Galway Bay Folk Tales (Folk Tales: United Kingdom) by Fulton, Rab (2013) Paperback

by Rab Fulton

Excellent Book

Genres: Ireland, Irish Literature

Paperback

First published January 31, 2013

Reviews

[Sarah]

DNF @ like 45%. I can't keep trying to read this because I'm just not enjoying it much. I didn't like the storytelling at all and it's not what I thought I was going to get.

[Richard Sutton]

I've enjoyed reading Irish folk tales and descriptions of the old traditions since childhood. This small collection combines a very local focus with a broad view of storytelling from the most ancient traditions through to what might be called urban legends. Because of the skillful blending of the old and the new and the timeless, I came away with a more complete understanding of the nature of the storyteller's gift, and of the soul of Western Ireland. A bit of explanation for distinctly local idiom might be helpful, so add a star if you're from Ireland.

[Alys]

Sweet little book retelling Irish stories simply. Read this mostly as an introduction to Irish myths because i intend to read the Sagas but definitely enjoyed it in its own right. I especially liked how wide the variety of stories was.

[Harmeen Puarr]

I love culture and storytelling . This was fun to read after my first trip to Ireland and Galway . I can’t wait to be back

[Nicola McDonagh]

Galway Bay Folk Tales
By Rab Fulton


I thoroughly enjoyed reading Rab Fulton’s Irish folk tales. His lively and evocative narrative draws in the reader with magical stories from long ago. There are Yetis, Saints, Time lords, and tetchy giants who love to eat humans. Then there’s the formidable Queen Medb who slaughters any challengers to her reign only to be conquered by a lump of cheese. The more modern fables are wonderful moralistic yarns that tell of greed, passion, and the dangers of getting what you wish for.

I particularly enjoyed ‘Giant Love’. In this tale a male and female giant’s courtship antics get out of hand and their destructive shenanigans cause the forming of the Aran Islands. And the modern fable, ‘The Girl Who Went for the Messages’ is a marvellously gruesome story about a little girl who buys too many sweets, when she should have been shopping for supper things.

These stories, steeped in ancient myth and legend are re-told with a freshness and vitality through the author’s unique voice and storytelling style. His words fairly dance off the page with wit and humour. I could almost hear him speak when I was reading it, and I’ve never even met him.

At once scary and funny, Galway Bay Folk Tales is a truly memorable read.

[Autumn Christian]

Galway Bay Folk Tales is an excellent introduction to the mythology of Ireland, and shows its fantastic, exquisite beauty. The creatures in this book range from giants to mad queens. In 'Giant Love', a giant's romance becomes destructive and forms the Aran Islands. These tales would be best read at night, under a full moon. The stories have a natural, storyteller's flow, and often read more like a conversation than prose. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves mythology, fairy tales, and history. What we find in the fantastic can often be a mirror to the morality and social norms of the time.

[Sophia Tracy]

As promised, here is my review. Since being away from Galway I have missed it tremendously! This book brought back the memories and the wonder that I experienced living there for a few short months. I enjoyed the first part, but I was mesmerized by the second half. I would read it out loud to my friend, and it would be so intense that we just couldn't stop. The short stories were fun little roller coaster rides that I can go back to whenever I like! This book is in my top 3 souvenirs!

[Mary]

I enjoyed the first part of this book a lot, but I thought was going to be continued like that - old, familiar tales. I wasn't expecting the more modern ones. They were grand, but personally I'd have enjoyed even more of the ancient myths.

[Eoin Barry]

This is not a book about Galway folk tales.

This is a series of stories the author by their own admission just made up and are only loosely related to Galway folktales.

It is stuff like this that just makes the entire field of folklore studies harder for anyone sincerely interested in the topic to actually read about it.

Would be one star but at least the author actually admits they're just making stuff up.

[Noortje Schrauwen]

Very magical. It reminded me of Tolkien but more modern