The Irish Fairy Book

The Irish Fairy Book

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Sung by the people of faery over Diarmuid and Grania, who lay in their bridal sleep under a Cromlech.

We who are old, old and gay,
O so old!
Thousands of years, thousands of years,
If all were told:

Give to these children, new from the world,
Silence and love;
And the long dew-dropping hours of the night,
And the stars above:

Give to these children, new from the world,
Rest far from men.
Is anything better, anything better?
Tell us it then:

Us who are old, old and gay,
O so old!
Thousands of years, thousands of years,
If all were told.

W. B. Yeats.

THE COMING OF FINN	Standish James O’Grady	1
THE THREE CROWNS	Patrick Kennedy	12
THE GRATEFUL BEASTS	Patrick Kennedy	25
THE LEPRACAUN	William Allingham	31
DANIEL O’ROURKE	T. Crofton Croker	35
CUCHULAIN OF MUIRTHEMNE	Lady Gregory	45
THE BOYHOOD OF CUCHULAIN	Standish James O’Grady	52
THE LEGEND OF KNOCKGRAFTON	T. Crofton Croker	60
THE STOLEN CHILD	W. B. Yeats	67
THE LAND OF YOUTH	Bryan O’Looney	71
Edited by John O’Daly
THE ADVENTURES OF GILLA NA CHRECK	Patrick Kennedy	85
THE HILL-MAN AND THE HOUSE-WIFE	Mrs. Ewing	96
THE GIANT WALKER	Sir Samuel Ferguson	99
THE PURSUIT OF THE GILLA DACKER	Patrick W. Joyce	102
JAMIE FREEL AND THE YOUNG LADY	Letitia McClintock	123
A LEGEND OF KNOCKMANY	William Carleton	133
THE NINEPENNY FIDIL	Joseph Campbell	149
FESTIVITIES AT THE HOUSE OF CONAN	Nicholas O’Kearney	151
THE WHITE TROUT	Samuel Lover	160
THE WONDERFUL CAKE	Patrick Kennedy	164
THE LEGEND OF THE LITTLE WEAVER	Samuel Lover	167
MOR OF CLOYNE	Alfred Perceval Graves	180
LAWN DYARRIG	Jeremiah Curtin[1]	181
THE HORNED WOMEN	Lady Wilde	198
THE QUARE GANDER	Joseph Sheridan Le Fann	202
THE FAIRIES’ PASSAGE	James Clarence Mangan	214
THE KING OF THE BLACK DESERT	Douglas Hyde	218
THE PIPER AND THE PUCA	Douglas Hyde	236
THE FAIRY CHANGELING	Dora Sigerson	241
THE TALKING HEAD OF DONN-BO	Eleanor Hull	243
THE BRACKET BULL	Douglas Hyde	246
THE DEMON CAT	Lady Wilde	262
THE ABBOT OF INISFALEN	William Allingham	265
MORRAHA	W. Larminie	269
THE KILDARE POOKA	Patrick Kennedy	286
THE KING’S SON	Thomas Boyd	290
MURTOUGH AND THE WITCH-WOMAN	Eleanor Hull	293
THE RED PONY	W. Larminie	307
KING O’TOOLE AND ST. KEVIN	Samuel Lover	314
LAMENT OF THE LAST LEPRECHAUN	Nora Hopper	322
THE CORPSE WATCHERS	Patrick Kennedy	324
THE MAD PUDDING	William Carleton	329
THE VOYAGE OF MAELDUNE	Alfred Tennyson	346