"Ancient Irish culture, as we have seen, was a patchwork of histories and traditions, myths and legends from the numerous invaders that have conquered the sacred isle throughout the millennia. From the tales of the powerful Fianna of Leinster province in the east, the myths and legends of the Tuatha dé Danann who held the south, the fierce Fir Bolg who made their stronghold in Connaught in the west, and the glorious tales of The Knights of the Red Branch who controlled Ulster in the north, each province of Ireland has its own histories and traditions that make each region unique. Yet unlike the British Isles, which have yet to fully integrate culturally Ireland, despite the recent troubles, remains a culturally cohesive unit, with religious, social, economic and political systems that are uniquely Irish."

Ancient Irish culture was essentially pagan in character, where the ancient Irish worshiped natural forces as the manifestation of deity. The interpreters of these natural mysteries were the druids, who carefully studied nature in order to better understand how the world worked, and how their people could best fit in with the divinely ordained natural order. These beliefs and superstitions wove their way into all levels of society, religious, social, economic and political, where all aspects of life were ordered through social folkways and mores based upon these pagan religious beliefs.

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