Irish+Folktales


 * [[image:Irish.JPG]] || I chose to look at Ireland and its culture based on its faith, strength of character - even under superior oppression from conquering forces - and the ability to rejoice life regardless of immediate circumstances. The Irish culture is rich with oral storytelling tradition and a strong emphasis on family. The Irish culture also has a deep foundation based on faith and religion. The Irish culture still to this day clings to many superstitions and fears dating back to ancient times and reflected in their folklore. Many of the folktales here reflect the Celtic heritage of kings, magic, fairies, battles, giants, strong character traits, conflict/resolution, happily ever after. ||

This book highlights the legend of St. Patrick and the snakes. Snakes and reptiles are not native to Ireland but it is the one thing that everyone knows about Ireland's patron saint. The storyteller took the liberty to combine legends of St. Patrick with Scotland's Loch Ness monster to create an surprising climax. The author's research discovered the oldest account, //The Life and Acts of St. Patrick,// as an inspiration for this book. Patrick (pre-sainthood) drives all the snakes but one out of Ireland and that last one ends up as Scotland's Loch Ness monster. The illustrator based the illustrations on the tradition of his grandmother's storytelling of the popular legend. Ireland still celebrates St. Patrick's Day in remembrance of the legend of Saint Patrick who rid Ireland of the snakes. St. Patrick's Day is an important religious day in Ireland to celebrate the teachings of Christianity by St. Patrick. This book is based on the legend of St. Patrick which is a part of Ireland's vibrant cultural tradition. According to my research; interestingly enough, it was St. Patrick who urged the monks to write down the tales of Ireland's men and women. || A quintessential hero tale in a feminist twist. Beautiful and courageous Margaret meets a handsome prince, Simon, and joins a seafaring crew. After she is separated from the ship, she defeats a sea serpent and she is washed ashore to a witch's hut where a magic sword hangs. Simon discovers her and they prepare to leave when the old women imprisons them and demands that they kill a giant in return for their release. Simon fights and dies. Margaret fights the giant with the enchanted sword and wins. When the old woman regains the castle, a magic potion restores her youth and Simon's life. All live happily ever after. An author's note credits this rousing adventure to a Gaelic source published in 1893 and details from //The Land of Ireland//. This is a traditional Irish story about magic, battles, romance and familiar character types. The illustrations are done in vivid, fiery colors much flashier than those usually associated with traditional folklore. Hospitality, bonds of kinship and the fulfillment of social and ritual responsibilities were held sacred at the cost of one's own honor and possibly even one's life were a deep part of Gaelic society. Gaelic women had more rights than others of the time which are displayed in Margaret's character traits. || This new retelling of a favorite tale from ancient Irish folklore features Finn MacCoul, a lovable but cowardly giant whose clever wife, Oonagh, uses a wee bit of fairy magic and a great helping of brains to help her husband outsmart the nasty Scottish bully who's after him. Robert Byrd's meticulously researched illustrations show each element of the breathtaking landscapes and interiors-costumes and customs back authentically to the days of early Celtic life. Byrd's lengthy and thoughtful afterword gives sources and background information on this legendary Irish hero. Finn MacCoul is a mythical hero from the third-century A.D. In Celtic mythology, gods, men, and beasts move together across a mystifying landscape where magic plays a central role. A belief in faeries (spelling refers to the land where the people lived) and talking animals flourished in such stories. In Celtic societies, women were given equal status with their men. Some became leaders or fought in battle. Celtic people loved to wear lavish jewelry and dress which is depicted by the characters in this story. || This inspired Irish folktale clearly illustrates that taking the easy way out of a situation is sometimes more trouble than it's worth. Potato farmer Jamie O'Rourke, "the laziest man in all of Ireland," is unfortunately not the brightest of men either. The prospect of a harsh and foodless winter, due to meager crops, and the ceaseless nagging of his hardworking wife impel Jamie to the church to pray for help. As Irish luck would have it, Jamie happens upon and captures a leprechaun who cunningly offers magic potato seeds instead of the traditional pot of gold. The resulting colossal spud feeds the O'Rourkes and the other villagers far longer than anyone could have imagined. Jamie is rewarded in the end for being lazy. Thatched-roof cottages, stone hedges and sheep dot the green landscape, depicting rustic life on the Emerald Isle. The potato would appear to have been introduced into Ireland in the second half of the 16th century as a garden crop. It eventually was to be the main food crop of the tenant and working classes. Potatoes form the basis for many traditional Irish dishes. The leprechaun is a part of Irish mythology and folklore. The leprechaun evolved from the Celts arrival in Ireland approximately 700 B.C. This story inspired my retelling of "Eileen O'Rourke and the Great Potato Nightmare". || Originally published in Brendan Behan's //Island-An Irish Sketchbook// (Random, 1962; o.p.), the text was transcribed from a tape recording of Behan telling the story. Behan is a well known Irish writer of plays, poetry, short stories and newspaper columns. The King of Ireland wishes to know the source of the heavenly music that can be heard all around the country, so he sends his three sons off on the quest. When the brothers notice the music coming from a hole in the ground, Neart and Ceart lower Art down, hoping to get rid of him, Art travels through a tunnel and meets three old men, each the father of the one before, and finally comes upon a talking horse who leads him to a palace garden, where he discovers a captive princess playing a harp. Art must trick her captor, a giant, and keep himself from being devoured in the process. With the help of the magical stallion and his own quick wits and humor, he rescues the princess and returns to his father's castle, where he inherits half of the kingdom, and marries the princess. Up to the seventeenth century, harp musicians were patronized by the aristocracy in Ireland. This tradition died out in the eighteenth century with the collapse of Gaelic Ireland. In this story there is a talking horse which is from the Celtic storytelling era. The Celts divided the country into about 150 small communities called tuatha. A king, called a ri tuaithe, ruled over each tuath. Sometimes a number of these kings recognized one of their number as an overking and paid tribute to him. My research revealed that many folktales originated in the Celtic era. || A lively retelling of a popular Irish tale found in many anthologies, this story is based on a published collection, //In Chimney Corners// (Doubleday and McClure, 1899). Billy Beg's mother gives him a magical bull calf just before she dies. When his stepmother tries to rid herself of the bull and of Billy, the two escape. The bull gives the young man a magical napkin that provides food when unfolded, a stick that turns into a sword, and a belt that makes him invincible. After a series of adventures in which Billy slays giants with multiple heads and saves a damsel from a dragon, he loses a shoe. Like Cinderella, the princess declares that she will marry the man who fits it, and once reunited, the couple "live happy and well from that day to this." The author notes that this story is based on a great Irish shanachie, Seumas MacManus. In Ellen Greene's retelling of his version she wanted to retain the language that was characteristic of Irish folktales. In the book title, for example, "beg" or "beag" (Irish spelling) means small. It is interesting to have a Cinderella story line with a male protagonist. ||
 * [[image:The_Last_Snake_in_Ireland.JPG caption="The Last Snake in Ireland Book Cover"]] || **MacGill-Callahan, Sheila. //The Last Snake in Ireland A Story About St. Patrick//. Illus. by Will Hillenbrand. 1999. 29p. Holiday House. $15.95 (0-8234-1425-6)**
 * [[image:Brave_Margaret.JPG caption="Brave Margaret Book Cover"]] || **San Souci, Robert D. //Brave Margaret An Irish Adventure//. Illus. by Sally Wern Comport. 1999. 37p. Simon & Schuster. $17.00 (0-689-81072-5)**
 * [[image:Finn_MacCoul_and_his_Fearless_Wife.JPG caption="Finn MacCoul And His Fearless Wife Book Cover"]] || **Byrd, Robert. //Finn MacCoul And His Fearless Wife A Giant of a Tale from Ireland//. 1999. 37p. Dutton Children's Books. $16.99. (0-525-45971-5)**
 * [[image:Jamie_O'Rourke_and_the_Big_Potato.JPG caption="Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato Book Cover"]] || **Depaola, Tomie. //Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato An Irish Folktale//.1992. 32p. G.P. Putnam's Sons. $14.95 (0-399-22257-X)**
 * [[image:The_King_of_Ireland's_Son.JPG caption="The King of Ireland's Son Book Cover"]] || **Behan, Brendan. //The King of Ireland's Son//. Illus. by P.J. Lynch. 1996. 31p. Orchard Books. $16.95. (0-531-09549-5)**
 * [[image:Billy_Beg_and_his_Bull.JPG]] || **Greene, Ellen. //Billy Beg And His Bull An Irish Tale.// Illus. by Kimberly Bulcken Root. 1994. 32p. Holiday House. $15.95. (0-8234-1100-1)**

