Ita Daly, the popular Irish novelist, collects myths and legends from his native land in this beautifully illustrated collection. Many of these stories were told to him as a child by his mother, who learned them from her mother. The oldest myths retold here belong to the Mythological Cycle; they were copied by monks in the 11th and 12th centuries from earlier manuscripts. This cycle features the Tuatha De Danann, a handsome race descended from a goddess and endowed with many godlike qualities. The second group of stories, the Ulster Cycle, deal with the ancient Ulster king Conchubhar Mac Nessa and his bravest warrior, Cuchulainn. The Fianna Cycle dates back to about 300 AD and recount the heroics of the warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his band of fighting men, the Fianna. This collection includes other stories as well, all enchantingly retold in clear prose that convincingly recaptures the beauty of language and times past.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. Irish novelist Daly retells 10 traditional tales with distinctive informality, combining a modern-sounding idiom (the king of the leprechauns frets, "'Everything is just too gigantic in this country--I can't cope with it at all'") and long, chatty sentences that convey feelings of humor, fright, and romance more effectively than grief or sorrow. Still, readers who haven't already met the Children of Lir or the Tuatha De Danaan, Cuchulainn, Oisin, and other heroes in such recent collections as Marie Heaney's Names upon the Harp (2000) or Neil Philip's Celtic Fairy Tales (1999) will get a good sense of the range and richness of the Irish folk tradition. Bee Willey's stylized, jewel-hued spot art and full-page scenes add a proper air of magic. Daly presents a source note at the beginning and a necessary (but incomplete) pronunciation guide at the end. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"A collection of myths and legends, enchantingly retold in clear prose that convincingly recaptures the beauty of language and times past."--Books for Growing Minds
"Readers will get a good sense of the range and richness of the Irish folk tradition. Bee Wiley's stylized, jewel-hued spot art and full-page scenes add a proper air of magic."--Booklist
"A collection of myths and legends, enchantingly retold in clear prose that convincingly recaptures the beauty of language and times past."--Books for Growing Minds
"Like other volumes in Oxford University Press' Myths and Legends series, this collection is aimed at young readers....Just as Gwyn Jones' excellent Welsh collection is a good introduction for young readers to the world of Welsh storytelling, so too is Daly's Irish volume as good an introduction to Irish lore." -- Territorial Tattler
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Irish Mythology for the Beginner.,
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This review is from: Irish Myths & Legends (Oxford Myths & Legends) (Hardcover)
This is a terrific book to familiarize children (or adults for that matter) with Irish myths and legends. Great retellings of fantastic tales! It may be a little wordy for young children - not enough pictures to keep them interested - but all in all a great book. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that it didn't blow me away - but it was very good.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
They were descendants of the goddess Danu and because of that they had many gifts of magic. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
King Nuada, Conchubhar Mac Nessa, Emhain Macha, Mac Morna, King Fergus, Balor of the Evil Eye, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, High King of Ireland, Lugh of the Long Arm, Mac Lir, Sea of Moyle New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
They were descendants of the goddess Danu and because of that they had many gifts of magic. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
King Nuada, Conchubhar Mac Nessa, Emhain Macha, Mac Morna, King Fergus, Balor of the Evil Eye, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, High King of Ireland, Lugh of the Long Arm, Mac Lir, Sea of Moyle New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 5
books:
1
book
cites this book:
- Myths and Legends (Artists' Workshop) by Penny King on page 25, page 27, and page 29
- Myths and Legends (Look & wonder) on page 30
- Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts by Patrick Kennedy in Front Matter
- Old Celtic Romances (Celtic, Irish) by P. W. Joyce in Front Matter
- Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts by Kennedy in Front Matter
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