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Irish Fairy Tales
The captivating Irish stories collected in this new edition include both comic tales such as 'Paddy O'Kelly and the Weasel', and tales of heroes from ancient literature such as 'How Cormac Mac Art went to Faery'. By turns funny, fantastical and mysterious, the stories are matched in liveliness by the original illustrations of John D. Batten. It would be hard to find a better introduction for children to the special magic of Celtic storytelling. The stories in this book are taken from Joseph Jacob's classic two-volume collection Celtic Fairy Tales (1891-2) and More Celtic Fairy Tales (1894)
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1892
25 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Jacobs
686 books53 followersJoseph Jacobs was an Australian folklorist, literary critic, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English Folklore. His work went on to popularize some of the worlds best known versions of English fairy tales including "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Goldilocks and the three bears", "The Three Little Pigs", "Jack the Giant Killer" and "The History of Tom Thumb". He published his English fairy tale collections: English Fairy Tales in 1890 and More English Fairytales in 1894 but also went on after and in between both books to publish fairy tales collected from continental Europe as well as Jewish, Celtic and Indian Fairytales which made him one of the most popular writers of fairytales for the English language. Jacobs was also an editor for journals and books on the subject of folklore which included editing the Fables of Bidpai and the Fables of Aesop, as well as articles on the migration of Jewish folklore. He also edited editions of "The Thousand and One Nights". He went on to join The Folklore Society in England and became an editor of the society journal Folklore. Joseph Jacobs also contributed to the Jewish Encyclopedia.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_J...
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_J...
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 30, 2012
There's a line in Buffy that goes "Now I know why you like this stuff. It's like reading The Sun." That is how I feel about this book. Irish Fairy Tales are hard to read. They jump all over the map and never stay in one place for more than a second. Honestly, they are better in the oral tradition, told usually by a drunken Irishman. However, since I do not have a drunken Irishman around to share these stories with me, reading will have to do.
There were quite a few fun little stories in here that made me laugh out loud with their absurdity. The story of Cinderella was probably my favorite simply because she randomly gets eaten by a whale. I feel that line also gives you a taste of what the book is filled with. However, if you are looking for the traditional Irish stories about banshee's, pooka's and leprechauns, you will not find it in this book. This is more of a Irish Grimm's Fairytale. Lots of murder. Lots of talking animals, and lots of things that you just have to go with. Overall, if you're into Irish literature, this is a good book to read, though I would not recommend it as a jumping off point to this culture.
There were quite a few fun little stories in here that made me laugh out loud with their absurdity. The story of Cinderella was probably my favorite simply because she randomly gets eaten by a whale. I feel that line also gives you a taste of what the book is filled with. However, if you are looking for the traditional Irish stories about banshee's, pooka's and leprechauns, you will not find it in this book. This is more of a Irish Grimm's Fairytale. Lots of murder. Lots of talking animals, and lots of things that you just have to go with. Overall, if you're into Irish literature, this is a good book to read, though I would not recommend it as a jumping off point to this culture.
December 27, 2019
If you have particular interest in Irish cultural history, you certainly could do worse than this collection. It's very literary.
But... I just can't anymore with the wicked feminine wiles, and the powerful-women-are-evil / pure-women-are-good. I just can't.
Kids internalize this, without knowing what they've internalized. They absorb messages like sponges and they BELIEVE, because they trust us.
This pattern infuriated me as a young girl, and made me wish I was a boy. I didn't want to be a woman someday... stories like these led me to feel that was the worst fate imaginable. I was in my thirties before I really came to terms with being a woman, all the benefits and difficulties thereof.
I have a boy of my own now -- elementary aged, learning what it means to be human, and how humans differ. This awful message, couched in such rich language that the reader is entranced ... I just can't. The women he will know in the future deserve better.
But... I just can't anymore with the wicked feminine wiles, and the powerful-women-are-evil / pure-women-are-good. I just can't.
Kids internalize this, without knowing what they've internalized. They absorb messages like sponges and they BELIEVE, because they trust us.
This pattern infuriated me as a young girl, and made me wish I was a boy. I didn't want to be a woman someday... stories like these led me to feel that was the worst fate imaginable. I was in my thirties before I really came to terms with being a woman, all the benefits and difficulties thereof.
