#tech duinn

[iamlisteningto]

Clarissa Connelly’s Tech Duinn

[glytchflower]

i log on, stare at these two bastards, get my fill of serotonin, and log off.

[bywandandsword]

Current brainworm, none of the Celtic cultures' creation myths have survived, even though they almost certainly had one. The closest we have is the Lebor Gabala Erenn from Irish mythology, but it isn't a creation story, it records the various settlements of Ireland, ending in the Gaels. However, it is thought that there are reflections of an earlier creation myth in the LGE and in the Tain, and there are similar themes that validate that the Gaels at least viewed the creation of the landscape in this way from various other stories. Additionally, we can compare other Indo-European creation myths to figure out what elements the Gaelic creation myth almost certainly would have had. These include:

Before creation, there is a void of some kind

In that void, fire interacts with water/ice to create the first life

A primordial bovine, most likely a cow (bulls were more common in IE cultures that emphasized pastoralism over crops. The Romans had a she-wolf, because they had to be edge lords)

One primordial being or possibly a set of twins who are sustained by the milk of the cow

One of the twins/the primordial being is dismembered to create the physical world

So already we have the makings of a general creation story, and if you're familiar with Norse mythologies, you might recognize it. In fact, it's thought that the Norse creation myth has retained the most elements of the original IE myth

However, scholars point out that the primordial being that is killed is called *Yemo, meaning "twin", which means there was likely originally two first beings. In the one sacrificing the other, the act renders the brother doing the sacrificing as the First Priest, who creates the concept of death, but in doing so turns that death into the living world. The sacrificed brother is then typically rendered as the First King and Ruler of the Land of the Dead. By setting up this order for the world, the First Priest establishes that life cannot exist without death (whether it be harvesting crops or butchering livestock), and typically, these myths continue and establish the role of the priests in society, who's job it is to ensure the continuity of the original sacrifice and maintain the living world

Now, here's where we get into my speculation;

I think it's likely that the Irish creation myth involved a set of twins. Off the top of my head, I think that possible reflections of this can be found in the brothers Amergin and Donn and in the Donn Cuailnge and Finnbhennach from the Táin. With Amergin and Donn, Donn insults the goddess of the land and is drowned. In doing so, Donn becomes a god of the dead and all the souls of the dead have to gather at or pass through Tech Duinn. Amergin however, secures the support of these goddesses and is able to go on and give order to the Gaelic rule of Ireland by deciding who will rule what and serves as the Chief Ollam (bard) of Ireland. In the Táin, after the main Plot has gone down, the Donn Cuailnge and Finnbhennach fight and the the Donn Cuailnge ends up killing Finnbhennach. As the Donn Cuailnge passes through the landscape, pieces of Finnbhennach drop off his horns and form/name part of the landscape. I think it's also interesting how in both these stories, one of the duo is explicitly associated with the color white (Amergin is called "white knees") and the other one is dark, but the opposite one dies first in the stories

Also, if we look at myths like the creation of the Shannon and the Boyne rivers, where in the goddesses Sionnan and Boann, respectively, die in the rivers' creations, we further see that the death of one figure to create an element of the landscape is a relatively common one, so a creation story similar to the one I hypothesize the Irish had wouldn't have been outside of pagan Irish belief

Additionally, if we look at the duíle, kind of like the Irish elements/natural features, we see that the nine elements/features are each explicitly associated with body parts. Stone is associated with bones, the sea with blood, the face with the sun, ect. I think this could be a call back to that earlier creation myth

Off the top of my head, that's what I've been mulling over. Idk, I might be completely off the mark, but if anyone wants give their thoughts, I'd love to hear them. I'm certainly not an expert in Irish mythology and there may be some key factor that completely sinks this idea

[ceo-draiochta]

The Irish House of the Dead

Is in Cork, to the surprise of no one.

(Bull Rock, Co. Cork)

Not much is directly known about pre-Christian belief pertaining to the afterlife, there is however many mythological texts from a post Christian period. These texts may give us an indication of what some of these beliefs may have been. From this we can reconstruct a belief in a location known as Tech Duinn as a location visited by the departed. This being Irish for House of Donn

Who's Donn?

