Elfin Music: An Anthology of English Fairy Poetry Book

I grew up in Dundalk (Dún Dealgan, homeplace of Chú Chulainn), I still remember Chu Chulainn's castle a few hundred yards from my home. I also grew up with these legends, and had to study them in the old Irish text which is completely different to the modern Irish language. Lady Gregory's account, while the english is not fantastic, there were many mistakes in the prose, but she did totally captivate the legend that was Chú Chulainn and in doing so, has brought this legend to the masses.

The stories themselves bear much resemblance to the Greek legend of Achilles, Chú Chulainn being considered half-god, half-man. The Red Branch Knights like the heroes of ancient Greece, warriors, poets, philosophers, men of honour.

I really enjoyed the free flowing text, and I especially enjoyed the ease of which the stories were told, without taking away from the original texts.

I would recommend this book to anybody looking to grab a taste of Irish legends and the ways of the people many moons ago.