I have a boy of my own now -- elementary aged, learning what it means to be human, and how humans differ. This awful message, couched in such rich language that the reader is entranced ... I just can't. The women he will know in the future deserve better.
July 30, 2016
Really enjoyed all of these short Irish Fairy Tales. Some I had heard inklings of and others never before. I love the humor of the Irish and so I got quite a few laughs out of these tales.
December 13, 2016
Nothing cracks me up and makes me wonder and makes me think like Irish Fairytales do.
July 3, 2014
Há alguns anos atrás assisti a um verdadeiro seanchaidhe a executar a sua arte: contar histórias. Foi um daqueles momentos mágicos que recordamos para sempre; senti-me completamente arrebatada para um mundo de fadas, heróis míticos, princesas, bruxas e reis austeros. Dei comigo de olhos esbugalhados, junto com os mais pequenos, a seguir atentamente cada frase, a acompanhar vigilantemente cada pantomima.
É daí que vem a minha vontade de ler este livro; da nossa teimosia em querer roubar bons pedacinhos ao passado e revivê-los de alguma forma.
Irish Fairy Tales é uma selecção de 27 pequenas histórias que nos servem de introdução a esta vertente do folclore irlandês. Pequeno, simples e muito ao estilo Grim - com os seus aspectos mórbidos e alguma violência - este livro enche-se de histórias cómicas, fantasiosas e misteriosas.
Adorei rever histórias que ouvi o seanchaidhe contar naquele dia, histórias que já vi serem desenvolvidas noutros livros ou ler histórias que não conhecia.
É daí que vem a minha vontade de ler este livro; da nossa teimosia em querer roubar bons pedacinhos ao passado e revivê-los de alguma forma.
Irish Fairy Tales é uma selecção de 27 pequenas histórias que nos servem de introdução a esta vertente do folclore irlandês. Pequeno, simples e muito ao estilo Grim - com os seus aspectos mórbidos e alguma violência - este livro enche-se de histórias cómicas, fantasiosas e misteriosas.
Adorei rever histórias que ouvi o seanchaidhe contar naquele dia, histórias que já vi serem desenvolvidas noutros livros ou ler histórias que não conhecia.
January 2, 2016
Divertente e creepy. La parte migliore è che nella maggior parte delle storie i protagonisti sono poco più che avanzi di galera senza nessuna morale, roba che al confronto le streghe cattive sono delle povere vittime indifese.
June 28, 2017
Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...
I enjoyed this collection of Irish tales, although to be honest I've read most on them on various other editions and versions. As this is a children's book, I think that some myths lost their charm here a bit, because the editor had to shrink them and to retell them cutting out some crucial details that might be unappropriate for a younger audience. The children of Lir or the Deidre's stories come to mind immediately on that aspect.
I found the language/writting style used on some stories better than on others too, but this is often the problem with this kind of books. When someone tries to narrate a collection of stories based on an other book of collected stories which is based on an other collection or various authors and sources who might have their own different sources and so on, the result is that writting style from story to story varies and the book miss on pace and sometimes feels disjointed.
That said, it was interesting to read this book and compare the versions of some stories to the versions I was aware of. Mythology and folklore can be quite complicated, featuring many different variations of the same story or whole circle of myths which make sheparating and narrating one specific myth difficult without analysing the background and linked stories. But this is the charm of it too.
Trying to see this book without comparing to other works and collections and assuming someone is not very familiar with Irish fairy tales, I think it's a good recommendation for adults who are interested on the subject.
As a children book, I think some stories might be easier than others due to subject, writting style and plot development, but of course this depends on the specific child too. Still a good introduction to Irish myths and legends.
3+/5
Ιρλανδικοί μύθοι και θρύλοι διασκευασμένοι για παιδιά. Ομολογώ ότι τις περισσότερες ιστορίες τις ήξερα και ότι το ύφος με το οποίο ήταν γραμμένες ορισμένες, ήταν κάπως ξερό.