A house tends to have a master, and this ones is Donn. Donn is an ancestorial figure to the people of Ireland and is the first of the Milesians to die in Ireland. In the Metrical Dinnseanchas his dying body was placed on a high rock before docking in Ireland to avoid the spreading of the curse of disease put upon it by the Tuatha Dé (link). In the Lebor Gabála Érenn he drowns at this rock due to a battle of curses with the Tuatha Dé (link page 39 & 65). This rock then becomes known as Tech Duinn. He lives on in some capacity however as much later he fathers Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. (link) (maybe, not actually sure if this is a related Donn)

His House and Its Connection to the Dead

This rock on which he died is known as Tech Duinn and is said to be a place in where soul gather after death.

"‘....his folk shall come to this spot.�� So hence it is called Tech Duinn: and for this cause, according to the heathen, the souls of sinners visit Tech Duinn before they go to hell, and give their blessing, ere they go, to the soul of Donn. But as for the righteous soul of a penitent, it beholds the place from afar, and is not borne astray. Such, at least, is the belief of the heathen" (link). The Metrical Dindshenchas-Tech Duinn

Tech Duinn is mentioned in connection to being a place for the departed in numerous places including the above Metrical Dindshenchas and the following texts:

Men of Donn say that "Though we are alive we are dead" in Togail Bruidne Dá Derga. (link).

In the Acallam na Senórach, the Fianna snatch a woman from this house to marry off, this is not specifically related to death but a seemingly regular woman was living in this sidhe and was then taken. Also important to note, Tech Duinn is explicitly said to be in Munster here. (link).

(Hate to rec wikipedia but their page on Donn is decent enough)

Where is it?

In the Acallam na Senórach, Tech Duinn is explicitly called a Sidhe. A mound which connects this world with the Otherworld, this along with the fact that in the Metrical Dindshenchas, Donn's failing body can be placed upon it, implies that this Tech Duinn is a physical location in this world which leads to a house in the Otherworld. The Acallam na Senórach also specifically states this place to be in Munster. As in the LGE Donn drowns as his people attempt to port in Ireland, it is clearly a place off the coast of the country.

These facts all line up quite nicely with folklore which states that Bull Rock, a small island off the coast of Cork, near Dursey Island, is this Sidhe, Tech Duinn. (link) (link)

Bull Rock is a tiny island with an arch going through it, the only thing of note is the lighthouse placed upon it (link)(link). The island has not had a population bigger than 5 in recorded history and is currently uninhabited. It should be noted however that the adjacent Dursey Island is home to evidence of humanity from the bronze age to well past the Medieval era (link) and even is home to multiple Holy Wells (link). It is not farfetched to me that the nearby rock would gain some sort of significance to the people living in this area, especially once the ethereal nature of the rock is seen.

A video recorded of a boat going through the arch of Bull Rock.

(Abandoned Buildings on Bull Rock)

What to Take Away From This

It is likely that pre-Christian belief in an afterlife where the soul of the departed traveled to Tech Duinn to be with an ancestorial figure known as Donn, where they stayed with him possibly before moving elsewhere to Hell in Metrical Dindshenchas or possibly under go a process of metempsychosis. This House of Donn was most likely reached through Bull's Rock in County Cork, a small island that resembles a Sidhe.

[amylouioc]

Tech Duinn, the House of Donn

Many might not know that the Irish have a god of the dead, Donn. His domain is thought to be located around Bull Rock, off the coast of Cork, and every Samhain, he comes to welcome new spirits and guide them westwards to the Otherworld.

This is also my October postcard, so if you’d like to sign up to get one, you can do so here!

