The Presence of Irish Culture, Myth, and Lore in Gaming

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Somewhat surprisingly, a fair few touch points of Irish history, myth, folklore and ancient culture is well-known throughout the western world. Lots of creatives like to draw on this for its equal measure of familiarity and novelty. While some do it rather poorly, such as with the Harfoot accents in the Prime show The Rings of Power, others delve deep into Irish lore, draw out key points of interest, and respect the culture.

With video game designers being able to recreate vast landscapes, depict characters, and take players through a story first-hand, the medium offers a great way to showcase something as interesting as ancient Irish culture. Here are some of the games and platforms that have managed to tap into different elements of history and lore.

Drawing from Irish mythology for an RPG

In 2007, Folklore was released to strong reviews for its design and mythological setting, praised for the beauty of the game, the battle systems, and the compelling narrative. Much of the elements that Folklore received its praise for concerned its Irish inspirations. The main setting of Doolin was a distinctly Irish village, while the Netherworld – which was more Japanese stylistically – was filled with creatures from folklore. Amongst these creatures, known as Folk in the game, are the likes of the Barghests – a mythical black dog – and the fairy creature known as the Cait Sidhe.

Taking the Viking plight across the Irish Sea

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla received a lot of praise upon its release, with the long-running series tapping into the ongoing Norse and Viking fad. Perhaps its strongest play, however, came in the form of the DLC, Wrath of the Druids, which expanded the adventure from England to Ireland. As was detailed on the Ubisoft blog, the expansion drew heavily from the 9th Century Ireland and many of its major players. In Wrath of the Druids, you can go to the ancient ceremonial site Hill of Tara, retrieve the national treasure Book of Kells, and meet eventual High-King Flann Sinna.

Playing with the historic superstitions

Ireland is still known very well for its immersion in superstitions – many of which have been blended into societies overseas. Sorrow from single Magpies, itchy noses signalling a fight to come, and, of course, the indicators of luck have long been embraced by Irish culture. Among the luck-bringing symbology, four-leaf clovers are the most famous. This is why the Irish casino sees games with this theme and depictions of the lucky charms are regularly ranked among the most popular. It’s why All Lucky Clovers, All Lucky Clovers 100, All Lucky Clovers 20, and Charms & Clovers remain on its homepage.

Setting a Celtic character on a path through Norse legend

Sweeping up accolades at the Bafta awards, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice did so much well that its immersive theme and setting were sometimes overlooked – particularly because it handled difficult subjects superbly. Much of the game sees Senua travel through Viking lands and Norse legends in a quest to meet with Hela, but the protagonist is of the Picts. It puts an intriguing spin on the Celtic essentially invading Viking culture to have a showdown with one of the great Norse deities.

There are many great games out there that can immerse you in elements of Irish myth and culture, with these gaming options being prime examples of this in practice.