Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

, Clíodhna (Clídna, Clionadh, Clíodna, Clíona, transliterated to Cleena in English) is a Queen of the

Banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name i ...

s of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gae ...

. Clíodna of Carrigcleena is the potent banshee that rules as queen over the ''sidheog'' (fairy women of the hills) of South Munster, or Desmond. In some Irish myths, Clíodhna is a goddess of love and beauty, and the patron of County Cork. She is said to have three brightly coloured birds who eat apples from an otherworldly tree and whose sweet song heals the sick people. She leaves the otherworldly island of Tír Tairngire ("the land of promise") to be with her mortal lover, Ciabhán, but is taken by a wave as she sleeps due to the music played by a minstrel of Manannan mac Lir in

Glandore Glandore (, meaning ''harbour of the oak trees'') is the name of both a harbour and village in County Cork, Ireland. Glandore is located about an hour's drive south-west of Cork city. The village has several pubs, with traditional music. It i ...

harbour in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

: the tide there is known as Tonn Chlíodhna, "Clíodhna's Wave". Whether she drowns or not depends on the version being told, along with many other details of the story. She had her palace in the heart of a pile of rocks, from Mallow, which is still commonly known by the name of Carrig-Cleena, and numerous legends about her are told above the Munster peasantry.

Associated families

In general, it has been observed that Clíona is especially associated with old Irish families of Munster. Clíona has long been associated with the lands that had been the territory of the Ui-Fidgheinte ( O'Donovans and

O'Collins O'Collins is a common anglicized surname of two ancient families of Irish origin: O'Cuilleain and O'Coilean. Origin of O'Cuilleain O'Cuilleain or Cuilliaéan is an extremely ancient Irish name from Gaelic ''cuileann'' and primitive Gaelic '' ...

) during their period of influence (circa 373 A.D. to 977 A.D.), or were later associated with what had been the Ui-Fidghente territory ( MacCarthys and FitzGeralds). Clíona is referred to as an unwelcome pursuer in Edward Walsh's poem, ''O’Donovan’s Daughter''. And, in an ode praising Donel O'Donovan upon his accession to the chiefship of Clancahill, Domhnall Ó Donnabháin III he is referred to as the "Dragon of Clíodhna". Clíodhna is also associated with the MacCarthy dynasty of Desmond, who adopted her as their fairy woman, and the

O'Keeffe O'Keeffe ( ga, Ó Caoimh), also O'Keefe, Keef, Keefe, Keeffe, Keifer or Keever is the name of an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Cork, particularly around Fermoy and Duhallow. The name comes from ''caomh'', m ...

s and

FitzGerald dynasty The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...

, with whom she has had amorous affairs Clíodhna appears in the name of one

O'Leary History Ancient The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated in the early Middle Ages on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre (Rosscarbery), ...

in a medieval pedigree, as ''Conor Clíodhna'' or "Conor of Clíodhna", and it is notable that the family were originally based in the area of

Rosscarbery Rosscarbery () is a village and census town in County Cork, Ireland. The village is on a shallow estuary, which opens onto Rosscarbery Bay. Rosscarbery is in the Cork South-West (Dáil Éireann) constituency, which has three seats. History The ...

, very near to Glandore, before moving north to

Muskerry Muskerry ( ga, Múscraí) is a central region of County Cork, Ireland which incorporates the baronies of Muskerry WestCorcu Loígde. Surviving traditions of Clíodhna in narrative and poetry associate her with the O'Keeffes and O'Donovans. The latter, originally from

Uí Fidgenti The Uí Fidgenti, Fidgeinti, Fidgheinte, Fidugeinte, Fidgente, or Fidgeinte ( or ;In the pronunciation, the -d- is silent, and the -g- becomes a glide, producing what might be anglicized ''Feeyenti'' or ''Feeyenta''. "descendants of, or of the ...

in North Munster with its own traditions, where their original goddess was

Mongfind Mongfind (or Mongfhionn in modern Irish)—meaning "fair hair" or "white hair"—is a figure from Irish legend. She is said to have been the wife, of apparent Munster origins, of the legendary High King Eochaid Mugmedón and mother of his eldes ...

, later moved south to Carbery on Cuan Dor Harbour, Clíodhna's traditional abode on the South Munster coast, and she then features in poetry associated with them. The O'Keeffe narrative tradition is more extensive, and Clíodhna has other Desmond associations too.

Rivalry with Aibell

Clíodhna is said to be a rival of

Aibell In Irish legend Aibell (sometimes Aoibheall (modern Irish spelling), also anglicised as Aeval) was the guardian spirit of the Dál gCais, the Dalcassians or Ó Bríen clan. She was the ruler of a ''sídhe'' in north Munster, and her dwellin ...

, in one tale, Clíodhna cast a spell that turned Aibell into a white cat.

The Blarney Stone

The most traditional story of the famous

Blarney Stone The Blarney Stone ( ga, Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of Carboniferous limestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about from Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows th ...

involves Clíodhna. Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, the builder of

Blarney Castle Blarney Castle ( ga, Caisleán na Blarnan) is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of th ...

, being involved in a lawsuit, appealed to Clíodhna for her assistance. She told him to kiss the first stone he found in the morning on his way to court, and he did so, with the result that he pleaded his case with great eloquence and won. Thus the Blarney Stone is said to impart "the ability to deceive without offending". He then incorporated it into the parapet of the castle. To be fair, Clíodhna does not take credit for all the blarney of the MacCarthys. Queen Elizabeth noted in frustration that she could not effect a negotiation with Cormac MacCarthy, whose seat was Blarney Castle, as everything he said was 'Blarney, as what he says he does not mean'.

John O'Donovan

In her capacity as banshee, Cleena is mentioned by the Irish antiquarian John O’Donovan. Writing in 1849 to a friend, O'Donovan says:

Michael Collins

Irish revolutionary

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

also had knowledge of Clíodhna. Stories were told of her in the Rosscarbery school he attended, and they took Sunday trips to Clíodhna's rock. Here, according to Michael's friend

Piaras Béaslaí Piaras Béaslaí (; 15 February 1881 – 22 June 1965) was an Irish author, playwright, biographer and translator, who was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, fought in the Easter Rising and served as a member of Dáil Éireann. Ear ...

: It is worth noting that Collins was descended from the Ó Coileáins of Uí Chonaill Gabra. Both the Ui Chonaill and the Ui Donnobhans were tribes within the Ui-Fidghente.

Origins

It has been suggested that Clídna derives from the

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

goddess Clutonda or Clutondae

In other media

The banshee queen Clíodhna herself features as a playable goddess and villainess in the MOBA

Smite (video game) ''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.LÉ Cliona (03) *

Baobhan sith The baobhan sith is a female fairy in the folklore of the Scottish Highlands, though they also share certain characteristics in common with the succubus. They appear as beautiful women who seduce their victims before attacking them and killing them ...

Leanan sídhe The ' (; gd, leannan sìth, gv, lhiannan shee; ) is a figure from Irish Folklore. She is depicted as a beautiful woman of the ''Aos Sí'' ("people of the tumulus, barrows") who takes a human lover. Lovers of the ''leannán sídhe'' are said to l ...