Το πρόβλημα με τις συλλογές ιστοριών που βασίζονται σε συλλογές ιστοριών, που βασίζονται σε πολλούς συγγραφείς, λαογράφους, βιβλία, πηγές, που μπορεί να βασίζονται.... και πάει λέγοντας, είναι ότι κάποιες φορές ενώ η καθεμία ιστορία μπορεί να είναι έχει το ενδιαφέρον της, σαν σύνολο το τελικό αποτέλεσμα βγαίνει λιγάκι ασυνάρτητο, τουλάχιστον ως προς την συνέχεια και το ύφος του βιβλίου.
Επίσης αφού το βιβλίο απευθύνεται σε παιδικό κοινό, η αφήγηση έπρεπε να είναι συνοπτική και συχνά σημαντικά στοιχεία των μύθων έπρεπε να μείνουν απέξω. Άρα κάτι χάνεται για τον ενήλικο αναγνώστη.
Η Μυθολογία συχνά είναι πολύπλοκη, με πολλές παραλλαγές του ίδιου μύθου, μύθους που ανήκουν στον ίδιο κύκλο και αλληλοσυνδέονται κτλ . Άρα είναι δύσκολο είδος, ποιά εκδοχή να διηγηθείς, ποιά λεπτομέρεια να αφήσεις απ΄έξω, πως να εστιάσεις σε μια συγκεκριμένη ιστορία και να την κάνεις να βγάζει νόημα χωρίς να αφηγηθείς τις άλλες ιστορίες που αλληλοσυνδέονται... Αυτό είναι και το γοητευτικό της υπόθεσης βέβαια, όχι μόνο σήμερα αλλά ανά τους αιώνες.
Προσπαθώντας να κρίνω το βιβλίο χωρίς να το συγκρίνω με άλλα που έχω διαβάσει, νομίζω ότι είναι μια αξιοπρεπής επιλογή για όποιον ενδιαφέρεται στο αντικείμενο.
Κρίνοντάς το σαν ένα παιδικό βιβλίο, νομίζω ότι κάποιες ιστορίες είναι πιο εύκολες από άλλες για τα παιδιά, εξαιτίας του θέματος τους, του τρόπου διήγησης και του τρόπου που εξελίσσεται η πλοκή σε αυτές. Αυτό βέβαια εξαρτάται πολύ και από τον εκάστοτε μικρό αναγνώστη.
Γενικά, μία αξιοπρεπέστατη εισαγωγή στους Ιρλανδικούς Μύθους, θρύλους και παραμύθια.
3+/5
I enjoyed this collection of Irish tales, although to be honest I've read most on them on various other editions and versions. As this is a children's book, I think that some myths lost their charm here a bit, because the editor had to shrink them and to retell them cutting out some crucial details that might be unappropriate for a younger audience. The children of Lir or the Deidre's stories come to mind immediately on that aspect.
I found the language/writting style used on some stories better than on others too, but this is often the problem with this kind of books. When someone tries to narrate a collection of stories based on an other book of collected stories which is based on an other collection or various authors and sources who might have their own different sources and so on, the result is that writting style from story to story varies and the book miss on pace and sometimes feels disjointed.
That said, it was interesting to read this book and compare the versions of some stories to the versions I was aware of. Mythology and folklore can be quite complicated, featuring many different variations of the same story or whole circle of myths which make sheparating and narrating one specific myth difficult without analysing the background and linked stories. But this is the charm of it too.
Trying to see this book without comparing to other works and collections and assuming someone is not very familiar with Irish fairy tales, I think it's a good recommendation for adults who are interested on the subject.
As a children book, I think some stories might be easier than others due to subject, writting style and plot development, but of course this depends on the specific child too. Still a good introduction to Irish myths and legends.
3+/5
Ιρλανδικοί μύθοι και θρύλοι διασκευασμένοι για παιδιά. Ομολογώ ότι τις περισσότερες ιστορίες τις ήξερα και ότι το ύφος με το οποίο ήταν γραμμένες ορισμένες, ήταν κάπως ξερό.
Το πρόβλημα με τις συλλογές ιστοριών που βασίζονται σε συλλογές ιστοριών, που βασίζονται σε πολλούς συγγραφείς, λαογράφους, βιβλία, πηγές, που μπορεί να βασίζονται.... και πάει λέγοντας, είναι ότι κάποιες φορές ενώ η καθεμία ιστορία μπορεί να είναι έχει το ενδιαφέρον της, σαν σύνολο το τελικό αποτέλεσμα βγαίνει λιγάκι ασυνάρτητο, τουλάχιστον ως προς την συνέχεια και το ύφος του βιβλίου.
