Irish Folk and Fairy Tales

Fairy folk, giants, leprechauns, and more. In this wonderful collection of stories by writers like William Carleton, William Butler Yeats, Thomas Crofton Croker, Douglas Hyde, and Lady Wilde, a legion of fairy folk—giants, leprechauns, witches, and mermaids—help, hinder, charm, and terrify their mortal neighbors. Much-loved tales include the story of the farmer who offends the fairies by building on their dancing ground, the king who loses his wife in a chess game, and the smith who learns his skill at working brass and iron during his apprenticeship to the giant Mahon MacMahon. The heroes and saints of the Celtic sagas are here as well, in beautifully written versions of the old bardic stories of Finn, Deirdre, Cuchulain, and Brigid. Still wielding the power to enthrall and enchant modern readers, these ancient tales open the door to a strangely familiar world of mystery and magic.