Folk Tales: United Kingdom – serie

In this enchanting new book, one of the country’s most celebrated storytellers has gathered together traditional tales that have their roots in the cold and long, dark nights of midwinter. Herein you will find magical accounts of the Legend of Tinsel, the Christmas Cat and the New Year’s Bell, with a number of wintery riddles to unpick while enjoying the festive season and welcoming in the New Year. With so many folk tales intrinsically linked to ancient seasonal customs, there are a few included here relating to traditions such as the Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels (Devon), the Viking ‘Up Helly Aa’ (Shetland) and Tom Bawcock’s Eve (Cornwall). This is a book to curl up with in front of an open fire on long winter nights and to share and retell over a steaming mug of mulled wine.

In places, Shropshire has traditional patchwork fields and hedgerows; in others, small villages and market towns with black and white half-timbered buildings. But it also has places that are still wild – hills where heather and bracken cling to the rocks while peewits call overhead and strange rock formations jut to the sky, casting their shadows over the countryside below. The thirty stories in this new collection have grown out of the county’s diverse landscapes: tales of the strange and macabre; memories of magic and other worlds; proud recollections of folk history; stories to make you smile, sigh and shiver. Moulded by the land, weather and generations of tongues wagging, these traditional tales are full of Shropshire wit and wisdom, and will be enjoyed time and again.

These traditional stories and local legends have been handed down by storytellers for centuries. As folk tales reveal a lot about the people who invented them, this book provides a link to the ethics and way of life of generations of Kentish people. Herein you will find the intriguing tales of Brave Mary of Mill Hill, King Herla, the Pickpockets of Sturry, the Wantsum Wyrm and the Battle of Sandwich, to name but a few. These captivating stories, brought to life with a collection of unique illustrations, will be enjoyed by readers time and again. Tony Cooper has been a full-time storyteller for the past twenty-five years. He attends regular storytelling events, with a particular favourite being the Winter Tales Festival, 'a dark evening of storytelling and object theatre for adults' held in his hometown of Sandwich.

With its wild eroding sea, its gentle rolling fields and tall churches, Suffolk is a county of contrasts. It may seem a kindly and civilised place, but in that sea, in the reed beds, the woods and even down dark town streets lurk strange beasts, ghosts and tricksters. These thirty traditional tales retold by storyteller Kirsty Hartsiotis take you into a hidden world of green children and wildmen, of lovers from beyond the grave and tricksy fairy folk. Shaped by generations of Suffolk mardle and wit, in these stories you’ll discover the county’s last dragon, the secret behind Black Shuck, saintly King Edmund and heroic King Raedwald, haunted airfields, broken-hearted mermaids and the exploits of the county’s cunning folk. Embark on this journey around Suffolk and you’ll find you’re never far from a story.

These lively and entertaining folk tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these thirty stories from Leicestershire and Rutland reflect the wisdom (and eccentricities) of the counties and its people. Leicestershire and Rutland have a rich and diverse collection of tales, from stories of epic battles and heroic deeds to legends of mythical creatures and ghostly goings-on. These stories, illustrated with twenty-five line drawings, bring alive the landscape of the counties’ rolling hills and fertile plains. Leicestershire Guild of Storytelling is a group of professional storytellers who have been collecting and telling traditional stories for fifteen years. They regularly organise festivals and storytelling events.

The mountains and spectacular coastline of County Waterford are rich in traditional stories. Even today, in the modern world of internet and supermarkets, old legends dating as far back as the days of the ancient Gaelic tribes and the carvers of the ogham stones are still told and are gathered here in this unique collection of tales from across the county. Included here are tales of well-known legendary figures such as Aoife and Strongbow, St Declan and the three river goddesses Eiru, Banba and Fodhla, guardians of the rivers Suir, Nore and Barrow, as well as stories of less well-known characters such as Petticoat Loose, whose ghost is said to still roam the county, and the Republican Pig, who was unfortunate enough to become caught up in the siege of Waterford. In a vivid journey through Waterford’s landscape, from the towns and villages to the remotest places, by mountains, cliffs and valleys, local storyteller Anne Farrell takes the reader along old and new roads to places where legend and landscape are inseparably linked.

County Down, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea, has a rich heritage of myths and legends which is uniquely captured in this collection of tales by local storyteller Steve Lally. Discover the trails were the outlaw Redmond O’Halon was said to once roam, the road where you might come across the Ghost Girl of Ballymullan, and the cliffs from which a young girl called Maggie once made a desperate and death-defying leap. Along with the tales of the changeling of Glascar, the Giant of Lisburn and the visit old Auld Nick once paid to an old woman in Downpatrick. These stores, illustrated with twenty-five line drawings, bring alive the counties dramatic landscape and is sure to appeal to both residents and tourists alike.

