Tales from Old Ireland

retold by Malachy Doyle
(contains the Cinderella story “Fair, Brown, and Trembling”)

Book reviews Story Characters Use of Magic Country of origin & printable map Related Books

Horn Book, March/April, 2001
In his cogent introduction, Malachy Doyle gives a succinct overview of the significance of storytelling in the Irish cultural tradition, linking it to the present by references to the government-sponsored systematic collection of tales in the mid-1930s. Even school children were involved in assembling the greatest collection of folklore in the world, now housed at University College in Dublin. From this vast treasure trove and his own childhood recollections, Doyle has retold seven of his favorites, beginning with “The Children of Lir,” one of the best loved of Irish tales, immortalized in a bronze sculpture in Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance as a symbol of Ireland’s struggle for independence. “Lusmore and the Fairies,” a tale with many international variants, warns of the need to respect supernatural powers; “Son of an Otter, Son of a Wolf,” adapted from “The King Who Could Not Sleep,” tells of the succession of the true heir to the throne of King Cormac. “Fair, Brown, and Trembling” is a Cinderella variant, and “The Twelve Wild Geese” is similar to the “The Six Swans” from the Brothers Grimm; other tales are deeply rooted in Celtic mythology. The illustrations by Niamh Sharkey are two-dimensional abstractions, richly colored like illuminated manuscripts, incorporating familiar motifs such as the spiral, yet they are contemporary in feeling and interpretation. The text is preceded by a very helpful pronunciation guide. The thorough source notes are printed in an unfortunately small type size; this small caveat aside, the book is a well-designed addition to folklore collections in general and Irish folklore collections in particular.

Horn Book starred, September, 2001
Doyle has retold seven of his favorite tales, beginning with “The Children of Lir,” one of the best loved of Irish tales. “Lusmore and the Fairies” warns of the need to respect supernatural powers; “Fair, Brown, and Trembling” is a Cinderella variant; other tales are deeply rooted in Celtic mythology. The illustrations are richly colored like illuminated manuscripts. Thorough source notes are included.

Kirkus Review, October 15, 2000
Seven briskly retold traditional tales are illustrated with dot-eyed, appealingly ingenuous figures from the illustrator of Tolstoy’s Gigantic Turnip (1999). The stories’ very titles are evocative: a spiteful stepmother transforms “The Children of Lir” into swans; the three sisters in a Cinderella variant are “Fair, Brown, and Trembling”; a clever, kind-hearted beachcomber frees the spirits of drowned mariners from a sea creature’s “Soul Cages”; a hero has, then loses, a chance at eternal youth in “Oisín in Tír na nÓg.” Doyle draws readers into the stories with seemingly offhand skill--“Fionnuala was the eldest, the only girl, and she was as beautiful as sunshine in blossomed branches.” He doles out generous measures of comedy, drama, romance, and wonder (and, in one tale, fiery poteen), then closes with learned source notes printed in microscopic type. An engagingly readable, and tellable, sampler drawn from a deep and still-vital storytelling tradition. (Folktales. 10-13)

Publishers Weekly, October 9, 2000
Northern Ireland native Doyle (Jody’s Beans) celebrates his country’s centuries-old oral legacy in this collection of seven stories. Traditional tales, such as “The Twelve Wild Geese” (which parallels the structure of the Brothers Grimm’s “The Six Swans”) and a Cinderella retelling, “Fair, Brown and Trembling,” share space with some highly original individuals (e.g., the title characters in “Son of an Otter, Son of a Wolf”), and all retain a lyrical turn of phrase (“Will you do nothing to lighten our sorrow?” one of the cursed offspring asks the evil queen in “The Children of Lir”). Doyle, a conversational raconteur, wisely includes a pronunciation key for proper names that appear in the stories as well as notes on the background of the entries. Sharkey’s (Jack and the Beanstalk) playfully stylized oil and gesso paintings complement the fanciful quality of the tales. Spot art breaks up the pages, and each story features one full-size painting that captures the heart of the tale-for “The Twelve Wild Geese,” 12 quilt-like squares show the birds around the edges, while a quartet of interior squares show the key characters and knitting needles for the birds’ sweaters. The artist also distinguishes each tale with a unique border and its own sophisticated, muted palette. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)

