Fairy legends and traditions of the South of Ireland

1834·14.3 MB·English

by  Croker, Thomas Crofton, 1798-1854

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;
FAIRY LEGENDS
AND
TRADITIONS
THE SOUTH OF IRELAND.
**Come1'arabaFenice
Checisia,ognunlodice
Dovesia,nessunlosa."
Metastasio.
y
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
MDCCCXXXIV.
1'^ 7^^
London
:
PrintedbyA.Spottiswoode,
New-Street.Square,
—
V'
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PREFACE.
,
,
The erudite Lessing styles a preface *^ the
history of a book." Now, though there can
be no necessity for a preface in that sense of
the word to the reprint of a work of mere
whim, whichhas beennearly ten years before
the public, yet a few words are requisite to
prevent the present condensed and revised
edition from beingconsideredan abridgment.
However compact may be the mode of
printing adopted, the act ofcompressinginto
one volume the three in which the " Fairy
Legends" originally appeared, involved to a
certain extent the necessity of selection, per-
haps the most difficultofall tasksjudiciously
to perform; but the following statement will
show the system proceeded on.
Forty tales descriptive of Irish supersti-
tions now appearinsteadoffifty. All super-
fluous annotations have been struck out, and
A 2
IV PREFACE.
a brief summary at the end of each section
substituted, explanatory of the classification
adopted, and in which a few additional notes
have been introduced, as well as upon the
text. It is therefore hoped that this curtail-
ment will be regarded as an essential im-
provement; some useless repetition in the
tales being thereby avoided, and much irre-
levant matter in the notes dispensed with,
although nothing which illustrates in the
slightest degree the popular Fairy Creed of
Ireland has been sacrificed. At the same
time, the omission of a portion of the ten
immaterial tales will sufficiently answer
doubts idly raised as to the question of au-
thorship.