Επίσης αφού το βιβλίο απευθύνεται σε παιδικό κοινό, η αφήγηση έπρεπε να είναι συνοπτική και συχνά σημαντικά στοιχεία των μύθων έπρεπε να μείνουν απέξω. Άρα κάτι χάνεται για τον ενήλικο αναγνώστη.
Η Μυθολογία συχνά είναι πολύπλοκη, με πολλές παραλλαγές του ίδιου μύθου, μύθους που ανήκουν στον ίδιο κύκλο και αλληλοσυνδέονται κτλ . Άρα είναι δύσκολο είδος, ποιά εκδοχή να διηγηθείς, ποιά λεπτομέρεια να αφήσεις απ΄έξω, πως να εστιάσεις σε μια συγκεκριμένη ιστορία και να την κάνεις να βγάζει νόημα χωρίς να αφηγηθείς τις άλλες ιστορίες που αλληλοσυνδέονται... Αυτό είναι και το γοητευτικό της υπόθεσης βέβαια, όχι μόνο σήμερα αλλά ανά τους αιώνες.
Προσπαθώντας να κρίνω το βιβλίο χωρίς να το συγκρίνω με άλλα που έχω διαβάσει, νομίζω ότι είναι μια αξιοπρεπής επιλογή για όποιον ενδιαφέρεται στο αντικείμενο.
Κρίνοντάς το σαν ένα παιδικό βιβλίο, νομίζω ότι κάποιες ιστορίες είναι πιο εύκολες από άλλες για τα παιδιά, εξαιτίας του θέματος τους, του τρόπου διήγησης και του τρόπου που εξελίσσεται η πλοκή σε αυτές. Αυτό βέβαια εξαρτάται πολύ και από τον εκάστοτε μικρό αναγνώστη.
Γενικά, μία αξιοπρεπέστατη εισαγωγή στους Ιρλανδικούς Μύθους, θρύλους και παραμύθια.
3+/5
December 9, 2022
(Lida a tradución ao galego da editorial TrisTram de 1999)
É esta unha colección de 14 historias do folklore irlandés. As historias son breves, 16 páxinas a máis longa, e en xeral con adaptación cultural, de modo que non é preciso saber nada de Irlanda, salvo as súas rexións, para entender as historias.
Lingüisticamente, o libro, non sendo horríbel, deixa nalgúns sitios bastante que desexar (á parte de que naturalmente non está escrito na ortografía de 2001): desde obvias grallas ("Ña época", no comezo do último relato), a castelanismos ("leite" en feminino varias veces, colocación de pronomes...) e abuso de formas diferenciais (como "bardante" en vez de "salvo, excepto").
É isto o que me obriga a reducir unha estrela, pois cun pouco máis de coidado, podía ser este un libro de lecturas fáciles para nenos que ao mesmo tempo podería servir de escusa para introducir unha ampla variedade de temas nunha aula.
É esta unha colección de 14 historias do folklore irlandés. As historias son breves, 16 páxinas a máis longa, e en xeral con adaptación cultural, de modo que non é preciso saber nada de Irlanda, salvo as súas rexións, para entender as historias.
Lingüisticamente, o libro, non sendo horríbel, deixa nalgúns sitios bastante que desexar (á parte de que naturalmente non está escrito na ortografía de 2001): desde obvias grallas ("Ña época", no comezo do último relato), a castelanismos ("leite" en feminino varias veces, colocación de pronomes...) e abuso de formas diferenciais (como "bardante" en vez de "salvo, excepto").
É isto o que me obriga a reducir unha estrela, pois cun pouco máis de coidado, podía ser este un libro de lecturas fáciles para nenos que ao mesmo tempo podería servir de escusa para introducir unha ampla variedade de temas nunha aula.
