Tales From Sligo And The West

For the devotee of Irish heritage, mythology or folklore, County Sligo has everything. From the Curlew mountains in the south, where Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill defeated an English army under Sir Conyers Clifford, to Benbulben's slopes in the north, where St Colmcille battled the High King of Ireland, every hill and valley is linked by the gossamer threads of myth, folklore and legend. These stories, some age-old legends and fantastical myths, some amusing anecdotes and cautionary tales, are a heady mix of the bloodthirsty, funny and passionate and a selection of the best are retold here by writer and local historian Joe McGowan. In these pages you will find little-known anecdotes of the traditional ways of Sligo's residents, their customs and superstitions; you will find stories of epic battles and heroic deeds; and you will also hear the fantastical accounts of mythical creatures, faeries, witches and the ghosts of Connacht itself.

Tales from Sligo and the West encompasses both historic and contemporary views of the magical and mystical nature of this region. The literary tradition in this area is as ancient as any on earth, dating back thousands of years, originating in the oral traditions of the Irish Celts, Druids, Poets, and Bards. These traditions were carried forth by the early Christian monks who incorporated and preserved the Celtic/Gaelic stories and artwork into their outstanding illuminated manuscripts, now realized as the oldest and most beautiful ever produced, many of which are now housed in the great library of Trinity College Dublin. The highly inspirational history of this small island has produced many of the world's greatest authors, including Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, Oliver Goldsmith, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Bram Stoker, Sean O'Casey, C. S. Lewis, Kate O'Brien, Lady Augusta Gregory, Patrick Kavanagh, Brian Friel, Dermot Healy, Willie Joe Meally; and, includes four Nobel Laureates, William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney. Tales from Sligo and the West is the next progression of this extraordinary tradition.

Berry, who lived his entire life in the West of Ireland, collected these tales from the people of Mayo and Galway. Mainly handed down by word of mouth, they tell of poor communities in a bleak and beautiful countryside where secret societies, man-hun

A remarkable collection of myths and tales from the northwest of Ireland. For centuries these stories have been handed down from parent to child, from teacher to student, to explain life's eternal mysteries. All have an Irish content but a universal theme. Although ancient stories, they are told here in a new voice that is certain to enthrall and captivate readers of all ages.

This second volume of Tales of the West Highlands contains thirty ursgeuln, or tales, fifty riddles plus a few extra stories. As always, these are tales and stories in which something 'Fairy' or magical occurs, something extraordinary --fairies, giants, dwarfs, princes, princesses, kings and queens, speaking animals and the remarkable stupidity of some of the characters. But these aren't just a collection of amusing and entertaining stories. Just 20 years after the Elementary Education Act of 1870 these are the tales that were still being used in those far- flung reaches of the Highlands to teach the young the lessons of life. Also included are Seanachas--those old Highland stories which in their telling resemble no others, whose origins are lost in the mists of the Highlands, if not the midst of time. So take some time out and travel back to a period before television and radio, a time when tales were passed on orally-- at the drying kilns, at the communal well or in homes, where families would gather around a crackling and spitting hearth and granddad or grandma or uncle or auntie would delight and captivate the gathering with stories passed on to them from their parents and grandparents from time immemorial. A proportion of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated towards the education of the underprivileged in Scotland.

Who knows the true nature of Knockma? What is God's new policy? What happened when the boy encountered a pooka? And what became of the soldier wounded in body and soul? This book contains the most thrilling of the West of Ireland's tales of immortals, fairies, fantastical creatures, witches, skeletons, spirits and headless bodies. These stories – specially chosen to be enjoyed by 7- to 11-year-old readers – burst with adventure and excitement, magic and mystery. As old as the mountains, forests and sea, these well-loved stories are retold in all their mythical glory by storyteller Rab Fulton.