[transgenderer]

The norito or ritual prayers in this Oharae ceremony refer to the land of the dead as Ne no Kuni, a land beyond the sea. The ancient Japanese image of the land of the dead, however, combined two concepts of separate origin. The concept of Ne no Kuni was probably derived from south Asian beliefs that the netherland lay across the sea. The name, which means "root country," suggests that Ne no Kuni was also seen as the original overseas homeland of the Japanese people. Ne no Kuni eventually came to be identified with Yomi no Kuni, the land of the dead beneath the earth in beliefs of north Asian lineage

! land of the dead as across the sea rather than underground or in the sky! not sure what south asian tradition he's referencing, this is from "Early Kami Worship" by Matsumae. seems like this was a thing in ireland and scotland, although not universal

There are a few tales associated with Donn and how he came to be known as the god of the dead to the Irish, ruling over Tech Duinn (‘The House of Donn’), which is said to be situated off the Beara peninsula on the south-west coast.9 It is commonly identified with Bull Rock, an island in the area that has a distinctive dolmen-like shape, with the gap allowing the sea to pass under the rock as if through a gateway.10

the people of the trobiands have a similar belief

A remarkable thing happens to the spirit immediately after its exodus from the body. Broadly speaking, it may be described as a kind of splitting up. In fact, there are two beliefs, which, being obviously incompatible, yet exist side by side. One of them is, that the Baloma (which is the main form of the dead man’s spirit) goes “to Tuma, a small island lying some ten miles to the northwest of the Trobriands.” This island is inhabited by living man as well, who dwell in one large village, also called Tuma; and it is often visited by natives from the main island. The other belief affirms that the spirit leads a short and precarious existence after death near the village, and about the usual haunts of the dead man, such as his garden, or the sea beach, or the waterhole. In this form, the spirit is called kohsi (sometimes pronounced kohsa).

[akampana]

28. Diartoria

Prompt: 28. "Your smile brings me so much joy." Ship: Diarturia Tags: Romance

As he stared into her eyes, brushing her blonde hair from her cheek, he wondered if she’d let him kiss her. She looked so beautiful like this, with the sun casting its golden glow upon her face and a lovely tinge of red dusting her cheeks. Her gaze was fond, and her smile soft. The Irish knight was half-convinced he was lost in a dream. He never had any luck with love, after all, and yet, here he was, so smitten .

Describing exactly what the Once and Future King meant to him was a challenge all on its own. There was no one quite like her, and no one with whom he shared the same connection. Theirs was an everlasting dance of blades made to the rhythm of steel on steel. When their weapons clashed, he felt like he was dancing on the clouds. When they were apart, it was like gravity itself drew them together till they clashed once more in a flurry of sparks. 

Something in her green irises told him she could see right through to him; take the pages that were his life; read between his every line. He bared his soul to her unafraid, because he knew that with her there was no gavel nor jury that would damn him to a life on the run. There was only her, the regal knight who turned out to be so much more than just the chivalrous figure he met at the docks. He fell twice: for the king she became, and the girl she didn’t get to be. 

He was sure the day he met her. He was sure now. She was the culmination of all the work he put in as a knight, the light at the end of the tunnel, the reward that awaited him for his service. He wouldn’t trade anything for the fire he saw in her eyes as they exchanged blows, or the laughter that erupted from his lips when she won, or the smile that graced her face when he claimed victory. She was everything he wanted. Everything.

Arturia’s lips tasted like a warm welcome after a long journey; her mouth, like an embrace before a hearth; her kiss, sweet as hot chocolate on a chilly night. As they parted for a breath, she cupped his cheeks and nudged her forehead into his fondly. She wore a delicate smile upon her face as he pulled her body closer. Diarmuid decided that very moment that he wasn’t losing her again, he didn’t care what impossibilities he’d have to overcome. He’d march up to Avalon and take her to his Tech Duinn, if he had to. 

“What is it?” she asked lightheartedly, drinking in the soft chuckle that escaped Diarmuid’s lips. 

“Nothing, my lady, I just…” the knight lightly touched the pad of his thumb to her lips. “Your smile brings me so much joy. I no longer believe I can continue on without it– without you.”

Diarmuid took a deep breath, distracted by the smell of her hair.

“I want you to come home with me,” he whispered happily for only her ears to hear. There was confusion in her eyes, but she stayed comfortably circled within his arms. 

“What do you mean?” she asked him, stroking her thumb across his cheek. “We do not exactly have lives to live anymore.”

