Dál Riada Folk Tales

Old tales from the ancient kingdom that once encompassed the north-eastern corner of Ireland and the Inner Hebrides

The ancient Kingdom of Dal Riata stretched from County Antrim on the northeast coast of Hibernia up through the Hebrides to the Isle of Skye. The ghosts of the people that lived there can still be heard in the stories told of selkies, sea monsters, faeries, ancient battles and heroic deeds.

Founded fifteen centuries ago by the legendary Gaelic king Fergus Mór mac Eirc, Dál Riada was a most unusual ancient kingdom. From the Antrim Glens and Rathlin Island up through Kintyre, Argyll and the Inner Hebrides to the Isle of Skye, it was inhabited by Gaelic seafaring warriors and Viking raiders.

With great skill and boundless courage, they navigated around the many islands and countless miles of treacherous coastline. They fought mighty battles, endured wild ocean storms and met with whirlpools and whales. Their presence still echoes in the old place names, and their stories of strange sea monsters, witches and otherworldly creatures have been passed down through the generations. In this collection, storyteller and folklorist Colin Urwin reimagines a few of the very best.