June 1, 2023
Las historias es tan bien para conocer más del folklore irlandés, pero el nivel de inglés que necesitas para entenderlas debe ser alto ya que tiene palabras antiguas y algunas historias son rarísimas y no tienen mucho sentido. Algunas me han gustado bastante, otras me han dejado igual, pero al menos las he entendido y otras ni idea de qué pasaba. Hay muchas superstición, tratos y engaños y muertes, muchas muertes. Me han gustado, en general, más las historias con reyes que las de duendecillos o gente ordinaria, aunque hay de todo. Mis dos historias favoritas han sido las de Trembling y Smallhead: que evocan ambas a las cenicienta, pero con toques muy distintos. La de Trembling con una ballena estilo Pinocho y Smallhead convirtiéndose en bruja casi como maléfica.
En resumen, un libro muy curioso para conocer el folklore irlandés, aunque no siempre se entienda bien que pasa, donde predominan los temas de la venganza y el engaño.
En resumen, un libro muy curioso para conocer el folklore irlandés, aunque no siempre se entienda bien que pasa, donde predominan los temas de la venganza y el engaño.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2021
buku ini memuat lebih banyak kisah dongeng irlandia/celtic dibanding versi unabridged yang hanya berisi 6-8 cerita. 5 di antaranya sama persis dengan 2 buku sebelumnya yaitu irish fairy tales dan favorite celtic fairy tales seperti the story of deidre, children of Lir, morraha
ditulis dengan gaya bahasa inggris lama abad ke 18-19 yang membuat saya membaca lebih lama dibanding bahasa inggris modern tapi ceritanya bisa dipahami
sebagian cerita berakhir bahagia, lainnya lucu dan tragis. buku ini menambah wawasan dan pengetahuan tentang dongeng asal irlandia/celtic untuk pembaca yang menyukai genre ini
ditulis dengan gaya bahasa inggris lama abad ke 18-19 yang membuat saya membaca lebih lama dibanding bahasa inggris modern tapi ceritanya bisa dipahami
sebagian cerita berakhir bahagia, lainnya lucu dan tragis. buku ini menambah wawasan dan pengetahuan tentang dongeng asal irlandia/celtic untuk pembaca yang menyukai genre ini
November 6, 2024
Finishing this collection can only be explained as a result of my masochistic nature. The fairy tales are neither memorable nor engaging, and I forgot the plot of most almost immediately after reading them. As expected, many motifs repeated to the point that it became tedious to read the same themes over and over. The narration is often incoherent, and I found myself wandering off, easily distracted. Occasional footnotes with word explanations would have been helpful, given the frequent use of uncommon and archaic vocabulary.
May 16, 2021
I expected them all to have a moral at the end and that was not the case. Some of them just end without much point other than a fun story I suppose. I definitely found it interesting how many of the stories combine ideas of Catholicism with magic. It took me a little bit to get used to the author's writing style but I did still enjoy the book overall.
April 14, 2015
This was an interesting read. The stories were mostly creepy. In most of them there was death and resurrection! It was a bit difficult to read them as the language was old and the writing style different in each one. There were stories which were not interesting to me but others were really interesting and creative. There are many similar elements- sexism is of course rampant. Beauty is the only attribute that a female seeks, marriages happened after very little usually after a promise, the wife usually advises well, there are many animals and shape-shifting, children especially of giants grow up usually the same day they are born and other similar elements. A lot of countries were mentioned and a lot of Kings of the different counties as well.
Connla and the Fairy Maiden- not that memorable
Guleesh- Of course this deals with kidnapping and beauty
The Field of Boliauns- Interesting story. Most Irish stories deal with traveling from country to country. The story before it was France, not it is Denmark. A leprechaun is actually mentioned in the story.
The Horned Women-Very strange story. Of course, wicked people are always women! But I did not understand why they went to spin.
Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary- Very violent story on slyness and revenge.
The Story of Deirdre- Very disturbing story on beauty and ownership and love at first sight. The brothers tried to be sensible for nothing. I like how Erin is Ireland and Alba is Scotland in stories.Beauty like in many stories, is the only thing that makes females attractive to males, even if they happen to be very intelligent and females themselves seek beauty most of all. I also found disturbing how people were ordered for personal desires.
Munachar and Manachar- Very strange story in the style of quest after a quest to get something for the previous quest. Strange also, because some things don't make sense. Like animals wanting to be eaten.
