The stories collected here demonstrates the richness of the short story tradition in Ireland from the end of the last century to the period following the Second World War. The authors represented are: George Moore, Somerville and Ross, Daniel Corkery, Jame Stephens, Liam O'Flaherty, L.A.G. Strong, Sean O'Faoláin, Frank O'Connor, Eric Cross, Michael McLaverty, Bryan MacMahon, Mary Lavin, James Plunkett, James Joyce, and Elizabeth Bowen. `this is as good a collection of stories as you could find anywhere and fully deserves its new description "classic".' Books and Bookmen

This uncommon collection offers twenty hidden gems from Ireland's past, shedding new light on the illustrious literary history of the Irish at home and abroad. Readers can explore what it means to be Irish through the words of not just the famous authors but also the lesser-known ones, who are often difficult to find in anthologies and deserve wider publication. Writers include Oscar Wilde, who recounts his famous trip across America in 1882, playwright and humorist John Brougham, and essayist and poet Mary Boyle O'Reilly. The book also includes some of Ireland's famous legends and stories translated from ancient Irish texts.

First written down in the eighth century AD, these early Irish stories depict a far older world - part myth, part legend and part history. Rich with magic and achingly beautiful, they speak of a land of heroic battles, intense love and warrior ideals, in which the otherworld is explored and men mingle freely with the gods. From the vivid adventures of the great Celtic hero Cu Chulaind, to the stunning 'Exile of the Sons of Uisliu' - a tale of treachery, honour and romance - these are masterpieces of passion and vitality, and form the foundation for the Irish literary tradition: a mythic legacy that was a powerful influence on the work of Yeats, Synge and Joyce.

Features 13 captivating tales, from the early Irish prose fiction of Maria Edgeworth and William Carleton to the 20th-century works of William Butler Yeats, James Stephens, James Joyce, Seumas O'Kelly, and Liam O'Flaherty.

A collection of short stories by 26 modern Irish writers, including George Moore, Sean O'Faolain, W.B. Yeats, Frank O'Connor, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Flann O'Brien, James Plunkett, Edna O'Brien, John McGahern, Benedict Kiely and William Trevor.

Tales of the Elders of Irelandis the first complete translation of the late Middle-IrishAcallam na Sen rach, the largest literary text surviving from twelfth-century Ireland. It contains the earliest and most comprehensive collection of Fenian stories and poetry, intermingling the contemporary Christian world of Saint Patrick with his scribes; clerics; occasional angels and souls rescued from Hell; the earlier pagan world of the ancient, giant Fenians and Irish kings; and the parallel, timeless Otherworld (peopled by ever-young, shape-shifting fairies). This readable, lucid new translation is based on existing manuscript sources and is richly annotated, complete with an Introduction discussing the place of theAcallamin Irish tradition and the impact of the Fenian or Ossianic tradition on English and European literature. About the Series:For over 100 yearsOxford World's Classicshas made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Ireland has always been a nation of story-tellers. This magnificent anthology chronicles the development of a rich literary tradition, from the earliest folk-tales to James Joyce, Liam O'Flaherty, and the rising stars of the new generation.