Irish Gothic Fairy Stories

In the four provinces of Ireland there are thirty-two counties. Each county and its people have their own traditions, beliefs and folklore – and each one is also inhabited by the Sidhe: an ancient and magical race. Some believe they are descended from fallen angels, whilst others say they are the progeny of Celtic deities. They go by many names: the good folk, the wee folk, the gentle people and the fey, but are most commonly known as ‘the fairies’. These are not the whimsical fairies of Victorian and Edwardian picture books. They are feared and revered in equal measure, and even in the twenty-first century are spoken of in hushed tones. The fairies are always listening. Storyteller Steve Lally and his wife singer-songwriter Paula Flynn Lally have compiled this magnificent collection of magical fairy stories from every county in Ireland. Filled with unique illustrations that bring these tales to life, Irish Gothic Fairy Stories will both enthral and terrify readers for generations to come.

Only fairy tale book to feature all 32 counties of Ireland

Ireland has a rich history of storytelling, with its many tales of heroes, giants, sea-folk, fairies and witchcraft. Here, Arthur Rackham’s distinctive artwork, along with illustrations by other artists from the turn of the twentieth century, accompany powerful tales of the early Celts and the later stories of an Ireland of mighty hearths, dreaming of battlefield glory, ancient gods and mystical isles.

An ethereal collection of long-lost fairy tales and folk stories from Ireland, collated and edited by one of the most sensational Irish poets, W. B. Yeats. This anthology of Irish myths and folklore was first published in 1892 after being carefully collated by W. B. Yeats. The prolific poet had a deep interest in the folkloric history of his country and dedicated part of his career to editing traditional fairy tales and translating them from the original Irish. Irish Fairy and Folk Tales is an illusive collection of beautiful and ghostly stories concerning fairies, changelings, witches, giants, the devil, and the supernatural. The tales featured in this volume are divided between the following sections: - The Trooping Fairies - Changelings - The Merrow - The Solitary Fairies - Ghosts - Witches, Fairy Doctors - T’yeer-Na-N-Oge - Saints, Priests - The Devil - Giants - Kings, Queens, Princesses, Earls, Robbers

When Irish eyes are dying Breath chills till time is over, Death pulls slowly graveward To rest ’neath sod and clover… Ireland… Sweet Erin…The Emerald Isle. In the bright and bonnie light of day, it is a place of beauty, history, and good humor. Of rolling green hills and stone walls at every step of a mile. A kind blessing for health and happiness, and a pint in your hand at the village pub… as well as the sound of fife and fiddle, the lilting tune of laughter, and the cheerful dance of a jig. But, as the sun takes leave and dusk descends, deep shadows and the dank of an evening mist claim the Land of Saints. Within the cloak of night, boogies and beasties roam the moors, keen for the echo of lonesome footsteps and the alluring scent of fear and dread. Banshee, selkie, leprechaun, and fairy alike. The restless spirit of the Sluagh and the bestial form of the werewolf, hungry and on the prowl. In Irish Gothic: Tales of Celtic Horror, Ronald Kelly returns to the land of his ancestry and explores the dark superstition and frightful folklore of Ol’ Éire. Seven stories of Celtic gothic terror… tales to quicken the beat of the heart and chill one’s bones to the very marrow.

Provides a new account of the emergence of Irish gothic fiction in mid-eighteenth century This book provides a robustly theorised and thoroughly historicised account of the 'beginnings' of Irish gothic fiction, maps the theoretical terrain covered by other critics, and puts forward a new history of the emergence of the genre in Ireland. The main argument the book makes is that the Irish gothic should be read in the context of the split in Irish Anglican public opinion that opened in the 1750s, and seen as a fictional instrument of liberal Anglican opinion in a changing political landscape. By providing a fully historicized account of the beginnings of the genre in Ireland, the book also addresses the theoretical controversies that have bedevilled discussion of the Irish gothic in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The book gives ample space to the critical debate, and rigorously defends a reading of the Irish gothic as an Anglican, Patriot tradition. This reading demonstrates the connections between little-known Irish gothic fictions of the mid-eighteenth century (The Adventures of Miss Sophia Berkley and Longsword), and the Irish gothic tradition more generally, and also the gothic as a genre of global significance.

The Celtic roots of Irish folklore are enriched with Nordic legend and colour. Here gathered in this collection are tales of giants and warriors, of old hags and fair maidens, and of the boyhood of the great hero Fionn Mac Uail (Finn MacCool).

A collection of classic Irish Fairy stories