Folktales of Ireland

by Sean O'Sullivan (editor)

Few countries can boast such a plentitude of traditional folktales as Ireland. In 1935, the creation of The Irish Folklore Commission set in motion the first organized efforts of collecting and studying a multitude of folktales, both written as well as those of the Irish oral tradition. The Commission has collected well over a million pages of manuscripts. Folktales of Ireland offers chief archivist Sean O'Sullivan's representation of this awe-inspiring collection. These tales represent the first English language collection of Gaelic folktales.

"Without doubt the finest group of Irish tales that has yet been published in English."— The Guardian

"O'Sullivan writes out of an intimacy with his subject and an instinctive grasp of the language of the originals. He tells us that his archives contain more than a million and a half pages of manuscript. If Mr. O'Sullivan translates them, I'll read them."—Seamus Heaney, New Statesman

"The stories have an authentic folktale flavor and will satisfy both the student of folklore and the general reader."— Booklist

Genres: Folklore, Mythology, Ireland, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Fiction, Irish Literature

366 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1966

Reviews

[Padraic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential for anyone interested in Ireland's 2000 year old unbroken chain of myths and tales. If you can just shut up for a moment, you will hear the dead speak, and sounding as lively as ever.

[Dakota Glaser · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Folktales of Ireland"

Rating: 2 stars

I really wanted to like this; I just tend not to be able to force myself to do that. I got this from my school library, and those books tend to be either a hit or miss. This one just happened to be a miss. I was reading about Scottish history, and I was like, "Hey, Ireland is a lot like Scotland,d, right?" No, it's not. But aside from the fact that I was going in blind, I don't think the stories were long enough for me to actually get into them. Which is, by all means, not the author's fault. I just feel as if the folktales were a little longer. I'd enjoy them more. I wouldn't recommend this, but if you're good with short stories, then I'd highly recommend you read this.

[Andrea Quigley Maynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dense book of folktales from Ireland gave me a clearer picture of the storytelling culture of Ireland which was why I was reading it. It took me several months to get through it - many of the stories are short, but it's the type of book where you leave on your nightstand and read a few pages each night! Stories cover many different genres, warriors, witchcraft, the other world, faeries and more. I really enjoyed the introduction to the stories which explains the intricate ways these stories were captured. A treasure for anyone interested in Irish history and culture.

[Glenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are very like Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but Irish. The introduction to my edition even says as much. The divisions into genre type were helpful. And I loved the way the stories sounded like someone telling a story aloud rather than writing it. It gives them an intimacy to hear the personality of a narrator come through. Even the introduction about how the tales came to be recorded was interesting for those who enjoy history/anthropology. Looking forward to making this a re-read as much as the book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales I grew up reading.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored the book - no surprise really considering that my favourite book series is based on Irish folklore. I sure hope to read more of it soon and own the book at well, since this time I got it from the library.

[Barbara Wellnitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seemed to me all the tales had the same theme so after about 50 pages, I gave up.

[Anna Bosman · Rating 3 out of 5]

These folktales are very human and, well, folky. They will never satisfy a modern reader in search of "Celtic mysticism". Fortunately, I'm not that reader, and I never were. These tales are to be enjoyed for the grey stones of Ireland, the green hills of Ireland and the blue sea of Ireland. There's so much sea I feel like sailing.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

55 short stories. This book makes a great bedtime storybook. Highly recommended.