Isles of Scilly Folk Tales

Isles of Scilly Folk Tales gathers stories from an island community long separated from Cornwall by 25 miles of rough sea. Mike O’Connor presents Scilly as a distinct cultural world, where local storytelling preserves memories of smugglers, shipwrecks, pirates and privateers alongside older legends and tales that have received little previous documentation.

Anthony the droll-teller and his companions provide the narrative route around the islands, linking the stories to Scilly’s maritime setting and enduring traditions. O’Connor’s experience as a storyteller and researcher of Cornish music and folklore informs this collection, which brings together accounts rooted in the islands’ history, landscape and oral culture.