Inis Scéal Dom

About the Book

Story 1 Deamhan an tSléibhe – The Demon of the mountain. This is about a young man, Núan Rú, who is ploughing a field using a cat and a dog to pull the plough. The demon in a nearby mountain starts to laugh and the mountain opens up to reveal jewels and treasures beyond imagination. He helps himself and becomes rich, His greedy and nasty brother learns the secret and tries the same trick but doesn’t leave the mountain soon enough because of his greed. He gets trapped inside. His brother and sister in law mourn for him and find a pearl in the stream to remind them of him. Story 2 Seac an lóchrainn. Jack o’ Lantern. This story is about a man who works as as an odd job man in a village. He suffers bad luck and does a deal with the devil that he will have good fortune for seven years but after that he has to go to hell with the devil. He agrees. He has done a good deed for an old lady and a stranger meets him one day and grants him some wishes. He wishes that whoever sits in his chair at home except himself will be stuck there. He wishes that whoever touches the apple tree in his garden will be stuck there until Jack releases them. He also wishes that whatever goes into his apple bag will be stuck there until released by Jack. When the devil comes back after seven years to take Jack away he tricks the devil into touching the apple tree and then seven years later into sitting in the chair and finally into going inside the apple bag. Each time the devil agrees to give Jack seven extra years of good fortune in return for being released. Finally while trapped inside the bag and tortured by the miller and the blacksmith in turn the devil agrees to leave Jack alone forever. When Jack eventually dies he can’t get into heaven because he had made a deal with the devil. He can’t go to hell because the devil promised he would leave him alone forever. So Jack has to go back to earth and look for the old lady who will get permission for him to get into heaven. He is given a magic lantern that never goes out and every holloween Irish people in America and all over the world put a light in the window to help Jack in his quest. Story 3 Curadh na hÉireann. –The Champion’s portion. This is about the adventures of a mythical Irish hero called Cuhulin who learns the skills of battle in the Isle of Skye and comes back to Ireland to engage in battles there. At last in order to win the title of champion of Ireland he decapitates a demon of the lake who then next day comes back to decapitate Cuhulin but lets him go free and declares him the Champion of Ireland for his bravery. Story 4. Ceannaí na bhfocal.- The word merchant. This is about a man called Gary who goes to a market to sell horses and then gives his money to a word seller who gives him prophetic rhymes. The rhymes all come true but because he has been warned beforehand he is not injured in any way, The first rhyme warns him not to sleep in a hotel which is washed away during the night by a flood and drowning his two companions. The next rhyme tells him not to seek shelter under an overhanging rock, He avoids the overhang during a rain storm and it suddenly collapses. All the rhymes come true one after the other until at last he is released from prison after a false accusation of murdering his wife. He explains to the judge about the rhymes and this allows the judge to figure out who the real killer is. Story 5 Rí na rónta – The seal king. This story is about a man – Breoc Tresten who discovers a seal skin on the beach leading to numerous strange adventures. The seals are able to turn into people and by having the seal skin the man has prevented a seal from going back to normal. The seal king disguises himself as a man and tries to win back the seal skin by playing a game of cards with Breoc. The other seals in guise of rabbits and birds are watching the game and telling the seal king the cards that the human is holding.

About the Author

I was born in Carlow, Éire and I was educated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I then travelled to England where I obtained my Physics and Geography degree from the University of London. I began teaching Physics in London. Happily married with grown up children I have more time to devote to my many interests. Inspired by my father’s love of storytelling I have now achieved my lifetime ambition of writing stories in my native tongue.