True, they were both Heroic Spirits after all, neither resurrection nor incarnation awaited them now that they were relieved from service. The knight chuckled again, feeling her grin against his mouth as he stole another kiss. “And yet, we have the afterlife, do we not?”

When they parted, Diarmuid dragged his finger down the curve of her lips until the corner. He had always been proud to be one of the few privileged enough to see her so happy. Not everyone could make her feel this way. 

“This smile–your smile…” he professed endearingly, “brings me so much joy, my dearest king. No heaven awaits me in my father’s home without it. I would simply waste away.”

Arturia nearly glowed red hearing his words. She didn’t know where he’d found the courage to make such declarations without even a hint of hesitation, when every word was laced with the same truth: he loved her. He loved her so much, he’d denounce eternity’s paradise if it meant he wouldn’t be with her. She’d always thought maidens were being dramatic when they swooned, but she was just short of it herself. 

After all, she too would find it terribly lonely, if she were to spend the afterlife without the spearman she grew to love. She didn’t know how Diarmuid could pull this off, nor if it were even possible to leave Avalon and leave with him to Tech Duinn. All she knew was that she wanted the future that he envisioned. They would have each other, forever, and that would be enough. 

“Then yes,” she said at last, sealing the promise with another kiss. “I’ll go with you.”

_____

You can't tell me Aengus wouldn't kick down the gates of Avalon and ship Arturia off to Tech Duinn with an exclusive passport made by Donn, you just can't. HAHAHA

thank you for the ask. I hope you are doing well.

-akampana

[stairnaheireann]

Irish Mythology | Donn Fírinne, The Dark One

In Irish mythology, Donn is a god of the dead. Donn is the modern Irish word for the colour brown and appears as an element in many Irish surnames like Donegan, Donovan, Donnelly and on its own as Dunn/Dunne. However in the case of Donn the word derives from the Celtic word ‘dhuosnos’ meaning dark – Dark Lord. Donn is said to dwell in Tech Duinn (the ‘house of Donn” or ‘house of the dark one’). A…

[irelandseyeonmythology]

Donn potentially (?) becoming a god after drowning because he pissed off Ériu is objectively funny once you start thinking about it.

Do the Tuatha Dé ever get together and there’s Donn, in the corner, looking very wet and drowned and dead?

Do they ever greet him with: “Dia duit, Invader!”

Does he join the Tethra/Mannanán “Deity associated with the sea who is Done with this business” club? Do they even want him in the club?

Does Bres hate him because he was mean to his mommy? (Jail for the sons of Míl, jail for one thousand years)

Does Lugh hate him because he invaded Ireland (bad) or love him because he fought against the three sons of Cermait (good)?

Does the Dagda enjoy sometimes whacking him with his staff a few times just for the sake of establishing dominance + punishing him for fighting against his grandsons?

Is there a separate little place for the deities of the sons of Míl to hang out, or is he all alone, hanging out at Tech Duinn and being bullied by the TDD?

Do he and the Cailleach Beara hang out? IS there a Cailleach Beara for him to hang out with?

Maybe drowning wasn’t the worst thing to happen to him.

[nogetron]

Donn, Primordial Irish god of Death. The other half of Danu, Donn was Danu’s lover before creation. The two were wrapped in a primeval embrace of love, from this coupling came the first generation of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Of those born were: Ogma, Nuada, Mananánn Mac lir, the Morrigan, and most importantly the Dagda. The children born were stuck between the two lovers’ embrace in an unmoving vice grip. The lovers couldn’t bear to consciously separate, so their son the Dagda, came up with a plan. He’d hit Donn hard enough to knock him out in one blow so his siblings could free themselves. But when the Dagda struck his father he hadn’t realized just how strong he was, as the Dagda accidentally struck his father dead. Upon the loss of her beloved Donn, Danu wept an unrivaled sob that washed away the Tuatha Dé. Donn’s corpse became the earth, and Danu’s tears became the sea. From the body of Donn grew the world tree Bilé which grew the fruit called humanity. Despite his body’s death, Donn’s soul roamed and built a place for dead souls to go to: Tech Duinn.

