Many of the creatures who appear in the pages of Artemis Fowl were inspired by Irish myths and legends.

Leprechauns
In Irish tales, leprechauns are shoemakers, and they can be found by the tap-tap-tapping of their little hammers. They have to make and repair a lot of shoes, because they wear through them with all the dancing they love to do. Every leprechaun has a crock of gold, built up very slowly over many years, so the older the leprechaun, the more gold he’ll have. If you catch a leprechaun and try to find his gold, he’ll do his best to trick you – and you’ve got to keep tight hold of him and keep your eyes on him closely, or he’ll vanish.

Fairyland
Tír na nÓg, the Land of the Young, is one of the many names of the Celtic Otherworld. It is a magical paradise populated by the old Irish gods. Heroes of folktale can reach Tír na nÓg through ancient burial mounds, travelling underwater, through mist, or on an enchanted boat. Time passes differently in Tír na nÓg, and if you return to the real world and let your feet touch the ground, real time will catch up with you and you’ll immediately age and die.

Healing
Dian Cécht was the Irish god of healing. He healed warriors by immersing them in Slainge’s Well, with the use of herbal concoctions, and by chanting spells.
Some humans were thought to have obtained healing abilities from the fairies; the fairies would carry off people and hold them captive for three, five, or seven years, during which time the person may learn their captors’ secrets including healing magic. Upon the humans’ return to the real world, they are capable of treating illnesses of fairy origin.

Women in the stories
Women in Irish folktales are strong presences, independent actors with voices and initiative.

It was Una, the wife of Fionn, who told him how to defeat the giant from Scotland, sending him fleeing back home.

Granuaile, the daughter of chieftan Eoghan Dubh Dara, went to sea with her father, fought for him, and eventually became a pirate. Finally, as a badass woman, she won the respect of Queen Elizabeth herself. You might know her better as Grace O’Malley.