Celtic Designs Explained

All elements of the designs are original. The names are written in the Irish native language (Gaelic or Gaeilge), which has an alphabet of 18 letters. The lower-case letters are hand-drawn unical calligraphy, and the borders are hand-drawn Celtic knot-work with digital colorization. The capital letters are hand-drawn with digital colorization and are decorated with original cartoon-animal illustrations. The animal drawings are inspired by a combination of themes from Irish traditional myths and legends, cultural or religious influences, and are also a nod to the animal drawings which decorate the Book of Kells.

The following is an explanation of the specific inspiration for each letter decoration.

The letter A is decorated with a trinity knot and a salmon fish. For this I was inspired by the story of the Salmon of Knowledge (Bradán Feasa in Irish) from the Fenian Cycle of Irish Mythology. In this story the young Fionn mac Cumhail (Finn McCool) accidentally acquires all the wisdom of the universe by unintentionally eating a piece of the salmon of knowledge while he was preparing it for his master Finnegas. He burnt his thumb while cooking, and to soothe the pain of the blister he placed his thumb in his mouth, thereby consuming some of the fish.

The letter B is decorated with a bird, and specifically a wren (dreoilín, which means trickster in Irish). There are two different wren designs available (see above). The wren features greatly in Irish traditional culture, and in particular on the 26th of December every year, or Wren Day, when people dress as Wren Boys or Mummers and go door to door collecting money for charity. A traditional verse is recited at the doorsteps beginning with the line: “The wren, the wren, the king of all birds…”. The tradition is similar to modern trick-or-treating at Halloween. 

The letter C is decorated with a dog (madra in Irish) or a hound (cú).(A cat and mouse design is also available, see "letter M" below for description).  My main inspiration was the story of Cú Chulainn (the hound of Culann) from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. In this story a young boy called Sétanta kills the fierce guard dog of Culann in an act of self-defence. However, regretting his action, he offers himself as a substitute until a new hound could be raised up as a replacement. Henceforth in his life he was known as Cú Chulainn (Cuhullin in English) and became a great warrior hero. The name Conor (or Connor) originates from the Irish name Conchobhar, which means “lover of hounds” or “lover of wolves”.

The letter D is decorated with a male deer or stag (carria in Irish). There are two different stag designs available (see above). Deer appear in Irish mythology, and in particular the story of Sadhbh (Sive), the mother of Oisín by Fionn mac Cumhail, who was enchanted and turned into the form of a deer by a druid. I was also inspired by a famous extinct animal of Ireland, the Great Irish Elk, which is one of the largest deer to have ever lived. This animal stood at about 6 feet 11 inches tall at the shoulders, and its antlers measured about 12 feet from tip to tip, and is thought to have become extinct about 8,000 years ago.

The letter E is decorated with a swan (eala in Irish) or a horse ('capall' or 'each', in Irish). There are two different versions of each animal (see above).The inspiration for the swan came from the Irish mythological story of the Children of Lir, in which an evil stepmother Aoife became jealous of the love her husband had for his four children, and therefore cast a spell to turn the children into swans. (The inspiration for the horse is described for the "letter H" below.)

The letter F is decorated with a fox (sionnach in Irish). There are two different fox designs available (see above). Foxes appear in Irish folklore, and one particular story includes St Brigid, who is one of the three Patron Saints of Ireland (along with St Patrick and St Columba). St Brigid is said to have tamed a wild fox to appease the King of Leinster whose pet fox was accidentally killed. The king arrested the man who had killed his fox, and Brigid secured the man’s release by offering her newly tamed fox as a replacement pet. However, when St Brigid left the castle the fox missed her, and eventually it ran away.

The letter G is decorated with a hare (giorria in Irish). There are two different hare designs available (see above). In ancient superstition hares were considered to be connected to the other world. In Irish mythology Oisín, the son of Sadhbh and Fionn mac Cumhail, injured a hare in the leg while out hunting, and when he followed the animal he found a door that led underground to a large hall where a beautiful young woman sat on a throne and was bleeding from a wound on her leg. Oisín vowed to never hunt or eat a hare from that day on. (A hare drawing is also used for some names starting with T).

The letter H is decorated with a horse ('capall' or 'each', in Irish). There are two different horse designs available (see above). The style of decoration of the cartoon version is a tribute to the horse depictions in the Book of Kells.

The letter I is decorated with an eagle (iolar, in Irish), or a red squirrel (iora rua, in Irish), as above. The eagle drawing is a tribute to the eagle in the Book of Kells, which represents the Gospel of St John, and also represents Christ’s ascension into Heaven. 

