Episodes

  1. 11/05/2025

    Into the Mythic Live Halloween Special 'Samhain and the Cailleach'

    Get in touch wIth us ! A special Halloween episode exploring the origins of the Cailleach.  An exploration of this incredibly potent female archetype in Irish Mythology. More than a witch, more than a hag, she takes us right back to the origin of humanity.  Recorded in front of a live audience at the Bandon Banshee Festival Oct 2025 Into the Mythic is presented by Leeanne O’ Donnell and Pol O Colmain and sponsored by Wild Goose Studios in Kinsale.  Wildgoosestudio.com Workingartiststudio.com Leeanneodonnell.com

    59 min

  2. 10/29/2024

    Episode 9 : Mythical, Mystical Islands

    Get in touch wIth us ! Episode 9 : This week Pol tells us about mysterious islands off the coast of Ireland that have been talked about for thousands of years - floating islands that have been glimpsed out beyond the horizon but have never been mapped...

    27 min

  3. 10/04/2024

    Episode 8: The Perfect Wife

    Get in touch wIth us ! In this story a radiant otherworldly woman emerges from the woods to marry an ordinary man .... with disastrous consequences ....

    27 min

  4. 07/09/2024

    Episode 7 : The Sun God and the River Goddess

    Get in touch wIth us ! We are very happy to be back with a second season of Into the Mythic thanks to the sponsorship of our friends at WildGooseStudio.com in Kinsale. This week's story concerns two very ancient divine beings from Irish Mythology - Dagda and Boinne, who are two important characters in the stories about the Tuatha De Dannan. It seems that origins of this story go right back to the culture that built Newgrange.

    26 min

  5. 06/13/2024

    Into the Mythic Update

    Get in touch wIth us !

    2 min

  6. 05/10/2023

    Episode 6 - Sideways to the Sun

    Get in touch wIth us ! Where did the ancient inhabitants of Ireland come from and why did they end up here ? This week's story is an ancient epic about the Sons of Mil and the Tuatha De Dannan.   It's a story full of magic - and if you've ever felt that Ireland is a place where the veil between the worlds can be very thin then this week's episode offers some mythological context !

    35 min

  7. 03/29/2023

    Episode 5 : The Mystic and the Monk

    Get in touch wIth us ! This week's story is about an unlikely meeting between a female mystic and a monk. Written down 1600 years ago it contains elements that date back even further ... and it has inspired some beautiful 21st century poetry that gives a whole new twist to the tale ...

    32 min

  8. 02/27/2023

    Intro

    Get in touch wIth us ! Join us as we find out what resonances our ancient stories have for us today

    1 min

  9. 02/01/2023

    Episode 4 : Brotherly Love - Can it Survive a War ?

    Get in touch wIth us ! This Irish myth explores what happens when two friends get caught up on opposing sides of a war .... as their destines are shaped by forces much bigger than either of them what can survive of their brotherly love ?

    40 min

  10. 01/31/2023

    Episode 1: The King's Secret - An ancient Irish myth with a modern message

    Get in touch wIth us ! The weight of carrying a terrible secret about his King causes a young man to sicken to the point of death. In this ancient Irish myth, a magical tree and the power of music combine to bring about a resolution to what seems like an impossible problem.

    24 min

  11. 01/31/2023

    Episode 2 : The Birdman - A Curse or a Blessing ?

    Get in touch wIth us ! A curse or a blessing ? An Irish Chieftain resists the arrival of Christianity and is turned into a bird .... Sweeney must leave his home and family behind and live like a bird in the wild woodlands of ancient Ireland.

    30 min

  12. 01/31/2023

    Episode 3 : All's Fair in Love And War - Or Is It ?

    Get in touch wIth us ! In this ancient Irish story a powerful chieftain and a young warrior fall in love with the same beautiful woman .... in the love triangle that ensues honour is compromised and hearts are broken.

    26 min
  • 12 Episodes

4.8
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

Join us as we journey back and find new meanings in some very ancient stories. Leeanne O Donnell and Pol O Colmain revisit Ireland's ancient legends with fresh ears - peeling back the layers to uncover what resonance these stories might have for us now in the 21st Century. Some stories endure for thousands of years and these ones have - so what are they trying to tell us ?  This series is made possible by the kind sponsorship of our friends at Wild Goose Studio. https://wildgoosestudio.com.  Recorded at the Working Artist's Studio in Ballydehob. Presented and produced by Leeanne O Donnell.  Music composed and performed by Pol and Dubhaltach O Colmain @workingartiststudios  Leeanne's first novel Sparks of Bright Matter is out now - in all good bookshops, on kindle and as an audiobook on Audible and Spotify. 

Information