Book Review Sources: TWU Databases: Wilson Web - Book Review Digest Plus


 * Works Consulted**

Behan, Brandon, //Brandon Behan's Island: An Irish Sketch-book//. Random Books. 1962. 192p.

Bush, Elizabeth. "The last snake in Ireland (Book Review)." //Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books// 52.7 (1999): 246. //Article Citation.// Web. 24 June 2010.

DelNegro, Janice M. "Brave Margaret (Book Review)." //Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books// 52.9 (1999): 327. //Article Citation.// Web. 22 June 2010.

Dennis, Lisa. "Jamie O'Rourke and the big potato (Book Review)." //School Library Journal// 38 (19920: 104. //Article Citation.// Web. 29 June 2010.

Glassie, H.H., //Irish Folktales//. Patheon Bks., 1985. 353p.

Harrington, Janice. "Finn MacCoul and his fearless wife (Book Review)." //Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books// 52.7 (1999): 223 //Article Citation// Web. 26 June 2010.

Hearne, Betsy. "Billy Beg and his bull (Book Review)." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Book. 47 (1994): 25B. //Article Citation.// Web. 6 July 2010.

MacManus, Seumas, //In Chimney Corners Merry Tales of Irish Folk Lore.// Doubleday and McClure. 1899. 298p.

McCoy, Jody. "The last snake in Ireland (Book Review)."//School Library Journal// 45.3 (1999): 197. //Article Citatiion.// Web. 24 June 2010.

Morgan, Karen. "Finn MacCoul and his fearless wife (Book Review)." //Booklist.// 95.9-10 (1999): 880. //Article Citation.// Web. 26 June 2010.

Perkins, Linda. "The King of Ireland's son (Book Review)." //Booklist// 93 (1997): 1420. //Article Citation.// Web. 30 June 2010.

Phelan, Carolyn. "Jamie O'Rourke and the big potato (Book Review)." //Booklist// 88 (1992): 1108. //Article Citation.// Web. 29 June 2010.

Radtke, Karen, K. "Billy Beg and his bull (Book Review)." School Library Journal 40 (1994): 94. //Article Citation.// Web.1 July 2010.

Rockman, Connie C. "The King of Ireland's son (Book Review)." //School Library Journal// 43 (1997): 105. //Article Citation.// Web. 30 June 2010.

Wilson, Carol Ann. "Brave Margaret (Book Review)." //School Library Journal// 45.9 n(1999): 215. //Article Citation.// Web. 22 June 2010.