Ireland’s woodlands have a quiet magic of their own. They are green, peaceful, full of life and home to many small creatures we may not always notice at first glance.

If you are walking through a woodland, park or nature trail this summer, why not slow down and keep an eye out for the life moving around you?

Here is the Irish for some of the woodland creatures found in Ireland:

Sionnach

Fox

Giorria

Hare

Coinín

Rabbit

Piasún

Pheasant

Iora

Squirrel

Broc

Badger

Fia

Deer

Ulchabhán

Owl

Préachán

Crow

Lon dubh

Blackbird

Gráinneog

Hedgehog

Luchóg

Mouse

You might spot a sionnach slipping quietly between the trees, an iora leaping from branch to branch, or a gráinneog making its way under the bushes. You may not see a broc or ulchabhán quite as often, but they are part of the same natural landscape – and are creatures with a prominent place in Irish stories and folklore.

In folklore, the fox is often associated with cleverness and cunning. The phrase “chomh glic le sionnach” / “as cunning as a fox” is familiar in both Irish and English, and reflects the fox’s place in popular imagination as a clever, quick-thinking and resourceful animal. The owl, meanwhile, is commonly linked with the night, and with mystery and wisdom, in traditions around the world.

These woodland creatures have long held a place in Irish imagination and storytelling – a small reminder of how closely the natural world and the Irish language have always been intertwined.

If that connection between language, nature and folklore has caught your interest, Gaelchultúr offers a wide range of Irish-language courses for adults, from beginner to advanced level – as well as folklore courses for those drawn to the stories, traditions and more mysterious side of Irish culture.

The next time you walk through a woodland, keep your eyes open! You might spot a little creature – and now you’ll know the Irish for it too.

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