Donn’s existence is debated among researchers, as with a majority of subjects regarding pre Christian Ireland there simply isn’t enough evidence to conclude any one answer. My cosmogonic story I wrote above is based on the reconstruction of the pagan Irish creation myth. The name Donn comes from an ancient Irish poem that states that his dying wish was for everyone to gather at Tech Duinn or “the house of Donn” when they die, the idea he was a death god comes from Roman sources which states that the Irish claim decent from a death god. The name Donn may have been originally another name for the Dagda, with Bilé being proposed as the original name for Donn, as in the modern day the two names are used interchangeably for the same deity. Donn and Danu represent two contrasting yet intertwined primal forces, much like the Yin and Yang of Taoism. The name Donn means “the dark one”.

[tipsycad147]

Pagan Afterlife: Where Do Pagans Go When They Die?

posted by : kitty fields

Just as Christians and other religions have their beliefs in an afterlife, so do pagans. Depending on the pagan tradition and even down to the individual, the pagan afterlife will have different names and legends to go along with it. Learn about different ideas of the pagan afterlife and we will answer the question “where do pagans go when they die?”

The Pagan Afterlife

What we’ll cover in this article:

The Wiccan Summerland

The Celtic Otherworld 

Norse Pagan Afterlife: Valhalla, Folkvangr and Helheim

Reincarnation

Variations in Belief

Where Do Wiccans Go When They Die?

Wicca is a religion unto itself. Often people get Wiccans mixed up with Pagans. They think if you’re pagan, you must be Wiccan, right? Wrong. There are many different forms of paganism, Wicca is just one branch. That being said, Wiccans believe in a pagan afterlife and they call it the Summerland. The Wiccan Summerland is comparable to the Christians’ Heaven with some pagan differences.

Wiccans believe souls travel to the Wiccan Summerland after death to await reincarnation. Once the soul learns or experiences all it needs, the reincarnation cycle ends. Then the soul stays in the Wiccan Summerland for eternity. Of course, beliefs on exactly how this happens varies. The Wiccan Summerland belief was no doubt influenced by the Celtic Otherworld and the Norse Pagan afterlife. 

The Celtic Otherworld

To our ancient Celtic ancestors, death was just a part of the cycle of life. There were various beliefs in a Celtic pagan afterlife, depending on the people. In Welsh mythology, the Celtic Otherworld was called Annwn and was a place of abundance, health, and eternal youth. The Welsh Celtic god Arawn ruled the Celtic Otherworld, as told in the early Welsh prose story The Four Branches of the Mabinogi. 

The Irish Celts also believed in the Celtic Otherworld, located somewhere under the earth or under/over the sea. There were many names for it including Tir Na Nog, Tir Naill, Tech Duinn, and Mag Mell. Whether these were different names for the Celtic Otherworld or separate places within it remains a mystery. The Celtic Otherworld was a place where the gods and ancestors lived – a place of eternal life.

Our bodies become the earth after life and are then recycled.

The Norse Germanic Pagan Afterlife

Similar to the Celts’ belief in the Otherworld, the Norse peoples believed in a pagan afterlife too. The World Tree concept was an integral part of Norse paganism, but their name for it was Yggdrasil. The tree consisted of nine realms: Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, and Helheim. The gods, dwarves, giants, elves, humans, and the dead dwelled in various realms throughout.

Maybe you’ve heard the word Valhalla, mentioned often in the popular TV show Vikings. Valhalla was one of the places the dead could go after death – a place with Odin in Asgard for fallen warriors to go in preparation for a future war known as Ragnarok. Hel was another realm of the dead, somewhere under or in the earth, ruled by the goddess Hel. The goddess Freya presided over a field of the dead called Folkvangr.

Valhalla

You’ll find many people online who claim you must be a soldier or die in battle to go to Valhalla with Odin. I believe if you are a warrior for a cause (it doesn’t have to be literal) and you/or you are Odin’s devotee, you have the ability to reach Valhalla. Ultimately it was up to the gods and your deeds on earth that determined where you went in the Norse Pagan afterlife. More can be read about the Norse Pagan beliefs in the Edda by Snorri Sturluson.

