This book contains the following stories:
Oisin in Tir Na Nog
Oisin fell in love with the flame-haired maiden Niamh, whose father was the king of Tir na nOg. They crossed the sea on Niamhs white mare together to reach the magical land of Tir na nOg where they lived happily. After three hundred years had passed Oisin succumbed to homesickness and returned on the magical white mare to his tribe, the Fianna, in Ireland. But all his family and friends had long passed away, and Oisin with heavy heart turned back to the west. On the way back his mares hoof caught a stone, and Oisin thought to himself that if he carried the rock back with him to Tir na nOg, it would be like taking a bit of Ireland back with him. But when he leant down to retrieve the rock he stumbled and fell. As soon as his foot hit the ground he aged three hundered years. The mare panicked and ran into the sea, heading back to Tir na nOg without him. However, some fishermen had seen Oisins rapid ageing and assumed magic was involved. They took him to see Saint Patrick, where Oisin told his story before passing into the afterlife.
The Children of Lir
In the North Sea a jealous queen transforms King Lir's three children into swans, doomed to spend nine hundred years tossed by the icy waves.
Lusmore and the Fairies
Lusmore was a hunchback who plaited beautiful hats. People called him Lusmore because, in his own straw hat, he always wore a sprig of foxglove, and another name for foxglove is lusmore. One day when Lusmore had stopped for a rest at the side of the hill of Knockgrafton he heard fairies singing. Picking up the tune from the fairyfolk he thought of a new line and when they had finished singing he offered it in his own voice. The fairies were so delighted with the contribution that they removed Lusmores hump from his shoulders and gave him a new suit of clothes as well. Another humpback, Jack Maddon, hearing of Lusmores good fortune decided to try his own luck with the fairies. Thinking that adding two lines to their song would get him an even better deal he butted in to their rendition before they had finished. Their wrath was immense and instead of removing his hump they added on Lusmores hump, so that Jacs hump was twice as big as before. The moral here being dont be greedy and beware the unpredictability of fairies!
