Tír na nÓg

For other uses, see Tír na nÓg (disambiguation).

Tír na nÓg (IPA: [tʲi:ɾʲ n̪ˠa n̪ˠo:g]), called in English the Land of Eternal Youth or the Land of the Ever-Young, is the most popular of the Otherworlds in Irish mythology, perhaps best known from the myth of Oisín and Niamh of the Golden Hair. It was where the Tuatha Dé Danann or sídhe settled when they left Ireland's surface, and was visited by some of Ireland's greatest heroes. Tír na nÓg is similar to other mythical Irish lands such as Mag Mell and Ablach.

Tír na nÓg was considered a place beyond the edges of the map, located on an island far to the west. It could be reached by either an arduous voyage or an invitation from one of its fairy residents. The isle is visited by various Irish heroes and monks in the echtrae (Adventure) and immram (Voyage) tales popular during the Middle Ages. This otherworld is a place where sickness and death do not exist. It is a place of eternal youth and beauty. Here, music, strength, life and all pleasurable pursuits come together in a single place. Here happiness lasts forever, no one wants for food or drink. It is the Celtic equivalent of the Greek Elysium or the Valhalla of the Norse.

Tír na nÓg plays a major role in the tale of Oisín and Niamh. To get to Tír na nÓg an adventurer needed a guide, in Oisín's case, Niamh plays the role. They travel together to the Blessed Realm and the hero spends some time there. Eventually homesickness set in and Oisín wants to return to his native land. He is devastated to learn a hundred years have passed in Ireland since he had been with Niamh, though it seemed to him only one. He can see Ireland from the back of Niamh's magical horse, but she warns him not to touch the ground, as the weight of all those years would descend upon him in a moment. Oisín doesn't heed the advice, and he instantly withers away into an old man. It is suggested that Oisín fell from his horse in the area of Elphin, County Roscommon. Oisin was able to tell Saint Patrick his story and be blessed before dying. This story bears a striking similarity to many other tales, including that of Urashima Tarō.

Trivia

• The song Pearl by Sounds From The Ground stitches the tale of Oisín and Niamh onto an exotic electronic soundscape.

References

• James MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Oxford:(1998). ISBN 0198609671
• W. B. Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, in A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore, ISBN 0-517-489904-X

See also

• Fortunate Isles
• Tír na nÓg (band) (Irish band of the early 1970s)