Kind O'Toole and his Goose- Very sweet story.It has religious elements but it's about a king in his old age willing to give everything to have his goose friend back.
Jack and his Comrades- Another of my favourites. It was very funny and good that the band of misfit friends managed to help each other out. Why did the animals all have to be male though?
The Shee an Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire- Again a very violent story, at least in the beginning. You do not use violence against someone not happy!
The Storyteller at Fault- I found myself thinking 'wtf am I reading?'. There is a lot of shapeshifting which is another element in Irish Tales. There is a lot of violence and magically it is ok and the storyteller has a tale to tell then.
A Legend of Knockmany- It is about two giants (popular protagonists in Irish Tales) that had a dispute and how the wife of one was intelligent enough to get him out of trouble.
Fair, Brown and Trembling- The Irish Cinderella. It is about fighting to win a woman.
Jack and his Master- I do not understand why some bargains are made.
Andrew Coffey- Very strange story
The Lad with the Goatskin- Of course the princess wants to marry a stranger. And of course there is a widowed mother.
The fate of the Children of Lir- Very interesting. At least there is no love interest, only cursed children. Of course, Lir marries the sister of his deceased wife.
Jack the Cunning Thief - The thief turned into a good husband.
Paddy O'Kelly and the Weasel- It's always the animals that suffer.
The Vision of MacConlinney- Very strange story about a king that ate too much.
Dream of Owen O'Mulready- About a man that had a very strange dream.
Morracha- Interesting story. The wife is always advising. This is a story within a story of someone that was forced to repeat what his wife who is still with him, did to him. She transformed him into various animals; for what reason I do not know.
The Story of the McAndrew Family- About seven brothers probably with mental disabilities that were taken advantage of by their community. Only the wives of their two neighbors tried to take care of them. The little good that people tried to help was made useless by the other people that took advantage of them.
The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener- Apart from the creepy love story and marriages between prince and princess, it is a very interesting story of quest for a quest and traveling to Spain, Morocco and Greece. There is some racism when it came to the king of Morocco. There was the mistake of thinking that gold will make things better. The story reminded me of a childhood favourite- the story of the firebird.
Smallhead and the King's sons- Very interesting but too much 'love because of beauty' considering that smallhead was also very intelligent and powerful. Like in other stories (such as Morracha)there was the accidental-hit-by-a-magic-wand which turns people into things/animals and vice-versa.
The Legend of Knockgrafton- Very sweet story about a person that was disfigured but that for once was treated with the respect that he deserved. Presumptuous people also were punished.
How Cormac Mac Art went to Faery- A king that promises away his wife and children then regrets it.
Connla and the Fairy Maiden- not that memorable
Guleesh- Of course this deals with kidnapping and beauty
The Field of Boliauns- Interesting story. Most Irish stories deal with traveling from country to country. The story before it was France, not it is Denmark. A leprechaun is actually mentioned in the story.
The Horned Women-Very strange story. Of course, wicked people are always women! But I did not understand why they went to spin.
Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary- Very violent story on slyness and revenge.
The Story of Deirdre- Very disturbing story on beauty and ownership and love at first sight. The brothers tried to be sensible for nothing. I like how Erin is Ireland and Alba is Scotland in stories.Beauty like in many stories, is the only thing that makes females attractive to males, even if they happen to be very intelligent and females themselves seek beauty most of all. I also found disturbing how people were ordered for personal desires.
Munachar and Manachar- Very strange story in the style of quest after a quest to get something for the previous quest. Strange also, because some things don't make sense. Like animals wanting to be eaten.
Kind O'Toole and his Goose- Very sweet story.It has religious elements but it's about a king in his old age willing to give everything to have his goose friend back.
Jack and his Comrades- Another of my favourites. It was very funny and good that the band of misfit friends managed to help each other out. Why did the animals all have to be male though?
The Shee an Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire- Again a very violent story, at least in the beginning. You do not use violence against someone not happy!
The Storyteller at Fault- I found myself thinking 'wtf am I reading?'. There is a lot of shapeshifting which is another element in Irish Tales. There is a lot of violence and magically it is ok and the storyteller has a tale to tell then.
A Legend of Knockmany- It is about two giants (popular protagonists in Irish Tales) that had a dispute and how the wife of one was intelligent enough to get him out of trouble.
