Children of Lir Oval Brooch

Sterling Silver Children of Lir Brooch from The Children of Lir Collection

Celtic Irish brooch in Sterling Silver, with a swan design inspired by the haunting Celtic myth of the Children of Lir. Each piece in the collection comes presented in a special giftbox.

The Haunting Celtic Legend

The story of the Children of Lir is a haunting Celtic myth which is an intrinsic part of Irish folklore. It tells the story of the four children of ancient Irish King, King Lir. King Lir married a woman called Aoibh and they had four beautiful children, one girl called Fionnuala and three sons, Aodh, Fiachra and Conn. However when the children were young, Aoibh died and Lir and the children were devastated. Seeing the children unhappy Lir married Aoibh’s sister Aoife in the hope that she would act as a mother to them. However Aoife was evil and jealous of the children and their love for each other and their father so she used her magic to transform them into swans. They were banished to spend 300 years on Lough Derravaragh, 300 years on the Sea of Moyle and 300 years on Inis Glora. All they were left with were their beautiful singing voices and people would come from far and wide to hear them sing. They stayed together for the 900 years and the spell was eventually broken when a church bell rang out at the Monastery on Inis Gluaire, where a priest blessed them.  However as they were now so old they died to join their parents in heaven and were buried all together in the one grave.

• Approx. Size: 4.5 cm x 2.3cm
• Sterling silver (925)
• Made in Ireland
• Hallmarked in the Assay Office in Dublin Castle
• Presented in a Children of Lir Gift box