The inhabitants of the Sídhe look like humans but are different. They are superior: immortal, more beautiful & possess supernatural powers.

The word 'sídhe' - referring to the ancient burial mounds & barrows of Ireland - means 'the abode of the divinities'.

'A Spirit or Sídhe in a Landscape', by George William Russell (1867-1935).

The Aes Sídhe of Irish folklore resemble both the Roman numina & Germanic elves: the latter may have been a parallel supernatural race. Indo-European similarities.

In Irish mythic tradition, the Aes Sídhe are conceived of as 'unfallen humans' or as neutral angels that had no part in the war in Heaven.

One medieval viewpoint of the Aes Sídhe was that they were, "merciful angels sent before the coming of Christianity.. to guide the Irish":

Queen Maeve's Cairn, the enormous neolithic monument on the summit of Knocknarea mountain in County #Sligo.

'Breton Girls on a Beach' - Aloysius O’Kelly.

He was one of many Irish painters who trained & painted in France.

'The Stained Glass Window' by Aloysius O’Kelly, another from #Brittany.

Aloysius O'Kelly - Breton women in a kitchen, 1905.

Roderic O'Conor 1860-1940, artist from Co Roscommon.

Working mainly in France, he painted many portraits of the #Breton people.

'The Interior of a Rural Inn', 1912, by Norman Garstin.

Painted in #Brittany.

“I say to my people that they are holy, that they are august despite their chains." - Patrick Pearse, teacher, barrister, poet, & 1916 leader, who was born in Dublin, 10th November 1879.

'St. Patrick's Church' - J.P. Rooney, an artist who lives & works in Co #Derry.

Down by the Shore - J.P. Rooney.

The white-washed house & cragged rocks are reminiscent of the west of Ireland.

Traditional headpieces are important; they help bind one to the group, affirm loyalty/station, & discourage unmanly vanities. #Tweedcap

In the Elizabethan era, all males over six were required to wear a woolen cap due to trade wars with the Spanish.

Irish flat cap origins:

Women in full handmade Irish knitwear, Inis Meáin. The last of the Gaelic dress tradition.

#AranIslands

The traditional Aran woolen jumper worn on Ireland's west coast to protect fishermen from the wild Atlantic. Each clan had a unique stitch, so that if a man drowned, the stitch would identify him.

The Caubeen is a beret, previously worn by Irish peasants.

Dated from 17th Cent, & means 'old shaggy hat' (cáibín) in Irish. Today it's used as the headdress of Irish regiments in Commonwealth armies

Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren, Co #Clare.

Dated to the Neolithic period, 4200-2900 BC.