The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland was preserved in oral tradition.

[1] This oral tradition is

known as 'Béaloideas'. With the arrival of Christianity, the first manuscripts were written in
Ireland, preserving many of these tales in medieval Irish literature. Though the Christian
influence is also seen in these manuscripts, this literature represents the most extensive and
best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. Although many of the manuscripts
have not survived and much more material was probably never committed to writing, there is
enough remaining to enable the identification of distinct, if overlapping, cycles: the
Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Historical Cycle. There are
also a number of extant mythological texts that do not fit into any of the cycles, and many
recorded folk tales that continued as the oral tradition ran parallel to the manuscript tradition
which, while not strictly mythological, feature personages from one or more of these four
cycles.

Today some of the best known tales are of Tír na nÓg, Fionn MacCumhaill, Na Fianna, The
Aos Sí / Aes Sídhe, Sétanta (CúChulainn), The Tuatha Dé Danann (Gods), the Children of
Lir, Táin Bó Cúailnge & the Salmon of Knowledge. Depending on the sources, the
importance of gods and goddesses in Irish mythology varies. The geographical tales,
Dindshenchas, emphasize the importance of female divinities and powerful ancestors, while
the historical tradition focuses on the colonizers, inventors, or male warriors with the female
characters only intervening in episodes.

The primal and ancestral goddesses are connected to the land, the waters, and sovereignty,
and are often seen as the oldest ancestors of the people in the region or nation. They are
maternal figures caring for the earth itself as well as their descendants, but also fierce
defenders, teachers and warriors. More personalized deities may be connected to cultural
qualities such as, in the case of Brigid, poetry, smith craft, and healing.[2] Some of the female
figures associated with the druids are prophetic, especially when foretelling death and doom.
Zoomorphism is an important feature for many Irish deities. Badb Catha, for instance, is "the
Raven of Battle",[3] and in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, The Morrígan changes into an eel, a wolf
and a cow.[4] The Celtic goddesses are not divided by singular qualities such as "love
goddess", but are more of the nature of well-rounded humans, who have areas of special
interests or skills. In this way, they do not correspond directly to other pantheons such as
those of the Greeks or Romans.[5]

The mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann is generally considered to be Anu or Danu.[5]

A number of the goddesses are associated with sacred sites where seasonal festivals are held.
They include Macha of Eamhain Mhacha, Carman, and Tailtiu, among others.[5]

Warrior Goddesses are often depicted as a triad, and connected with sovereignty and sacred
animals. The animals may be associated with carnage, such as wolves and crows, or the
abundance of the land, such as cattle. They guard the battlefield and those who do battle, and
according to the stories in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, some of these goddesses may be the
instigators and directors of the entire war themselves.[4] The main goddesses of battle are The
Morrígan, Macha, and Badb.[6] Other warrior women are seen in the role of training warriors
in the Fianna bands, such as Liath Luachra, one of the women who trained the hero Fionn mac
Cumhaill.[1]