Tales From the Wood

Imbas

Shelly Mooney

Shelly Mooney is an artist, historian and writer from the sunny south-east of Ireland. Born and based in County Wexford, Shelly spent her childhood surrounded by the rich history, as well as the myths and magic of Ireland’s wild and ancient landscape.

Growing up Shelly developed a passion for exploring the Irish countryside; camping trips with her family brought her from one side of the country to the other, creating an innate affection for the island. An ever-growing love for the works of Tolkien helped to fuel her fascination with mythology,
and as she began to realise how closely intertwined Ireland’s history and archaeology are with its myths, perhaps unsurprisingly it became a lifelong passion for her to learn more.

In 2008, Shelly began her degree at University College Dublin, the same year that the economic crisis of the recession hit Ireland. Shelly loved her time in University, majoring in History and German while also taking classes in Archaeology and Horticulture. Once she had graduated, given the uncertainty of the times, Shelly entered the business world to pursue a stable, sensible job. She spent several years working for various companies before realising that it wasn’t for her. A creative soul at heart, she yearned to express her passions and bring her love for Ireland’s rich culture to a wider audience.

In early 2020, with these goals in mind, Shelly launched Tales From The Wood. Here she writes, paints and shares her adventures around the breath-taking sites of Ireland with the rest of the world. Every piece of content is self-generated, from the photos, to the artwork – it is a labour of love in every sense of the word. An active participant in the Irish history and mythology community, Shelly is helping to ensure that the ancient stories and traditions of the Emerald Isle are preserved for future generations, and not lost to the ages.

After getting married in 2018 in an outdoor ceremony high in the Wicklow mountains, Shelly now lives in the quiet countryside of North Wexford with her husband Kev and their two pets; Lola the German Shephard, and Guinevere the silver cat. This peaceful life lends itself to the creative process, however when she’s not thinking about all the things mentioned above, Shelly also enjoys rekindling her horticulture love-affair in the garden, playing music (piano, guitar, whistle & fiddle!), as well as taking long walks with Lola through the countryside. Not to mention baking cakes and spending time with her family.