Need background information on Ireland (Culture/History/Folklore) for a Manga

So this is how it goes:

I decided to create my own Manga series.

Among other things a fundamental feature are various cultural backgrounds as a foundation for the universe.

Therefore I`d like you to share anything with me that could be of use to me in my enterprise.

Oh and the title is already decided: I`ll call it Sky King, but the thing is I want it to be in irish so all I could come up with while researching the iinternet for a translation was spéir rí.

Thanks in advance.

For the culture and history of Ireland I don't think there's any way around just doing good old fashioned research on your part.  Libraries, google, etc, whatever your method is.  For the folklore, you may have an easier time as there's less emphasis on getting the facts exactly accurate.  If you have an iphone there are several apps that are just mini databases of mythological creatures.  If you search the app store for "myth creatures" I'm sure you'll find several you can use.  I don't know about you but if I have to do research, I prefere to enjoy and be entertained by the process and who doesn't enjoy watching TV right?  Here where my next suggestion comes in.  There is a TV show that's made in Canada called "Lost Girl".  I don't know how it's broadcasted internationally but in the United States it airs on the SyFy network.  In a nutshell the show is about a woman named Bo who discovers she's a Succubus, which she also finds out is just one of many species of Fae.  This show is crammed full of mythologic creature and culture references (even a few flashbacks to times of the ancient celts).  Granted some of the creatures in the show are not specifically Irish, (i.e. Fury (Greek), Siren (Greek), Minotaur (Greek), Dwarf (Germanic), Golem (Jewish), Frost Giant (Nordic), Aswang (Filipino), etc.) but many of them are Irish (Daoine Sidhe, Kelpie, Banshee, Dullahan, Selkie, Leanan Sídhe, etc.).  I'll admit, I'd seen many previews for this show and thought it was just some low budget "straight to DVD (if ever)" show, and sure the special effects may not be movie quality but the stories and myth more than make up for that.  I'm hooked now.  Give it a watch and see what you think.  Good luck.

I wouldn't add much to what Maxtro has to say here. I think it's a great idea. As Maxtro says, there are lots of books and other sources out there and some of the Irish myths are very interesting and very different. As for Sky King, that'll be Rí na Spéire. Spéir-Rí is OK (don't forget the hyphen) but it just sounds a bit flat to me. Rí na Spéire has a certain ring to it! Good luck with your manga and if we can help in any way with information, we're here!

I wouldn't add much to what Maxtro has to say here. I think it's a great idea. I always love seeing Irish in unexpected places - names of Racehorses etc. As Maxtro says, there are lots of books and other sources out there and some of the Irish myths are very interesting and very different. As for Sky King, that'll be Rí na Spéire. Spéir-Rí is OK (don't forget the hyphen) but it just sounds a bit flat to me. Rí na Spéire has a certain ring to it! Good luck with your manga and if we can help in any way with information, we're here!

I don't know of a certainty of how people in Ireland view some of the ancient myths and legends, but I remember hearing a myth that Loch Neigh NW of Belfast was created when Fionn mac Cumhail grabbed a clod of dirt to throw at a fleeing giant, and where the clod landed in the Irish sea became the Isle of Man.  Given the size of these two features, it would be the feat of no ordinary person.  So perhaps incorporating some of the legendary characters of the Fenian cycle would be an interesting addition.  Fionn was also said to have the power to heal a person with water poured from his hands.  (It may have been from a particular stream, too, but I'm sure the info is out there somewhere....)  Many of the other members of the Fiana Fáil were powerful warriors, and had abilities that far exceeded what one would expect from a "mere mortal"; another example is Diarmaid Ó Duibhne, from the story "Toraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghrainne", who performs a number of amazing feats.  A giant is also featured in the story, so giants may be another mythological "creature" to consider, as they are found in many cultures.

My two pence worth....

Dale D

That's true. The figure of Fionn became a supernatural giant in popular folklore and almost any kind of geographical feature was attributed to him. Seathrún Céitinn says that the common people called dolmens Leapacha na Féinne (Fianna Beds) while people of his class called them Altóirí na nDraoithe (Druid Altars). The most famous example of this is the Giant's Causeway. In Irish tradition, this is ascribed to the Fomhóraigh or Fomorians, a mysterious group of sea-pirates and it's Irish name is Clochán na bhFomhórach, the Fomorians' Causeway. However, everybody now thinks that the legend is that it was built by Fionn Mac Cumhaill, which is probably what the common folk believed. In other places in England and Scotland, natural features tend to be named after King Arthur or Robin Hood in the same way.