

E-text prepared by David Edwards and the Project Gutenberg Online
Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images
generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org)



Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file
      which includes the original illustrations and illuminations.
      See 32202-h.htm or 32202-h.zip:
      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32202/32202-h/32202-h.htm)
      or
      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32202/32202-h.zip)


      Images of the original pages are available through
      Internet Archive. See
      http://www.archive.org/details/irishfairybook00gravrich





THE IRISH FAIRY BOOK


by

ALFRED PERCEVAL GRAVES

Illustrated by George Denham







London T FisherUnwin

All rights reserved.




A Faery Song

     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.




Contents


  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