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Celtic Lore The Ancient Legends of Ireland By Lady Wilde $5.95 / Sterling Publishing / 1996 Both parents of author and playwright Oscar Wilde must have been captivated by their Celtic heritage, for they both wrote books about Irish folklore. Lady Wilde (1826-1896) compiled two such books during her lifetime. Long out of print, the best of these two books have been combined by Shiela Anne Barry into Ancient Legends of Ireland, a book about witches, fairy tricks, magic spells, murder, and mayhem. Far more than bedtime stories, these tales illustrate the mythic underpinnings of the Irish character and how, in order to survive in times of trouble, the Irish had to be smarter than the English government. Many literary figures such as James Joyce and George Bernard Shaw were influenced by the magic and melacholy of Irish tradition. The stories of the Legends of Ireland are no exception and retain their power to fascinate even after a century. Some tales have odd correlations with modern psychic experiences such as black helicopters and abductions by UFOs. There is a basic Irish melancholy to some of the stories, as in "The Dance of the Dead," when a young woman meets the ghost of a friend who drowned the previous year. Animals too, have a place in these folk fables. Werewolf stories predate Elilizabeth I, as there have been no wolves in Ireland since the mid-1500s. Whitsuntide, the holiday of Christmas, is considered an unlucky time, particularly in regards to a lake where phantom horses carry the unwary to their doom. Anyone fascinated by the hidden mysteries and romance of Celtic Ireland will be delighted by this short 128-page volume. This collection of 37 stories and anecdotes is a real spellbinder in every sense of the word and is a welcome addition to any lore and legend library, —Ritchie Benedict

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