In this collection, Eamon Kelly's finest stories are collected for the first time: stories of the real Kerry and the magical past of the Goban Saor, the heartbreak of emigration, the stations, the priests, the courting and dancing, the war between the sexes. Kelly mines a rich seam of humour and sadness out of the resilience of a people rich in hospitality and generosity, imagination, culture and tradition.
This is a book for those who like original country stories. The book contains a glossary of Irish words, phrases and sentences which are peppered. There are no pronunciation guides to aid those of us who are reading the stories aloud. The stories are fun and from a different generation.
For anyone who enjoys old Irish folk tales this is the next best thing to hearing Eamon Kelly telling them himself. He was a master of his craft. A great collection of old Irish stories.
Many different stories, some of them progress. It helps that he describes some stuff in earlier chapters, since those elements keep coming up on later chapters. I also like that he has a brief dictionary of some Irish terms & expressions (into English), for those of us who still haven't found the Rosetta Stone kit for "Olde Irish" yet.
I got this book from the annual Scottish-Irish Faire in Midland, Texas, in mid-March 2011. I bought this book b/c I wanted to hear stories & get in touch w/ the Irish part of my heritage. Since then, I got in touch w/ the Celtic Heritage Society of the Permian Basin (CHS-PB), & they've helped me learn a lot about Celtic culture, as well.
I love Eamon Kelly. I keep buying copies of this book and giving them away to people. A real reference book for storytellers, those interested in Irish traditions and society, and anyone with a sense of humour.
Ireland's Master Storyteller: The Collected Stories of Eamon Kelly by Eamon Kelly - I think the only way this would be better would be if it was an audiobook with him reading it! Happy Reading!