Ireland has a rich heritage of folk tales and fairy stories dating back over thousands of years. Many of them concern great heroes like the legendary warrior Cuchulain, or the mythical giant Fin McCool.
There are also great love stories like that of Fair, Brown and Trembling – the Irish version of Cinderella. Some have happy endings, but there are also tales of great tragedy such as The Story of Deirdre.
Many Irish stories feature leprechauns and their magic, sometimes to comical effect as in the Field of Boliauns, but sometimes dark and sinister too.
These are some of the best known Irish fairy stories, taken from Joseph Jacobs’ collection, Irish Fairy Tales published between 1891 and 1894.
The Children of Lir
The children turned into swans by their evil stepmother and made to wander for 900 years.
Fair, Brown and Trembling
This is very similar to the well known story of Cinderella but adds in a few extra twists and turns, as well as a little magic.
The Field of Boliauns
Leprechauns and the search for the elusive crock of gold.
Jack and His Comrades
A happy-go-lucky boy teams up with a donkey, a dog, a cat and cockerel to outwit a band of vicious robbers.
A Legend of Knockmany
The story of how Irish giant Finn McCool and his wife Oonagh outwitted the fearsome Scottish giant Cucullin.
The Story of Deirdre
Deirdre of the Sorrows is one of the best known tragic heroines in Celtic mythology.
