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Gerard Murphy, Saga and Myth in Ancient Ireland (Dublin: Cultural Relations Committee of Ireland), 1961.

K. H. Jackson, The Oldest Irish Tradition: A Window on the Iron Age (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 1964.

S. P. Ó Ríordáin, Tara: The Monuments on the Hill (Dundalk: Dundalgan Press), 1954.

S. P. Ó Ríordáin and Glyn Daniel, New Grange (London: Thames & Hudson), 1964.

BOOKS RELATING TO THE CELTS

T. G. E. Powell, The Celts (London: Thames & Hudson), 1958. Myles Dillon and Nora Chadwick, The Celtic Realms (New York: New American Library), 1967.

Nora Chadwick, The Celts (Harmondsworth: Penguin), 1970.

Anne Ross, Everyday Life of the Pagan Celts (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul), 1970.

Duncan Norton-Taylor, The Celts (Alexandria, Va: Time-Life); 1974.

Barry Cunliffe, The Celtic World (New York: McGraw-Hill), 1979.

Alwyn Rees and Brinley Rees, Celtic Heritage (London: Thames & Hudson), 1961.

Proinsias Mac Cana, Celtic Mythology (London: Hamlyn), 1970.

Stuart Piggott, The Druids (London: Thames & Hudson), 1968; reprinted (Harmondsworth: Penguin), 1974.

K. H. Jackson, A Celtic Miscellany (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul), 1951; reprinted (Harmondsworth: Penguin), 1971.

The Mabinogion, translated by Jeffrey Gantz (Harmondsworth: Penguin), 1976.

CONTEMPORARY RETELLINGS

James Stephens, Deirdre (1913).

J. M. Synge, Deirdre of the Sorrows (1909).

W. B. Yeats, On Baile’s Strand (1904); Deirdre (1907); The Green Helmet (1910); At the Hawk’s Well (1915); The Only Jealousy of Enter (1916); The Death of Cuchulain (1937).

A Note on the Pronunciation of Irish Words and Names

Although the spelling system of Old Irish may seem confusing at first, it is still more consistent than that of English. Moreover, the actual pronunciation is not at all difficult.

Consonants. These are mostly as in English; the major difference is that some are softened when they stand alone in medial or final position. Consonant clusters tend to be pronounced as they would be in English.

b (initial): boy, b (medial or final): never or win.

c (initial), cc: cane, never cinder; c (medial or final): egg.

ch: Scottish loch or German Bach, never church.

d (initial): dog; d (medial or final): rather.

f: fort.

g (initial): girl, never gin; g (medial or final): German Magen.

h: hill.

l, ll: low.

m (initial), mb, mm: mow; m (medial or final): never or win.

n, nd, nn: new.

p (initial): port; p (medial or final): cabin.

r, rr: Italian sera.

s, ss (before a, o or u, or after when final): sin, never rose; s, ss (before e or i, or after when final): show.

t (initial), tt: tow; t (medial or final): add.

th: thin.

Vowels. These are largely as in continental languages,

a, ai: father.

á, át: law.

áe, aí: aisle.

e, eí, éo, éoi: bet.

i: pin.

í, íu, íui: keen.

ía, ía: Ian.

o, oi: pot.

ó, ói: lone.

óe, oí: oil.

u, ui: put.

ú, úi: moon.

úa, úai: moor.

Stress. This usually falls on the first syllable. Unstressed vowels, when not long, are usually reduced to the sound of a in sofa.

A Note on Irish Geography

In this translation, all Celtic place names are given in their original Old Irish forms rather than in anglicizations. This should cause neither undue concern nor any great confusion; but, for the reader’s convenience, the most important names are listed here together with their English equivalents.

Ériu: the island of Ireland.

Albu: originally, the island of Britain; later, northern Britain; still later, just Scotland.

Bretain: the southern part of the British isle; the people of that area.

Ulaid: Ulster, especially the area between Armagh and Dundalk; the people of that area.

Connachta: Connaught, especially the area round Crúachu (see the map); the people of that area.

Lagin: Leinster; the people of that area.

Mumu: Munster.

Mide: Meath, but really modem Meath and Westmeath; the eastern part may be called Brega.

Bruig na Bóinde: New Grange.

Temuir: Tara.

Dún Delga: Dundalk.

Áth Clíath: Dublin.

Bend Étair: Howth.