You are probably bored of the typical narratives about early Ireland and the times before the Celts, books that are often educational rather than interesting and entertaining. Lady Gregory’s 1904 classic, Gods and Fighting Men, tried to establish a narrative using the various stories of the Fianna. Books of this nature capture the historical folklore aspect of Irish storytelling but they do not include the essential element of ancient Irish stories which is storytelling. Irish myths were created for the ancient art of telling stories through the spoken word. Gabriel Woods has captured the skill of story-telling within the stories of this book and he truly brings alive the myths and the characters of each story within the pages of this book.
Ancient Irish stories such as written in this book are written in the spirit of storytelling. These folklore stories are written in the fashion that they would have been told in the ancient past possibly sitting around an open fire in a forest, a castle or small town home. The objectives of the story being to entertain and to convey lessons learned from the past. The stories in this book would also have been passed through the generations so that Irish people and sometimes other ancient people from faraway lands could remember their heritage and culture. These tales have been selected from the myths of Pre-Celtic times, the Celtic era and also myth about Saint Patrick.
This book has a selection of short stories which have been selected to suit all ages, Irish people and any reader from any cultures would find these stories both informative, interesting and entertaining. Short Stories Of Ancient Ireland is a delightful, enjoyable and descriptive narrative.

Lissa Oliver Review

Woods has a very simple and engaging style that comes to the fore here, the stories bite-size and easy to digest, sure to hold the interest of younger readers. Simple narrative, yet beautifully phrased, so of appeal to Woods' older fans, too. The stories serve as an introduction, leaving the reader to seek out further detail, there interest sure to have been sparked.