The Faerie Isle: Tales and Traditions of Ireland's Forgotten Folklore

The Faerie Isle presents 15 figures from Irish fairy folklore, bringing together familiar beings and lesser-known spirits, heroes and villains. Síne Quinn’s subjects include selkies that come ashore to dance every ninth day, mermaids whose appearance may signal bad luck, and the silver-tongued Charmer, whose encounter is said to bring lovesickness. Leprechauns, giants, trickster spirits and shape-shifters also feature in this collection of traditional tales and lore.

The stories draw inspiration from the Irish National Folklore Collection, while each entry considers the featured being’s traits and origins. Dermot Flynn’s illustrations accompany Quinn’s accessible retellings, giving the book a distinctly visual presentation of Ireland’s faerie traditions and their darker, more unsettling possibilities.