Folkvangr: Freya’s Hall of the Dead

Many people forget, there is more than one place in the Norse afterlife where the dead may go. Freya, goddess of love, war and witchcraft, also had her own hall of the dead called Folkvangr. The Norse myths say that those who died on the battlefield were first surveilled by Freya, and she took those whom she wanted FIRST…before Odin received his fallen warriors in Valhalla. But there’s other Sagas that point to the fact that it wasn’t just warriors or fallen warriors that went to Freya’s realm. But those who were devoted to her, as well.

Helheim a.k.a. Hel

No, this is not the same place as the Christian Hell. Though it does have a similar name. I’m sure that happened for a reason. But Helheim, also known as the goddess Hel’s realm, is another place where the dead could go in the Norse pagan afterlife. Although Snorri Sturluson, the scholar who recorded many of the Norse myths, painted Helheim to be a very bleak and torturous place. Modern scholars and neo-pagans believe Sturluson’s view of Helheim was clouded by the Christian influence all around him at the time. Still others claim Helheim is a place where the dead go to rest and even “party” with their ancestors. It is potentially a place where we go before reincarnating…

Pagan Belief in Reincarnation

In addition to having a place for the dead to go after life, many pagans believe in the process of reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief the soul cycles in and out of physical bodies. When you die in this life, your soul will return to the earth in another body. This concept is worldwide and ancient. Reincarnation can be found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and other far east religions. Before the rise of the Church in Europe, the Celts believed in reincarnation and so did the Norse people.

But what happens upon death, exactly?

No one alive knows exactly what happens upon death. I would venture to say the only people who may know have had near-death experiences and were clinically dead for a period of time. Often their stories are similar – floating out of their bodies, flying up into a tunnel of light, and then seeing their dead loved ones or hearing voices on the “other side” before returning to their bodies. This is a consistent story and correlates to the dreams of death I’ve had. Yes, I’ve died in my dreams. I float out of my body, up into the sky, and look around to see the stars before going to a “place” in the sky. It felt as if I was being absorbed into the Universe. If I had to tell you what happens upon death, it would be this.

Variations in Pagan Afterlife Beliefs

Because paganism is an umbrella term, and because there are so many branches of paganism, it’s impossible to give one answer to the question where do pagans go when they die? Every tradition has its own beliefs such as Valhalla, Tir na Nog, and the Summerland. Every individual has their own beliefs about such places which might vary from someone else who follows the same tradition. Still others say we have options when we die: we may choose to go be with the gods, reincarnate, or even to become a guide or ancestor and stay on the earthly plane.

In my humble opinion, I believe whatever you believe in the afterlife is what will happen to you. We create our own realities. That being said, it’s difficult for me to believe in anything other than the cycle of life/death/rebirth. I’ve had too many dreams and experiences that indicate an afterlife is inevitable. Energy never dies, only changes form. So whether we have a soul that moves to the beyond upon death, or whether our energy goes into the earth upon death, either way – our energy just transforms into something else. Therefore, we live forever in one way or another. Othala.

[anarcho-sgathach]

I imagine tech duinn as a sort of city-sized castle with lots of open green area in courtyards, huge feasting halls that are always full of hot fresh foods, libraries with books on every subject imaginable with aisles that stretch for miles, hurling/shinty fields, and bedrooms lined with comfy furs and fires that never go out

How do YOU imagine the Otherworld?

[glytchflower]

🏃🏾‍♀️💨

la creatura is going to church now! 🎉

[probablyacreep]

all travellers who arrive at tech duinn, the house of the dead, the isle of the afterlife, are welcomed with a performance of the ancient ceremonial song: the gambler by kenny rodgers (acoustic)

[ceo-draiochta]

Hey there, this might be silly question, I have been trying to find a path/belief system that works for me. And I was wondering what is Gaelic polytheisms main worldviews? How are the Tautha de danann or other gods treated? Are they seen as representations of something? How important is praying to them? How does Gaelic polytheism interact with the divine?

Thank you!

