PREFACE // xiii
INTRODUCTION
At the End of a Short Winter’s Day // 5
Connections // 10
Tradition // 11
Communication // 21
A Last Word // 26
THE TALES
THE OLD STORY
The Legend of Knockfierna // 35
Finn and His Men Bewitched // 37
The King of Ireland’s Son // 39
FAITH
SAINTS
1. The Baptism of Conor MacNessa // 51
2. Saint Patrick // 52
3. Saint Patrick on Inishmore // 52
4. Saint Patrick and Crom Dubh // 53
5. Saint Brigit // 58
6. Saint Columcille // 61
7. Columcille’s Coffin // 63
8. Saint Kevin // 64
9. Saint Finbar // 65
THE PRIEST AND HIS PEOPLE
10. James Murray and Saint Martin // 66
11. The Best Road to Heaven // 67
12. The Man from Kilmacoliver // 68
13. The Pious Man // 69
14. An Actual Saint // 70
15. Old Thorns and Old Priests // 71
16. Priests and Farming Men // 72
17. Saved by the Priest // 73
18. The Doom // 74
19. The Right Cure // 76
20. The Wolf’s Prophecy // 78
WIT
THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH
22. The Three Questions // 83
23. The Farmer’s Answers // 84
24. Half a Blanket // 85
25. The Shadow of the Glen // 86
26. A Hungry Hired Boy // 87
27. The First Mirror // 89
28. Robin’s Escape // 90
WITS AND POETS
29. Jonathan Swift, Dean of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral // 92
30. Daniel O’Connell // 93
31. Owen Roe O’Sullivan // 97
32. Robert Burns // 100
33. Terry the Grunter // 102
34. Thomas Moore and the Tramp // 102
TALL TALES
35. John Brodison and the Policeman // 103
36. A Big Potato // 104
37. The Fox and the Ranger // 106
38. The Horse’s Last Drunk // 109
39. Hare and Hound // 110
40. Sleepy Pendoodle // 110
41. A Medical Expert from Lisnaskea // 113
42. George Armstrong’s Return // 114
OUTWITTING THE DEVIL
43. The Lawyer and the Devil // 116
44. Coals on the Devil’s Hearth // 117
MYSTERY
DEATH AND TOKENS
45. No Man Goes Beyond His Day // 121
46. A Light Tokens the Death of Mr. Corrigan // 122
47. A Clock Token // 123
48. The Banshee Cries for the O’Briens // 123
49. The Banshee Cried for the Boyles // 124
50. Experience of the Banshee // 124
GHOSTS
51. Grandfather’s Ghost // 127
52. Terrible Ghosts // 127
53. The Soldier in the Haunted House // 131
54. Daniel Crowley and the Ghosts // 133
55. Ghosts Along the Arney // 137
56. The Grave of His Fathers // 141
AWAY
57. The Coffin // 142
58. The Capture of Bridget Purcell // 143
59. Taken // 145
60. How the Shoemaker Saved His Wife // 147
ENCOUNTERS WITH FAIRIES
61. The Mountain Elf // 148
62. Inishkeen’s on Fire // 149
63. The Blood of Adam // 150
64. We Had One of Them in the House for a While // 151
65. Fairy Property // 153
66. The Blacksmith of Bedlam and the Fairy Host // 155
FAIRY TRAITS AND TREASURE
67. Fairy Forths // 157
68. Gortdonaghy Forth // 158
69. The Fairies Ride from Gortdonaghy to Drumane // 160
70. Lanty’s New House // 161
71. Jack and the Cluricaune // 162
72. Bridget and the Lurikeen // 164
73. Fairy Tales // 166
74. The Fairy Shilling // 169
75. The Breaking of the Forth // 170
76. Dreams of Gold // 171
77. The Castle’s Treasure // 172
ENCHANTED IN NATURE
78. The Air Is Full of Them // 173
79. The Feet Water // 174
80. The Fairy Rabbit and the Blessed Earth of Tory // 176
81. The Cats’ Judgment // 177
82. Never Ask a Cat a Question // 178
83. Cats Are Queer Articles // 180
84. Tom Moore and the Seal Woman // 182
85. The Swine of the Gods // 184
ILLNESS AND WITCHCRAFT
86. A Pig on the Road from Gort // 185
87. The Crookened Back // 185
88. Maurice Griffin the Fairy Doctore // 188
89. Biddy Early // 191
90. The Black Art // 193
91. Magical Theft // 194
92. Paudyeen O’Kelly and the Weasel // 195
STRANGE SOUNDS AND VISIONS OF WAR
93. One Queer Experience // 201
94. Many a One Saw What We Saw // 202
HISTORY
ANCIENT DAYS
95. The Old Times in Ireland // 207
96. The Bath of the White Cows // 208
WAR
97. The Battle of the Ford of Biscuits // 210
98. Cromwell // 213
99. Cromwell’s Nin // 214
100. Patrick Sarsfield // 215
101. Sarsfield Surrenders and Rory Takes to the Hills // 215
RAPPAREES
102. Black Francis // 216
103. Shan Beragh // 218
104. Willie Brennan // 220
LATER DAYS
105. Wicklow in the Rising of 1798 // 222
106. The Famine // 231
107. Victory in the Time of Famine // 232
108. Ruined by Poetry // 233
FIRESIDE TALES
FENIAN TALES
109. The Birth of Finn MacCumhail // 237
110. The High King of Lochlann and the Fenians of Erin // 245
111. Usheen’s Return to Ireland // 256
MATURITY
112. Fair Brown, and Trembling // 257
113. The Corpse Watchers // 264
114. A Widow’s Son // 267
115. Jack and Bill // 270
116. The Mule // 277
117. The King of Ireland’s Son // 280
WITH AND FAITH
118. Huddon and Duddon and Donald O’Leary // 285
119. The Three Wishes // 292
120. Willy the Wisp // 311
121. The Buideach, the Tinker, and the Black Donkey // 313
122. The Man Who Had No Story // 319
BIBLIOGRAPHY // 325
NOTES // 335
PERMISSIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS // 352
