Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by W.B. Yeats

Title:  Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
Author:   W.B. Yeats
Genre: Fiction
Length:  416 Pages
Weight:  1.8 lbs
Date of Completion:  June 1, 2013

Thoughts:

I've always had a thing for Ireland.  When I was much younger, I got obsessed with all the Celtic knot work-in jewelry, stitching, and even architecture.  The entire culture was ancient and fascinating.  This was all a part of a larger love I have for the UK.  Very specific to Ireland, though, was my desire to go live there.  I dreamed that I might go and work at a pub or local library in a small town.  I'd go and write in the old fashioned stone manor of under the trees outside of a castle.  This was also during a time when I went through a major writing phase; I was working on a story with the working title of "Irish Cinderella".  Obviously, it was a retelling of the classic fairy tale in Ireland, and I had put a lot of effort into researching the history and culture.

I've mentioned before how much I fairy tales in all forms.  These ones specific to the Irish culture have a special place in my heart.  Similar to those in the Mabinogion, they are stylized to the historical Irish-meaning that they bear no resemblance to anything Disney would produce.  Some of the stories are moralizing, others are more closely related to the ramblings of hysterics.  They are all distinctly Irish, starring ghosts, mermaids, leprechauns, fairies, and all kinds of fantastical creatures.  A particular favorite story was about Red Caps, an Irish sort of bog monster.  For those who don't catch the immediate reference, Red Caps are also found in the magical world of Harry Potter (most notably in book 3).  Gotta give J.K. huge props for her incredible insight into creature and legend accuracy.

Yeats, while best known for his poetry, studied legends and the occult which led to the majority of his literary work in Irish folklore.  His poetry is very different from, say, Tennyson, but in the context of his interests, fits very well with the lore.  There were only a few of his own tales in the collection of stories, most came from others he was in contact with.  He recorded local legends and newspaper clippings of stories, along with long-told classics.  It makes for an eclectic collection, but it is enchanting to read.  I desperately want to move to Dublin now!

This book did take me quite a while to read.  Besides it's length, many of the stories are written in Irish brogue.  As an American, it was fun to hear the accent in my head, but it occasionally made for slow reading.  I kept this book on my nightstand to read a short story or two before bed.  Although I started this book nearly a year ago, I am going to include it in this year's reading list.