The Myths of Ireland dataset
A machine-readable index of every entry in the library, free to download. Each record carries the entry's title, one-line definition, answer capsule, cycle, places, themes, verification status, and source-fidelity note, in JSON and CSV. The files are regenerated from the library with every site build, so they always match the published pages.
Downloads
Both files currently hold 49 records, one per entry, in a fixed order: stories, then beings, then places, alphabetically by slug within each.
What the dataset contains
One record per published entry, of all three types: stories, beings, and places. The
dataset is the openly licensed index of the library, and an index is what it will stay:
it carries each entry's definitions, classifications, and apparatus, while the full
retellings and their source citations are not in these files and live only at each
record's canonical_url, the entry page, where they are read in context. That
split is the design, not a gap to be filled later: the index travels freely under its
licence, and the retellings stay on the pages that carry their sources. Cycle hub pages
and editorial pages are not records; they are navigation, not entries.
Fields
A JSON record carries the fields below, always all of them: optional values are
null rather than absent, so every record has the same shape.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
slug | string | The entry identifier, unique within its type; also the final URL segment. |
type | string | One of story, being, or place: the three entry types of the library. |
title | string | The entry title as published. |
one_line | string | The one-sentence definition that opens the entry. |
capsule | string | The direct-answer capsule: a 40 to 60 word summary answer rendered at the top of the entry. |
cycle | string | The cycle classification: mythological, ulster, fenian, kings, folklore, or cross-cycle. |
pronunciation | string or null | Pronunciation guidance for the entry name, where supplied. |
alternate_names | list of strings | Other names and spellings the entry is known by. |
geographic_anchors | list of strings | Real-world places the entry is anchored to. |
coordinates | object (lat, lng) or null | Reserved for the myth map: a latitude and longitude (WGS84 decimal degrees) for entries anchored to one mappable location, where supplied. Not yet rendered on any page. In the CSV this field is replaced by lat and lng columns, empty when absent. |
counties | list of strings | Reserved for phase 2 county features (place filters, the myth map, and the county lookup): lowercase county slugs the entry is associated with, where supplied. Not yet rendered on any page. In the CSV the list is joined with a semicolon and a space, empty when absent. |
related | list of strings | Slugs of related entries, as cross-linked on the entry page. |
themes | list of strings | Theme tags, the same ones the browse filters use. |
status | string | Verification status: verified-ready or ready-for-verification. See the sourcing note below. |
updated | date (YYYY-MM-DD) | The date the entry was last updated. |
source_fidelity | string or null | A note on how closely the retelling follows its cited sources, where supplied. |
faq | list of objects (q, a) | The question-and-answer pairs published on the entry page. In the CSV this field is replaced by faq_count, the number of pairs. |
misconceptions | list of objects (claim, correction) | Common-misconception corrections published on the entry page. In the CSV this field is replaced by misconceptions_count, the number of pairs. |
sample | boolean | True while the record is a placeholder used to test this pipeline. Filter on this field to exclude placeholders. |
canonical_url | string | The permanent URL of the full entry, where the complete retelling and its sources live. |
The CSV holds the same records, one flat row each, with the same column order as the table
above. List fields are joined with a semicolon and a space ("; "); null values are empty
cells; coordinates flattens to the two columns lat and
lng; the two structured fields become counts, faq_count and
misconceptions_count, in place of faq and
misconceptions; and fields containing commas, quotes, or line breaks are
quoted per RFC 4180.
Sourcing and verification
Every entry in the library cites the translations and collections it follows; the
sourcing policy describes how. The
status field carries the entry's place in that process, in one of two
states: verified-ready, meaning the entry has been verified against an
archived translation, and ready-for-verification, meaning its sources are
cited and verification is scheduled. The full source citations are published on each
entry page, at the record's canonical_url.
Updates
The dataset is generated from the same files that build the entry pages, in the same build, so a dataset update is automatic: whenever an entry is published or revised, the next build refreshes both the page and these files. The most recent record update is dated 2026-06-12.
Licence
This dataset is released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
You may share and adapt the data for any purpose, provided you credit Myths of Ireland and indicate any changes you make.