Irish Folktales

Robust and funny, sorrowful and heroic, this collection of 125 lively tales tells the story of Ireland. Spanning the centuries from the first wars of the ancient Irish kings through the Celtic Renaissance of Yeats to our own time, they are set in cities, villages, fields and forestsfrom the wild Gaelic western coast to the modern streets of Dublin and Belfast.

"Delightful and informative, comfortable and full of wit and fancy. It reminds us why the Irish have been known as great storytellers for a millennium."

-- Roger D. Abrahams, editor of African Folktales

"This latest volume of an already distinguished series maintains and even exceeds the high standards of the previous ones. The tales reveal the deep humanity of the Irish people; the commentary and notes reveal the humanity of Glassie. Very highly recommended."

-- Library Journal

"A marvelous assortment selected from published (but often out-of-print) collections by the likes of pioneer collectors Lady Wilde, Robin Flower, and Jeremiah Curtin, and from unpublished manuscripts in private and state-owned archives."

-- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Vivid and surprising .... The Irish gift for prolixity and verbal magic glistens throughout Glassie's collection."

-- Chicago Magazine