WEST IRISH FOLK-TALES.
The Camden Library.
EDITED BY
G. LAURENCE GOMME, F.S.A.
AND
T. FAIRMAN ORDISH, F.S.A.
THE CAMDEN LIBRARY.
WEST IRISH FOLK-TALES
AND
ROMANCES
Collected and Translated
BY
WILLIAM LARMINIE.
WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES, AND APPENDIX
CONTAINING SPECIMENS OF THE GAELIC
ORIGINALS PHONETICALLY SPELT.
LONDON
ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW.
1893.
INTRODUCTION.
Whatever profit might, from the scientificpoint of view, be considered likelyto spring from a study of Gaelic folk-lore,it would probably be considered beforehand thatit would come from the study of the materialas a single body, uniform throughout, and, assuch, to be brought into comparison with thefolk-lore of other countries. When, however, wecome to an actual survey of the material, certainappearances present themselves which lead us toexpect that, possibly, a large part of our gain willaccrue from the observation of the differenceswhich characterise different parts of the materialwithin itself. Ireland, though an island ofmoderate extent, is yet sufficiently large to containdistricts far enough apart to isolate in somedegree their respective peasant populations; whileit is also admitted that the homogeneity of theGaelic tongue does not indicate a correspondinghomogeneity of race. It may turn out, in fact,[vi]ultimately, that we have in Ireland, not one, butseveral bodies of folk-lore placed in relations mostfavourable for aiding in the solution of certainproblems; while, finally, we shall, by a comparisonwith the Gaelic folk-lore of Scotland, obtain a stillwider field for similar observations and inferences.
It is true, unfortunately, that our Irish materialis not by any means what it might have been,either in quantity or quality; its defects beingsuch that any conclusions arrived at through theline of investigation here to be suggested must atpresent be considered of a very provisional nature.Of the folk-lore of the large province of Munsterwe know next to nothing. I have myself hithertobeen able to make no attempt at collection in thesouthern counties. Some of Mr. Curtin’s storieswere probably obtained in Kerry; but he has nottold us which. We have, therefore, nothing to fallback upon but the somewhat sophisticated littlefairy tales of Crofton Croker. For Leinster, weare better off, as we have the Wexford tales ofKennedy. For the inland parts of Connaught wehave Dr. Hyde’s volume; for the coast of Connaughtand Donegal, the tales included in thisbook, and many others in my possession not yetpublished.
With regard to Crofton Croker’s tales, it needsbut a small acquaintance with Ireland to beassured that they are