Irish Folk and Fairy Tales - Softcover

In this wonderful collection of stories by some of Ireland's finest writers, including Carleton, Yeats and Lady Wilde, a legion of fairy folk - leprechauns, giants, witches and mermaids - help, hinder, charm and terrify their mortal neighbours. The fairy tales of Ireland are part of one of the richest folklore traditions in the world. These much-loved tales include the story of the farmer who offends the fairies by building on their dancing ground; the king who loses his wife in a chess game and the smith who learns his skill at working brass and iron during his seven-year apprenticeship to the giant Mahon MacMahon. The heroes and saints of the Celtic sagas are here as well, in beautifully written versions of the old bardic stories of Finn, Deirdre, Cuchulain and Brigid. Wielding the power to enthral and enchant, these ancient tales open the door to a strangely familiar world of mystery and magic.

Gordon Jarvie was born in Edinburgh in 1941 and currently lives in Fife. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, he has worked as a teacher, publisher and writer. His poetry has appeared in a wide range of journals and newspapers and he has also published information books for children and several successful guides to grammar and punctuation, including The Bloomsbury Grammar Guide (2007). His numerous anthologies, including Irish Folk and Fairy Tales,100 Favourite Scottish Poems to Read Out Loud and Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales from Burns to Buchan, are celebrations of folklore, magic and heroism.