Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend & Folklore [Hardcover]

In the first section of this book (Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry), Yeats gathered a large number of stories (about 65) on a variety of supernatural subjects. I found some a little perplexing, but most were enjoyable. The second part of this book is Lady Gregory's Cuchulain of Muirthemne. Being unfamiliar with the legend of Cuchulain, I am unable to compare this version with any others. However, I found it to be an interesting tale of an epic hero, although I had difficulty keeping track of the names of all of the characters and locations.

Having only read American variants of Irish folklore, I was caught off guard by the style and structure of the stories. Readers should not expect them to follow the Brothers Grimm, "Once upon a time...happily ever after"-type construction. However, if you're familiar with Irish myths or you're up for trying something new, this collection is thoroughly entertaining.

I love reading stories of various cultures' folktales, myths, and legends, and came across this title recently. What a magical reading experience! This is indeed a treasury of Irish myth, legend, and folklore, compiled in two parts,i.e. fairy and folk tales of the Irish peasantry, and Cuchulain of Muirthemne: The Story of the Men of the Red Branch of Ulster, by Lady Gregory.

William Butler Yeats edited the first part, which consists of the most renowned tales of the magical creatures of Ireland. These tales were painstakingly compiled from other expert writers and based upon Yeats' own research, and the collection is further enhanced by Yeats' own prose. The content of the first part (edited by Yeats) is categorized under:

The Trooping Fairies
-The Fairies
-Frank Martin and the Fairies
-The Priest's Supper
-The Fairy Well of Lagnanay
-Teig O'Kane and the Corpse
-Paddy Corcoran's Wife
-Cusheen Loo
-The White Trout; A Legend of Cong
-The Fairy Thorn
-The Legend of Knockgrafton
-A Donegal Fairy

Changelings
-The Brewery of Egg-shells
-The Fairy Nurse
-Jamie Freel and the Young Lady
-The Stolen Child

The Merrow
-The Soul Cages
-Flory Cantillon's Funeral

The Solitary Fairies
-The Lepracaun; or, Fairy Shoemaker
-Master and Man
-Far Darrig in Donegal
-The Piper and the Puca
-Daniel O'Rourke
-The Kildare Pooka
-How Thomas Connolly met the Banshee
-A Lamentation for the Death of Sir Maurice Fitzgerald
-The Banshee of the MacCarthys

Ghosts
-A Dream
-Grace Connor
-A Legend of Tyrone
-The Black Lamb
-The Radiant Boy
-The Fate of Frank M'Kenna

Witches, Fairy Doctors
-Bewitched Butter (Donegal)
-A Queen's County Witch
-The Witch Hare
-Bewitched Butter ( Queen's County)
-The Horned Women
-The Witches' Excursion
-The Confessions of Tom Bourke
-The Pudding Bewitched

Tyeer-Na-N-Oge
-The Legend of O'Donoghue
-Rent-Day
-Loughleagh (Lake of Healing)
-Hy-Brasail, - The Isle of the Blest
-The Phantom Isle

Saints, Priests
-The Priest's Soul
-The Priest of Coloony
-The Story of the Little Bird
-Conversion of King Laoghaire's Daughters
-King O-Toole and his Goose

The Devil
-The Demon Cat
-The Long Spoon
-The Countess Kathleen O'Shea
-The Three Wishes

Giants
-The Giant's Stairs
-A Legend of Knockmany

Kings, Queens, Princesses, Earls, Robbers
-The Twelve Wild Geese
-The Lazy Beauty and Her Aunts
-The Haughty Princess
-The Enchantment of Gearoidh Iarla
-Munachar and Manachar
-Donald and His Neighbors
-The Jackdaw
-The Story of Conn-eda

This is followed by Yeats' notes on the various categories

The second part is Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory's "Cuchulain of Muirthemne", and the content consists of:
Birth of Cuchulain
Boy Deeds of Cuchulain
The Courting of Emer
Bricriu's Feast,And The War of Words of The Women of Ulster
The Championship of Ulster
The High King of Ireland
Fate of the Sons of Usnach
The Dream of Angus Og
Cruachan
The Wedding of Maine Morgor
The War for the Bull of Cuailgne
The Awakening of Ulster
The Two Bulls
The Only Jealousy of Emer
Advice to a Prince
The Sons of Doel Dermait
Battle of Rosnaree
The Only Son of Aoife
The Great Gathering of Muirthemne
Death of Cuchulain

This is followed by Yeats' notes on "The Conversation of Cuchulain and Emer", and notes on the text in general.

This is an excellent, moderately priced resource on Irish myth, legend, and folklore, sure to delight any fan of folktales!

This collection is in two parts. The first part is a collection of Irish folktales concerning fairy folk, witchcraft, ghosts, devils, saints, and so forth. It is an important collection for any amateur folklorist. Many of the tales are well told and are sources for other collections (including Kevin Crossley Holland's "Folktales of the British Isles") but unlike most anthologies with a wider focus, this contains a very large amount of specifically Irish material.

The second component is that of Lady Gregory's retelling of the Ulster Cycle. This too is quite well done, though there have been many translations since (and I personally am fond of the Kinsella translation).

I would highly recommend this book.

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