Irish Fairy and Folk Tales

Tales of magic and mischief wrought by fairies, leprechauns, ghosts, and giants enchant and entertain in William Butler Yeats’Irish Fairy and Folktales. Comprised of two previously published books, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888)and Irish Fairy Tales (1892), this compilation remains an influential and beloved anthology of Irish folklore. Many of its tales were recorded by the earliest collectors of Irish folklore and have been told around the hearth for hundreds of years. The cast includes familiar characters such as the Fairy Shoemaker, the Banshee, and Finn Mac Cool. Ghost stories, outlandish adventures, poems, and traditional fairy tales carefully selected and edited by Yeats both amuse and educate, providing a glimpse into the world of Irish folk life and belief at the dawn of modern Irish civilization.