From sinister spells to healing wells, this illustrated collection of 43 traditional Irish yarns brings forth the magic of a proud people and their lyrical landscapes. While you may know of the Blarney Stone or St. Patrick, you've probably never heard the saga of Lia Lfail, the ancient stone said to confirm a king's legitimacy by shrieking under the weight of his footsteps, or the legend of Dublin's haunted Hell Fire Club, where the devil himself was once believed to have paid a visit. Saturated with the colors of the Emerald Isle, the photos that grace these pages will transport you to a world of heroic deeds, violent deaths, and otherworldly adventures. Through these fanciful tales that have survived over the centuries, you'll glean fascinating facts on Irish genealogy, etymology and history. So suspend disbelief and step into a world steeped in storytelling and rich with lore.
A journalist and radio presenter in his native United States before moving to Ireland in 1980, Richard has been a tour guide and storyteller for the past 20 years. His Legendary Tours take people to the places in Ireland where the myths, legends and folk tales happened, and he tells the stories on location. He has imparted relevant accounts of magic, mystery, miracles and miscellaneous derring-do in Stone Age tombs, Bronze Age stone circles, Iron Age forts, and ruins of medieval churches.
Apart from the tours, Richard is a member of the Heritage in Schools and Writers in Schools programmes, through which he tells stories to children in schools and libraries in Ireland. He also travels frequently to the United States and Spain with his repertoire of Irish, Spanish, Basque and world stories.
Listeners to the Irish national radio station, RTE Radio One, will be familiar with Richard's voice on programmes such as Sunday Miscellany and various incarnations of Just A Thought. He was a presenter with stations WQRS-FM and WTIQ in Michigan in the 1950s and 60s.
During the 1970s in Key West, Florida, Richard established Pocket Poetry Press and Mazgeen Press and edited and published the magazine Pocket Poetry. He had worked as a coffee house poet in Detroit, Chicago and New York in 1958-59.
