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… A very different Fionn tale (to give him his correct nomenclature), adapted from one of Ella Young’s re-tellings.
The full cycle of tales from which this one is drawn are available in, The Tangle Coated Horse, and although a ‘childrens book’ it is well worth tracking down as are all her writings.
Young’s is an authentic voice and her vision is both broad and deep and her touch light enough to happily accommodate the many interconnected worlds of Irish myth, folk and fairy-tale.
The Fenian Cycle can be problematic.
Most of the tales are late and many of them have been cast in a nostalgic frame.
On the other hand, the earliest tales are as enigmatic and genuinely challenging as any in the Irish canon and their pursuit can reap great dividends…
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 