A Fairy Tale from Ireland

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 190, 8 May 1937, Page 9 (Supplement)

A Fairy Tale from Ireland

“Old John,” by Mairin Cregan (London; George Allen and Unwin Ltd.).

Small folk and even the not-so-small ones will love this quaint, unusual fairy story; for it comes to us from Ireland, and you know how Irish people love to make up stories that are half real and half unreal, stories that are brimful of laughter and a certain strange charm. You would never guess that ordinary little animals like cats and goats and hens could Uve in the world of fairyland and hav« such wonderful adventures and talks and ideas. But they do, for Old John, a kindhearted old shoemaker, has a family of pets—Kruger, a blue terrier; Nanny, a white goat; and a little red hen, Circin Rua. He lives quietly with these animal friends at the edge of a wood, and they are all very happy and contented together. And then one day a stranger, a little white cat, comes to join them. Bainin is her name, but she is not really a cat but a fairy doctor in disguise. A spell is on her, and she cannot regain her usual shape or return to Faery until she has performed three good deeds which, however, those to whom, she does them must not talk about

There are many adventures, really exciting ones, crowded into these pages that it would take far too long to tell you about even a few of them. You will just love reading for yourselves, though, how the wicked Gruaga, a dwarf who has been cast out of Faery, is routed and punished by Old John and his family and all their animal friends, when he captures Bainin and tries to do great harm to the whole countryside. It is just the book to fill your evenings round the fire with fun and interest, and you will love, too, the beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Helen Sewell.