Friday, October 10, 2014

Mayo Folk Tales.



Those magic words “Once upon a time” have been spoken around the flickering flame of the turf fire by storytellers for thousands of years.  Within these pages you will find gathered together tales of County Mayo to ignite your imagination. Tales of Highway men and ghostly figures that roam the woods. Monsters that inhabit the deep waters of Lough Mask and creatures of the night that suck the life from those they visit. Stories that are part of the rich tapestry that makes up the folklore, myth and legend of Count Mayo.

You will be taken on a journey through the rugged landscape of the west coast of Ireland, to its holy mountain Croagh Patrick known locally as The Reek and across the waters of Clew Bay. Here you will read of Gráinne Uialle the Pirate Queen, the spectre known as the Fír Gorta who roamed the famine villages of west Mayo, and the Matchstalk man of Straide.

Within theses covers you will find the story of The Love Flower and two young lovers, the land of eternal youth known as Tír na Nog and the Night of the Big Wind and many more. So why not pull up a chair and sit awhile, you know you’re never too old for a story.
 
Mayo Folk Tales. To be released on the 3rd November 2014. Perfect Xmas present for those of you who enjoy folklore.  Signed copies can be purchased from me by sending an email to lockefamily@live.com  Also available in all good bookshops .
Keep smiling,
SilentOwl.

8 comments:

  1. Great news about your book Tony - congratulations!

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    1. Thank you Jane. I'm hoping it all adds to my retirement fund :) Gaynor provided the illustrations so its a joint effort :)

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    2. Irish Ghost Tales and Things That Go Bump In The Night released in October and available now. Onwards and upwards :)

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  2. Love the Book, I bought a copy as a birthday treat to myself. love that it is folk tales of Mayo, as I live in Mayo and could easily visit the places where the stories are based. In September I started a vtos course in Castlebar, Folklore is one of the modules I am studying, along with heritage, local history and archaeology. Came across your Blog tonight while google searching witchcraft in Mayo,among other things. I recommended the book to the rest of my folklore class. I look forward now to exploring your blog further.

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  3. Thank you Mel D. I also studied folklore as part of my degree (Heritage Studies). I am so glad that you enjoyed my book and thank you for recommending it to your class. Who is your lecturer by the way? I have recently published another book called Irish Ghost Tales and Things That Go Bump In The Night, you may find this interesting. It is available in Castle Bookshop in Castlebar. Enjoy visiting my blog and if I can be of any help to you in your studies please contact me. I also have a fb page called The Storyteller and I broadcast on Westport Radio every Sunday 5-00pm -
    6-00pm you can log on at www.westportradio.ie and listen online. Keep smiling and have a safe and enjoyable Halloween/Samhain. There is a good event planned for Halloween in aid of Mayo Animal Rescue in the Welcome Inn on Saturday night 31st October, a good cause.

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    1. By the way Happy Birthday (belated) hope you had a brilliant day :)

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  4. My tutor for folklore, archaeology, local history and heritage is a guy called Chris Meehan. He is fab, really brings the subjects to life. Will check out westport radio sometime.

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  5. Never came across him when I was at GMIT. Catriona Hastings lectured on Folklore, Fiona White on History and Yvonne McDermott on Archaeology amongst many other lecturer's that we had. Hope you are doing well with your studies and if you have exams coming up in November then I wish you good luck. It is great to have a lecturer who can bring a subject to life it makes it all the more enjoyable.

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