Fair, Brown and Trembling- The Irish Cinderella. It is about fighting to win a woman.
Jack and his Master- I do not understand why some bargains are made.
Andrew Coffey- Very strange story
The Lad with the Goatskin- Of course the princess wants to marry a stranger. And of course there is a widowed mother.
The fate of the Children of Lir- Very interesting. At least there is no love interest, only cursed children. Of course, Lir marries the sister of his deceased wife.
Jack the Cunning Thief - The thief turned into a good husband.
Paddy O'Kelly and the Weasel- It's always the animals that suffer.
The Vision of MacConlinney- Very strange story about a king that ate too much.
Dream of Owen O'Mulready- About a man that had a very strange dream.
Morracha- Interesting story. The wife is always advising. This is a story within a story of someone that was forced to repeat what his wife who is still with him, did to him. She transformed him into various animals; for what reason I do not know.
The Story of the McAndrew Family- About seven brothers probably with mental disabilities that were taken advantage of by their community. Only the wives of their two neighbors tried to take care of them. The little good that people tried to help was made useless by the other people that took advantage of them.
The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener- Apart from the creepy love story and marriages between prince and princess, it is a very interesting story of quest for a quest and traveling to Spain, Morocco and Greece. There is some racism when it came to the king of Morocco. There was the mistake of thinking that gold will make things better. The story reminded me of a childhood favourite- the story of the firebird.
Smallhead and the King's sons- Very interesting but too much 'love because of beauty' considering that smallhead was also very intelligent and powerful. Like in other stories (such as Morracha)there was the accidental-hit-by-a-magic-wand which turns people into things/animals and vice-versa.
The Legend of Knockgrafton- Very sweet story about a person that was disfigured but that for once was treated with the respect that he deserved. Presumptuous people also were punished.
How Cormac Mac Art went to Faery- A king that promises away his wife and children then regrets it.
April 23, 2020
Enjoyed every bit of the stories.
Very light-hearted and entertaining.
Very light-hearted and entertaining.
August 30, 2021
Very entertaining. I really enjoyed reading Irish fairy tales. Some of them, reminded me of the Portuguese tales.
March 18, 2023
A great collection of short tales, from funny stories to adventures.
May 8, 2024
3.5✩
Sempre bello leggere fiabe di altri popoli. Di queste irlandesi avevo anche un libro degli anni '70 o '80 in italiano. Belle, ma alcune diverse da quelle proposte in questa raccolta.
Sempre bello leggere fiabe di altri popoli. Di queste irlandesi avevo anche un libro degli anni '70 o '80 in italiano. Belle, ma alcune diverse da quelle proposte in questa raccolta.
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September 3, 2024Dnf
September 2, 2023
I can’t believe it, there are actually Irish fairytales that have happy endings! Why aren’t they included in the illustrated books for kids?! This is awesome, I can’t wait to read them to my kids!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2016
Some of these tales I found extremely enjoyable and others I didn't. There are great ideas in these stories, but with quite a few I just did not unterstand the moral or the sense of the story. That might be due to my own understanding or the age of the stories, but I enjoyed it never the less. I just happened to enjoy some tales more than others.
August 3, 2011
Fun collection of short stories, all set in Ireland. Only of two of them bore a resemblance to other fairytales (The one with the donkey, dog, cat and cock and the lady who runs off with 3 brothers), but both ended differently.
October 5, 2015
An uneven bunch of stories, but I read it more for perspective on Irish mythology than for pure entertainment. I love the Irish version of Cinderella, with the swordfight and killer whale.
March 21, 2012
These Fairy tales were a lot more gruesome than the ones I read as a child!
I had fun reading them.
I had fun reading them.
August 21, 2014
Lekker gewelddadig itt de fairy tales van disney.
April 11, 2013
Actually, i like Irish folklore, so i like this book.
September 17, 2013
boring
January 19, 2016
There were a fair few stories I did not love in the least, but enough stories I loved SO MUCH that I felt justified in giving the books five stars overall. Loved it!
July 8, 2022
Amazing! I still telling these stories to my friends.
The best is the story about the woman and her pig.
The best is the story about the woman and her pig.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews