Tales of the Elders of Ireland (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Ann Dooley (Translator), Harry Roe (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0192839187 | ISBN-13: 978-0192839183 | Edition: annotated edition

Tales of the Elders of Ireland is the first complete translation of the late Middle-Irish Acallam na Sen�rach, the largest literary text surviving from twelfth-century Ireland. It contains the earliest and most comprehensive collection of Fenian stories and poetry, intermingling the contemporary Christian world of Saint Patrick with his scribes; clerics; occasional angels and souls rescued from Hell; the earlier pagan world of the ancient, giant Fenians and Irish kings; and the parallel, timeless Otherworld (peopled by ever-young, shape-shifting fairies). This readable, lucid new translation is based on existing manuscript sources and is richly annotated, complete with an Introduction discussing the place of the Acallam in Irish tradition and the impact of the Fenian or Ossianic tradition on English and European literature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`" an eminently readable translation . . . . Dooley and Roe include an excellent introduction . . . . They also include a very helpful guide to the pronunciation of Irish names, . . . . This work will be of considerable value to those working in medieval Celtic studies, as well as in folklore and mythology or comparative literature"' James E. Doan, Irish Studies Review, Vol.8 No.3 2000

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; annotated edition edition (November 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192839187
• ISBN-13: 978-0192839183
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,689,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good reference, September 24, 2009

By 

A. Blaney "minimum wage faerie" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tales of the Elders of Ireland (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

This is a translation of 12th century Irish manuscripts, Acallam na Senorach. I purchased it while looking for Acallam Bec, a variant of the same story (although I am beginning to doubt it exists in English).

I recommend Tales of the Elders for scholars or serious celtophiles. I found the footnotes and references very helpful. It is a translation, not a dramatization, so if you are looking for entertainment this is probably not what you want.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent for research and enjoyment, January 31, 2009

By 

lilibet (N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales of the Elders of Ireland (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

great little book filled with wonderful stories, a must read for any one studying Celtic folklore or history.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important source of Fenian stories, May 31, 2011

By 

Christopher R. Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tales of the Elders of Ireland (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

This is a translation of important sources on the Fenians from the 12th Century. It adopts a format of dialog and story telling between the survivors of the Fenians and St. Patrick.

I found the translation a bit plodding but translating Middle Irish into Modern English is a very difficult task and therefore I have chosen not to deduct stars for that. I do not believe that it is possible to retain a lexically correct translation which also preserves the mood of the original due in part to syntactic differences between the languages.

At the same time, this is a great collection of stories which can be mined deeply for insights into Celtic social order, ideology, culture, etc. It's an incredibly important work and the translation is adequate for most purposes.

I'd highly recommend it.