Do you know where the ‘twice-richest mountain in Ireland’ is? Or what mysterious creature is said to lurk in the waters of Glenade Lake? Or why you should never cheer on a fairy footballer? Discover the answers to these and more in this collection of tales from across the county. Leitrim is the place where, legend has it, Cormac Riabhac, The Irish ‘Samson’, performed his amazing feats of strength; where Fionn Mac Cumhaill, great warrior of the Fianna, is said to lie buried; and where the wrongful execution of Jack Bircall led to a miraculous cure. It is also said to be the home of a plethora of strange and magical creatures and stories abound of encounters fairies, mermen, enchanted cows and even supernatural salmon. These stories, beautifully illustrated by Tracey Jean Yappa, bring to life the county’s varied landscape, from its lofty mountains to its bogs and loughs, and along the mighty Shannon River, whose twisting path was said to have been carved out by the antics of the giant serpent, the ‘Great Ollphéist’.

Do you know what lurks in the waters of Cullaun Lake? Or why a Clare woman should never, ever, be disturbed while she is knitting? These questions and more will be answered in this unique collection of traditional tales from across the county, which explores Clare’s rich heritage of myths and legends. We will hear the tales of well-known figures, including Cúchulainn, Brian Boru and Clare wise-woman Biddy Early, as well as lesser-known characters such as Grian, Daughter of the Sun, and the Hag of Bealaha. Also featured are fantastic stories of mythical creatures and underwater worlds, including the Newhall mermaid, the fairies of Glandree, and the sunken city of Kilstiofeen. Clare’s varied and vivid landscape, from its ancient oak woodlands and soft drumlin country in the east, to its rugged and windswept Atlantic coastline in the west, is reflected in this tantalising selection of tales collected and retold by local storyteller Ruth Marshall.

Wexford has a rich heritage of myths and legends which is uniquely captured in this collection of traditional tales from across the county. Discover the remarkable story of the 140-year-old-man who died a premature death, the arrival of the antichrists (six of them) in Wexford and the dangers of love potions, together with tales of lurechan mischief, mermaids, grave robbing and buried treasure. Their origins are lost in the mists of time, but these stories, illustrated with twenty line drawings, bring to life Wexford’s dramatic landscape and are sure to appeal to both locals and tourists alike.

Donegal has a rich heritage of myths and legends which is uniquely captured in this collection of traditional tales from the county. Discover the trails where Balor of the Evil Eye once roamed, the footprint left by St Colmcille when he leapt to avoid a demon and the places where ordinary people once encountered devils, ghosts, and fairies. In a vivid journey through Donegal’s varied landscape, from its spectacular rugged coast line to the majestic mountains of Errigal and Muckish, and on to the rich farmland of the east, local storyteller Joe Brennan takes the reader to places where legend and landscape are inseparably linked.

From the saints of the Dark Ages to modern-day sinners, Galway Bay is the source of some of Ireland’s most magical tales. In this book local storyteller Rab Fulton takes the reader through Galway’s past, recalling the myths and legend’s that shaped the area’s history – from the quarrelsome giants who in their rage created the Aran Isles to the corpse that flew through the air at the very first Galway Arts Festival. Also featuring tales of magic swans, miraculous nuns, a city beneath the waves and a cannibal king, this is a great companion for any visit to the county, for fascinating days out and finding exciting treasure on your doorstep.

Legend has it that the magical Tuatha Dé Danann came on the wind from Tír na nÓg (The Land of Youth) and landed in Roscommon, on the Curlew Mountains. It was from here that they spread throughout Ireland and some say that it is they who created the soul of the Irish and who imbued all who came after with the Irish Spirit. They were hot-tempered, strong, brave, daring and often rash and many of their deeds are captured in this collection of tales from across the country. Also featured here are intriguing stories of a vanishing lake, Oileán na Sioga (The Fairy Island), and the miracles of St Kieran, along with darker tales of the battles of Queen Méabh, the Monster of Lough Rea, and the story of Betty of Roscommon, Ireland’s first (and only) hang woman – not to mention the fantastical accounts of encounters with leprechauns, pookas, giants and banshees. Roscommon has as many stories as there are people travelling its roads, passed down from generation to generation, and a wealth of them are gathered together here in this unique volume.

Wicklow is full of stories, from the farmer returned from market to find he was dead and buried, to the mysterious bird who turned into a beautiful wife long missing from the glens. In this rich collection of tales from the county, you may find the cure for baldness, or learn if it is wise to leave a sleeping army lie in Rathdrum. You will find smugglers in Bray, and a maiden who set her cap at a saint in the making in Glendalough. Wicklow has as many stories as there are people travelling its roads, and a wealth of them are gathered together here in this unique volume.

County Armagh, the Orchard County, abounds in folk tales, myths and legends and a selection of the best, drawn from historical sources and newly recorded local reminiscences, have been brought to life here by local storyteller Frances Quinn. Armagh is the place where, legend has it, the warrior king Conor Mac Nessa once ruled and where Deirdre of the Sorrows met her lover Naoise. It is where St Mochua’s Well was said by some to curse as well as cure and where evidence of St Patrick’s disagreement with a bull can still be seen. And it is where Mrs Lester was rudely awakened in her grave. It is also said to be the home of a plethora of strange and magical creatures and stories abound of encounters with fairies, ghosts, dragons, witches and even a giant pig. From age-old legends and fantastical myths to amusing anecdotes and cautionary tales, this collection is a heady mix of bloodthirsty, funny, passionate and moving stories. It will take you into a remarkable world where you can let your imagination run wild.