What Is Prophecy in Irish Lore? (And What It’s Not)

(with a free ritual and writing guide to help you begin)

There’s a whole heap of confusion around the word prophecy.
Especially when it comes to Irish lore. It’s been imported, misused, romanticised, and packaged as 'psychic powers' or divination gimmicks - and that’s not what we’re dealing with here.

So let’s clear it up.

Prophecy in Irish tradition isn’t about predicting the future.

It’s not clairvoyance (not just clairvoyance, at least), and it’s sure as hell not vague mystical forecasting. It’s not even really about seeing what’s coming.

It’s about naming the truth - especially the kind people don’t want to look at.

Prophecy as Truth-Speaking

In the Cath Maige Tuired, one of our key texts in the Mórrígan’s lore, she doesn’t show up with a crystal ball. She shows up with her voice.

She chants three roscada - incantation-style bursts of unmetered poetry - that frame the entire battle saga. These aren’t just lyrical interludes. They’re weapons. They’re magical utterance. They’re prophecy.

And what’s she doing?

• In Poem A, she incites the battle with rhythmic, breathless, almost brutal description.

• In Poem B, she declares victory and lays down a blessing of peace and renewal.

• In Poem C, she speaks the end of the world - what’s coming when things fall apart.

None of it is passive. She’s not describing. She’s shaping. She is a Goddess of change.

“Peace to the heavens.
Heavens to the earth.
Strength in each.”
— Cath Maige Tuired, Rosc B

That’s not just pretty poetry. That’s magical speech in action.

As Irish scholar Isolde Carmody notes in her deep analysis of these poems, this kind of verse isn’t ornamental. It’s not just old-fashioned flair.

It’s structural to the myth - the way breath becomes power, voice becomes action.

What Is Rosc, Really?

Rosc poetry is one of the oldest forms of Irish magical speech. It’s not neat stanzas or soft rhymes. It’s raw. Abrasive. Short bursts of rhythm and alliteration that feel like prophecy.

And it’s not easy to translate. It resists being pinned down.

But its features are distinct:

• No fixed metre

• Dense alliteration and soundplay (fidrad frecomail—“binding letters”)

• Short, rhythmic phrases full of impact

• Shifts between blessing, curse, and declaration

One scholar called rosc “a form of poetry that delights in the swift image and the brief, concise utterance - terse to the point of obscurity.”

That’s the heart of it. It cuts straight through. And it’s the medium the Mórrígan uses to work her truth-speaking magic.

So What Is Prophecy, Then?

Prophecy, in this tradition, is not about seeing the future - it’s about revealing what’s already true.

The Mórrígan doesn't come to tell you your fate like it’s written in the stars. She comes to name the thing you’ve been avoiding. To pull the blinders off. To give you a choice before it’s too late.

In the Táin Bó Regamna, she literally tells Cú Chulainn what’s going to happen if he refuses her. He laughs it off.

And every word of it comes to pass.

She’s not saying 'here’s your fate'. She’s saying 'here’s the truth. You can work with it... or not'.

And isn’t that what sovereignty’s really about?

Why This Still Matters (And How to Begin)

Most people I work with already know something’s off when they feel her call. They’re waiting for signs. For clarity. For someone to say: “Yes. That thing you feel? It’s real. Now act.”

That’s what the Mórrígan does.

She hands you the truth. And then the work is yours.

This is why we teach prophecy and rosc as core skills inside the Mórrígan Intensive. Because your words matter. Your voice is part of how the world changes. But you have to start with what’s real.

Free Resource to Start the Work

I made something to help you begin.

It’s a free 8-page guide called Speak the Truth: Prophecy, Power, and the Mórrígan’s Call.

Inside, you’ll get:

• A grounded look at prophecy in Irish lore (without the nonsense)

• A simple ritual to connect with her voice

• A step-by-step structure to write your own rosc (no Irish language required)

• Reflection prompts to help you act on what you hear.

👉 Download your free guide now

This Is Just the Beginning

If this kind of work resonates with you - if you’re ready to do more than read about the Mórrígan and actually show up for her - this is the path we walk together inside the Intensive.

We go deep into these stories. Not just reading them, but learning how to live them, with ritual, reflection, and cultural context.

But for now?

Start with the truth.
Name it.
Speak it.
That’s where the magic lives.