The Irish Fairy Book

The Irish Fairy Book, edited by W.B. Yeats and published in 1892, is a collection of Irish folklore and fairy tales that showcases the rich heritage of Irish mythology. This anthology features a variety of enchanting stories, including notable figures like Finn and Cuchulain, highlighting themes of magic and adventure. Yeats aimed to revive and celebrate Ireland's cultural significance through these tales, which are rooted in ancient Gaelic traditions and beliefs about fairies. The collection begins with a preface that explores the origins of fairy lore in Ireland, setting the stage for the captivating narratives that follow.
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“On November Eve they are at their gloomiest, for according to the old Gaelic reckoning, this is the first night of winter. This night they dance with the ghosts, and the pooka is abroad, and witches make their spells, and girls set a table with food in the name of the devil, that the fetch of their future lover may come through the window and eat of the food. After November Eve the blackberries are no longer wholesome, for the pooka has spoiled them.””
— Unknown
“Come away, O, human child! To the woods and waters wild, With a fairy hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.””
— Unknown
“it's a long lane that has no turning.””
— Unknown
“Their chief occupations are feasting, fighting, and making love, and playing the most beautiful music. They have only one industrious person amongst them, the lepra-caun”
— Unknown
“every one is a visionary, if you scratch him deep enough. But the Celt is a visionary without scratching.””
— Unknown
“With us nothing has time to gather meaning, and too many things are occurring for even a big heart to hold.””
— Unknown
“I don't think the moral is good; and if any of you thuckeens go about imitating Anty in her laziness, you'll find it won't thrive with you as it did with her. She was beautiful beyond compare, which none of you are, and she had three powerful fairies to help her besides.””
— Unknown
“On Midsummer Eve, when the bonfires are lighted on every hill in honour of St. John, the fairies are at their gayest, and sometime steal away beautiful mortals to be their brides.””
— Unknown
“Red is the color of magic in every country, and has been so from the very earliest times. The caps of fairies and magicians are well-nigh always red.””
— Unknown
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