The King of Ireland's Son

Classic Irish children's book

The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum, with illustrations by Willy Pogany, is a retelling of Irish folk tales. Colum interlaces a dozen or more traditional stories - master thieves, stolen babies, girls who must spin seven shirts from bog-cotton to return their brothers to human form - and weaves in characters from ancient histories - the Gobaun Saor, smith of the gods; the Spae-Woman, peacemaker of the gods - plus characters like the Enchanter of the Black Backlands, Fedelma the Enchanter's Daughter, the King of the Land of Mists. Two youths - the King of Ireland's Son and Gilly the Goatskin - succeed in a series of tasks to find their way to the life that is their due; and there is even a beloved ugly girl who finds the beauty that she deserves.