The King of Ireland's Son
by Padraic Colum
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The King of Ireland's Son sets out to find the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands and meets the Enchanter's daughter, Fedelma. His adventures lead him to the Land of the Mist, the Town of the Red Castle, and the worlds of Gilly of the Goatskin, the Hags of the Long Teeth, Princess Flame-of-Wine, and the Giant Crom Duv. This is a true Irish wonder tale: a coming of age story of the youngest son of the King of Ireland who sets off on an impossible quest. The stories weave together, stories show more within stories, in a fantastic tapestry of humour, poetry, action and adventure. Perfect for reading al show lessTags
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A remarkable book! I loved it as a child, and still love it today. Colum weaves the threads of many Irish folktales, myths and legends into a single story -- "the unique tale" -- and sends his heroes (3, including a girl!) on a quest to discover that same story, and by so doing, to discover themselves. Complicated? Yes! but in the way that a piece of Waterford crystal, or an ancient illuminated manuscript is complicated. Intricate, perhaps, but not overly involved or confusing. Just lovely!
And, speaking of illuminations, the illustrations by Willy Pogany are marvelous!
And, speaking of illuminations, the illustrations by Willy Pogany are marvelous!
For Children's Books group, March 2020, I read the full [b:The King of Ireland's Son|22611350|The King of Ireland's Son|Padraic Colum|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404228180l/22611350._SY75_.jpg|2904543], from 1916, with many stories braided and beaded along the main story. It wasn't the easiest read ever because of that... but I bet it would actually be easier for youngsters because they could enjoy each tale as a unit before moving on (whereas I tried to read it in less than two days).
Most of the women are strong enough, some are heroes in their own right. Some of the stories are funny. Some have themes that are a bit remote to readers nowadays. Many elements of many of the stories have been show more seen elsewhere, but none of the tales are actually familiar. There's lots of vocabulary words that I don't even know if today's children in Ireland would know.
There is no note, so I don't know if Colum is a folklorist recording nursery or wonder tales, or created these himself based on traditions.
The illustrations by [a:Willy Pogány|787948|Willy Pogány|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1280055634p2/787948.jpg] are wonderful. They are line drawings that remind me just a bit of [a:Walter Crane|79861|Walter Crane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455151693p2/79861.jpg]'s work; they are lively, expressive, clear, and appealing. show less
Most of the women are strong enough, some are heroes in their own right. Some of the stories are funny. Some have themes that are a bit remote to readers nowadays. Many elements of many of the stories have been show more seen elsewhere, but none of the tales are actually familiar. There's lots of vocabulary words that I don't even know if today's children in Ireland would know.
There is no note, so I don't know if Colum is a folklorist recording nursery or wonder tales, or created these himself based on traditions.
The illustrations by [a:Willy Pogány|787948|Willy Pogány|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1280055634p2/787948.jpg] are wonderful. They are line drawings that remind me just a bit of [a:Walter Crane|79861|Walter Crane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455151693p2/79861.jpg]'s work; they are lively, expressive, clear, and appealing. show less
Colum, Padraic - The King of Ireland's Son - mish-mosh of tales - bewitched princesses, brothers turned into swans, heroes who must accomplish an impossible task to win a bride - snooze-fest, and all the various princes became confusing - even moreso when at the end they all turn out to be brothers. Just how many children can a queen lose in one lifetime...?)
My teacher read part of this to us in second grade - I didn't totally get it, but I liked it.
My teacher read part of this to us in second grade - I didn't totally get it, but I liked it.
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Children's Literature 1900 - 1950 in order
413 works; 8 members
Author Information
85+ Works 7,428 Members
Born in a Longford workhouse where his father was first teacher and then master, Padraic Colum grew into an important figure in the Irish literary renaissance before immigrating to the United States. Invited by the Fay brothers to join the National Theatre Society, he married the teacher and writer Mary Maguire, with whom he undertook several show more joint projects. The Colums immigrated to the United States in 1914. Colum kept up a varied production of verse, plays, fiction, criticism, and children's literature, together with active lecturing. His most extended teaching appointment was at Columbia University, where he and his wife offered a joint course in comparative literature. Colum felt that his Roman Catholic and peasant roots gave him a closer tie to the Irish folk than did the Protestant, Anglo-Irish background of many writers of the Irish renaissance. His poetry usually deals with common people and rural landscapes in a forthright manner. Colum was resolutely Irish, and his work for the most part avoids didacticism or sentimental nationalism in favor of straightforward presentation. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The King of Ireland's Son
- Original publication date
- 1916
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Kids, Children's Books
- DDC/MDS
- 398.2 — Society, Government, and Culture Customs, etiquette & folklore Folklore & Folktales Folk literature
- LCC
- PZ8 .C724 .K — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 369
- Popularity
- 84,702
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (4.10)
- Languages
- 5 — Dutch, English, German, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 36
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 9
