Limerick Folk Tales

Book excerpt: COUNTY Limerick is a place of kings and commoners. It is where Donn Fírinne, king of the Munster fairies, is said to have once roamed and where Sean na Scuab, a poor broom seller from the wrong side of the river, was chosen to be mayor of the city. It is a land filled with stories, poetry, music and drama.In these pages you can read about Sionainn, who was carried away by the flowing waters of the River Shannon; the bright and beautiful goddess Áine, the fairy queen, who knits the earth’s green mantle below Lough Gur; Finn MacCool and his band of warri ors, the Fianna; the wise woman Joan Grogan and her ingenious cures; foolish Tadhg who outwitted a gang of thieves; and the poet-magician, Gearóid Iarla, on his horse with silver shoes.In this unique collection, storyteller Ruth Marshall recounts tales of mystery, music and magic from across the rich tapestry of the folklore of County Limerick.