School Library Journal, November 2000
Gr 2-6-A collection of seven of the best-known and perhaps best-loved gems of Irish folklore. Included are the tragic “Children of Lir”; the Irish Cinderella, “Fair, Brown, and Trembling”; the poignant “Lusmore and the Fairies”; and the action-packed “Son of an Otter, Son of a Wolf.” Doyle’s respect for the origins and authenticity of the tales is evident from his informative introduction and detailed source notes, and the selections contain only minor variations from those found in other authoritative sources. What makes this collection exceptional is Doyle’s own masterful command of language. His retellings are simple and economical, yet contain all the lilting rhythm and musical quality for which Irish tales are famous. Sharkey’s illustrations, prepared in oil and gesso on canvas, are a perfect match. The backgrounds are rich in texture and have an intense palette, while the figures displayed on them have an appealing simplicity. One full-page spread is included for each tale, but smaller illustrations throughout enliven the reading experience. Although the tales themselves can be found in other collections, the harmonious combination of language and art found here makes this a priority purchase for most collections, and of particular interest to storytellers.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

There was a king with three daughters named Fair, Brown, and Trembling. Fair and Brown were given all they wanted. Because Trembling was so beautiful, they forced her to stay home to cook and clean, and would never let her leave the house.

One Sunday morning, the old henwife came to tell Trembling to go to church. Since she had nothing to wear, the henwife made her a white dress and emerald shoes. She also gave her a mare with a golden saddle, she told her not to go inside the door of the church, and when Mass is over, ride away quickly.

When the people at church saw Trembling, her beauty amazed them. But, at the end of church, she galloped away.

The next Sunday, the henwife made Trembling a black satin dress and ruby shoes. She again gave her instructions not to go into the church.

Again, people at church were amazed by Trembling’s beauty. Still, they were unable to speak with her because she rode away too quickly.

On the third Sunday, the henwife made Trembling a red and white dress and shoes that were red, white, and green. Again Trembling left as soon as Mass was over.

Trembling’s beauty was now known throughout the world. Many princes came to Mass next Sunday to try to marry Trembling.

When Trembling tried to leave at the end of Mass, the Prince of Omanya rode next to her, holding onto her leg. Finally, her shoes came off.

The Prince vowed to marry the owner of the shoe. He searched all of Ireland to find the owner.

When the Prince of Omanya came to the house of Fair, Brown, and Trembling, Fair and Brown pushed Trembling into the closet. When the shoe did not fit Fair or Brown, the Prince asked if there were any other women in the house. Trembling piped up from the closet. He tried the shoe on Trembling and it fit perfectly.

Fair - She is a sister of Brown and Trembling. She is mean to Trembling because she envies Trembling’s beauty.

Brown - She is a sister of Fair and Trembling. She is also mean to Trembling because she envies Tremblings’s beauty.

Trembling - She is the youngest sister. She is forced to stay home to cook and clean. She had a henwife who gave her dresses and shoes to help her win a prince.

The henwife - She uses magic to grant dresses, shoes, and a mare to Trembling. She essentially brings Trembling and her prince together.

Prince of Omanya - He initially began to show interest in the eldest sister. When he saw Trembling’s beauty, he immediately fell in love with her. When he captures one of her shoes, he shows determination. He is set on finding and marrying the owner of the shoe.

The henwife has a magic cloak of darkness. She clips a piece of Trembling’s rags and fashions dresses and shoes that are beautiful. She also gives her honey-birds to sit on her shoulders and different colored mares to ride on.

On the third Sunday, the henwife clips a few hairs from Trembling’s head. At once clouds of the most beautiful golden hair flowed down over Trembling’s shoulders.

At the end of the story, the sisters are mad an other princes want to fight for Trembling’s hand. However, the henwife appears and puts a spell on them so they couldn’t speak or moved until the Prince and Trembling rode away.

Go to a Printable Map of Ireland from National Geographic

According to Spencer, in Irish history, religion determined the political scene (11). Even today, Ireland consists mostly of Catholics and Protestants. Even the flag of Ireland is symbolic of the religion. The flag is orange, white, and green. “The green band represents Catholics of native Irish descent, the orange band, descendants of the 17 th-century British Protestants, and the white band, hope for place between these two groups.” (Spencer 5).

Finally, we see at the end of the story, that Trembling had 14 children. This makes sense since the Catholic Church disallows contraception. Most of the people are likely to have larger families (Spencer 22).

Also, the henwife gives Trembling a new dress, a new horse, and a honey bird to sit on her right and left shoulder. Several types of horses came from Ireland such as the Irish draught horse that is known for its amazing jumping ability (Harvey 19). Also many different birds live in Ireland. The coastal setting is a prime bird watching area (Spencer 9).

Harvey, Miles. Look What Came From Ireland. New York: Franklin Watts, 2002.

Spencer, Shannon. Countries of the World: Ireland. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 2000.