PAGE [St Bride of the Isles] 11 [The Three Marvels of Iona] 55 [The Melancholy of Ulad] 85 [Ula and Urla] 101 [The Dark Nameless One] 115 [The Smoothing of the Hand] 129 [The Anointed Man] 139 [The Hills of Ruel] 151 [The Fisher of Men] 159 [The Last Supper] 179 [The Awakening of Angus Ogue] 197
NOTE
The tales in this volume which have not hitherto appeared are “The Melancholy of Ulad” and “The Hills of Ruel.” “The Awakening of Angus Ogue” is also for the first time printed in book form, though it appeared in the Winter number of The Evergreen. Of the re-issued stories “The Anointed Man” is from The Sin-Eater, and the others are from The Washer of the Ford. As these tales have not been re-set, they are, except in the matter of pagination and re-arrangement, necessarily unaltered.
ST BRIDE OF THE ISLES
NOTE
This legendary romance is based upon the ancient and still current (though often contradictory) legends concerning Brighid, or Bride, commonly known as “Muime Chriosd”—i.e. the Foster-Mother of Christ. From the universal honour and reverence in which she was and is held—second only in this respect to the Virgin herself—she is also called “Mary of the Gael.” Another name, frequent in the West, is “Brighde-nam-Brat”—i.e. St Bride of the Mantle, a name explained in the course of my legendary story. Brighid the Christian saint should not, however, be confused with a much earlier and remoter Brighid, the ancient Celtic Muse of Song.
ST BRIDE OF THE ISLES
SLOINNEADH BRIGHDE, MUIME CHRIOSD
Brighde nighean Dughaill Duinn,
’Ic Aoidth, ’ic Arta, ’ic Cuinn.