Irish Folk and Fairy Tale Omnibus

The book is broken into three section each containing a series of stories that have some kind of common link. The first section deals mostly with the three great Irish storytelling laments. I have never heard of or read a better version of the Sons of Tureen. The rest of the first section deals with magical creation of some kind and often with the Fair Folk. The second section focuses on humans that stumble upon magic, and the third upon magical beings that aren't De Danann. The author includes stories of varying lengths and his words flow like poetry (as all good Irish stories should). It is not hard to imagine an old Bard standing in front of the fire and reciting to a packed and utterly awed audience as you read these stories. If you enjoy grand storytelling in the old tradition, this is the book you need.

I've been reading this book in bits and pieces for about six months, and I still love it! There's a lot of wonderful stories in here. The book is divided into three volumes, and there are about twelve or so stories per volume. The first couple of stories in each volume are always the longest, and are a bit hard to get through. Later stories are less dense, and shorter. I'd reccomend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the folklore of Ireland. It's hard to imagine many more stories than these, but I know there are more. Enjoy!

Over five hundred pages of Irish stories provide one with great enjoyment. A few anachronisms, like a cyclops forseeing the devastation of the New World, give some stories a distinctively modern flavor, which is not entirely a bad thing since it is the prerogative of every storyteller to add his or her own flavor. The deus ex machina manner of some heroes' baptisms into the Christian faith would confuse a newcomer, but bear actual roots in Irish history. As Catholicism grew to dominance, baptisms were tacked on to the ends of stories to provide spiritual aedification.An introduction to this work is sorely needed, since the reader cannot tell how many of the stories are folk stories retold, and how many bear the embellishment of the anthologizer. The historical context from which these stories arose requires further explanation, especially for the Irish diaspora.In short, not a masterly work, but closer to greatness than mediocrity.

This book is one of a few that I had the most fun readin

Micheal Scott has collected a volume of stories that cover the the early bloody begginings of Ireland to the present day (the seventies). The first stories involve various settlers to the young land. As time progresses the Tuthe de Dannan fade into legend and interact with characters in the stories. By the end an American construction company plans to level an ancient fairy fort. Needless to say all hell breaks loose and the book ends. Many of these stores make reference to previous ones. This volume is also a handy reference guide. These stories all flow together to make a fasinating history of Ireland according to myths. The way Micheal has rewritten these stories has made me unable to read other volumes of Irish tales. This book is definitly worth the search. I looked for seven years and just recently found it at Powells Books in Portland, Oregon. I hold this book to be a ruler to which all other stories are measured up to. This short review may be a little one sided but all I can say is that I have nev