New book from author of 'Haunted Ireland' includes tale of the Children of Lir

Kieran Fanning, author of last year’s bestselling Haunted Ireland, returns with Enchanted Ireland, a collection of magical tales, one story from every county.

A beautifully produced hardback, it features illustrations by Canadian artist Julia Iredale, and a detailed map to guide readers through all 32 locations.

The Westmeath story is possibly the best-known legend in Ireland. It is the story of the ‘Children of Lir’, (believed to have lived near Castlepollard), who were turned into swans by their evil stepmother. The spell confined them to spend 900 years on three separate bodies of water.

It is on the Sea of Erris, off the coast of Mayo, that the spell finally breaks and the swans are returned to their human form, but they die soon after.

Their previous confinement was on the Sea of Moyle, but their first 300 years were spent on Lough Derravaragh – said to resemble the shape of a swan.

Among the pages of Enchanted Ireland: An Atlas of Magical Stories from Every County are many other famous tales, like those of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and Cúchulainn, but also some other stories that readers won’t be familiar with.

The author, Kieran Fanning, lives in Navan, where he teaches by day and writes stories by night. He loves the ancient myths and legends of Ireland and aims to keep them alive in his new book.

Enchanted Ireland was published by Gill and is available in all bookstores.