Celtic Journey
Celtic Journey playing cards - where art and culture meet - designed by Carmen G. Carballeira, 2011
“Mythology is the drama of our own selves on the stage of antiquity...”
Celtic Journey - Irish Mythology playing cards
Illustrated by Carmen G. Carballeira
Above: Ace, Jack, Queen and King from two of the suits, and the two Jokers. The remaining two suits are shown below, with the back design.
Above: the entire deck is beautifully illustrated with vibrant colours and is accompanied by a GUIDEBOOK containing details about the artist and explanations of the court card personalities. The suit symbols are based on artefacts of Irish culture: Ardagh chalice, discovered in September 1868 in a ring fort at Reerasta, Ardagh, Limerich; Tara Broach, a Celtic broach of about 700 AD, found in Co Meath. Harp: for centuries, the harp has been a beloved emblem of Ireland. Celtic helmet: The Celts' protective armour included iron helmets. The back of the cards is based on the Battersea Shield (350 - 50 B.C.) found in the River Thames at Battersea Bridge, England, also of Celtic origin.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
View ArticlesCurator and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
Leave a Reply
Recommended
Rapalje
Promotional pack for a Dutch Celtic folk band which performs Irish, Scottish and Dutch folk music, c.2004.
Sirocco by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co.
Sirocco, nautical themed playing cards by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co. and designed by Nathan Oser, 2020.
Irish Legendary
Irish Legendary deck featuring figures in the Legends of Ireland, designed by Rachel Arbuckle, 1990.
Gods of Egypt
Gods of Egypt playing cards dedicated to the culture of Ancient Egypt.
Age of Dragons
Age of Dragons by Anne Stokes, 2017.
Pantheon or Heathen Mythology
Pantheon or Heathen Mythology cards for instruction of youth, c.1770.
Guinness Posters
Classic Guinness Posters, 1999.
Les Grandes Figures de L’Histoire Bretonne
Les Grandes Figures de L’Histoire Bretonne
Kalevala
Kalevala playing cards by Sunish Chabba and Ishan Trivedi inspired by ancient Finnish mythology.
Carte Romane
“Carte Romane” designed by Giorgio Pessione, 1973, celebrating the history of Rome.
Greek Mythology
Greek Mythology playing cards published by Michalis Toubis S.A., 1995.
Lovely Day for a Guinness
Lovely Day for a Guinness deck published by Shamrock Gift Co Dublin, c.1980.
Scottish Legends
Scottish Legends playing cards illustrated by Mark Oxbrow. published by R Somerville, Edinburgh, 1998.
Baraja Mitológica
“Baraja Mitológica” was first published in Madrid in c.1815 by Josef Monjardín from engravings by José Martínez de Castro.
Antike Götter
“Antike Götter” - facsimile of antique playing cards originally manufactured by C. A. Müller, Berlin, 1830.
Classic
“Classic” playing cards designed by Paul Mathison inspired by classical mythology, 1959.
Divine Art Playing Cards - Relaunch
Divine Art Playing Cards by Sunish Chabba & Guru Playing Card Company, 2016.
Views of Ireland
Selected views of Ireland Souvenir playing cards published by the Irish Tourist Association, 1950s
Celtic Myth Playing Cards by Cultúrlán Enterprises
Celtic Myth playing cards are the third and final set of cards in a series based around the themes of Celtic mythology and society.
Iceland Mythology
Iceland Mythological Playing Cards designed by Sigurlinna Pétursson, 1958
Pathfinder Playing Cards
The Pathfinder deck of cards has been inspired by Odin, the Norse god of wisdom, war and death.
Kuningas Artturin Ritarit
“Kuningas Artturin Ritarit” (King Arthur’s Knights) playing cards designed by Mauri Kunnas
Greek Heroes
Playing Cards manufactured by Aspioti Elka A.E., 1960, with ancient greek-style courts.
Cultúrlán
Celtic myth playing cards inspired by the rich Celtic pantheon of mythological Gods, Goddesses, and heroes
Bretagne
Jeu de Cartes “Bretagne” conveying their cultural identity.
East Slavonic Mythology
East Slavonic Mythology designed by Aleksey Orleansky (1994) featuring creatures from the watery underworld.
Irish Historic
Irish Historic Playing Cards celebrating history and art, 1920.
Cyprus Souvenir
Cyprus souvenir playing cards showing scenes alluding to ancient history and myths.
Quantum
Quantum playing cards designed by Catherine Geaney.
Grand Jeu Lenormand
A pack of 54 playing-cards for fortune-telling each card containing a number of zodiacal, classical and modern images with a miniature card of the conventional type at top left and a letter of the alphabet at top right.
Hodges’ Constellations
Hodges’ pack dealing with astronomy had numeral cards carrying diagrams of constellations and their pictorial representations.
Irish Gaelic Playing Cards
A set of cards to help bring awareness to old and infrequently used languages, created by E Brewstein. Each card in the pack also functions as a mini language lesson, great for playing games and also learning about Irish heritage.
Suicide King
The King of Hearts, holding a sword behind his head, is sometimes nicknamed the “Suicide King”. He can be seen to derive from a late medieval design showing a King wielding a battle axe.
Charles Hodges
Charles Hodges produced engraved geographical and astronomical decks, London, c.1827-30.
Inner Realms Tarot
Inner Realms was conceived from sacred geometry that inspired me to create and then pick out pieces of that design that amazed me, or inspired me to create another design...
Ormond Printing Co. Ltd
During the 1930s The Ormond Printing Co. Ltd produced playing cards for the Irish market with a distinctive ace of spades, joker and court cards. In 1935 the firm was acquired as a manufacturing facility for Waddington’s cards in Eire.
Zodiac Bridge
Zodiac Bridge was designed by René Marcel Rivière and printed by AGM Müller in c.1975. A different sign of the zodiac appears on the clothing of each court card figure.
Carnival Playing Cards, 1925
The Carnival Playing Card deck designed by Harry D. Wallace (1892-1977) and first published in 1925.
Feardiadh at the Ford jig-saw
Feardiadh at the Ford jig-saw book with illustration by Kathleen Ennis, c.1940.
Irish Playing Card Mfg Co
Irish Playing Card Manufacturing Company.