The letter L is decorated with a lion (leon, in Irish), or a mallard duck (lacha in Irish).There are two different versions of each animal, see (above). In the Book of Kells the lion is the symbol of the Gospel of St Mark, and also represents Jesus’ resurrection, and the lion is used as a symbol of Christ throughout the manuscript. 

The letter M is decorated with a cat chasing a mouse (cat agus luch, in Irish). There are two different cat and mouse designs available (see above).The inspiration for these are the drawings of cats and mice in the book of Kells, and also the poem “An Pangur Bán”, which was composed by an Irish monk based in Germany in the 9th century and is found in the Reichenau Primer manuscript. Pangur was the name of his cat and possibly means fuller (meaning one who cleanses woollen cloth) and bán means white. In the poem the monk praises his cat for his activities in catching mice. This cat is both white (like Pangur) and the cartoon version is also striped, like a cat in the Book of Kells (in folio no. 48) who is also chasing a mouse.

The letter N is decorated with a nest (nead in Irish) and bird (éan). This is no particular type of bird, but was designed as a tribute to the bird illustrations in the Book of Kells, which have a characteristic style of interlocking feathers in the wings and tails.

The letter O is decorated with an otter (madra uisce, in Irish, which literally means water-dog) holding a fish (iasc). There are two different otter designs available (see above). Another Irish name for otter is dobharchú (water-hound) which is synonymous with the legendary King Otter of Irish folklore, which was considered to be like both a dog and an otter, or alternatively half fish and half dog.

The letter P is decorated with a peacock (péacóg), and this design is a tribute to the peacocks of the Book of Kells. Like the lion and fish, the peacock was also used as a symbol of Christ in the manuscript.

The letter R is decorated with a white seal pup (seal is rón in Irish), and there are two different seal designs available (see above). Seals feature greatly in Celtic mythology in relation to the legend of the Selkies, who were said to be half seal (or fish) and half human. In water they looked like a seal, but on dry land they could shed their seal skin and live as humans. However, eventually the Selkies would desire to return to the sea, whereby they would don their seal skin again and swim away. The name Rónán comes from rón, and means little seal.

The letter S is decorated with a Robin (spideog, in Irish), and there are two different robin designs available (see above). The robin features in Irish folklore and legend, and could be seen as various signs or predictions, or even a messenger from departed loved ones.

The letter T is decorated with a bull (tarbh, in Irish), or a hare (giorria in Irish). There are two different versions of each animal, see (above).The main inspiration for the bull was the Legend of Táin Bó Cúailnge (the Cattle Raid of Cooley) which is an epic of early Irish literature. It tells the story of a cattle raid organised by Queen Maeve (Méabh) of Connacht to steal the famous brown bull of Cooley. Due to a curse placed on the King and warriors of Ulster, the teenaged Cú Chulainn is the lone defender of the bull. Bulls and cattle were an important symbol of wealth in the ancient world. In the Book of Kells a bull (or calf) is used to represent the Gospel of St. Luke, and represents Christ’s sacrifice. This bull is brown, like the bull of legend, but also has some decorations as a tribute to St Luke’s symbol in the Book of Kells. 

  

The letter U is decorated with a lamb (uan in Irish), and there are two different lamb designs available (see above). The name Una or Oonagh (in Irish Úna), comes from uan. The lamb is an important symbol in Christianity, and in the apparition of Knock in County Mayo, Christ appeared as a lamb on the altar.

The síneadh fada (or accute accent) on vowels in Irish has the effect of lengthening the vowel sound, and is very important for correct pronunciation and for distinguishing different words and names.

For example the name Seán is the Irish for John, Jack or Ian, and is pronounced "Shawn". However if the fada is placed over the letter 'e' it becomes Séan which is the Irish for Shane (pronounced "Shay-n"). If no fada is included, the word becomes sean, which is pronounced "shan" and means "old"!

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript (handwritten and painted) Gospel book in Latin, which was written in about 800 AD by monks of the order of the Irish saint Columba. The book takes its name from the Abbey of Kells in Ireland, which was its home for many centuries, and today it is on display in Trinity College, Dublin (https://www.tcd.ie/visitors/book-of-kells). It is considered to be the best example of illuminated manuscripts from Ireland and Britain and a masterwork of calligraphy, and is decorated with Celtic knotwork, and images of humans, animals and mythical beasts.