A Field Guide to Irish Fairies (Hardcover)

~ Bob Curran (Author), Andrew Whitson (Illustrator) "The grogoch is well-known throughout north Antrim, Rathlin Island and parts of Donegal..." (more)
Key Phrases: Grey Man, Crom Dubh

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What is your best defense against a phosphorescent land sheerie? Can you really find contentment with a wealthy merrow wife? The answers are disclosed at last in A Field Guide to Irish Fairies, the first and only such guide available. Expertly researched and compiled by an authority on the subject, with detailed illustrations to help wayfarers identify the 13 major varieties of these elusive fairy folk of the Emerald Isle, this pocket-size volume is indispensible both in the field and back in the (relative) safety of hearth and home. With information on habitat, history, and fairy customs at their fingertips, readers will be well prepared for encounters with saucy leprechauns, kindly grogochs, and even headless dullahans. A word to the wise: Take it along, or take your chances!

About the Author

Bob Curran lives in Ireland and is an expert on Irish fairies. He is schooled in the risks and rewards of rambles in the countryside.

Andrew Whitson is Ireland's foremost illustrator of supernatural beings.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811822761
• ISBN-13: 978-0811822763
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #781,171 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Fabulous, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This little book gets right to the meat of Irish folklore and the various sorts of fey. Includes the mythological variance between tales from differing counties and tries to reconcile the countless spelling/name variations and the differing significance attached to various elementals. The accounts and tales are both fanciful and straightforward and carry none of that phony, fadish, fluffy bunny fru fru that poisons serious examination and/or gentle celebration of our Good Neighbours.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celtic Faires at their best, November 7, 2005

By	Doctor Saturday (Belfast) - See all my reviews

This is a beautiful little book. It has the great authority on celtic mythology Bob Curran sharing his knowledge of Fairy lore from Ireland. Not in a whimsical as is usual manner with faires but in a knowledgeable yet informative manner. There are also the excellent illustrations by Andrew Whitson. On a personal note upon reading this book mention was made of a great Uncle of mine Frank Craig. My mother filled us with stories about Frank as we grew up. Besides being one of the last native Irish speakers on Rathlin Island he had a great head filled with folklore, some of it he told to scare my mother and her siblings witless when they were small children. He would also tell them that there were no fairies now. He had heard them leave long ago and travel west to beyond the sunset. Sadly he died in 1973 but it was so good to read something about his stories in this book.So on a personal and on a general level I highly recommend this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Irish Fairies, March 16, 2006

By	Margaret R. Hinsman "Peggy" (Eugene, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book introduces several types of Irish fairies: what they look like, their character, where they are located and how to avoid or deal with them should you encounter them. I have enjoyed reading it and have learned a lot, and so have my two sons (ages 6 and 12) and their friends. We used this book as a reference for a craft at the Eugene Irish Festival where people learned about fairies and those who participated loved it.

Highly recommended to anyone at the beginning level of learning about Irish Fairies. Great artwork, too.