Legendary Ireland: Myths and Legends of Ireland

by Eithne Massey

"Legendary Ireland" is a vivid and original journey through the Celtic places and myths of ancient Ireland, an island of gods and warriors, their stories intrinsically linked with the countryside. Woven into the Irish landscape are tales of love and betrayal, greed and courage, passion and revenge. It features the famous personalities of Celtic lore, such as Cu Chulainn and Queen Maeve, Diarmuid and Gr-inne, the Children of Lir, Oisin and Fionn. The book also reveals some of the less well known, but equally captivating, stories such as the Hag of Beara and Li Ban the Mermaid of Lough Neagh. Eithne Massey explores the history, archaeology, and folklore of twenty-eight sites including Tara, Newgrange, the Giant's Causeway, the Beara Peninsula, Rathcroghan, Howth Head and the Grianan of Aileach. Haunting atmospheric photographs and elegant engravings celebrate the marriage of Irish myth and landscape and will enfold you in the Irish terrain and its ancient past.
"Legendary Ireland" introduces the reader to ancient stories covering the whole of the island of Ireland--more than a guide to the mythological sites and more than a collection of stories--giving practical information on dozens of sites linked to the great legends and an imaginative retelling of the story associated with each one.
Co-published with O'Brien Press, Dublin.
The Wisconsin edition is for sale only in the U.S.A., Canada, and the Philippines.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Irish Literature, History, Historical

Paperback

First published February 23, 2009

About the author

Eithne Massey is a graduate of University College Dublin and NUI Maynooth, and a short-story writer. She has worked with the Arts Council and as a librarian. Her interest in mythology has been a lifelong one. Although she lives in Dublin, she is often found traveling to old and secret places around the country.

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual myths and legends were really interesting but they were out of order with references in earlier stories to later stories. Also the descriptions of the landscape were not necessary in my opinion. I would have appreciated a pronunciation guide for the many names of people and places.

[Bones Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Незрівнянний екскурс місцями та подіями древньої Ірляндії у компанії Героїв та Богів.

The peerless excursion through the places of ancient Ireland with Heroes and Gods.

[Lien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really gave me an insight in the myths and legends of Ireland. I really like how the myths and legends are told based on archaeological sites and that the author really visited all the sites mentioned.

[Alycia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book. I wish there had been a pronunciation guide for all the names because they were kinda crazy and I wanted to be able to say them. Most of the stories were sad, but that's mythology for you. I also liked how the author incorporated photos and descriptions of the areas the myths were centered around.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to have if you are visiting Ireland, and would like to see all the amazing sites there but don't really know much of the mythologies associated with them, and don't really want an in-depth look at these stories just enough to know their significance...

[Richard Pulfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty interesting look at the myths and legends of Ireland.

I picked it up at a gift shop while on a trip to Ireland.

Reading this book certainly helped me understand the culture and the people of Ireland better.

And as someone with a passing interest in Ireland, I have to say I really liked the interwoven mythology of the Irish.

The book itself features a lot of beautiful photos and illustrations of the Irish landscapes to further set the atmosphere of the Emerald Isles.

There were a few sections where the narrator abruptly switches to first person, but otherwise, I found the book to be pretty good. Definitely recommended for fans of mythology or Ireland.

[Dom Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

While traveling Ireland I had the sudden urge to read all about the myths and legends of the country and found this book at a tourist shop. It gave me everything I needed! I just wished she told the stories in chronological order (Some stories had footnotes that said: "If you want to know why he did this, read Story B" but Story B came before Story A).

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful way to explore Ireland. The myths were well written, well voiced, and well chosen. Their introductions could be a little hard to follow, with references to names and myths not covered in the book. If I owned this book I would use it as an trip planner, reading the myths as I drove to the referenced locations.

[A.J Ito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a journey through a land I have never seen, but there are images in it so it is not fantasy, otherwise I could not believe there are such magical places.

Another thing is that I loved every single story and having in mind the land where they took place. Is kind of a puzzle since they are not in chronological order, I think, but that makes it mysterious and cool.

[Julie Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What made this book great is that 1. I went to Ireland so the stories felt more relatable, 2. They’re short and well written 3. They make me wanna go back to spots I didn’t get to visit the first few times

[Paddy Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Will definitely read again and endevour to visit all of the places mentioned

[John Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a Christmas gift one year because I had grown interested in the stories of Ireland, mostly out of love for Oscar Wilde, knowing that his father had collected Irish stories. This book seemed promising in that regard. Unfortunately I finished disappointed.

Massey's book generally reads like a very interesting travel guide. If you ever plan on visiting Ireland or are already familiar with the country, then this is a great little book. A description of a place precedes each short story from where the story supposedly took place. Massey also provides little tips for where, how, and when to visit each place for maximum enjoyment. In that way, the book is quite good. You can connect the myths and legends with specific places and learn why the stories are situated in those places. Likewise you also learn why the place has taken on a certain character through the centuries.

If you just want the stories of Ireland, however, this book comes up a bit short I think. Massey does a good job of choosing stories from different eras with unique themes, but all the stories are very short, leave you wanting more, and almost all the stories are only small bits of larger epics. From the stories you can learn some of Ireland's history, or at least its cultural history, particularly how the people of Ireland reacted to newcomers to the island, Christians especially, again proving Massey's skill in choosing the stories and in describing the places, but still I wish that the book contained more story. At times Massey's description of the place is longer than the story for that place. Why not include multiple stories for each place? Why not include more of each story chosen if it comes from a longer one? Even if you are more interested in learning the cultural history of Ireland than the stories of Ireland, you will wind up disappointed. There simply isn't much here. Indeed, unless you pick up this book wanting to grow familiar with the places of Ireland you will be disappointed.

The book includes a lot of pictures, as well, encouraging the glossy paper used. Glossy paper may make you feel like you are reading a child's book. Some of the pictures are pretty cool, though. I question the constant choice of engravings, but I suppose Massey wanted older pictures of the land and engravings answered the call. Other pictures are artistic photographs, perhaps taken by Massey. Those are cool and add a mysterious quality to the places under question but, if you just want to see the things he's taking pictures of, you might ask, "why in the world is he doing this artistic thing?"

[Olena LeMava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Скоріше 3.5, аніж 4.
Якщо ви хочете глибоко вивчити історію та культуру Ірландії, то книга не для вас. Це більше схоже на путівник з описами місцевостей. Точно підійде, хто плануватиме подорож країною.
Це путівник ще й тому, що історії записані не за часовими проміжками, а за георгафічним місцевостями. Це не дає скласти історичну картинку послідовності розвитку міфології. Хоча в кінці книги є таблиця з хронологією віків і циклів міфології.
Мати книгу як непоганий збірник міфів Ірланії з чудовим українським перекладом - супер.
Брати з неї глибоке вивчення - ні.

[Alejandro Galicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro cuenta las leyendas más emblemáticas de Irlanda; mientras divide el país por regiones primero hace una descripción de la zona a la que va a referir para posteriormente contar la historia. Leyendas de héroes y guerreros, de brujas y hechiceros, de dioses, de hadas, todo esto con fotos y dibujos que nos adentraran en este hermoso país. Un excelente libro, cuando lo compre me llamó la atención por el título pero leyendolo me doy cuenta que es una excelente guía para quien quisiera ir a Irlanda a conocer la zona rural con contexto histórico. Incluso tiene rutas y consejos de como llegar a los lugares desde sitios conocidos. Excelente!