YA FOLKLORE
YA FOLKLORE
Irish Hero Tales
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When we think of heroes we think of brave knights on horse-back, wearing armour and carrying spears and swords. They do battle with demons and dragons, evil knights and magicians. But there are other kinds of heroes: heroes we never hear about…
Michael Scott’s exciting tales capture all the magic and mystery of Irish stories and he brings Ireland’s dim and distant past to life in his fascinating collection of Irish fairy tails. |
Irish Fairy Tales
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‘He found he was staring directly at a leprechaun. The small man was sitting on a little mound of earth beneath the shade of a weeping willow free the young man could feel his heart beginning to pound. He had seen leprechauns a few times before but only from a distance. They were very hard to catch, but if you managed at all to get hold of one…’
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Irish Animal Tales
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Have you ever noticed how cats and dogs sometimes sit up and look at something that is not there? Have you ever seen a dog barking at nothing? And have you ever wondered why?
Perhaps it is because the animal can see the fairy folk coming and going all the time, while humans can only see the little People at certain times. The fairy folk often do favours for cats and dogs, and help them whenever they can. |
Magical Irish Folk Tales
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Magical Irish Folk Tales contains stories about magical cows, a sunken town, a master builder, the king of the leprechauns, and the sons of kings. It is a companion volume to the much-loved Irish Fairy Tales, Irish Hero Tales and Irish Animal Tales by Michael Scott.
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TALES FROM THE LAND OF ERIN
A Bright Enchantment
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‘Time flew by. In a flash the Sidhe had used their magic to build themselves a castle of marble. Then, as the clouds raced across the sky like a speeded- up film, their enemies swarmed in, demon folk looking like huge snakes, riding demon horses that looked like dragons. In seconds the battle had begun…’
The story of The Sunken Town is just one of the many legends from Ireland’s distant past that Michael Scott has brought vividly to life. Here are tales of fabulous creatures and fearsome warriors, of ancient gods and heroes of old, all woven together into a magical evocation of bygone times. |
A Golden Dream
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‘If you live in the country, you will be used to the sound of a cricket singing away to himself behind the fire. The heat attracts them, and it is considered lucky to have a cricket living in the house, because they are magical creatures and not really from this world. They live to a great age and know all the secrets of the animal world…’So begins The Cricket’s Tale, a story which, like the other nine gathered here, illustrates the rich and fascinating variety of Irish folklore. Some maybe familiar, others you may not have heard before, but all are concerned, in one way or another, with a rarely-seen side of Irish life: the magical creatures who live in the enchanted world of Ireland’s animal kingdom.
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A Silver Wish
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‘With a scream almost as terrifying as the monster’s, Ronan dashed from his hiding place. The Oillpeist roared and spat flame at him. Etan saw its massive yellowed teeth and its long black tongue in a raw red mouth. And then it slumped on to the stony beach at her feet…’What happens in Hero is not uncommon in Ireland, because Ireland is indeed a land of heroes. Some are famous, remembered in myth and legend; others have long vanished into the mists of time. Here are stories which chronicle the exploits of Ireland’s mightiest heroes:
Cuchulain and Finn MacCumhal; Cormac Mac Art the King of Kings; brave, noble St Patrick himself. Ages old their tales maybe, but they remain as fresh and exciting as if they happened yesterday… |
The Children of Lir
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‘I am going to work the most powerful magic that has been worked in this land since it was first made.’And the magic begins.
Lir, Lord of the Sea, has taken a second wife, Aife; Aife is consumed with jealousy of Lir’s four children and she is determined to be rid of them. The children cannot be killed, but using extraordinary supernatural powers Aife lays a terrible enchantment upon them — one that will last 900 years… In this retelling of the famous Irish legend, Michael Scott captures all the beauty and mystery of this superb story. This epic fantasy set in the time of shape-changers, sorcerers and flying serpents is the second of the De Danann tales and follows Windlord of which the critics wrote. |
The Last of The Fianna
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A mad gallop on a mysterious white horse takes Colum back through time and into the greatest adventure of his life. In a land of unicorns and dragons he meets the mighty Oisin of history. Could this place be the legendary Tir na nOg, Land of Eternal Youth?Oisin decides to return to Erin with Colum to visit Finn and the Fianna. It is a journey beset by terrible dangers, the evils of the Shadowlands and a resurrected demon.
And over it all hangs the awful knowledge of what faces Oisin back in his native land… Michael Scott is an award-winning and internationally published author of numerous books for both adults and children. Many of his books for young readers are based on pre-Celtic and Celtic legend, including Windlord and The Seven Treasures. |
The Quest of The Sons
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Found guilty of murdering evil Lord Cian, the three brave Sons of Tuireann must make amends. Lugh exacts a terrible revenge for his father’s death and demands that the brothers gather together the Seven Magical Treasures of Antiquity.Brian, Urchar and lurchar set out on their dangerous quest in the Navigator, a magical boat that travels as swiftly as the wind.
And, all the while, Lugh is watching them, determined to stop them succeeding. |
Saint Patrick
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Many have spoken of his legendary adventures, but few know the true tale of Saint Patrick…
Taken prisoner by pirates, Patrick sails to Ireland as a young boy and must fight to find his way back home, led by faith and the will to survive. Years later, he returns to the land that once held him captive–and this time, he’ll build a legacy that will last centuries. |
Judith and Spider
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Sleeping rough is not Judith Meredith’s style-but can it help Spider get out of a difficult situation? In her well to do world. Judith sometimes wonders whether she will ever see Spider O’Brien again. But she hadn’t reckoned on the travellers’ revenge
When Spider explodes into her life hotly pursued by Kathleen a traveller determined to punish Judith for steeling her boyfriend. Ordinary life is left far behind. Less than five miles from home. Judith finds herself in unfamiliar territory-in Spiders world. Hunted by Kathleen, her brothers. and the police, can Judith help clear Spider’s name? Can they escape the travellers’ frame-up And why does Spider wish he’d never met her? |
Judith and the Traveller
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Judith Meredith is on the run. Life has been tough since her mother died-but on the day her wealthy father remarries the answer seems simple. All she has to do is leave…
But she does not know Dublin. And when three toughs get nasty, Judith realises she lacks street wisdom. Luckily Spider turns up. Judith has never known anybody take him-a young traveller, living on the roadside and a good friend… Staying together isn’t easy-but the longer she spends with Spider, the more Judith likes him. And what of him? Being pursued by parents, police and travellers, the teenagers realise that their days together are numbered-but they are not going to give in without a fight… |
Good Enough For Judith
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Judith’s mind has drifted into that strange familiar trance of dance, Dancing is forgetting and there is so much to forget, her drug dealing boyfriend Conor Bailey, her false yuppie friends and the fact that she hasn’t heard from Spider for a very long time.To Spider’s surprise, Judith’s father, tracks him down in London to ask for has help. But on Spiders return he’s met by a very different Judith. And she’s being drawn ever deeper into a web of deceit
Can Spider outwit Conor and reach Judith? When Judith finally wakes up, will time have run out? |
The Story of Ireland
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Episodes from Irish history witness some of the most exciting and momentous events in Irish history, seen through the eyes of people who were there.
The past is brought to life in nine tales about the individuals who lived through history in the making: the coming of Christianity, the Viking invasion, the Great Famine and the 1916 uprising… A vivid, well researched and very readable history of Ireland. |