Hello! Sorry just saw this now. Sorry for any wait. Thank you so much for your question, I will try and answer as best as I can. While a lot of this does apply to Scottish and Manx polytheism as well, I will be focusing on Irish polytheism as that is what I practice. Please note that everything I say is inherently going to be coloured by my experience and practice and that many people practice in ways completely different to this.

Uncertainty

Ok first things first, Gaelic polytheism is a modern attempt to reconstruct the religion that was replaced with Christianity in the Gaelic regions, this is a religion that for all intents and purposes died off, aspects of these belief systems are however present in the writings of christian monks collectively known as Irish Mythology. This of course means that many stories have inserted christian elements.

This basically means that there is no one right way to do things, and no exact step by steps like you'd find in other religions. Its more of a hot and cold thing. As such the answers to most of your questions cannot be exact "this is what all Gaelic polytheists do and don't", There is however answers that seem more likely and more accepted.

Worldviews

Important to note that there is no creation myth known. Generally beliefs include a certain level of animism, honouring spirits, honouring ancestors, immortality of/renewal of the soul, and the belief in the Otherworld (an t-alltar/an saol eile).

Worship

Honouring of spirits, ancestors and gods is a fairly combined procedure, the exact delineation between Aos Sí (fairies) and gods is blurred. There is also evidence to suggest that the gods Tuatha dé may have been viewed as divine ancestors so quite mixed up. (UPG alert) I would generally consider the Tuatha Dé the most powerful, the most prolific of the Aos Sí rather than something entirely different. (UPG end) Generally offerings are made to known/named gods and the Aos Sí collectively. Offerings to gods is usually something connected to their known attributes, such as a poem for one connected to poetry or alcohol etc. Aos Sí usually get some form of food, traditionally butter and milk. Historically worship would have been done at certain locations, usually a liminal space often involving water. This includes Holy wells, bogs but also megalithic structures and focal points in the landscape such as hills. However the modern pagan generally just has a little corner as an altar.

Death

It seems likely that after death it was believed that the soul crosses into the otherworld and into a place known as Tech Duinn, the home of the first milesean (basically ancestor to irish people) to step foot on the island. Transmigration of the soul (also known as reincarnation) is heavily implied to be a belief amongst pre christian irish people and so it is generally believed that the soul will transmigrate after an indetermined time in Tech Duinn.

Otherworld (an t-alltar/an saol eile)

The otherworld is a world either parallel or below ours (think parallel dimension ig?) where the othercrowd live, a lot of different attributes have been given to the Otherworld but generally time works differently and it is overall abundant. It can connects to ours at certain times of the year and at certain locations. There are those who believe you can visit there through out of body experiences though this is a more recent belief.

Treatment of the Gods and interaction

You will find many different attitudes to gods throughout pagan communities, some of which are uh bad ideas. Generally the attitude taken towards gods is respectful, like how you would talk to your landlord. Generally worship is done in a respectful manner.

Some people believe themselves to communicate with gods through dreams, meditation and various forms of divination. This can change how you interact, if they want to be more casual be more casual, if they like the respect be respectful. That being said communicating to gods like this is not a necessity of paganism only worship. You can just offer gifts and prayers and never speak to them ever if you want. I would say praying is reasonably important, at least try to do the 4 festivals at least. You really can set your own rules. One thing I will say is don't make empty promises, like don't say "I will definitely pray everyday for 2 months" and then don't. Just do what your able and be honest about it.

Representations

Generally they are more so seen as people with particular skills and abilities rather than embodiments of a particular element or force.

Sorry that was really long, I hope this was helpful to you in any way, even if you don't end up with gaelic polytheism good luck. One thing I will say is if you live in Ireland, maybe look up local legends and see if there are particular Sí or gods associated with your area, that's usually a good start. I would recommend Morgan Daimlers Irish Paganism for further reading.

If anyone else has other things to add to these questions please feel free to add on

[eldritchdemonfox]

(Feel free to ignore!)

Seems like (Character of choice) has found the deletion void. and a idiot in it. {It stares at (Character of choice)}

Fox looked around, confused. This wasn't mars, and it wasn't Tech Duinn either. Where the hell were they?!

Then they noticed the other person, just staring at them.

"Ummm...hello?"