Irish Fireside Tales

Book excerpt: The Irish are tellers of great tales, or one could say, they are great tellers of tales. Either way, we are the beneficiaries of an extraordinary oral tradition of stories, wrapped in myth and magic, preserving an ancient narrative. Tales told by a fire - whether ancient tales of the Celtic gods, kings, and heroes told round an open campfire with a gathering of warriors or elders, or tales of the simple country folk told round a rural kitchen fireplace with a gathering of neighbors on a winter's eve - are vibrant expressions of cultural tradidion and lore.