Newgrange also played a significant role in Irish mythology. According to the myths and legends, Newgrange was built by the god Dagda, who was the High King of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of supernatural beings including fairies and Na Daoine Beog, (Na DEE-nee BEE-Og) the little people who would later become known as Leprechauns. Newgrange was believed to be one of the sídhe (fairy-mound), which was the dwelling place of these mythical beings.
Brú na Bóinne is named for the goddess Boann who is the mother of Aengus, the Dagda’s son, and is also believed to have created the River Boyne which resides nearby. The great Irish hero Cúchulainn is claimed to have been born at Newgrange, however, these stories date from the Celtic era, some 2000 years after the construction of Newgrange.
Irish history is abundant with legends and mythical tales intertwined with true historical accounts. In pre-Christian Ireland, the people followed a polytheistic system of faith. They worshiped nature in a way where every element from the sky and earth to the animals and plants had a ruling deity. The leaders of the religious societies were known as Druids.
The Druids presided over the sacred rituals and were healers and fortune tellers. They used nature to decipher omens and to determine the timing of the seasons and their corresponding festivals. The Gaelic Druids observed four significant holidays. Imbolg, celebrated on February 1, observed the initial signs of the approaching spring equinox; Beltaine, celebrated May 1, was a fertility celebration representing the renewal of spring (it would later be interwoven with the Christian celebration of Easter, hence the symbol of the Easter egg.) Lughnasa, celebrated August 1, celebrates the first harvest and the sun god Lugh. Finally, Samhain, celebrated October 31, recognized the conclusion of the harvest season and the diminishing of the veil between the world of the living and the realm of the dead, later becoming Halloween. (1)
1. Alexander Macbain, Celtic Mythology and Religion , Oracle Publishing Ltd., Hertfordshire, England, UK, 1996, pages 104-116.