Donegal Fairy Stories

By Seumas MacManus

Book Overview

That the Irish have a rare gift for storytelling is amply illustrated by the ten tales in this book. All favorite folk tales, they epitomize the special charm and enchantment of the Irish imagination -- and are certain to delight young readers today as they have for centuries.
Seumas MacManus heard these stories as a boy in Ireland, and in retelling them, captures the distinctive flavor and feeling of old Ireland. One can almost hear the voice of the old shanachie (teller of legends) as MacManus relates the story of Shamus, who must find the "plaisham," a thing that never was; of Jack, who is helped by the "wee folk" to find the princess with hair black as a crow, skin as white as snow, and lips red as blood; of the rich Donal and his poor brother Jack; of the adventures of Ciad, son of the King of Norway; of "The Bee, the Harp, the Mouse, and the Bum-Clock" (beetle), who together make everyone and everything dance with joy.
The author's reputation as an Irish writer is well known and Donegal Fairy Stories is generally considered his best work. Frank Verbeck, one of L. Frank Baum's favorite illustrators, has created 33 full-page drawings and dozens of decorations to enhance the magic of the tales. Parents, teachers, and anyone else who is asked to "read a story" will find them a delightful change from familiar fairy tales.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486219712
• ISBN13: 9780486219714
• Release Date: February 2012
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 8 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 9

Customer Reviews

Celtic, Colonial, English & Germanic folklore are awesome stories.

I am a generational Grateful Dead fan. The Celtic folklore story the Grateful Dead. It is where Robert Hunter, David Nelson and Jerry Garcia came up for the idea. In switching the name from The Warlocks to The Grateful Dead. David Nelson proposed the story. Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia debated flipping it to a band vote. After Robert told the story. It was a unanimous vote. The Grateful Dead story is in this book. Which is why I bought it. It is a non-Hindu way of talking about how we are all one consciousness.

Be a Kid Again!

This book brought back so many childhood memories! I loved how Mr. Greenleaf kept the old Irish charm with the modern revision. Great Job! My nieces and nephews couldn't get enough of the stories and kept asking me to read them again. I also really like the artwork of Mr. Quigley. I definately look forward to any future works of Mr. Greenleaf. A definate MUST HAVE!!!!

NOT TO BE MISSED!

Joseph greenleaf has updated this set of classical fairy stories without losing any of the flavor of the original. The illustrations are wonderful, the stories fun to hear or to read. My next suggestion to Mr. Greenleaf is that he produce a CD so that travelers can enjoy these wonderful tales while on the road.