Olivia Wylie

The Triads of Ireland: An Illustrated Collection Olivia Wylie

Three candles that illumine every darkness:

Truth

Nature

Knowledge



This passage is part of a vibrant and uniquely Irish poetic form: Trecheng Breth Féne. In English, Triads.

Resembling haikus to the modern Western eye, the Triad follows the formula of setting a concept for discussion in the first line, and describing its salient qualities in the next three lines. Used as a tool for remembering law and etiquette throughout Ireland in preliterate times, the surviving triads form a body of work that allow a profound insight on the laws, customs and values of ancient Irish culture. Through the years these triads have been copied in monasteries, collated by scholars, and protected by museums. Today they come down to us as fresh and vibrant as the day they were penned, holding wit and wisdom.

In this collection, seventy-one of the triads have been translated and illustrated, drawing on the art of the Celtic world to bring the words to life.