Tales of the Elders of Ireland

Tales of the Elders of Ireland is the first complete translation of the late Middle Irish Acallam na Senrach. Dating from around the end of the twelfth century it is the largest literary text surviving from early Ireland, mingling the contemporary Christian world of Saint Patrick, the earlier pagan world of the ancient, giant Fenians and the parallel, timeless Otherworld, peopled by ever-young, shape-shifting fairies. It also provides the most extensive account available of the Otherworld's music and magic, internecine wars, malice toward, and infatuation with, humankind - themes still featured in the story-telling of present-day Ireland. This readable and flowing new translation is based on existing manuscript sources and is richly annotated complete with an Introduction discussing the place of the Acallam in Irish tradition and the impact of the Fenian or Ossianic tradition on English and European literature.