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The King of Ireland's Son

Padraic Colum

379 ratings
The King of Ireland's Son | Padraic Colum

The King of Ireland's Son

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The King of Ireland's Son is a children's novel published in Ireland written by Padraic Colum, and illustrated by Willy Pogany. It is the story of the eldest of the King of Ireland's sons, and his adventures winning and then finding Fedelma, the Enchanter's Daughter, who after being won is kidnapped from him by the King of the Land of Mist. It is solidly based in Irish folklore, itself being originally a folktale. (Introduction by Wikipedia)
attle into the byres. And Art after a while said, "I will tell you more about the coming of the King of the Cats into King Connal's Dominion. And as before I say

"To your father's Son in all truth be it told "—

The King of the Cats waited on the branch of the tree until the moon was in the sky like a roast duck on a dish of gold, and still neither retainer, vassal nor subject came to do him service. He was vexed, I tell you, at the want of respect shown him.

This was the reason why none of his subjects came to him for such a long time: The man and woman he had spoken to went into their house and did not say a word about the King of the Cats until they had eaten their supper. Then when the man had smoked his second pipe, he said to the woman: "That was a wonderful thing that happened to us to-day. A cat to walk up to two Christians and say to them, 'Tell the ashy pet in your chimney corner at home that the King of the Cats has come to see him.'"

No sooner were the words said than the lean, gray, ash-covered cat that lay on the hearthstone sprang on the back of the man's chair.

"I will say this," said the man; "it's a bad time when two Christians like ourselves are stopped on their way back from the market and ordered—ordered, no less—to give a message to one's own cat lying on one's own hearthstone."

"By my fur and daws, you're a long time coming to his message," said the cat on the back of the chair; "what was it, anyway?"

"The King of the Cats has come to Ireland to see you," said the man, very much surprised.

"It's a wonder you told it at all," said the cat, going to the door. "And where did you see His Majesty?"

"You shouldn't have spoken," said the man's wife.

"And how did I know a cat could understand?" said the man.

"When you have done talking amongst yourselves," said the cat, "would you tell

Paul 02/26/2020
After reading this, I want a dog at my heels, a hawk on my wrist, a brave steed to carry me whither I list, and the blue sky over me.

What's amazing is how many of the old fantasy tropes have been [i]lost[/i]. I wouldn't have expected folktales to contain so many elements that seem new, but these do!
Israel 09/13/2018
As a child, I attended a Waldorf school in Maine, and this book was a core part of the literary curriculum. Though it has been many years sense my last complete reading, the book was such a pivotal part of my childhood that I feel fully confident in recommending it without reservation to readers of
Leah 10/14/2016
The story of this book was actually quite good, but there were so many subplots to keep up with that I almost lost my mind! I was led this way and that throughout the whole book, it felt like someone was playing tug-of-war with my arms.
The main character was kind if pushy, which turned a nice romanc
Josh 03/09/2015
This is a beautiful book of unforgettable imagery. I read it just before traveling to Ireland, and the country, which is magical enough as is, was so much more so because of this story. the interconnected fairy tales of The King of Ireland's Son make it a great bedtime story for children as well, as
Ryan 06/27/2011
This book is a nesting doll of tales, all of them beautiful, charming, sometimes very funny (especially the King of the Cats or the tale of Gilly and the Churl) and always full of enlightenment. The center story is the quest of the book's namesake, but perhaps the real hero is the elusive Swan of En
Mary 04/05/2011
I first read this book as a child, and have lost track of the number of times I've reread it. Coming back to it as an adult, I am stunned at the beauty of Colum's language and at his handling of plot. There is a story within a story within a story, with smaller tales that reflect on the main ones an
Frank 07/05/2009
This is a children's book that I'm not sure was really meant for children. In here are a series of loosely interrelated stories that are at times adventurous, chivlarous and exciting while at other times cruel, frightening and frankly sad. If you like the old fairy tales, not the Disneyfied crap you

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