Taken mostly from the An Rúraíocht (Red Branch/Ulster) and An Fiannaíocht (Fenian) cycles of Irish mythology, the six stories contained in Yvonne Carroll's Irish Legends for Children are some of the better known tales from this tradition, and, together with the colorful illustrations of Lucy Su, make an admirable introduction to the subject, for very young children. Here we have:

Children of Lir, the lone selection from na Scéalta Miotaseolaíochta (the Mythological Cycle), which follows the story of the four children of King Lir, transformed into swans for nine hundred years by their jealous step-mother, Aoife.

Deirdre of the Sorrows, a tale from An Rúraíocht, in which the beautiful Deirdre, daughter of Fedlimid mac Daill (Feidhlim in this story), is raised in isolation after a prophecy foretells that she will bring death and disaster to the men of Ulster. Promised in marriage to King Connor, Dierdre's love for the warrior Naoise, and their defiance, in running away together, precipitates a series of events that fulfill the prophecy.

As always, with this tale, I find myself wondering two things. First, Dierdre's guardian, in her isolation, is named Leabharcham, which contains the Irish word for book (leabhar): what significance, if any, does this have? Second, what the devil do Irish storytellers mean, when they say things like "So Deirdre did bring sorrow and trouble to Ulster as the druids had foretold"? No! The idea that someone else should choose Dierdre's husband for her, caused all the trouble. If she'd been free to choose for herself, and no one felt they had the right to intervene, then the whole darn thing would have been moot. Ah well... spilled milk, as the say.

Setanta, another tale from An Rúraíocht, which tells the tale of the youthful son of the King of Dundalk, how he came to the castle of King Connor at Armagh, how he proved himself, and how he gained the name Cú Chulainn ("the hound of Culainn"), becoming one of the greatest heroes of Irish mythology.

The Salmon of Knowledge, from An Fiannaíocht, which tells of the boyhood of Fionn mac Cumhaill - his training by two women (Bodhmall and Liath Luachra, unnamed in this telling), after the slaying of his father, his time with Finnéigeas the poet, and his consumption of the Salmon of Knowledge. Young readers are sure to get a kick (as I always do) out of the fact that the great hero Fionn derives much of his wisdom from sucking his thumb! Ha!

Fionn and the Dragon, a second tale from An Fiannaíocht, in which Fionn defeats a terrible dragon that has been besieging the High King's compound at Tara, thereby winning back the leadership of the Fianna from Goll Mac Morna, the warrior who killed his father.

And finally, Oisín in Tír na nÓg, about Fionn's son, and his time with Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the king of Tír na nÓg. ( )